Nautique99

@horton EP is the now-defunct ski brand that I learned on as a kid

@mwski Irrelevent (I know), but I just wanted to shout out the title of your thread. "Help an Addict" Outstanding. In fact, I'd argue that the entire "Forums" section of BoS could be renamed "Help for Addicts". That's essentially what it is. I mean, that's why we're all here, right - discussing boats and slalom skiing in the dead of winter? Need that fix, man! 😆

I'm 6'4" 210 lbs and I ski most of my passes at 34/-15 and 34/-22. In the past 6 years, I have owned two 68" Vapors. My first ski was the one I learned on - it was a 2017 Vapor Pro Build, I was a beginner skier at the time, and I progressed in the slalom course from 28 mph to 34 mph at -15'. Last year I got a new ski, a 2023 Vapor, 68". Phenomenal ski, I absolutely love it. Performs great at 34 mph. I find it very stable, and very nimble - it honestly feels perfect. I ran -22 a handful of times last summer and began taking stabs at -28 at 34 mph. I'm sure the Senate feels good too, but I like that the Vapor has more "upside" as I (hopefully) continue to progress and get into shorter line lengths. Sure, the Vapor was a little slushy at 28 & 30 mph, but above that I never found it to be an issue.

Love it!

And +1 to the title of this thread. Zane was an outstanding coach. Incredibly passionate and knowledgeable, a great coach for skiers of all levels. We all got a ton of good stuff out of it. And it was super fun. Honestly - reach out to him, have him come out & coach at your lake. @Zaneh2oski <——— right there

THIS is how we grow the sport.

Another +1 on Stokes. I've had 3 brands of competition vests (including a Masterline Eagle) in the past few years and Stokes is by far the most bouyant. And it is just as lightweight and as slim of a profile as the others. I'm 6'4" 210 lbs and the XL fits me perfectly

Stokes vest is awesome, I just bought one. I've tried a couple brands: Last summer I bought a Masterline Eagle - which is a really nice vest, but it fits a little weird. I just unboxed my Stokes and tried it on, and the fit is absolutely perfect. Some people say they run a little small, but I ordered my "typical" size and it's perfect. Seems to be a great build quality too. Get the Stokes.

I honestly thought I was the only person who measures random lakes on Google maps - thought I had some weird / unique quirk 😆 Apparently I'm just a waterskier - what a relief!

@Horton What a great post. As a parent, I always think about how to get my kids excited about skiing, how to pay this forward to the next generation. Truth is, any of us only ski because someone else made the effort to get us excited about it. We need to do the same for these kids!

Btw, the boat is a 1997 Malibu Sunsetter LX with 1500 hours on it, before the engine rebuild. Priced at $20,900 Located in Ohio. (it's listed on Ski-It-Again in case anybody is interested in seeing the listing). The price also seems high for a having a rebuilt motor. I don't view that like a "new" motor.

You guys bring up some great points. Questions that I don't have answers to yet. I was looking at buying a used boat, and learned that the engine was completely rebuilt last fall. The current owner said they blew the motor by overloading it - boat full of people and 5 full ballast bags - trying to pull a wakeboarder. But I'm not sure what exactly went wrong in the motor, what parts had to be rebuilt, or why. I know the work was done by a reputable engine shop, and I have the shop's contact information. Appreciate all of your insight - I think I have to call the shop and get better information. I know what to ask him now. Thanks again all!

How risky is this? Anybody have experience with rebuilt motors?

@Horton it's a 2022 Vapor The decal is on the top of the ski, in front of the front boot. The marker is on the side edge.

I bought a Vapor Pro Build from someone but it has a decal (almost like a bumper sticker) that I want to remove. Also I want to take off some permanent marker from the side of the ski. I think Goo Gone and / or rubbing alcohol would do the trick, but I'm not trying to ruin the finish on the ski. I just want to restore it to a "stock" look.