MISkier

@Horton and @RAWSki From the Towboat Policy Manual: Record Capability (Class E, L, R) tournaments and Class C tournaments may use any prior year USA Water Ski Approved Tournament boat equipped with Zero Off (rev R or rev S). The LOC and Chief Driver are responsible to ensure the boat is in good operating condition, including required insurance. For Regionals and Nationals: AWSA US Nationals and AWSA Regionals may use a 2024 USA Water Ski Approved Tournament Towboat or a prior year 2023, or 2022 USA Water Ski Approved Tournament Towboat. (Current year plus 2 additional years).

Where is says "Slalom Change Event" in the lower left corner of your first picture, press that to reveal a menu of choices. One of those will be Recreational or Training Slalom. One of the things that worries me is no ZO serial number or ZO software version displaying in the third picture. I think it reads those from the ECM on the engine. Maybe there is a lost connection of the head unit to the ECM, which would be the CANBUS connection Jody mentions.

@UWSkier, jumping the shark would actually be more related to water skiing and the original thread. If only the Happy Days boat had been a Malibu, it would be totally relevant.

@Horton, has anyone previously received a panda (or triple panda) for their first post? There must be some sort of special designation for that - like a "Panda Prime" recipient.

@MI_Skier, I appreciate that. I’m sure @Horton can help, if there an issue.

@aupatking, check the id of the original poster. It’s new and not me. He’s got an underscore in his id. When I saw it, I figured the confusion would ensue.

That has @Horton's name written all over it.

@Sedge, are you restringing handles?

@RAWSki, all I know is that the tournaments in the late 80s and early 90s would get thousands of spectators on shore, including podunk stops outside of Lansing, MI. And, those stops would be broadcast on ESPN. I don't know why everybody lost interest.

He seems to be trying to ski that pass like he is seated in a chair. His upper body is upright and, as such, he is skiing on a flat ski. It might help if he thought about leaning away from the boat more. On a shorter line pass, I was once told to hide my shoulder from the boat and need to lean away against the line to do so. I think he should also avoid "arm skiing" No pulling in on the rope. Straight arms as you lean away. Pulling in on the handle also pulls you upright and flat on the ski. The handle is currently high and away from his body, which adds to the imbalance as he hits the wake. Instead, pin those upper arms and elbows to the front of the vest, keep them straight, and lean away. He should slice through the wake rather than bounce through it. The best part of his skiing seems to be the pull out just before the glide and the turn in. Incorporate more of that throughout the pass. Many others here will have better tips, but that is where I would start.

Another thing I noticed was how long he delayed after the turn before loading the rope. It’s semi-related to the resetting of the direction of the ski, but is also a noticeably later start to the work zone than mere mortals.

One-handed gate.

Free skiing until the water temperature exceeds 50 degrees and we get frequent days in the 60s (usually somewhere in April). Then, we run buoys - openers for a while and then start regular training and working on tips from late in the previous season.

@jjackkrash, Side note: On that infamous day, I was one month post-surgery for a gum tissue graft over an existing dental implant (unrelated to skiing). As I took inventory of the various impact points on my face, I wondered if I had undone any of that work or created new, expensive issues. Furthermore, the cost of this sport is occasionally discussed at home and any additional skiing-related monetary outflow might have been frowned upon. All was well, except for my swollen nose and a few abrasions. I called my wife on the way home just to prepare her for my new just-been-in-a-bar-fight appearance and assured her everything was minor and that I did not think I had a concussion. When I got home, she perused my face with an eye-rolling look of exasperation, shook her head slowly, and with disdain simply said, "Dumbass". We both laughed quite hard.

SS training is nothing compared to all the HR training and security training I have to do every year for my employer and for the client to whom I am assigned on contract (yes, I have to complete training in basically the same subjects twice).

I have been free skiing during the last week (3 times). Water is probably low 40s and the air has been low 50s to low 60s. We have a couple low 60 degree days this coming week as well. My very first cut this year (on 3/2) set a really bad tone, though. I went OTF and smashed my face on the ski. Substantial nosebleed and swelling, along with some scrapes down the side of my face. I don’t think I broke it and it just finished healing. I’ve done better since, thankfully.

They are on a transit break to allow traffic on the river to move. They’ll be back shortly.

@DvarianDan Johnson, I probably should have included that clarification in my post. Thanks. I separated the carbureted versus injected engines.

@swbca, I seem to recall that Denali fins had something similar to what you describe. I don't have a picture, but I thought the holes were drilled at a slant. Edited: here is a picture.

I can confirm this washer under the fin block works tremendously well. I believe the washer on mine is .030 thick. Edited: this is the setup on my old ski. I have not skied my new ski yet and will do so without adding the washer first.

Boats I would consider: 1991-1992 MasterCraft Prostar 190 (great wake, carbureted engine) 1993-1994 MasterCraft Prostar 190 (fuel injection, softer wake, but some spray at shorter lines) 1995 MasterCraft Prostar 205 (essentially the same wake as the 1994 190) 1995-1997 MasterCraft Prostar 190 (firmer wake, but less spray) 1997-2005 Nautique 196 (great wake, great tracking) 1999-2009 Malibu Response LX (low, firm wake and still easy to cross for beginner) 2014+ Centurion Carbon Pro (great wake) I've skied an old American Skier that was quite good, but you are probably getting into wood construction and I would avoid that unless you know the previous owner and how the boat was maintained. No experience with other non-big 3 boats. I had inconsistent experiences with the Malibu LXi. Some were good, some were not. You want to ski and drive any boat you are considering, though. Full disclosure: I have owned a 2000 MasterCraft 205 and still own a 2009 Malibu Response LX. The 205 was very good, but couldn't get ZO. It did also have more of a 22 off bump than anything else listed above. For those wondering why I didn't go beyond 2005 with the Nautique, I skied some later models that had some wake issues and wasn't sure if those were one-off quality issues or some change affecting the wake design. I didn't list any newer boats (other than the Carbon Pro), because the pricing changes substantially. Edited: I accidentally omitted the 1999-2004 Malibu Sunsetter LXi (you must get the model with the cantilevered stern), which has a wake very similar to the Malibu Response LX hull upon which it rides.

@buechsr, phrasing about "giving up freedoms" or "centralized control" tends to lead toward more political discussions, which may not necessarily list party affiliations explicitly (though it may be somewhat apparent what those are).

Has USA Water Ski commented on the impact of this to our rules or organization? Or, are we just having a general political discussion here?

I thought the show was DFC.

@Drago and others, here is the submitted bill. Nothing has been passed yet. https://legislature.mi.gov/documents/2023-2024/billintroduced/House/pdf/2024-HIB-5532.pdf Edited: the definitions below and the bolded text at the bottom are essentially the sole changes to the existing law: "Wake boat" means a vessel that is equipped with wake enhancing equipment. Wake boat includes, but is not limited to, a wake surf boat and a ballasted boat. "Wake-enhancing equipment" means ballast tanks, ballast bags, compartments, containers, or similar devices or mechanical systems designed to enhance the characteristics of a boat's wake. "Wake sport mode" refers to operation of a wake boat with wake-enhancing equipment engaged. A person shall not operate a vessel in wake sport mode on waters of this state where the water depth is less than 20 feet. A person operating a vessel in wake sport mode shall maintain a distance of not less than 500 feet from the shoreline or a dock, a raft, a buoyed or occupied bathing area, or a vessel moored or at anchor.