Have some basic Skeeball questions...

jcar302

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Hey guys, i'm kicking around the idea of finding a skeeball machine, need to do a little research first and have some basic questions.

First off is it skeeball or skee ball?

What lane lengths did they come?

Is the back box taken into consideration when describing length?

How many feet you really need for clearance to throw?

Is there a length that would be considered the standard? 10ft? 13ft?

Edit: I may ad to the questions, I hit return and somehow it posted, lol.

I live in NJ and have always played by the boardwalk, it would be absolutely necessary to have the 100's in the corners, would the majority of them have or have not the 100's?

Is there brands or makes that are more desirable?

Thanks,
Joe
 
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I was told the classic red/yellow machine were the most desirable. Mine is just over 10 feet long including the back box and is almost 7ft from the floor to the top of the flashing beacon lamp.
 

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I'm going to bump my own thread from 6 years ago, lol.
My kids are now a little bit older and skeeball is probably better for us now than it was back then.
I've had too many games that i bought when they were too young that they still couldn't play with us.

My thoughts were that a 10ft lane would be good for both kids and adults. (i may have to drive to one of the boardwalks and see what we really have been playing all this time)
Talked to a guy that told me his is 10ft, but turns out the lane is only 7ft.

I was under the impression the length was the lane itself, not the whole machine.
On the skeeball sight they list the entire length, but it looks like they are all really 7ft.
That just seems really short, i didn't go look at this one yet, but i'd rather not waste his time or my own.
In context, 7ft is a ft less than a sheet of plywood, just doesn't seem like it's long enough.

So which is it, a 10ft machine has a 7ft lane?
Or a 10ft machine has a 10ft lane?
 
Ok, so it goes by total length not lane.
Bingo.

And you need around 3 feet to throw. Consider the backswing of your arm - it's a bowler after all. So a 7 foot (10 foot) Skee-Ball needs 13 feet, and a 10 foot (13 foot) needs 16 feet.
 
Fortunately i'm lucky enough to be able to reorganize the basement to fit any length.
Now i just need to find the right one.
 
I would suggest a Model S classic machine with bonus (100 point) pockets Maybe I'm biased, but I believe these to be the best playing and reliable version of Skeeball made. Stay away from Model S Lightning machines, the displays are very fragile and no longer available.
 
Yeah, i've been having an internal debate on whether or not i needed the 100's. I feel like i do and i really don't want to spend money/trade for one that's not exactly what i want, then move it into my basement. It would be like a double negative.
The S is my preference, but what about an H? I don't know the difference.
Should i be considering one of those pink ones? Not so sure they show well in a home arcade or how they play compared to an original.
 
I would suggest a Model S classic machine with bonus (100 point) pockets Maybe I'm biased, but I believe these to be the best playing and reliable version of Skeeball made. Stay away from Model S Lightning machines, the displays are very fragile and no longer available.
This. And 13 foot
 
I've got a 13' H with 100 point holes and Tilt Arcade theming. It's been great, although all things being equal I'd rather have the standard Skeeball theming. I don't know what the difference between S and H is either. It seems to me that finding a Skeeball for sale at a decent price is uncommon enough that you don't want to be overly picky, so I'm definitely glad I didn't hold out for standard Skeeball theming.
 
I've got a 13' H with 100 point holes and Tilt Arcade theming. It's been great, although all things being equal I'd rather have the standard Skeeball theming. I don't know what the difference between S and H is either. It seems to me that finding a Skeeball for sale at a decent price is uncommon enough that you don't want to be overly picky, so I'm definitely glad I didn't hold out for standard Skeeball theming.


The tilt machines are cool and a piece of history. I have one of each, but in separate locations. As everyone eventually learns, if you have space, you have to have a pair of them. When I get them side by side I don't think my mild ocd can will be able to handle it. I have already picked up a standard theming back glass, so a coat of red paint and turn the covers back yellow and I'm good to go. Kinda hate to kill the tilt styling. One of the reasons I haven't brought them together yet.

I would probably have more love for tilt style if I had ever actually visited a tilt location.

I think mine are both s models, and I don't know the difference between the s and the h either. They look the same to me.IMG_20190623_180808831.jpg
 
Yeah, i've been having an internal debate on whether or not i needed the 100's. I feel like i do and i really don't want to spend money/trade for one that's not exactly what i want, then move it into my basement. It would be like a double negative.
The S is my preference, but what about an H? I don't know the difference.
Should i be considering one of those pink ones? Not so sure they show well in a home arcade or how they play compared to an original.
I don't own a skeeball yet, but if I remember correctly the S and H sound different. I prefer the H sounds as those are the one I remember hearing from bitd. Other than that I don't really know the difference between the two.
There's an example of the H sounds in this topic:
https://forums.arcade-museum.com/threads/skee-ball-model-h-sound-samples.493473/
 
I don't have either, but their sounds stick with me.

Rolling ball - Ba roommm ba, hits the ramp "schwing" into the hole and then "click click click click" as the score increments.
 
The tilt machines are cool and a piece of history. I have one of each, but in separate locations. As everyone eventually learns, if you have space, you have to have a pair of them. When I get them side by side I don't think my mild ocd can will be able to handle it. I have already picked up a standard theming back glass, so a coat of red paint and turn the covers back yellow and I'm good to go. Kinda hate to kill the tilt styling. One of the reasons I haven't brought them together yet.

I would probably have more love for tilt style if I had ever actually visited a tilt location.

I think mine are both s models, and I don't know the difference between the s and the h either. They look the same to me.View attachment 697577
I too never visited Tilt arcades. I too got a standard marquee. I planned to switch to standard colors, but then someone pointed out that the side covers are different: metal on Tilt ones, plastic on standard ones.
 
I think the main differences between the H and S models is the electronics. Also, my model H has the green alley cork rather than the red,
 
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