vernonreeve

2003 Malibu Response LXI

@skibrain Did your buddy like the FA system. Was the rooster tail noticeable to the skier and/or performance?

@BraceMaker I haven't looked in our "new to us" 2003 Response LXI yet, but the 2000 Response didn't have a battery isolater switch. It might be the drop in voltage when starting the engine is causing it to think it shut off. Maybe needs a relay? Or maybe the yellow wire is going through the ignition. Lots of things to play with after some of my other projects are done.

I've been thinking about connecting the stereo directly to the battery to prevent the Bluetooth from disconnecting when I turn the ignition switch on/off. Maybe they did the same, and your stereo is still on?

When my elbow starts to hurt, it's always when I keep my arms bent slightly crossing the wakes. If I let my arms extend nice and straight, letting my biceps relax while crossing the wakes, the elbow pain goes away.

@Corne , for an answer to your question "can I ski at a lower speed with a bigger ski?" the answer is yes. Longer and/or wider ski's work better for slower speeds. They ride higher on the water and don't slow down as much in the turns as skinnier skis. That's why they designed the Senate to be a little wider because it's intended for a max of 34mph.

Maximum Effort

@Zman I started keeping my elbow in, which helped a lot, and then I saw the Terry Winter sample lesson posted here recently showing to also keep my hands down on my waist through the transition, which helped even more.

Gone are the days of kidding about someone being given a slower time than you:)

On a separate semi-related note: If you loosen those 4 nuts, you can double check to be sure your shaft is still aligned by checking the gap where the plates meet with a feeler gauge. Turns out the engine tends to settle in its mounts, causing downward pressure on the Cutlass bearing in the strut the shaft passes through. That bearing would probably last forever if the shaft was aligned, but ours was oval shaped and almost wore through, so we had to replace that bearing and get the engine realigned.

They say Alloy is more forgiving, but I went from 2015 Alloy to 2017 Graphite, and found the graphite to be lighter, easier to control, and just as forgiving. Makes me want to try the Lithium, but can't justify the price increase. Plus I'm really, really liking the Graphite:)

I'm pretty sure the current adapter attaches to the mainline where the gate diamond is. Can't remember exactly where it attaches. Then it goes out to the end of the arm on the 1 ball, then the line goes straight down river to the end of the arm on the 3 ball, then 5 ball. Another line goes from the gate diamond center line to the 2 ball, then to the 4 ball, then to the 6. Same concept as what @BrennanKMN is describing to hold the arms square. But different rope path.

Definitely a rocking chair.

My 2017 Senate Graphite was a huge improvement over the 2015 Senate Alloy. Lighter, more responsive, more stable, easier to deep water start on. And I started running 32mph consistently and 34mph on my first try for the first time ever last summer. After that I couldn't run 34mph again, but at least I know I can do it if the stars all line up:) Wish we had a longer season here in Montana. Sucks to start over every spring. But I'd also hate to give up snow skiing.

Good to know, thanks everyone.

I'll try it again. This time I'll use the tool described in marinehowto.com/re-packing-a-traditional-stuffing-box/ to be sure I push it in without twisting it. I'll also be sure it's really loose to begin with. I think I hand tightened it to much initially. Interesting that @Lars noted that it cooled off after awhile. Maybe I need to be more patient. Dripless would be great, but I've heard if you get any kind of blockage in the line, that it will rapidly heat up, causing damage. It would be nice if there was a temperature sensor we could put on the gland to warn us of excessive heat. Anyway, thanks everyone.

Two separate rings with staggered seams.

3/16" on a 2000 Malibu Sunsetter lxi. Two wraps. Hand tightened so not very tight, but I did push the two wraps in pretty tight with a small dowel. They pushed in fairly easy and I asked Bakes Online and the local Malibu dealer, so I'm sure that's the right size. Less than 1/2 hr of running it because the big nuts were scalding hot almost immediately, with no dripping. Made it a lot looser so it had drips and stayed cool while idling, but as soon as I took it up to 25 mph, it stopped dripping and got really hot again.

None of the local dealers carry the Impregnated Wax Cord that Bakes Online sells, but they do have White Flax Packing from Western Pacific Trading. I've tried the black Gore GFO, but am having hard time keeping it from getting too hot, so I'm thinking I should go back to the wax rope that came out of it. But none of the local dealers have it in stock. What are your thoughts?

I typically wait until I can do a chin-up before I try to ski again. Takes 2-3 weeks normally for me. Ribs haven't actually broken, but they did separate from the cartilage. I thought they were broken because of the popping sound it made if I pushed on anything. But doctor said that popping/crackling sound usually means it's not broken and is just cartilage. Seems like I take a hard rib fall once a summer. I even tried a mold-able rib protector once, but the life jacket turned almost inside out, which cause the hard rib protector to flip up, causing it's hard edge to ram into my ribs. That was a 4 week recovery, and I still have a bump there.

I heard a story of someone who just gave away their boat for parts. The person who bought it came and picked it up, drove it out of town somewhere, tied the boat to a tree and pulled it off the trailer. Then kept the trailer. Since the boat was still registered to the person who sold it, they had to go deal with the boat. I've heard California has an extra release of liability form (or something like that) to prevent this.

Our kids loved tubing. But the rule was, they had to ski first before they could tube. Back when they couldn't get up on one ski, the rule was they had to try at least 3 times. Then they could tube after everyone was done skiing. It didn't take long before they were skiing really well, and didn't want to tube anymore:).

Bought a used boat with the grey teak platform. Sanded it down and oiled it so it looks brand new. It's not slippery at all. I think they only get slippery if you try sealing it with varnish or something. But just oiling it works great. Hardly takes any oil to keep it looking new. I wipe it thoroughly with a white rag after oiling to be sure there isn't any surface oil residue left that might get on clothing. This is what it looks like 5 years later with just adding a touch of stain every couple months to cover the scratches.

Like @BraceMaker said. It's the vent line going from the gas tank to the vent hole. It either has a sag in it, or it has a filter type thing that is plugged and needs to be replaced. Coincidentally, I just had to fix this on my car last month. It's a 2004 Toyota Camry and I couldn't even use the slowest setting on the gas pump. It has a evap canister that absorbs gas fumes that had gotten plugged. After having it replaced, I can now fill up with max flow.

@Mateo_Vargas that's Murphy's law going full tilt.