skosney

Moldable plastic work well for this as well.

Couldn't agree more @thager , I only managed two days of riding last year (due to lack of snow) ... so glad I didn't pull the trigger on an new M8000 last year ... that would have been painful!

A couple other steps I do (in addition to most of the above) 1. Remove the rubber impellor from the raw water (secondary) pump. Inspect and store for reinstall next spring. 2. Loosen tension on belt(s). Rather than going through the effort of drawing antifreeze through by running the engine, I have always just poured it in through the hose that feeds raw water (from the pump) into the top of the engine.

:) .

Moving my rear foot back leveled out my onside turn making for a smoother and more complete turn. For years ... no decades... I had my feet as close I as could get them (nearly toe to heal) and struggled with a slight hitch and tip rise on my harder passes. Moving them apart vastly reduced that issue. I noticed no deterioration in my already strong off-side turn.

I have heard the number settings explained a bit differently. Rather than being the amount of load required to engage and increase in RPM, they represent the actual level of RPM increase once the system in engaged (as determined by the Letter setting). 1 being the lightest and 3 being the strongest. So in reality the number setting dictates when the RPM increase will end. 1 being a lower RPM increase will remain engaged longer that than 2 or 3. There is a graphical representation of this that makes this very clear. From studying this I decided to change my ZO setting from B2 to C1. According to the chart this change would provide the results of a quicker engagement (which I prefer) but would remain engaged for a similar duration as B2. (C2 shut down too early for me). I'll see if I can find the chart, which I think I pulled from a Mapple discussion on ZO settings.

I haven't played with adjusting the settings when switch to a strong pulling boat because I typically ski better when the pull is a bit firmer that normal. However, I have made adjustments in the past when I know the boat pull will be softer than normal. It has been my experience that a change in number setting is a better form of compensation than a letter setting. When I was running B2 would change to B3 if the pull felt soft. I have not had to make this adjustment since I changed to C1 but instinctively I would use C2 to compensate if needed. Of course if you already run a 3 setting that won't work. I view the letter setting as when/where you want the pull to start and the number setting as when/where you want is to stop. (the "plus" settings provide an additional spectrum within the settings array)

@jimski Take the time to set it an the standard Rossi settings 6.870, 2.48, 0.755 @ 29 3/4. My On-side turn was still a bit slow with tip rising up and all I did was shallow the fin to 2.475 the thing came alive with a nice level finishing turn. This ski works best if you set the ski on edge and let it do it's thing. Are you headed to Borderline next week. If I see you there I'll see if I can help out.

Maybe I'm just too darn old and been doing this for too darn long but the day a skier can call for an instant replay video review is the day I go back to just free-skiing on the river ... it's suppose to be fun!!! Safer turn buoys, I'm all for it, but I think I can count the number of bad scoring calls I've witnessed over 40 years on two hands ... the last two by "Senior/Level III Judges" that received those ratings because they can ski really well.

67 (same size as my Strada). I know I'll like, I could feel some great things on the 68 I took a set on last May.

I'm lifting my embargo and picking up a Vapor in time for the weekend.

I'm still boycotting the Vapor after I learned of it's existence 2 days after I picked up a new Orange Strada (replacing my old Strada). I rode a green on last spring and could feel it's potential though. I may lift my embargo after I manage I get a dozen sets in (3 sets so far). If I do acquire one, you can all be sure that shortly thereafter something new will be released.

I love this video analysis, the only thing that is missing is an overlay with the boat location in the course (instead of the skier location). I think that would add some additional insight into the ski speed variation between the two line lengths.

WPB or BAKO ... My two all time favorite site for Nationals. But I'm still trying to figure out the different colored t-shirts @richarddoane ... are you a Trekkie????

Sorry I could only be there for Day 1.... Next year !!!

Interesting debate overall and I certainly can appreciate and understand every position/opinion/argument. I'm not a "Big Dawg", but I know and have skied with several both in in practice and at tournaments and they are no different than me as a person that loves to ski. In other words their just as happy to see me run -35 as I am to watch them run -39 ... likewise they are just as interested in my perspective if they happen to miss the pass. That being said, what I find most upsetting about this entire topic were the accusations and rumors being spread that prompted someone like @David Miller (whom I skied/competed with for over 20 years) to start this post. Dave is a very good skier, but he also a successful business person and family man. We are not close friends, but I am always happy to see him and I feel equally welcomed. So a little piece of insight to those that like to create and/or spread rumors ... when you're telling something negative about someone behind their back, I can't help but wonder what you're saying about me when I'm not around. Also, Dave was very professional about dispelling these rumors, but someday, you may run across someone less diplomatic. Here ended the lesson. (dislike me if you must)

How about hold a few more tournaments/events on public water (or water closer to major cities). Conditions won't be as good and scored may be lower, but the crowd won't care. Combine such an event with some learn to ski clinics and you just might turn some new folks on to it. Big Dawg type events would be perfect for this type of venue. Add a few of those into the mix and make attendance to one required to ski the finals. Good for the sport, great for the sponsors and might be a little fun skiers. I also agree there are cost issues and anything that can be done to make it more affordable is good for everyone. However, I seen quite a few young folks filling the tanks on the $100k wake surfing boats this summer.

I may need to stop reading this topic. I'll just say this ... if we keep looking at ways to make this more appealing to the middle aged elite ... then the nationals will grow old and die with us ... worst part is nobody left alive will care. I like the qualifier/seeding tournament idea, but combining age groups, eliminating Open/Masters divisions and raising entry requirements won't help ... if you think the stands are empty now, it will be a ghost town along the shorelines under that format. There are already plenty of events for the elite skier ... and feel free to create more, just don't make the Nationals one of them. These are my opinions of course.

In my opinion Regionals and Nationals are for everybody and anybody that can qualify and it is their option if they want to go. If you want to make it more appealing to some of the top skiers, fine, but there are a lot of average Joe's and new skiers to the sport that see these events a major accomplishment and perhaps even a reward. Talking numbers, the vast majority of skiers have no shot at a medal yet they attend proudly with fellow skiers, visit the sponsors and cheer on others on the water. (I guaranty nobody is traveling to Texas to just watch the top 5 from each region ... now there's a party ) Most important to the sport are the younger skiers. Frankly, the more kids you can get to the nationals the better (and their parents will take them). Changing the format to cater to the older slalom skiers could be the final nail in the coffin for competitive waterskiing in the US. For kids, us average Joes, newer competitors (of any age), bucket listers and locals, one shot per event is perfect. Now for those that need a bit more incentive to attend. Develop a few more elite slalom divisions that are based on both performance and some form of State/Regional placement. Have those divisions competing through-out the weekend of the Regionals/Nationals with two rounds and top 4 head to head final. If that squeezes the Big Dawg out, so be it ... it is the US Nationals. Perhaps the performances from those two rounds can be incorporated in the Big Dawg 16 (but that's way above my understanding to the Big Dawg format.

Just don't do it ... enough said

Cap and rotor are probably fine but if they are from 03, you may want to do a complete tune-up of your ignition system including new plug wires. Take a look at the cap/rotor and clean any corrosion at least. While the ignition coil is also a possibility, I would start with the condenser first, which is separate but connected to the coil. Typically it is a small cylinder about and inch long and maybe a half inch in diameter with a single wire that attaches to one of the coil terminals. They are relatively inexpensive and I don't believe there is any difference between marine and automotive (but I could be wrong). Make sure the mounting location is clean to ensure a good ground. If you can, I'd pick up a new coil as well and if the problem persist after replacing the condenser, try the new coil.

Ok then it sounds like a classic case of a failing coil condenser ... Easy and inexpensive repair. I'm surprised there is not water separator. Might be a good add-on at some point. I hope that solves the issue!!!

I have a couple of thoughts. 1. Water in the Fuel - I'm not familiar with your particular boat/engine configuration. Is there a water separator/filter (in addition to a traditional fuel filter)? If so, remove the canister and check for water mixed in with the fuel at the bottom of it. Even if you don't find anything there, I would remove as much fuel as possible from the tank and replace with fresh fuel and a bottle of gas dryer (i.e. "Heat"). 2. Ignition Coil Condenser - Typically when these start to go bad, they act up once as the warm up. The fact that the problem goes away for an extended period of time after you bring it down to idle leads me back to bad fuel/water, but electrical components can also display sporadic issues. The backfiring leads me to think it is something other than fuel pressure/pumping so I would not replace your pump just yet. My two cents based on past experience over the last 35 years of being around inboards.

I find the real benefits of a wing to be added stability.

I transitioned to a Reflex front last fall and I initially set the boot angled slightly to the small toe (I'm sure that toe has a name) as I got use to the new boot I moved to a straight position. I run my RTP slightly to the small toe as well, just like I did with a rubber front binding so no changes there. In addition I don't over tighten my top buckle to help maintain good forward flex. I crank down the middle buckle to firmly hold my foot against the boot/ski.