Water skiing has always been a two-person affair. One guy drives the boat, another gets towed along while standing on skis (the guy laughing at you along the shoreline doesn’t count). The Skier-Controlled Tow Boat changes that, allowing you to both glide on the water while running the boat at the exact same time.
Don’t worry, there’s no voodoo magic involved (you don’t need to sacrifice chickens and deck yourself with corpse paint). Instead, you can practice your acrobatic water tricks solo because the boat runs unmanned, operated via a remote control panel at the end of the 40-inch long tow rope.
The Skier-Controlled Tow Boat is a tri-hull watercraft measuring 7.9 x 3.5 x 2.4 feet. Decked in fiberglass and molded plastic materials, it’s just as durable as any speedboat that will normally be pulling you in the water. Six buttons along the handle let you power up the boat, change speed, turn and put on the brakes. It also automatically stops when you let go of the handle.
A three-cylinder, two-stroke 70-hp engine with jet pump and axial flow propulsion provides the muscle, propelling you in the water (minimum 6-feet depth) at a top speed of 40 mph. According to the product page, the use of an engine instead of propellers makes for a safer tow boat with superior acceleration and quicker planing
Sure, wakeboarding and water skiing sounds more fun with a mate in tow. In case your driver’s too drunk from last night’s binge, though, the Skier-Controlled Tow Boat should have you playing on the water just fine. It’s available now, priced at $17,000.