Water ski tow rope reel apparatus

Claim 1

Water ski tow rope reel apparatus comprising, in combination: housing means, including a floor, a wall secured to the floor and extending substantially perpendicular thereto, a handle for holding the housing, and a slot extending through the wall through which a tow rope passes; reel means secured to the housing means and rotatable relative thereto, including a bottom wall disposed adjacent to the bottom of the housing means, cylindrical wall means extending substantially perpendicular to the bottom wall means and about which the tow rope is wound, an outwardly extending flange remote from the bottom wall and extending outwardly radially from the cylindrical wall, and a slot extending through the flange and the wall through which a portion of the tow rope is disposed; handle means secured to the reel means for rotating the reel means relative to the housing means for winding the rope through the slot in the housing means and about the cylindrical wall of the reel means; and holding means integral with said housing and disposed adjacent to the slot for securing a handle of a water ski tow rope to the housing means, including a plurality of flat, opposed tabs spaced apart from each other and parallel to the floor of the housing and extending downwardly from the housing means.