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- Boarder magazine, February 06
X-AIR_WITHTEAMRIDERTRAVIS0SB0RNE_
THE LONG TIME RESPECTED VICTORIAN SKI BOAT COMPANY SKICRAFT HAVE BECOME SERIOUS CONTENDERS IN THE WAKEBOARD MARKET THIS YEAR. Having previously built exceptionally well finished off boats; they only lacked size and shape in the wake department. Recently they set out to build a complete wakeboard boat with focus beginning at 80 feet behind the boat. Travis Osborne came on board as the brutal 'wakeboard consultant' who used his years of knowledge to direct the boat's production. His straight up approach may have rubbed up the designers the wrong way initially but the result is a new look boat with a serious playground out the back.
What testing did you help out with?
A major part of my involvement was the actual water testing of the boat. It involved some very disappointing days for Ron (the boat designer) when things didn't quite work the way they were supposed to and some very cold days for me (as most of the testing took place during winter last year).
What modifications did you do?
Each time we tested the boat we were able to gather huge amounts of information and were able to continue refining the product. One thing stood out on every occasion was the level of commitment shown by John and Ron. Several times I rejected the hull and every time I would get an email the next day with pictures of the thing cut up and stitched back together.
We played around with different plates as part of the Wake Control system but at the end of the day we wanted the hull itself to define the wake.
Your Assessment of it?
The 06 X-AIR proved to be better than I had anticipated. Not only did the boat produce a world class wake but also brought to the table a super smooth ride in rough water and double-ups - which by the way are sick! The other major thing that sets this boat apart from the others is the ease of operation. The electronic management systems that are being developed with PCM and VDO are more advanced with PCM and VDO are more advanced than anything I have seen in most cars, let alone a boat.
The boat is not out to compete with the $100 000, 24 foot monsters of the industry; it is designed to be accessible to real people and real wake boarders. The mid-mount will start at around the 50k mark and the RV at around 55k.
OVERALL THE 06 X-AIR WILL
EASILY MATCH ANY BOAT IN ITS CLASS AND OFFERS EXCEPTIONAL VALUE FOR MONEY It has been a pleasure working with the guys at Skicraft, they are 100% Australian owned and are dedicated to producing boats for Australian riders in Australian conditions.
I am now looking forward to the next project, which could be incorporating some of what we learned on the X-AIR to trick up some of the other Skicraft models i.e. a boat the size of the Century 22, with the X-AIR technology, would be a serious threat to any of the new imports.
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Engine: PCM 6.0 litre, 375 hp
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Accessories: Unlimited
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Ballast: 450 litres
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Seating for 11 people
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Where do you use it: Murray River at Corowa, Lake Moodemere and Bundalong.
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Who have you been riding with behind it: My fiancée Jessica. Mr Option Industries, Greg Moore, The Bastard, Ben Hunter. Pete and Zette.
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Preferred rope length and speed: Somewhere around 80 to 83ft at around 25 miles per hour.
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Custom adjustments: The Wake Control System and internal ballast work perfectly together.
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Favourite feature: Definitely the Wake Control System - it gives you the ability to customise your wake, from long rampy transitions to steep and lippy.
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Courtesy by Border magazine,
February 2006
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