skibrain

…or save $800-950 on ION 2 right now from D3.

Baller Video Coaching System @Horton check your email.

I have not tried their bent handle. I bought one of their 13” straight 1.092” as soon as they came out with handles. Within the first three weeks the handle rubber was wearing fast and feathered badly. I contacted s-lines and described the situation (I had ordered it from them online). They asked for some photos, confirmed the handle defective and PROMPTLY sent a replacement that has been great. 👍

@Gale K the manual wedge is removed… no need to make waves. Through -35 and -38 no noticeable difference in spray or wake shape. IDK, maybe 1-2 mph slower but can’t recall for sure and we never did a back to back GPS. Boat still shows 42 WOT. Only significant difference: In a tight button-hole turn at end of the lake, there is shin-high spray off the FAE exhaust skeg as it is pushed more sideways through the water. But that is easy to avoid by staying about 3’ inside or outside of that spot. Surprised the first time we spun, but not an issue really. the exhaust is mounted via a square tube supported by the swim platform brackets. I don’t have dimension FAE sticks out behind transom, but you wouldn’t want this if you have to remove swim platform to close garage door. I don’t know if that is the same mount system as when we did the install 10 years ago.

I’m a big fan of fresh air exhaust. (6balls link above). Helped install on my buddy’s 2004 LXi went from obnoxious loud to quiet running. Loud pipes don’t save lives, they piss off the lake neighbors.

The stuff I’ve read says this is for their surf boats exclusively. X24 x26 xSTAR. The kids can never have too much power when they’re commanding 5 tons of tug churning along off-plane at 12 mph….

…for the ultimate wake-making performance.

You might check with Wileys. On their rubber high-wrap binding, in size XXL I think they open up the front horseshoe and have an open toe which gives extra length.

Incredible talent. More rope slack than I was expecting to see.

@monkey Are you still looking for a blue Fischer? I have a ski buddy that might still have one.

Why did you ever have a season closer? Asking for a friend from MN.

@Bentstud sent you a PM

@BlueSki agree. Getting started requires less optimal conditions, but short-line slalom skiing doesn’t work without good water. We do 95% of our skiing on public water between 5:30 and 7:30 am. I’ll happily miss sleep and endure cold. We have A LOT of water in MN, but I’d drop the sport of slalom skiing in a minute if I couldn’t find it smooth.

Where to start on this topic? The false necessity of specialization. I’m just north of 60 yrs old. Over time all sports have become niche-specialized. Athletic shoes. Bicycles. Snow skis. Boats. Motorcycles…. Just to name few activities that interest me. The idea that to do any sport you, especially to get started, you must have the absolutely correct, specialized gear. The venue, the attire, the eyewear, blah blah. Here is nice picture of some people having fun in a boat. (The wake size even looks pretty good) This is a fishing boat. It is a ski boat. It is a wakeboard boat. It can be purchased for $2000 - $3000. Go buy it. Do some stuff. Learn to drop a ski and slalom. Does it line up with the optimized perfect setup that Ballers are after? No. But a lot of us started here and had some of our best memories here. Cast a wider net. Get people off the couch. Define and welcome people into “the sport” in the broadest way possible. Private lake course skiing behind a zero-off tug on a $2,000 ski isn’t the hurdle of entry. I’ve posted this before, if the filter for calling it “snow skiing” was one skier at a time, shinning gates on steep runs against the clock, the sport would shrink and be nearly unsustainable.

Malibu confirms production of TXi will continue.