Perfect pass star Gazer

[Jeff Cyphers]

Like so many skiers on this forum I am tired of getting my butt kicked by Zero off.  The pull is so different then Star Gazer that there is no way to train with one and then ski with the other in a tournament.

Has anyone come up with a setting on Star Gazer that will come even close to providing a pull simular to Zero off?

I know that supposedly Perfect Pass is working on a Zero off simulator but that does not help us right now.

Any SERIOUS advise you can provide would be helpful.

Thanks,

Jeff

[Roger]

The closest thing I've found so far is to use PP Classic mode with the switch. KX-  PX10

If you're skiing an on-time pass, this feels "similar" to ZO "B". However, if you get behind, you can still slow the boat down, so I still have no way to train properly for tournaments. I do feel this setup has helped the situation a bit though...

 

[eleeski]

I've been using PP Classic on KX- PX10 for years and the transition to ZO was easy. I prefer ZO to Stargazer. But I prefer the "C" setting on ZO.

One trick to make the PP Classic hit a bit firmer is to run the RPMs lower and the weight higher. Menu mode until RPM@34 = 3XXX lower it by 50 and then run your weight higher by 50 lbs. Hammer on! Make sure you have a working switch and a switch rope! 

Stylisically, it is critical to get in a great body position at the hookup. Ski more of a "Z" style and less "coordinates". Once you are done with the hammered pull, the boat shuts down and the ski can really crank a turn. If you adapt, ZO can feel really good.

I also use a lot of wing. Maybe more wing (or for John any wing) might help the feel of ZO.

Good luck with the transition. I already bought into Stan's boat - now I really want a new boat for my lake. An expensive transition!

Eric

[Ed_Obermeier]

"Stylisically, it is critical to get in a great body position at the hookup. Ski more of a "Z" style and less "coordinates". Once you are done with the hammered pull, the boat shuts down and the ski can really crank a turn. If you adapt, ZO can feel really good."

Why should anyone have to adapt or change their style?  The new-school-of-thought is to flow through the turns with most of your speed, not Z-turn slam dunk old school like Wade Cox etc.  The speed control system should have to adapt to allow the skier to ski more easily and efficiently rather than the skier having to go back to the old school skiing style to try to survive the "hammered pull" of ZO.  To me this just illustrates that the ZO system is flawed and needs to be changed to the benefit of the skier.  Just one opinion.

Ed

[eleeski]

ZO is here. My suggestions were aimed at simulating ZO. And making the best of it.

For me, I like that style (I use the word style loosely as anyone who has seen me ski will attest). It might not be best or suited to you but it will help the buoy count with ZO.

At least ZO has 3 settings. Stargazer has one setting (which does not fit my style). The pull might be softer but it keeps on forever and pulls me over at the ball. I really hope Stargazer makes a ZO emulator because there are so many Stargazer boats out there and I don't like the current ride.

I certainly sympathise with Ed as I'm coming at this from the other side. I had horrible Stargazer tournaments this year and great ZOs. And it seemed like there was not enough I could do to adjust to the random tournament boat draws.

Eric

[GAJ0004]

I just got Perfect Pass Stargazer on my 1994 Ski Nautique this spring.  It works just like they say it does. In good conditions I get actual times, or within a few hundreths of a second. The times are off a little bit when the conditions start to deteriorate, but still within tolerance. The only issue I've had with it is pulling my brother at 30 and 32 miles per hour. He is 250 lbs and gets into 32 off at 32 miles per hour. It would run fine in the first segment, then surge at the end. I noticed it more when the conditions were less than perfect. I turn the KX to + which helped. I occasionally pull him at 34 miles per hour, and no problems. I have a mechanical version on a carbureted engine. The key is giving yourself plenty of runway into the course to let it get locked in especially at 30 or 32 MPH.  I got to ski behind a Freddy Krueger Nightmare edition Master Craft with Zero Off. With the exception of my first pass behind Zero Off felt the same to me. On my first pass behind zero off I felt it surge when I pulled. Either system works for me.