A coroner has recommended speed restrictions be considered for water ski races, following the death of a man at the Bridge to Bridge race on the Hawkesbury River, north of Sydney, in 2014.

Victorian father-of-four Ian Baker died after the boat in which he was an observer lost control and flipped.

It had been travelling at 187kph before the crash.

In handing down her inquest findings, New South Wales Deputy State Coroner Teresa O'Sullivan described Mr Baker's death as the "tragic outcome of an accident".

She said speed did contribute to the crash, but also accepted the boat may have hit some debris in the water.

"The boat could not have become hydrodynamically unstable, whether as a result of speed alone or by impact with an object, unless it was travelling at an excessive speed," Coroner O'Sullivan's findings said.

"Further, as the pathologist has stated, the multiple injuries sustained by Ian Baker are consistent with blunt force trauma sustained in a high-speed boating collision."

Coroner O'Sullivan acknowledged that given the inherent risks involved in water ski racing, "the systems, procedures and governance to ensure the safety of participants in place at the time of Ian's death were, in large measure, appropriate."

However, she recommended spinal boards, neck braces and defibrillators be present at water ski races in the future and that boat drivers, observers and skiers be trained to use them.

Mr Baker's widow Joanne was present at the hearing but did not wish to speak afterwards.

A representative of Ski Racing Australia also declined to comment.