Ski Nautique

[1] In the early days of water skiing, the preferred boats of skiers were inboards built by Chris-Craft, Century Resorter, and Correct Craft.

During the late 1950s, Leo Bentz ran a water ski school in Miami Beach, and was dissatisfied with the boats available at the time.

In September 1959, Bentz and his wife attended the Water Ski World Championships in Milan, Italy.

Upon his return to the States, Bentz produced his first Prototype Ski Nautique, named after the school in France.

However, after hearing testimonies from skiers about the quality of the Ski Nautique, Meloon visited Bentz several months later and offered to purchase the design.