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BCM

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Everything posted by BCM

  1. From a skier traveling 9+ hours I like 3 days. I get the desire for 4 days from a volunteer/organization stand point. 4 days wouldn't prevent me from attending, just not my preference.
  2. @Begin - Last summer we bought my wife a 67" Omni, I took it for a few rides last season at 34mph. We went a little big for her to help her with getting up. I am about 175lbs and 5'9", the 67 was a good fit for me. At 34mph the ski was great through 32off, at 35 I had a hard time getting the ski to slow down. Last season I tested about a half dozen high end skis (D3, Goode, Radar, HO) and of all of them at 32off I felt the Omni was easiest (and most fun) to ski, after 32 things changed for me. The Omni is a relatively low drag ski, it was designed to be easy to ski. If I was looking to buy a ski to run -32 all day long, a 67" Omni would be my choice based on my experience last season.
  3. @adkh2oskier - we had a late 90's MC that had a slide out tongue on the factory trailer, similar to what @BraceMaker is suggesting, the brake line had a 'quick connect' fitting that worked pretty well. Same idea as quick connect hydraulic lines on tractors. You might need to bleed the brakes a little more often with the quick connect setup, but surge brakes at best are not good and should be serviced regularly anyway. I have used several swing away tongues and built a few myself, that swing away triangle thing makes me nervous.
  4. @UWSkier and @Lars - I am familiar with cloud photo services and airdrop, use them a bunch. I'm often pressed for time with no cell (data) service at the lake, easier to just use one device for me. Also my old first gen SE would last one set before the battery died and we had some issues with people not seeing the charging chord when entering/exiting the drivers seat.
  5. I have a iPhone12 mini, tried the rear camera for one set on my Wakeye and the shake was terrible, back to using the front camera. I did not try messing with settings on the rear camera, just tried it once and went back to front camera. @UWSkier - I had thought about using an old phone for that but then I can't watch my videos at work...
  6. @customski - I have it setup to save the videos to my 'photos', I view the videos through 'Photos' app, I cannot view my clips in the Wakeye app. I do have to mirror the video in 'Photos' as the front camera on my iPhone 12 mini automatically mirrors all video and for things to look right you have to flop it back.
  7. @Fastguy888 - I 100% agree with @Horton, I have done significant water quality lab testing (3 years in a lab), you will get what you pay for. For some chemical and biologic analysis I would not trust a DIY kit. I have used some in place sensors for various water properties, but those sensors were $2k+ per sensor and often only measured one or two attributes. I would not trust a $25 'kit' for anything more than temperature and maybe pH. In my current job I run a large agricultural facility we do annual soil, irrigation water, and quarterly ground water testing. All by private labs that keep our information private, we do pass the ground water testing on to relevant regulators but that is due to a permitting requirement from a spill cleanup situation from a few decades ago. The lab gives us the test results, we then supply to state regulator, the lab does not provide any information directly to the state. The link I posted earlier has a few pages of private labs, I would give them a call, I bet it will be pretty easy to get your water tested and keep your information private. I think the previous links were broken here they are again Example Lab and List of Labs
  8. These folks will do a domestic water test for $50. I have not used this lab, found them here. Lab standards are a real thing, a professional lab will follow them, a 'test kit' from Amazon likely won't. Personally, I would spend a little extra to know what is in the water. I have also heard that big box home improvement stores offer testing at some locations (likely through a local lab). I believe some Ag Extension offices will process water samples as well, often their services are free of charge.
  9. @Dylan_wick - I sent a DM, I have contact info for at least a few of the sites.
  10. @Jodåsåatt - a quick search of scholar.google.com returned the following results (along with lots of injury reports). If using the search engine I would not include patents in the search. I didn't read either article and I don't have access to the second linked article. I would suggest getting a little more specific with your question and seeing what you can find on Google Scholar. Overwintering Birds and Waterskiing Waterskiing and Environment Lit Review
  11. @Ed_Johnson - I regularly bounce between a few ZO boats (single and dual puck) as well as a boat with StarGazer and another with StarGazer/Zbox. StarGazer alone works well when properly set up, they have instructions on the site, you will NEED to follow all the calibration instructions or it likely will not ski well. It is not hard nor time consuming, just needs to be done. I find StarGazer to feel soft behind the boat and then it catches up a bit in the pre-turn, more similar to PP Classic. I don't notice a difference between Zbox and any of the ZO boats I ski behind. They use the same letter/number configuration and it can be adjusted to feel like whatever ZO boat you choose. AT 36 I regularly skied into -35, at 34 into -38 with Zbox/ZO and don't notice a difference. I have played with different letter/number setting behind both ZO and Zbox and had similar results, they are not equal but when properly setup, they are pretty darn close. It works well when setup properly, I had great luck with PP customer service, they were super helpful in getting things dialed in. Just be sure to take the time to calibrate everything.
  12. @Dockoelboto - One of my topics of professional inquiry is controlling unwanted vegetation. When these conversations come up I feel obligated to post the 'contact a qualified professional' comment. Think of it similar to 'consult with your medical provider' or 'utilize a licensed engineer/contractor'. It sounds like you have done your homework. Thank you.
  13. @Dockoelboto - I am assuming you are in WA based upon your state flower comment. I would recommend reaching out the WSU Ag Extension program, they will often provide weed management advice at little to no charge. My professional specialty covers controlling unwanted vegetation and though there is some good information on here there is also some less than ideal advice. Contact a professional and do it right. Herbicides can be a very safe and low cost solution and can also be a problem if not used properly. Using a non-native species can also be a great solution and can cause large issues if not used properly. Please contact a qualified professional.
  14. When I lived in Fresno a decade ago I spoke to a few people who skied in the area (Wolf I believe) and skied at a site outside Kerman as well as Sunrise in Lemoore. I don't have contact information for the sites anymore, but they are there and rumor has it at least some of them are active. There is also a site outside Oakdale, Sunspray I believe is the name, great group of folks, about an hour closer than Sacramento. There is a public lake site on New Melones reservoir, about 2 hours north, you will need a boat and it isn't the greatest skiing site but its a fun and welcoming group of people. There used to be a course on Don Pedro as well but I am not sure it that club is still around. About a decade ago I skied at Modesto Reservoir as well, not sure what the status is there, but it skied well and was a good group.
  15. @Ilivetoski - what software version were you running? The v9.2 software handles short setups better than any other PP setup I have driven and nearly as well as ZO. With the older software short setups had to be driven just right to not overspeed into the course, I have not had this issue in the three v9.2 boats I regularly drive on shorter setups. I regularly ski PP, StarGazer, Zbox, and ZO (2014 and current promo) (34mph into -38). I don't notice a difference between Zbox and ZO. A few passes a year I will get some odd buoy times with Zbox. I am not a fan of StarGazer without Zbox. PP Classic is fine, but you need drivers who still understand it. I believe the v9.2 software was a game changer. When speaking to people about their experience, be sure to understand what software they were using. I have heard lots of negativity about the older software versions but not much about v9.2. Before v9.2 I was looking into a ZO upgrade, with v9.2 I don't see a reason.
  16. My parents have a 04 MC with all original PP components, still works great. I am not sure on the age of my PP components, when I bought the boat it had been filled with water (left in the rain without a waterproof cover), I had to replace steering cable and many other pieces that had been submerged (they left the plug in, in the rain). PP components work great.
  17. I converted mine using the part that @vtjc linked to above. A regular welding/trailer shop should be able to handle it for you. You will likely need to slightly re-route your wiring and add a rubber section of brake line. They also make a bolt on version, I thought about going that route but I was painting my trailer anyway and figured the weld on would be cleaner. I think the bolt on would be pretty simple for someone with a good drill and metal saw and some basic wiring/brake hose skills. Weld-on will require painting of the trailer as they will need to clean up a bit around the weld and the heat will bubble the paint several inches back. The bolt on won't require trailer painting, but I would still hit the new hinge with a few coats of rattle can color and clear to keep the rust away. I didn't see the bolt on version with the link above, they did have one on that site a few years ago for a 3x4" tube tongue. If you go with the weld on. Find a good welder, preferably a professional. Jim-Bob down the street who can booger weld anything with his buzz box while pounding bud light might not be the best option. It takes a decent sized welder with the correct settings to get proper penetration on both the tubing and hinge.
  18. I have never run a boat lift from solar but have run lots of field equipment and gate openers on solar. I have had good luck using a BatteryTender solar charge controller and an appropriate sized panel from Amazon. I have built about a dozen systems and have found that if you can figure out the size you need, it is often much cheaper to buy your own panel and controller than to buy a pre-configured system. The panel and controller I have for my gate was < $100, the system they sell for the gate is about $250, its been going for 6 years without issue (same panel and battery).
  19. @Horton - I think you are on the right path here. I would love to see our rankings system get mixed up a bit, I have always thought something similar to the point system in US junior snow skiing would be applicable (See page 28), likely not a direct translation but might be good for inspiration.
  20. I regularly load a friends late '90s Malibu. After I drive it on the trailer and shut the boat off, I sit on the engine cover to center my weight. If the boat driver is not in the center of the boat, it loads off center.
  21. @SlalomSteve - check the screws and look for cracking/torn rubber. If I add the time rebuilding my jump boots every couple years the time spent on those rubber boots is greater than my Reflex. I test my Reflex when I take it off after a set (in the water, super easy) and while checking the binding screws give the setup a good once over, it really does not take much time.
  22. About 5 years on Reflex without a pre-release (well over 1200 sets), I have been very happy with when it releases. I do a release test about every week. I do my release test in the water but is the same idea as the videos posted earlier. In doing @Horton's dock test a few years ago I face planted into the dock. I use the release test to ensure things are still operating properly. About a decade on velcro, I only pre-released a couple times, didn't release when I should have lots of times, I no longer walk straight and have limited range of motion in my front ankle due to bone chips. The Reflex system isn't perfect, but I trust it a lot more than other systems I have tried. I take good care of my stuff but am not over the top. I don't think I put any more time into maintaining and inspecting my Reflex than I do the rubber boots on my jumpers, my snow ski bindings, or the clipless pedals on my mountain bike.
  23. I have been a home gym guy for about a decade now, tried lots of things. Home made stuff, purchased racks/benches, TRX, sandbags, kettlebells, etc. My advice: Talk to Jenny Labaw, she has helped me prioritize what I need and her workouts have helped me a ton. I am lifting less weight than I used to, using less big equipment and feel much stronger.
  24. @wish - My old SE is my everyday phone so it has a full data plan.
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