SoonerBred01

@Wish I actually thought you intended to use "anomalous", simply because you found it "odd" that you always peak late in the season.

I've always had good luck with the dipstick tube oil siphons. Less mess than draining into the bilge. I always pull the drain plug afterwards and let the last little bit drain into a solo cup, but it's never more than a few oz's.

@BraceMaker, I agree. However, I would think it would be awkward to take a bunch of wakeboarders used to v-drive boats and put them behind a DD for a tournament. Unless they had ballast to change the wake, it would be difficult for them to change their routine to account for the lack of wake size. I could see it working if they ever made 3-event and wakeboarding tournaments with a cable park. Then the wakeboarding is scored more like skateboarding, with obstacles/pipe rails/etc without needing a wake/boat at all.

I'd love to see the two events merged, but I have a hard time seeing how it will work. It's not so much a difference in the difficulty of the sports with respect to one another, it seems to be more about how to accommodate two polar-opposite methods of using the water. DD boats are designed for the smallest wake possible, with most of the seating/ergonomics as a secondary concern. Wakeboarding V-drives seem to encourage you to bring along friends and the family dog for some fun. Obviously there are some v-drives that can put out a respectable slalom wake, but it seems most any serious 3-event skier would scoff a the notion of owning a v-drive boat. Secondary issue (although a large issue) is that most private ski lakes aren't too conducive to wakeboarding as they aren't terribly long, and the permanent buoys (yes, i know there are submersible/portables) would likely be nailed time and time again. How to share the water would also be an item of heavy debate, even on large ski lakes.

@oldjeep - it's good to see you over here from the iBoats forums. My name is Jeremy, live in Broken Arrow, OK just south of Tulsa. I have been skiing since I was 6 or 7, but it has always been recreational in nature. Skiing on a 69" Triumph with Animal double boots behind a 70's era I/O runabout. I've never skied a course, nor have I even seen one on any of the area lakes I frequent, but I don't miss an opportunity to throw the ski on. I mainly just lurk on this forum to learn tips and tricks to skiing better. There is a ski lake within 3 miles of my home, but I never see anyone out there and my type of boat isn't really ideal (or likely welcome) for running the course.

I'll probably make it out on the water one more time. Lake temps are still doable without any tops/wetsuits, but it'll drop pretty quick with night time temps into the 50's now. The second week of October is about as far as you can get in Oklahoma without wearing extra gear. Running at 30+mph cruising on the lake at 60-70 degree air temps tends to make friends shy away from being spotters as well.

@6balls, I normally ski @ 15 off, but might take out another loop and see what 22 looks like. It's not an enormous wake, but it's typical of a 20' I/O runabout.

@Skoot1123, @Razorskier1 - I'm sure I'll chine in more often now that I'm a registered user. I'm primarily working on @Than_Bogan's treatise for 15-offers and leveraged position. My boat throws a bit more wake than a tourny boat, so it's a bit more daunting to approach the 1st wake so aggressively, lol. I've been skiing since I was around 6yrs old, so I'm no stranger to the activity 23yrs later. There's even a ski lake within 3 miles of the house that I drive by occasionally to see if anyone is out on (rarely see anyone).

Ok, I'll bite on this one for my first post. I'd imagine that most of the non-course skiers and long line guys (and gals) don't post much, or even register, due to having limited knowledge of the sport and little commentary to add. Most of the beginner posts seem to be questions of what ski to buy or how skiing the course works, so a lot of the threads go untouched by the lesser-experienced group. Me personally, I'd love to ski a course if I had one nearby and a boat that would be adequate for it. I've been free skiing for about 12 years or so (poor form and all), but always on public lakes behind non-tournament boats. Up until last year, I was skiing on a 72" Wooden Cypress Gardens "Banana Peel" ski, or a ski from a set of 67" combos, lol. I now have a 69" 2010 Triumph w/double Animal bindings. Still doubt I'll have much chance ski the course, but just thought I'd chime in for some of the other non-course group that lurk on the site just to take in the great info.