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.