New Member, Does this look right ?

[dgraphic911]

Hello All, My name is David from Rhode Island i purchased an 1987 American Skier Advance 19 this winter and completely went through it PO had not winterized it or it had to much mud in the heads. Either way it had cracked heads so a complte rebuild was in order. I had never owned on of these AS but i have had many boats. Some good some bad, I can't tell you how impressed i was with the build quality and construction of these hulls. Other than a Gell coat collapse/ pimple from an air bubble durring manufacture this 20 year ol hull was almost perfect not one spider or any other defect anywhere. I love anything that was made with pride and these boats definately fit the bill.  I have been a member of the site for a few weeks and have used it as a valuable resource for infoamtion about these boats.

I had some small issues with items that it did not know about and learned some things the hard way and others i figured out by reading posts here. Needless to say the prop bushing does not leak anymore and i'll never use a "dake the lake" fitting.  I'll upload some pictures when i can. Had the boat out today even though the lake was only 40 degrees the air was 50. I could stop playing with this boat it is so much fun. I have a question and a link to the video. I have never owned a ski boat and am not sure that all is correct and was hoping you guys could check out the video and let me know if it is OK.  I am not sure if the wake looks the way it should or how the speed looks.
At around 2500 rpm i am reading 25-30 and when i punch it to 3000 i am reading close to 32-35. I launch the boat with a jump to 4000 and then back off, is that OK ? Both speedos work and are syched but i'm sure these type of setups need to be checked with a GPS to be sure. Cover is off the engine and that is why it is loud. What appears to be smoke is steam i assume as it was cold. Does that seem coerrect. Ive never had a through hull exhaust.

4-26-2011 4000rpm Launch.AVI

[Mike Harry]

Looks and sounds good to me. I'm going to say the smoke your seeing is definitely exhaust in cold air.

I calibrated my new speedometers with GPS.......... worked out well. They say with a 1to1 velvet drive, your rpm should just about be your speed, or so I've heard (3500 equals 35 MPH)

I've just put over 10 hours on my rebuild and I'm scared to stab it like that out of the whole yet. I guess I need to grow me a set 

Thanks for sharing,  can't wait to see more pics!

Mike

[Joel]

For a moment there I thought that was MY boat's wake...     Looks perfect!!!   Engine sounds strong.  Thats definitely steam / mist.  Smoke would not dissipate so rapidly.  If it were smoke it would look like you were driving a 2 Stroke engine at 3500 rpm... 

Congratulations on the boat and welcome aboard!   Be sure to check out the "1st Annual AM Skier Reunion" threads and contact me if you plan on attending.  Its on KY Lake at Buchanan's Resort on June 17th - 19th.  All the knowledgeable guys on here will be there.  We've got a couple of small things planned and lots of shop talk, but mostly just fun in the sun celebrating the AM Skiers and skiing our butts off... 

Bring your family, bring your new boat and come have some fun with us!!!   

Joel

[phil]

Sweet boat. Looks and sounds great. Wake also looks very nice.  Sure is like a sports car on the water isn't it?

[dgraphic911]

Thanks for the feedback, i kinda thought the wake would have more of an edge, i know they were meant to be flat for slalom but i still thought that further out it created a lip to get some air on a board.  Either way it looks beautiful. Also the boat throws alot of spray near the rear seats. I'm sure its just the design and typical of the style but at first it seemed odd. In the interest of full disclosure i think that this boat is going to be for sale soon. I have put alot of work into it but i don't think it is what my family wants right now. I though about keeping it around as a second boat but i just don't think it will get enough use.  It is great fun and a blast on the water. I could drive this around like a PWC all day and wouldn't mind but I have a family thats all women and even though i have been pleading this boats case for a few weeks it is just not winning the popularity contest with the girls.

I am hoping to get some nice still shots to showcase all the work that has been done and get a feeler of the market.  I would love to think this boat is worth ten thousand as it is comparable to anything out their but in reality I know that even though its almost all new i will probably take a loss if i need to sell. I live in Rhode Island and the season is maybe 2.5 month's and i trailer so that also played into the useability. This boat really belongs living at a lake. I was thinking that around $5750 was a good price, but obviously without some photos you will be at a loss to comment. Hopefully the sun will come out today and i can get some really good pics.
It would be nice if the girls decided they loved this boat as much as i do, unfortunately i need to hide it in the yard until the water gets warm enough to take them out tubing. So maybe that will happen, or i could just keep telling the wife I'm breaking it in and need to test a few more things.
Here is a short video of the engine at idle, running from a bucket, It is red, but itsFord Red, not Chevy. I liked the original PCM silver but thought that ford red matched the boat better since it is red/white.

4-2-2011 800 rpm From passenger.AVI