Billbert

Am I wrong or are the 2022 and 2023 vapor boots the same animal? I purchased my new boot last spring and its the new hybrid lower hard shell / upper soft shell design. Love the boot. Was under the impresion it would work with a reflex and I am considering it. Again am I wrong? Thanks!

As an update to this based on the advice given I set the ski back to factory numbers and gave it a bit more time. After a few more sets things improved dramatically. It was an entirely new setup and it took me a while to zero in on a slightly misfitting ARTP. I swapped on my old ARTP and it instantly felt better. After that I spent a little time breaking in the new ARTP and by the end of summer everything felt good. With the new BOA ARTP I was initially having difficulties getting my back foot in as far forward as I would like, combine the wider stance with my bad form and I had trouble getting the tip to come down like I wanted. All is good now. Love the new ski and I know better than to change ski and bindings all at once but the 22 pro and new vapor boot were both just to shiny to leave alone.

@Broussard thanks. I have been through that thread before. I have always felt binding placement could be a bit hit or miss when measuring from a heal of a boot. Doesn't exactly account for foot size and differences in bindings. Having said that this is the first combination for me that doesn't seam to work well at stock numbers. But take that with a grain of salt as I'm a hack of a skier to start with.

@ColeGiacopuzzi pretty sure that is my measurement point but will double check when I get back to the lake Stock position is 31.25 correct? Thanks!

69" senate Pro Build with new vapour boot and ARTP. I cant seam to get off the tail with the boot in the stock position. Slide it ahead 1/4" and it feels balanced and a lot like the 2017 lithium I am coming off of. (Other than being more responsive and turning quicker) Anyone else played with the boot positioning on this ski? It feels good now but its the first ski I have needed to adjust boot position from recommended settings to get to work for me.

@Mastercrafter Probably useful information. 1st generation Malibu VTX. This one is a 2008 but same hull from 2007 - 2015.

34 MPH 11 MPH Maybe not tournament quality but certainly recreational quality.......and certainly better than a "toon"

We have had a lakeside lift for the last 10 seasons. Great lift and the cost point between it and shoremaster was significant at the time of purchase. Also in Canada. Ordered form an outfit in BC who had it drop shipped to us in Alberta. Cant say enough good things about the service of the dealer. Reach out to Jim at High n' Dry Boat Lifts. jim@lakesidelift.com (866)-861-9456. Jim will walk you through the assembly and anything else you might need to know.

@wawaskr Not trying to be difficult but I don't suppose it has occurred to you that maybe the reason you are only seeing 50 hours or so out of the cap and rotor might have something to do with the $15.99 price tag vs the OEM price of $71.43?

And Because There Should Be At Least One Boat In The Mix

Tried to ski on Sunday. Couldn't launch the boat due to ice....tried three separate launches all a no go. Very sad.

@pregom my helmet set up is likely a little much for most people. I use a full face Lacross helmet similar to this https://cascadelacrosse.com/product/mens-lacrosse-helmets-the-s/ in conjunction with a motor cross style neck brace similar to this https://www.atlasbrace.com/atlas-air/ I was a little paranoid when I went back to skiing and the cage of the LAX helmet set me at ease. It has surprisingly good sight lines and the liner absorbs no water. The neck brace sets me at ease in case the helmet ever catches the water the wrong way. I honestly hardly notice it anymore while skiing. I do curse it on every deep water start though as the neck brace wont let me tuck my chin and I always get a face full of water. If I were to do it again I would go this route https://www.bellhelmets.com/bike/p/super-air-r-mips-mountain-bike-helmet/100000000500000093.html I just picked one up for my kids. Nice and light, very open and the liner doesn't absorb water. It also adjusts like a standard bicycle helmet so it should last them a few years. Pulled the visor off and It looks like it will work nicely.

I have been wearing a full face helmet for 5 or so years now after an OTF crash that introduced the tip of my ski to my face. The ski won, crushed the right side of my face and blew out my orbital cavity. The result was 3 separate surgeries, a month or so in the hospital and lingering vision problems with the one eye. I have had a couple of good crashes since then and have not noticed any interaction of the helmet with the water during a tumbling fall....I do think about it though To each their own. I cant bring myself to ski without a helmet now (not sure a second repair of my face would take!) My kids are now starting to slalom and they will wear helmets. I don't believe their use will ever be mandated. I found the above article interesting even if it doesn't set me completely at ease.

Idea is widely used in the SCUBA world already. https://thermalutionstore.com/

@Glydon the HRT is gone to its new home with @Jordan. After owning one I would agree it is not intended to be used as a kicker. I was mislead by the marketing at the time. You can still find numerous descriptions stating: "Whether you kick in or lace up, the complete closure ensures your foot stays put, allowing you to create leverage against the back of the boot." It was a nicely constructed boot and comfortable......I just still prefer a one foot start and the advertised kick in feature didn't work out for me.

@Jordan - I will look into shipping and let you know. @Andre - I could not kick my foot into it to save my life. That's why I am selling it. I tried for a weekend, gave up and put my old RTP back on. I have size nine feet and worse than average coordination and athletic ability.

2017 Radar Hybrid RTP, aluminium plate - black. Brand new, literally used once. $85 or open to offers. Located in Edmonton, Alberta

Agree with @bigskieridaho . Flat soft wake or not the VTX is way too tubby to be in the course on a regular basis, they are plenty nimble but wide!

@oldjeep no one ever believes me either....they look at me like I have two heads, but everyone in our ski group agrees there is very little difference between the two. Keep in mind none of us have the skill to get deep into shortline so I can not comment about the difference there. The response is new to our rotation last year, I don't know if I was more disappointed in the experience behind the response or impressed with the VTX wake. I've started to bump my speed up from 32 to 34 mph a bit this year and the VTX wake just gets better. Now if I could only summon the courage and skill to get to 36 and shorten the line a bit more. 15 off is great, rooster tail gets in your way at 22 off and I lack the skill to do much at 28 off.

We have a 2008 VTX. Skies very nice for a v drive at 32 mph and up, bellow that the wake gets large fast. I have a friend with an 04 response and at the line lengths and speeds we ski you are really hard pressed to tell the difference. response wake is a little narrower but also a little more firm. Surfing is impressive for a small boat if you add a bit of weight. the pic bellow is of the wave with 2200 lbs ballast (all easily hidden in the boat) and just the driver in the boat. Surfer is 5'10" for reference. Its a fun powerful wave thats fun to surf when your legs are too tired to ski and there is still some daylight left. Ski wake is at 34 mph with minimal weight in the boat. Sometimes fliker messes the proportions when embedded here. Click on the picks to see them distorted if interested.

We have a 2008 VTX. Skis well for a v-drive and surfs really well for a small boat if you weight it down a bit. I have a friend with an 2004 response and at our line lengths and 32-34 mph I am hard pressed to tell the difference between the two. Response seams a little narrower but a tad more firm. Honestly after a crossing or two you don't even think about it. Slower than 32 mph and the VTX wake is noticeably bigger. See the pics bellow. The ski wake is at 34 mph. The surf wave is with about 2200 lbs ballast (all easily hidden in the boat) and just the driver. The surfer is about 5'10" for scale. Its a nice powerful fun wave to ride when you are to tired to ski anymore and there is still a bit of daylight.

Thanks @justin If you see someone behind a white black and blue response or trying to wedge an orange, white and black VTX through your course thats us, come say Hi. Regarding the state of the lake our groups running joke is that when anyone asks where we ski the immediate answer is Wabuman, no one in their right mind would go to Isle.

@Justin I figured you were the one responsible for the course. Let me know if you ever need any help with it. We are out there most weekends and I'm always willing to lend a hand. We almost exclusively free ski but there has been talk of attempting the course on a more regular basis but have always been hesitant to play in a course that someone else has gone though the effort of installing and maintaining without permission......that and I'm a hack so its a good excuse not to be humbled the course.

@DmaxJC_ski My inlaws have a place on Gull. I have never had much luck finding good water but I have spent far less time there. Isle's water quality has been much better the last few years (knock on wood and don't tell anyone as more often than not we have it pretty much to ourselves) and it often seams like you can find good water on demand with all the shelter offered by the islands. Used to have a hard time keeping the old boat clean but after we bought our VTX, I discovered a thorough waxing at the start of the year goes along way to keeping it clean. It gets wiped down on the lift regularly after that and I have found that keeps it pretty clean.....and I am a bit anal when it comes to my boat. I learned to ski in northern Saskatchewan where the water is crystal clear so adjustment to central Alberta water took awhile. Long story short I have traded some water quality for convenience with my cabin located less than an hour from my house.....I often mange to get out a couple evenings during the week to ski. And yes after yesterday I need to get out and check on our dock and lift as well. Yesterday was an interesting weather day!

@justin We are practically neighbours. We are just around the corner from you on sunset beach.