American Barefoot Club
A Sport division of USA Water-ski

Barefooting  "Water-skiing's Ultimate Challenge"

 

Towboat Manual/Rulebook

Towboat Insurance

Malibu Response Plate Setup Instructions

Ski-Pro Lower Unit Setup

 

 

 

08 Towboat Test

ABC Approves 3 Towboats for 2007

06 Sanger Barefoot with 8.1 Liter Motor

 

Three competition towboats have been approved to pull athletes in American Barefoot Club-sanctioned tournaments in 2007 following the organization’s annual towboat evaluations on Oct. 8 at USA Water Ski headquarters in Polk City, Fla. The American Barefoot Club is one of nine sport disciplines of USA Water Ski.

 

Towboats approved for ABC events in 2007 are: Gekko GTR-22, Malibu Response LXi and Sanger Barefoot DXII.

 

“The American Barefoot Club conducts its Towboat Evaluations to ensure barefoot water skiers receive optimum conditions at all sanctioned events throughout the United States,”  “The towboats undergo rigorous testing in order to meet the standard of excellence set by the ABC.”

 

Members of the ABC’s Towboat Committee, with the assistance of top barefoot water ski athletes, conducted the evaluations.

 

To have a boat evaluated, a manufacturer must be a USA Water Ski Gold Corporate Member, and a member of the American Water Ski Educational Foundation (AWSEF) and Water Sports Industry Association (WSIA). While successful completion of the towboat evaluations allows a manufacturer to pull tournaments, there also are several other advantages. Private-lake communities continue to be built all over the country. Most developments require any boat used on the lake to be on the USA Water Ski-approved towboat list. Many city and community-owned lakes also only allow USA Water Ski-approved towboats on their waterways. Public and private lake communities have the peace of mind knowing these boats have been put through the most rigorous testing in the industry. Approved towboats also carry more value to marine dealers in terms of marketability.   

 

To be used in ABC competitions, towboats also must meet certain performance standards that are designed to give skiers, drivers and officials optimum conditions during tournament competition. These standards are developed by the ABC Towboat Committee to achieve tournament-capability status. Each boat must pass a series of tests and sub-tests.

 

Before a boat even hits the water, the test team runs through a detailed check-in procedure. All aspects of a boat are measured, including the overall length, width, fin placement and depth, prop pitch and shaft angle. Engine and transmission serial numbers are recorded along with technical data from the power package. The boat’s hull characteristics are noted, and pictures of the stern, side, cockpit and interior are taken.

 

Once a model successfully completes the evaluations, the manufacturer is encouraged to pull skiers at ABC-sanctioned tournaments. By pulling a predetermined number of sanctioned tournaments at various levels of competition, a manufacturer’s towboat model becomes eligible to participate in regional and national championships. Although the ABC’s Towboat Committee compiles reams of test data for each towboat, it is important to note that this information is confidential and only released to the manufacturer. Currently, the purpose of the evaluations is to determine if a towboat has suitable characteristics for water ski competitions.

 

 

 

Question about the site can be sent to 
Brian Heeney

Modified: March 16, 2008


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