75Tique

I am about as far away from being a pro skier as you can get, so keep that in mind as you read this. Lots of times on this and other (less consequential) forums, mostly rookies will ask what is the "best ski" There are always a hundred posts suggesting the responders' opinions. In my very rookie opinion, all those skis Horton listed are probably great and of comparable quality. Choice comes down to user preference and comfort and what works best for him/her. All that being worth exactly what you paid for it, I found this comparison interesting tho understand it really boils down to who is on whose team Obviously D3 and Goode have an edge. https://www.waterskiprotour.com/ski-brand-leaderboard

Just got mine today and love it. No one appreciated my level of cool on my page, so I thought you guys would like it. If you want it, just respond "want it"

Thanks for the tips so far, guys. Much appreciated. For those of you asking about or commenting on the ski, he is on a relatively new Radar Senate Alloy, 67. He started out on an OBrien Sequence, which was good for a starting out ski, but as soon as he started working on turns, upgraded. I tried the Sequence once, I thought it turned terribly. Some writeups on it say it will take you up as far as getting into the course. I I dont see that. Yes, he is struggling a bit with his lean away from the boat. I try to get him (and another guy we ski with at about the same level) to do the drill suggested, pulling away from the boat as far out and as for long as possible, but then it doesnt translate to the wake crossing. Those of you who see fear of crossing the wake, yeah, seems to be there a bit as the ski levels out as he approaches it, tho he is better from his on side ball than his off side. Maybe he has recollections of this moment. As far as the very representative photo @markn shared, I have a similar one of me that Jim has seen and appreciates what is going on in it, but again, has a hard time turning knowing into doing. Also, @mike_mapple where should he be looking? Don't know if this is applicable or not, but when he came back from Cobles, he told me one thing they told him, that I adopted and made a huge difference for me. When leaving the ball and aiming across the wake (when the boat is obscuring the next ball) look at the far back corner of the boat. I dont know if that is good advice or not, but it sure made a difference to me. Anyway, season is about to start and we will continue to work on it. Any additional comments are graciously accepted. I (and he as well) really want to see him make a big leap this summer and comfortably complete that pass.

Guys, Help me help a friend. He's been working on a course for about 3 years after open water skiing a handful of years. Doesnt get on the course too often, maybe 10 times a season, but even so, he seems to be stuck at this level. He even did a 3 day session at Cobles a while ago. He's heard all the buzzwords a billion times, stay on edge, stack, hips-to-handle. But not seeing any progress. He is skiing at 15 off, 28 mph. Seems to me he should at least, by now, be able to complete that pass, but he has not been able to. I'm not too far ahead of him (despite being a lifelong skier, only a few years on the course, I am currently getting into -28, 32 mph (hey, legit speed, "mens 7") but I am clearly not a good coach and havent been able to get him to the next level. Somewhere, from someone, dont recall who, I heard a pro skier refer to "urgency" I think that's a great term for getting around the ball and across the wake. My friend seems to lack that urgency. Any tips? TIA.

One of the CorrectCraftFan guys who hauled his 60s Mustang from NC to a gathering in Wisconsin. I only have the photo, wasnt there, so I dont fully understand the launch process

Lake Elmo used to do it. I had one done there, but its been several years. Not sure if they still do. (Werent they sold or under new management or something like that?) Might at least be worth a call. https://www.lakeelmosports.com/

Exactly. I was going to include that little bit of wisdom in my post.

She left out one little minimally important tidbit of information....at least I didnt see it....might be there.

With no real prior experience or knowledge, I've done all five of mine, myself. Not that hard. A million youtube videos to guide you. I was fortunate in the seals for my suit (BARE) were available on amazon or ebay, dont remember which, so that made it easier. Dont know how easy to get seals for other suits or how universal they are. Once you get over that hurdle, its not hard.

Nasty stuff, and unfortunately, as far as I know, there is no getting rid of it. As others said a few hours (or more like a day or so) in the sun, it disappears. But its not gone. Its still there. Cover your boat again and it returns. Dont try to scrub it away. This comes up on various FB pages periodically and all the unknowledgeables say its just mold/mildew and offer their favorite mold witch's brew and scrubbing ( the deadly magic eraser is often suggested) Attempting to scrub it away, repeatedly will destroy the vinyl. (Dont ask me how I know) I'd feel bad, but the vinyl was already ruined by the pinking anyway, so no great loss. I had it throughout my boat and have been replacing a few pieces a season due to cost. I will wrap it up with the last 3 small pieces this winter. There is a company "Gestalt" that claims to have a fix, you can google them (along with vinyl pinking). Problem is (1) does it really work and (2) it is crazy expensive. They sell little vials of stuff (I think it may also entail UV light but not sure) for about $30 but a vial is good for about 6 square inches. You add it up and new vinyl isnt that much more. People offer causes. Like black covers in contact. Maybe, maybe not. Mine, indeed, did show up with a new black cover, but also in places where cover doesnt contact. Plus, I've had some of my new pieces 2 seasons with no signs of pinking. (thank goodness) I have heard, dont know if its true or not, could be the nature of the vinyl. Apparently vinyl used to be made with some arsenic to ward off such things. That became banned and when it did, pinking became a thing. Since my new vinyl has been fine, (I feared it might spread from the old, but it didnt) perhaps vinyl formulation has improved to help prevent it. Your 2005 is fairly new, so not sure. I know it seems to show up in 90s boats (like mine) Sorry you've got it. Good luck with it.

Before Joel, I thought there were only 13 and in conversations with others on line, I thought that was the consensus. Now I see Joel is No. 15. I dug back to find the difference, including the former post on this topic that resurfaced recently. On that list, TGas run was apparently not considered an official 41 since it was a run off. Is that no longer considered the case? Obviously he belongs on the list, I'm sure he's had many since 2009. Does the 2009 event count or a later one?

Of course it goes without saying that the TWBC coverage was top notch. But it was over the top impressive when they started to cover two events simultaneously, obviously unplanned and a result of the weather delay. Tony and the broadcast booth didn’t miss a beat and extra kudos to the “guys and gals in the trailer” who did all that production without a pause or glitch. Well done!

I'm just a rookie/non-competitor, but when it comes to this question, it is reasonable to go to the points chart? If I read it right, the 36 mph pass is 105.5 points, the 34 mph pass is 101 points, hence, the 36 mph pass is the pb.

The one man deployment is impressive.

Yup, not as fancy as the one above but it works.

Some guy on facebook customized his pontoon boat into a slalom course management boat. Pretty clever, tho a bit excessive, given the fact that a pretty ordinary pontoon boat makes life pretty easy. As I age and that anchor gets a little heavier (form 30 or 50 feet, depending on which end) I could use the retrieval winch he has. Either way, pretty resourceful of him.

I am another deploy from the bow of the pontoon boat guy, so I would think deploying from the Whaler, backing up would work well. Easier than ski boat given the open spaces to work and move around. Another tip or two from my experience. I typically just deploy and recover once each year, but for every use, have to clip on then remove balls. The process for accessing the mainline sitting on the bottom of the lake (30 to 50 ft) requires recovering the shallow anchor and then, once all balls are on, going back and tightening it up. As someone mentioned, be careful tightening with ski boat, but there is more to it than that. Some folks I used to ski with recommended tightening up with the anchor in/on the boat then dropping it. I have learned that doing that risks folding the ball one arm between the two boat guides. Must be a physics thing because it happened same way, same spot twice. I think the straight pull along the surface of the water is what does it. So, like most everyone, I guess, I tighten it up with a short (in my case, about 40-50') line from the anchor to the surface (with a rope handle and buoy at the end) I typically clip on all the balls myself before the other guys get here. Having help really wouldnt make it go any quicker. I do that by sitting on the platform and pulling the boat down the mainline. Easiest access to the mainline and arms. When its time to tighten it, and I'm still alone, I grab the pontoon boat since I can actually steer it in reverse, unlike the ski boat and can run throttle, steering wheel and hold the tightening line all myself. If I have to tighten up a lot, I'll hoist the anchor a couple feet off the bottom so it doenst get snagged on all the crap on the bottom of the lake (lots of limbs and branches) and clip a loop in the rope to the front of the boat and pull in reverse. I do the final tighten with the anchor back on the bottom and holding on to the handle, so I can "feel" how tight it is. If the guys have shown up, we tighten with the ski boat, with me driving forward and them holding the tightening rope off the stern.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1310292626239231/?__cft__[0]=AZXm8lMa3eMWw1z3t2PgBQEfTiC9G6IZ2lNHqHfqHvpTSXZyNjGHjAY04cgwVbumQKip-Fjp_L6rK5B1yxhF459PLOp9CNJulXgLg28H5161U5CXinv7SK3MOTrODx2Sb-nvhDo7byUU6T_MKANX1NkdJdjtqqV-Uj0c_qz0nEgasTwNRGMrgSS_BsIWdNBBiLpxvdfjcW9KBeUbTnQ6AuFT&__tn__=-UK-R

Someone in my neighborhood has a new in box connelly concept with boot and RTP for $125. Im happy with my older Radar Senate Alloy, but a ski bud is on an ancient (90s) heavy ski, forget the brand, HO maybe?) Is the concept a decent ski? He's coming along in the course, making -15/30 mph. I see the concept advertised for mid $500s for a blank (tho $359 on amazon with boot and RTP) which kind of gives me some Idea of the calibre of the ski (maybe not quite up to par with a new Senate Alloy? Should he grab it?

Thanks guys, good input. Keep them coming. Thought a diagram might help understanding. One downside to what it shows is the eastery NWZ buoy to tie to is in front of Mr. Crankypants house. You HOA guys know, he's the one that sits in his dining room window with his binoculars, camera with telephoto lens and stack of HOA complaint forms. (Actually he's gotten better. Now that he knows me and that I'm not a total douche-canoe, he's settled down) Oh, also forgot to mention, this is the 4th year of this arrangement, so it is doable. Its been up and down about 50 times. As far as the recommendation to just free ski. Fair point, and we do a fair amount of that on days there is not time to bother or days I dont feel like messing with it or days we feel like just form workouts vs chasing balls is a good idea. That being said, I've skied my whole life (for roughly the last 58 years) but only since about 4 years ago had any real access to a course. Love the challenge...you know how it is....just one more ball, so I will continue to do this as long as I can.

Oh, they have the authority, just ask them. It is a manmade lake, but still considered "waters of the state" but even if they did not have legal authority, they would take it upon themselves that nothing happens unless they say it happens. Certainly not going to court over it. I try to keep as low a profile as possible around here.

Like the last EZ Slalom thread, not exactly a boat topic, but to be consistent.... So I read that thread and it brought to mind a question I have. Not really expecting a specific answer, but maybe some brainstorming will help. I have an EZ slalom course. I'm on a small HOA lake, so rules say I cant leave it out all the time, not even a single buoy to mark it. After one summer of tediously putting in/taking out each time, I decided that's not going to work. Course now sits on bottom of lake all summer. I just clip on the balls to raise it/use it. To get to it, I have a rope leader, about 200 feet long leading to one of the lake no wake zone buoys. I can snag that with a boat hook, then hand-over-hand out to the anchor. I have to pull up the 30 lb anchor from 25-30 feet every time, which is getting old (especially with my advancing years). I hook a handle and ball to my 50 ft "tightening" rope, then drop the anchor back in, holding onto the main line. By nature of the operation, I am pulled down course as the anchor sinks, resulting in my having to tighten the anchor up after all the balls are on. Now work my way down the mainline, attaching all the balls. That parts not bad if all goes smoothly, about 20 minutes. (if nothing is tangled, snagged or flipped) Keep in mind, course is in 30 to 50 feet of water. So, its not an awful arrangement, but a couple drawbacks I'd like to eliminate. I'd like to eliminate lifting anchor every time. 1-its heavy, 2- having to tighten every time means dragging the leader rope along the bottom of the lake, getting it snagged on junk on the bottom (I've hoisted some huge limbs to the surface and for the first time, last week, it was snagged so bad, I had to unhook one end and pull it through to free it) Another problem with tightening it is, I end up pulling the no wake zone buoy out of its place. Its a hassle to pull back and times I've had to add length to my leader rope. To eliminate lifting the anchor, I tried forking the leader with a second rope down the mainline. That ended up being too many ropes laying on the bottom and all getting tangled up with each other. Huge mess. Only one alternative I can think of. I might be able to have a leader off a different down course no wake zone buoy that I could run to one of the pvc arms. Lift the mainline but not have to lift the anchor and hopefully not have to tighten each time. Another possibility, but cant figure out how to do it. Eliminate leader line and have a submerged buoy to find anchor or mainline. But we tried this once and could not find buoy. (Some friends had this arrangement but in a spot where course was right near shore, so easy to spot it off the right tree or dock or something. My course is in the middle of the lake, so no way to locate sunk buoy. (Eliminating leader line is a little scary in that I have lost the course 4 times now (and its not mine to lose). I have successfully dragged for it and recovered it using my boat's fluke anchor. - sometimes that happens quickly, other times I have feared not finding it) So, looking for ideas on way to locate a submerged buoy, or how to use a submeerged buoy on the mainline that wouldnt lift the mainline off the bottom and float to surface, or any other suggestions that would eliminate need for leader to no wake zone buoy or having to lift anchor. A problem with a submerged buoy on the anchor is the anchor can end up in different depths of water so buoy might end up at surface or too deep to spot/recover. Sorry this was so long (hopefully not TLDR) but I tried to lay out all I am dealing with and all I have tried. Any thoughts?

Why are we talking about running it at 34? (whether is actually happened or not) I'm pretty sure we were talking about the likes of the current men champions running -43. They dont ski at 34. I'm guessing no one who competes at 34 is going to run -43. If we are talking about running it at 34, why not 32? Would that count?

This question came up a while ago and my thinking then was that if the physics/mechanics allow 2.5 (or 3) then the physics/mechanics would allow 6. But I have since reconsidered that opinion. Certainly people like me, but even the best skiers in the world get a little bit later each ball down the course. In other words, no one is making a turn every 41m, they are starting out well ahead of ball one and closing in on the balls as that lead is chipped away at. So maybe physics/mechanics limits have been met at 3. Then again, maybe not, maybe there is still a little more physics/mechanics room to go and maybe one of the current into 43 guys will do it or maybe some newcomer will have that slightly better style, form, strength, stretch, whatever it takes to get another ball or 4. Somebody made an interesting point above tho. I have always been a believer in I dont need a better ski than my ability. Other people always encourage someone asking about skis to get the newest and best, no matter the cost, even if the person is a pretty much rookie skier. Yet, as someone pointed out, Nate set the record on a ski now 10 years old. And all of the supposed improvements since 2013 havent seemed to help him or anyone else break the record. Hmmmmmmmm.

Ah, yup, missed that. "A" site, not "the" site.