WallySkier Turn Balls - Evidence of Their Safety

[skibug]

Maybe a shameless plug....but it is an opportunity to plug safety of a product that could save someone in the long run. Here is a pic of just before impact and at impact of 2 ball with a WallySkier buoy installed. While it did throw me off course a little bit; I kept right on skiing. Just a credit to thier design and softness. Also, notice the color of that buoy? That turn ball has been in the water since the begining of last season, through the winter, and all of this season so far; and it is still holding its color strong.

[MAD11]

I just ordered a set of these last week to test on one of our lakes. We had both lakes set up with bubble buoys, but have struggled with maintenance as they seem to get damaged by some of our owners more easily than others. They certainly have been safe though. I put in a set of test water filled buoys, which have done well for about a month with no complaints. Both Drew R and Nate Smith swear by the Wally buoys for safety and also talked about how they don't fade so I figured we should try them before settling on a solution. Nate said his set has been on for more than 18 months without fading. Was surprised. I placed the order and got a UPS shipment notice within two hours. I will put them on when I get back from SA Wed. Will let the neighborhood test them for a week or so and give some feedback to everyone.

[skibug]

Wally is top notch when it comes to customer service. Just make sure you follow any instructions he may send. I can't remember if there was an inflation then deflation process to maximize the softness of them. It truly is incredible how the color holds up. We have never had buoys that didn't fade.

[Drago]

Contact info?

[skibug]

@Drago

 

http://www.wallyskier.com/

[A_B]

@skibug, what is the item # you are buying?

I have looked at these before, but wasn't sure about which buoy people are using.

 

I have a set from Ed that is water filled and second season and color has held up well. Wonder about the deflating buoys vs water filled.

 

I have seen goode and bad written about Bubble Buoys, so at that price, I have held off. Not a cost thing, but a maintenance thing. Our course can get choppy on high wind days.

[skibug]

Here is the one we use.

 

http://shop.wallyskier.com/Buoy-WallySkier-Turn-Buoy-USA-WSturnbuoy.htm;jsessionid=99BEF685444037B8D7A41A4552708A1C.qscstrfrnt04

 

[Than_Bogan]

Oi. My ski partner apparently ruptured his achilles in practice while I was busily tanking at John's Pond (still my favorite site -- some days you just suck). Boy does that put a "bad day" in perspective...

 

This won't help him now, but maybe this is the push we need to finally install something safer. I look forward to more reviews on these.

[Double7s]

What bindings was your friend on Than?

[Than_Bogan]

Front: D3 Leverage; Rear: toe loop.

 

I haven't actually confirmed, but I assume he ruptured the front one.

[Double7s]

4 ankle injuries this month in our area. 3 because of buoys. 1 skier error. All national competitive.

Safer buoys are cheaper than injuries.

[Wish]

Water filled is still free and safer then jus air. Can't get any cheaper then that.

[skibug]

The wallyskier buoys are better than the water filled. I have skied with both. Water filled is better than not water filled for sure; but, the buoy is still hard since you need to maitain the same air pressure inside the buoy.

[Marco]

@Than_Bogan- Sorry to hear about your ski partner. I blew out my (front) achilles after hitting 2 ball, ending my '09 season and the first part of the '10 season. It is still only about 80%. Tell your friend to hang in there. He has a long road ahead...

 

Now if I am running late, I don't even try to turn the buoy (in practice anyway).

[Chef23]

@Than_Bogan that sucks about Mike. He has had a very tough run between the eye issues and now this.

[Than_Bogan]

@chef23 Yes he has. There's always somebody much worse off, but he really is on a pretty remarkable streak of bad luck. Makes my 1-for-last-11 tournament -35s streak look pretty irrelevant...

[skibug]

Some say this is a quote from Plato; while there is some contraversy about that....the intent is still the same....

 

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.”

[Wish]

@skibug I've never skied with wallyskier buoys so can't comment but was going off what @Double7s was suggesting which was the investment to pay more $$$ for buoys, like the wallyskier or perhaps Goode, is worth it as apposed to the cost of injuries from air filled only. Just pointing out that water is free and worth the investment of just some time to significantly decrease injury. I'm sure wallyskier bouys are a quality product and a great alternative to air filled. I do over inflate mine, deflate, and water fill. They are softer and the air pressure needed is significantly less then the air filled I had. I also run them just a tad lower in the water by having a bit more water in them.

[skibug]

@Wish, don't misread my comments, water filled is definitely better than not and the over inflate, then deflate, is the way to go. Between the way the wallyskier buoys hold their color and their safety factor; they are worth it. You only get one good season (two if you are lucky) by my expereince out of those polyform buoys. I can barely tell a color difference in a new wallyskier buoy and the one that we have had installed for 14 -15 months.

[skibug]

Between the way the wallyskier buoys hold their color and their safety factor; they are worth it. You only get one good season (two if you are lucky) by my expereince out of those polyform buoys. I can barely tell a color difference in a new wallyskier buoy and the one that we have had installed for 14 -15 months.

[smanski]

I am 1 of the 4 with ankle injuries mentioned by Double7s. Mine happened this weekend at our state tournament. Standard buoys. Reflex front with hardshell on back that lets the foot come out. The ski tip caught the ball and the ski lost its grip on the water. When it caught again, there went the front ankle. Back ankle is fine. Both feet released, but I guess there was enough force on the front ankle to do some damage before the release gave way. I tested the release setting on dry ground by throwing my weight forward and in the water by grabbing the tip. I was actually more worried about an early release after my testing. I believe the way the ski catches after that type of buoy hit actually puts more of the force on the back of the ski and is trying to get the toes to come out rather than the heel, plus trying to roll the binders off your feet to the side. Basically, more like you are falling out the back and to the side rather than going out the front. The Reflex release takes upward heel pressure to release normally and I am guessing a lot more if the pressure is coming from a side rotation. In my humble opinion, Bubble Buoys or possibly the Wally Skier buoys would have saved me. On the equipment side, probably only the Fogman setup would have helped. Having heel or toe pressure release mechanisms plus both feet being locked together may have saved my ankle. I got off the Fogmans a few years ago because I didn't like the heavy metal plate plus I didn't like drilling all the extra holes in my skis. I am considering going back after the ankle injury. Saw a carbon plate Fogman setup this weekend, but both H2O and Connelly specs show their Fogman plate as metal. Maybe I can get Mike Erb to duplicate one out of G10. I guess my other option is to only ski at sites with Bubble Buoys or Wally Skier buoys. We are definitely going to one or the other on our lake.

[Wish]

This is for those that for whatever reason need to keep it cheap but as safe as possible. The spray paint Krylon made for "plastics" (plastic lawn chair on front of can) works very well with the regular (but water filled for safety) buoys. The key is to shake the can for a while or the paint seems to dry very very slowly. They color does not fade and since its made for plastics, it expands and contracts so it does not chip off. The other key is to make sure the surface is very clean if its a used faded buoy. I use this stuff on new ones and it stays true to the painted color for years here in FL. Just some additional ideas floated out there (pun intended)

[jdarwin]

I've used regular buoys, water filled and bubble buoys. Water filled is a relatively minor improvement - it's still like hitting a rock. I really like the bubble buoys from a safety perspective but they are a PITA to maintain. The construction is rather crude and they fade quickly. You can repaint them but once you hit them, the paint chips off fast. At my June record, I repainted them and by the end of the weekend, most of the paint was gone. I forgot about the wally buoys - I'm ordering some tonight. Thanks Bob for the testimonial.

[MZito]

Wally...Great customer service! I ordered 6 turn buoys on Sunday morning and I received a call from Wally Sunday afternoon thanking me for my order and to let me know they would be shipped to my house by Wednesday. Just a great guy!! He earned my future business as well.

[BG1]

Wally. Have you tried WallySkier buoys with water added after overinflating then deflating? Would that improve the WallySkier buoys safety even more as it does for the traditional buoy?

[Leopold]

What's the difference between WallySkier buoys and regular buoys? Why are they safer?

 

[SpartanSki]

The connection loop looks huge on those buoys, will the standard plastic clip make it through those or do they need to be tied/zip tied on?

[skibug]

@leopold, super soft, way less air pressure, with the bottom hemisphere actually having a slight conical shape to allow easier displacement

 

@Spartanski, we have the larger adjustable hooks with the keepers that are used with bungee or surgical cord. The larger hooks can be wedged on the buoy loop; but, we have gone to using a small loop of bungee cord (maybe 4" to 6") between the adjustable hook and the buoy loop. You can use a zip tie if you desire.

[BG1]

Has anyone tried water filled WallySkier buoys? Would that be even safer?

[ToddL]

http://shop.wallyskier.com/images/1302020764400-1013282260.jpeg

[skibug]

@BG1, have not tried.

[Bdecker]

I have these on two courses the initial feedback has been positive. I will say they seem to sting a bit more when you hit them with a shin but they displace nicely when you hit them with a ski. That's what matters anyway. Wally is a great guy, tremendous follow through. I run the buoys on both a fix anchor and a wallysinker course. Just be careful not to over-inflate.

 

Than- sorry to hear about Mike. Hope he has a speedy recovery.

[Weappa]

@mad11 How are the Wallyskier buoys holding up?

[MAD11]

@weappa I have been gone since right after nationals, but up until then were doing great. Several people had hit them and thought they moved away easily. @BG1 I do have a small amount of water in each one to make them slightly more neutral. Seems to work great. I did not use as much as I had on normal buoys as they don't seem to need it. Plus I wanted to keep plenty of tension on the bungee.

[6balls]

I would argue that water filled is better than a minor improvement...esp if you are running a floating course where you are not able to pull the turn buoys down on the cord so they are low. We used to weight them in an attempt to get them down but I still roasted an ankle/achilles last fall on std buoy...best thing I ever did was run water buoys this season. I've drilled a couple of them w/no issue...often times kept skiing, other times did fall but w/out the ski skipping up/out and then catching the tip resulting in injury. May depend on how much water, how high they are out of the water. I'm sure the wally's and bubbles are even better yet...but I couldn't be more pleased with the gains by simply adding water.

[Wish]

Often wondered if size matters. A larger circumference (water filled) lowered in the water a bit more then half vs smaller at half. Both yield about the same ability to be seen. Seems the the angle of the sides of the larger ball sitting deeper would be less. Like lessening the angle of a jump ramp.

[GregDavis]

Tried water filled, they are OK, Have had wally buoys on for 8 months in Fl. sun, no fading, LOVE THEM. Safe, no fade, correct size, etc.

[MichaelGoodman]

I have wally buoys as well and like them so far. When speaking with Wally while ordering he said you should never ever but water in a buoy not sure why but thats what he told me.

[AggieSkier]

I just ordered a set of Wally ski balls along with a few boat guides. Wally claims his boat guides are also super fade resistant. We will see. His guides are cheaper than the Polyforms.

 

One thing to remember for course safety is that AWSA requires 16" of bungee or equal under the ski balls. I bet during low water last year that some of our bungee was much less than 16". This spring, I'll modify the sub buoys to be height adjustable.

 

@Horton you should hit Wally up for a BOS ad banner.

[RichardDoane]

@ob - that self adjusting contraption sounds like anything but "maintenance free", please post a pic if possible, we're planning on re-anchoring the Broho, and water level fluctuation is an issue there too

[Wish]

Not that they can't be replaced but over time, the crab balls get waterlogged and become less affective. U could use your old turn balls (less air if not water filled) to do the same thing. Just a thought. Great idea that may work well on my home lake in MN.

[scuppers]

@OB & @richarddoane - I've fooled with a lot of contraptions over the years - the best one IMO is diagramed by Ed Brazil and can be seen on Skier to Skier. Check it out. And if you decide to use this, do it exactally - Don't re-invent the wheel or figure a way to cheap out. as illustrated it works over about 1.5 feet variation without any adjustment and very maintance free.

 

[MattP]

OB

"maintenance free slalom course next year"

please how about somewhat maintenance free.

[scuppers]

http://www.skiertoskier.com/ GO TO THE "MAGNETS SECTION" AND SCROL DOWN TILL YOU SEE THIS

- Do you have any pictures of how some people install magnets? YES! For liability reasons, we do not endorse any particular method of installation. The key is to install the magnets with safety in mind. Some of our customers have sent us some pictures -- including a drawing of Ed Brazil's famous finger trap method of adjusting your course buoys. FYI -- this page has a ton of pictures and may take a while to load. View at your own risk and remember: be safe! Click here for some pictures.

 

 

[scuppers]

@OB - If you get down this way anytime soon come over for a set and I can show you exactally what we have for this set up.

[scuppers]

Oh, now I finally get what you are trying to accomplish. I could never get that set up to work consistantly. Constant fiddling to get the tension right.

[Nando]

Although I've used EB's "finger trap" method, our tried and true method is to have a counterweight above the magnet or subfloat and simply run it through a loop or clip and it works similarly to a pulley system. We've used this with anchored courses and with permanent cable courses. We use smooth clips attached to 18" of bungee and have never had a problem with lines getting frayed. Works great for a maximum of about 4' of fluctuation- anything more would require the magnets to be too deep. We used to skip the bungee and just use a string so that, if snagged, the ball would come off without damaging anything but the string.

[skiep]

Here is what I use. Got this from Erec T in Jax Fl. The 3rd pic. is what they use in Jax. in existing lake. The float holds the pipe upright.

I poured lead into a 1 1/4" pipe install it in the 5" long pvc in lake bed. No adjustment at all!!! Keith Albritton

[skiep]

Correction -5' long 2" pvc pipe

[emac]

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to thank the forum. I did a search earlier this season and discovered the Wally Skier balls. Bought six and absolutely love them. I have broken my ankle twice clipping a ball in the last 15 years of course skiing. Last night I was fighting for the 6 ball and did just what Skibug's picture showed. The ball felt like a bowl of jello, ski flickered, and I made it out the gates. Well worth the money.