east tx skier

Ruptured my distal biceps tendon lifting a heavy table backstage at my kid's elementary school musical---macho theater injury. Surgery in December. Finally worked my way back up to full strength slowly. Would like to get a set in before the temperature dips below 90 in Texas.

I should add that I'm sure all of these new boats do everything they are supposed to do with great precision---finely tuned instruments. But my 22 year old boat isn't an excuse for me or anyone else I ski with for subpar performance. And while the new ones have some cool aspects from a technology standpoint, they just don't give me the fizzy fealing (to borrow a Top Gear phrase). And that's a good thing since I can't afford them anyway. Kind of like how I saw a Ferrari 457 the other day. It was beautiful. I know how fast it is. But I didn't give it a second glance like I would have had it been a 308 GTB because I know for a fact the thing doesn't have 3 pedals and I don't care that I can't shift as fast as a computer. /old man ranting //get off my lawn ///Pinenforina

Both from a monetary and aesthetic perspective, I never have felt better about hanging on to this old tug than I have at this moment.

Spoke to Darren at Wiley's yesterday. He said not much on the spray/application side of things will help since the neoprene doesn't let much in. He suggested warm water and letting a friend with a larger foot cram his big bunny feet into the boot a few times. A pair of pro build wraps are about $25. So that option works as well since I trimmed the excess from my wraps years ago.

I picked up an older HO System 8 (63.5") for my son. He started using it at about that age and still is on it at age 12. Worked well for him.

Thanks for the tips, all. Will give them a shot.

"On the other hand, you have different fingers."

A year or so ago, the outer shell of one of my Strada boots ripped. The next time out, I put my old Wiley's pro build boots on the ski and had a nice set. So I have left them on and have been happy with them. But I haven't been skiing as much as I once did and the boots seem a bit more snug, probably from not being used as much. Anyone have any tips on keeping rubber ski bindings soft, pliable, and stretched out in between uses?

"Never eat at a restaurant that has a bowling trophy on the cash register."

Warren was a pioneer and among the greatest advocates for his chosen sport I can think of. His book, "Wine, Women, Warren, & Skis" is worth picking up. And remember, "They say it always is darkest before the dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's a good time to do it."

That's too bad. I've mostly liked the Overton's gloves, but I can't say I've shopped for anything else there in a long time.

@oldjeep Ah, I misread your earlier post. Yeah, no poles on mine. I wasn't aware that the evolution covers needed them. Yeah, mine doesn't pool and doesn't need poles, which is the main reason I went with it. As the fabric stretches over time, you can adjust the side tension by adjusting the hooks, which are velcroed to the cover. Very simple, but effective setup despite a portion of my boat's "bubble butt's" being exposed.

@MS Thanks for the clarification on that.

@oldjeep Just looking more closely at the Commercial Sewing trailerable cover, it looks like they do use antipooling poles, unless there is something I am missing (and that easily could be the case). https://www.bakesonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=1441

@oldjeep I'm not familiar with those covers. I just was explaining why these covers are designed the way they are. As for a flat spot, mine doesn't have one when installed. Water runs right off. And if the rear gel coat on my boat gets a little wet, I'm not too bothered by it. Evolution and Coversports were started by former Rankin employees, Cory and Brent. Each improved on the Rankin design. It has been a good cover for me. I'm glad you like your cover.

@oldjeep The trailerable covers like Evolution and Coversports are designed to be drum tight without tent poles. The reason they don't cover the entire transom is because they need a little room to get tension from the attachment point (hooks under the rubrail). In my case, as with many older boats, there is no trunk and, thus, no vinyl back there in contact with the cover.

---Duplicate Post---

Link to one of the MC threads. Have you tried leaving the boat out in the sun to see if the stain fades? http://www.mastercraft.com/teamtalk/showthread.php?t=49799

That stinks. I can't speak to black sunbrella, but I have a red sunbrella cover from Brent, which has been on my 1998 SN for eight years with no harm to the vinyl. Thinking back, there were some issues with the black MasterCraft factory covers years ago with staining. You might look into some of those old threads on the MC forum. Just a thought. Again, sorry this happened.

Olefin outdoor/marine carpet from Lowe's/HD works fine for bunk carpet. I prefer to double wrap. Use stainless staples. It's a project, but not one you can't handle.

Wiley's has a wrap in between the Slalom wrap and the Trick wrap for the front boot called the "Pro Build," which is, IIRC, the equivalent of the jump boot. I have used it as my front slalom boot for years and just recently went back to it after a few years on Strada boots. Stiff, but you can go longer than 10 minutes.

Depends on how you hold the handle as well. I wear a medium glove (tight fit) and use a small diameter Masterline 12" handle (0.94" or 0.92"), I think. I try to hold the handle predominantly in my fingertips. So this works best for me. Anything larger doesn't work for me.

I have gone back to Wiley's Pro Build this year after 4 years or so on Strada boots. Think I am going to like it.

Are you planning on hosting tournaments or just skiing with your buddies? You can spend as little or as much on this as you like. You also can get one very straight with some low stretch ropes, zip ties, duck tape, and all the measurements. Middle of the road is a portable, then drop anchor to match. Expensive is the surveyor. Here's an example of the cheap method. We used measured sections of rope, set the anchors, then adjusted the anchors with line of sight, and remeasured. Got it done in one weekend, and it turned out well, but we weren't hosting tournaments. :) Still, old school perfect pass ran good times on it. http://lh5.ggpht.com/_1gl9obJSimU/S47e5tL4agI/AAAAAAAACuA/qsGff12LPHk/Course%20at%20Buzzard%20Buoy.JPG

If you can find an old zip sled/bob sked, they're great! My boys were on them at 16 and 18 months (with a parent dragging behind. They can lie prone, sit, kneel or stand. My oldest was skiing on trainers at age 4 and up on slalom by age 9. My younger one was more cautious and didn't ski until age 6. But he's excited as can be for this year. I prefer the Bob Sked for its handles (particularly when I was dragging behind).