If you haven’t learned by now, everything can be found on the Internet. If humans have learned it, it can be found here. While that can be either a horrifying prospect or one that fills you with hope depends upon your personal perspective and your private search history. (Ha!) Nevertheless, one thing that we find endlessly amusing is the innovations of the past as creators and innovators looked toward the future. One such creation is Ski Craft’s unique Ski-Tow.
The Hamburg, Germany-based vessel-maker Ski Craft built its business around waterborne recreation and pleasure craft. By 1964, Ski Craft Boats had relocated to Seattle, Washington with a distributor in Los Angeles, California. The craft itself was a 6 1/2 ft fiberglass hull powered by a 24-horsepower NSU Wankel Type 61 rotary engine. Weighing in at 60-pounds, the vessel was rather lightweight given its heavier materials.
Designed for one-man use, the operator rode on water skis behind the craft, “grasping extended handles which include throttle controls,” according to the Wikipedia page. The operator steered via the skis. Ski Craft had innovated a type of “deadman” throttle which stopped the motor if the skier released their grip, but many States had legal requirements already in place requiring separate drivers and observers for water skiing, making sale and use of this vessel almost entirely illegal. See it in action HERE:
