WaterSki Magazine

WATERSKI Magazine
2001-06-14 15:00:00 | 86 views | 0 Comments

Over the years, the creations of custom ski-boat builder Pat Moore have come to our tests in many forms. One year it was as a gold-plated, bright-yellow footing machine built specifically for barefoot celebrity George Blair.

Another year the same hull sported a fire-breathing custom aluminum engine that shattered all our existing speed and acceleration records.

For 1999, Moore showed our test team another aspect of his 21-footer's versatility. In keeping with the growing popularity of wakeboarding, he created the Air Extreme - a special edition of the Ski Pro Open Bow fitted with a diagonally braced telescopic pylon, a high-end sound system and a pair of integrated water ballast tanks.

The model brought to our 1998 test also sported a pressurized shower and a pair of built-in docking headlights. Since each Air Extreme is custom-built to the owner's request, this same model can be ordered as a stripped-down towing machine or a maxed-out party boat.

Rather than the fire-breathing V-8's found on most of the barefoot-specific Ski Pros, the Air Extreme is equipped with a 4.3-liter V-6. Thanks to its efficient hull design and to the standard DuoProp propulsion system, the Air Extreme is able to hold speed and stay on a plane in the critical 20 mph range - something few I/O-powered boats are able to do.

Our test riders found the Air Extreme well ahead of other I/Os and many tournament inboards in terms of wake shape and lift. Another advantage of the DuoProp drive, they reported, is the ability to fine-tune the wakes by trimming the drive up or down.

As expected, the wakeboard package did nothing to hinder the boat's overall towing performance. With the water ballast tanks emptied, the Air Extreme did well in the slalom course and also impressed our barefoot crew, all of whom noted that the V-6 power plant provided plenty of zoom, even for the tournament footers.