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bbrannan

Baller
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  • Real Name
    Ben Brannan
  • Ski
    D3 Evo
  • Tournament PB
    1@38 (36 mph)
  • USAWS Member # or other IWWF Federation #
    700146077

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  1. Nate ran a stock fin at worlds...
  2. Same experience for us -- 2017/2018 were troublesome but Malibu has resolved those issues and the 2019 has been fantastic.
  3. @Broussard As a former Ohio State skier, it is a bit frustrating being the “best of the rest” at D1 Nationals. We finished 6th in 2016, behind the perennial power 5, and received zero recognition for that accomplishment. But Miami of Ohio went home as “National Champions” for effectively placing 13th? To us (and every other school aside from ULM/ULL/Bama/FSC/Rollins), placing 6th is “winning” Nationals, because the top 5 are simply in a different league. If they were to split Nationals into 3 divisions, I would suggest something along the lines of 1-5/6-15/16-24. I would actually prefer a 2 division set up of 1-5/6-24, although that doesn’t make sense logistically.
  4. @DW If the outside temp is over ~85 degF, our boat struggles to get to 36 mph by the 55s at our 2,150 ft lake. I’d say that is “extreme” power loss, relative to the theoretical power of a 6 L engine. Elevation is just 350 ft.
  5. @Conor You’re not alone. Our ‘17 and ‘18 have both been slow, even at mildly high (80s) ambient temps. As mentioned above, this is because the engine de-rates the timing at high intake air temperatures. The air intake is at the front of the engine box, but the vent is in the rear, so it pulls in heated air that has been sitting in the insulated engine box. Furthermore, the bilge vents under the windshield face outwards, not forwards like the 196/200. 175 hours and counting.
  6. I’ve had that issue with 3 different Strada/Vapor boots. Always seem to be able to find a cheap replacement, though... 2018 Carbitex is lined up for when my current boot fails. The release characteristics, performance, comfort, and price are good enough to justify buying replacements year after year.
  7. For what it’s worth, the driver already has to change the speed between every pass for a huge chunk of skiers in tournaments. Of course there will be a learning curve and mistakes will be made with the addition of a rope length setting, but it’s not the end of the world. @Ilivetoski it sounded pretty clear from @TEL 's review that the micro-tuners are used at -28', and that they make a big difference. I believe he was saying that it skied "about the same" as his 196 without the micro-tuners engaged, but with them the wake was "smoothed out tremendously". “What happened to just getting in the boat with your friends and going skiing?” Absolutely nothing. Nautique’s new technology is in no way preventing anyone from going out for a rip. If you don’t want to mess with micro-tuners, or fin settings, or ZO letters, or whatever else... you don’t have to! Just tell the driver your speed and line length and have fun!
  8. We have experienced 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7 with our ‘17. Loose platform and pylon from factory. “Ghost start” on a lift one time with nobody in it, difficulty starting and stopping 4-5 other times. Bilge would run about once every other skier until we caulked the underside of the rub rail. Steering took some fine tuning. Screen glitched out once or twice, easily fixed by flipping battery kill switch. 5.3L DI and 6.2L 200s feel like rocket ships relative to the Crusader 6.0L. All that said, I think (hope) most of these were issues you could forgive on a completely redisigned/new boat. Ours was probably one of the first boats off the line. Factory contact also said they have had a lot of turnover at the factory (that was our explanation for loose pylon/platform). Hope our ‘18 requires less attention. Drives and skis well, but not my favorite in either category. Functionally the interior is excellent, do wish the driver’s seat moved forward one more click.
  9. I mean, plenty of us have to take 5-6 months off every year in the winter... I would say 6 weeks is not uncommon before running your hardest pass again, at least among the people I ski with. Depends how much you ski.
  10. Thanks @LeonL, nice to meet you. Wish I could have made it to the tournament, but I had too much unpacking to do before starting work tomorrow. Planning to be at Kentucky States for Saturday, not sure if I'll be able to make Friday or not yet.
  11. Never have and never been asked (boat or tower), which isn't particularly surprising given most tournaments I judge are collegiate.
  12. If Nate can do it in the dark, he can probably do it again with more light...
  13. I would pay postage for a switch as well. I am with the Ohio State Water Ski Team who could use one for jump!
  14. Such a shame they added that ugly tower...
  15. Many people feel that the implementation of ZBS was rushed. Please do not make the same mistake in rescinding it. As a collegiate skier, I believe ZBS could make a HUGE difference in pulling people into the sport. It might be easy for super-shortline skiers to forget, but the grind from 26 -> 36 mph is brutal for newcomers. Over the last 4 years, I have watched at least 6 skiers struggle for 2+ seasons trying to master 34 and 36 mph -- consistency is hard to come by when you are just figuring out these speeds. It is immensely discouraging. Allowing those skiers to shorten the rope at 32-34 mph gives them a way out, and allows them to make progress even with limited water time. @GK has pulled an incredible amount of people into the sport, including myself. I would argue that his creative efforts and experience make him more qualified than most to comment on the effectiveness of ZBS. I do think the divisional speed maximums should remain in place (i.e. 34 mph skiers should not get an extra 6 buoys for skiing at 36 mph), but to rescind the entire thing is to miss an opportunity to grow the sport.
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