Boat Driving effecting performance

[skidawg]

Food for thought!  How much does boat driving affect performance and training.  A thought just occurred to me that a practice driver w/o rhythm with the skier may determine the outcome of training and performance negatively.  This could perhaps start a huge downward cycle in a skiers performance.  Any thoughts, comments, observations or do you think I am just crazy!

[skidawg]

English majors please forgive my lack of proper use of affect/effect!

[Horton]

and you have a masters?

[Horton]

I try not to ski with anything out of spec. Skiing good with slow times screws with your head. Rough water lowers your score and messes with your head. I can’t imagine what a funky boat path . . .

 

I say if drivers or conditions are out of spec then it is time to run a bunch of back-to-back passes and stay away from your hard pass.

[tsixam]

Boat driving is extremely important!

 

When boat driving or conditions are less then perfect or at least acceptable I stay away from my hardest passes and ski back to back instead. But slow times or a sloppy boat path can help you too. When I am working a new line length or if I have a “bad day†I sometimes ask for slow times because I believe it is better to ski a few balls more or the whole pass than getting dumped around no 1 every time. And a good driver can feel when I am in trouble (in practice) and letting me have some more line so I can make the pass or at least have a few balls more. But it has to be my choice! If I know that times are slow and the path is of center it doesn’t mess up my mind, but I really hate drives who are trying to be “kind†by slowing the times down and making me believe that it was actual.  When I am having a slump I sometimes even ask for fast times on my easy passes, then I slow down each line length a little until I get to my hardest passes which I ski a little slow. For me it is a good way to get out of a slump. But in competitions nothing less than perfect is acceptable.

 

Tsixam

[skidawg]

My original thought doesn't have to do with slow times or forgiving path.  It was dealing with drivers who unknowingly offside you or stay on one side of the course, or just don't pay attention to what they are doing.  Do you think that over compensating for bad driving can create bad habits, rhythm, over skiing!

[Old MS Accout]

Its not the driver its that Am skier.

[skidawg]

U mean 07 MasterCraft my brother from another mother!!

[Old MS Accout]

WOW, nice upgrade. A 190 sweetheart or a 197 barge?

[Horton]

I was driving a new CC last weekend & could not find the center for anything.

 

Then went back to boat I drive all the time and was screwed from the cc

 

Very bad week to ski with me :-)

[Old MS Accout]

I have the new 196, and it finds nothing but center. Set that rudder tab as far as it goes to the right and tighten it up. It will track on a rail and you can drive with a thumb on the wheel.   

[skidawg]

what ever the open bow promo boat is, sweet rig.

[Horton]

problem for me is not the boat. Just a different visual and no passanger to get me it the middle. SO the problem is me.

[Director Darwin]

Dawg - just come over this week - we'll straighten you (and the boat path) out!!

I find most of the problems with boat path is not weaving but the tendency to ride down one side or the other based on visuals.  Malibu's and MC's are more difficult to find the center if you are accustomed to driving a CC due to the large open bow area.  It seems as though you have to "run over" the right side guides to get centered.

I first try to bring the right side boat guides under my right elbow during the first pass.  This gets you close and works for any boat regardless of open bow or not.

I then look at the 55's as I pass thru them on my second pass to further gauge my center.  I try to get feedback from the observer (judge) as to my center.  I then utilize the guard rail uprights relative to oncoming boat guides to provide a visual reference for center. 

I take driving as seriously as skiing.  One without the other is fruitless.

[eleeski]

All of you youngsters are spoiled. With PP the ride quality is better than my skills - regardless of who is driving. In the olden days the driver really mattered but now almost anybody can give a ride in tolerance. And marriages can be preserved.

If you need better driving than the tolerance to ski well, improve your skills.

With that said, there are drivers that bring out the better performances and drive to a tighter tolerance. They are wonderful to ski behind and sometimes can help my buoy count. The dedicated drivers (like Joe) really help - but I'm stuck with Lisa (the Hammer).

Eric

[skidawg]

Yes, but you can look forward to sniffing fiberglass and sipping a cold SR!

[ScarletArrow]

Our course is set up with a dogleg to the right and the end of the course has a really tight turn around the island...so having a driver familiar with our particular course is crucial.

There is a marker bouy to indicate when to turn at the beginning of the dogleg, but when the boat slides it's easy to over/under turn and get shakey going into the 55's.

 I'll admit that I'm not as proficient w/ PP as I need to be, so I concentrate on giving a good start, making the dog leg turn with no correction, and taking a rock solid center line.

I hope to get a tutorial from a couple of guys at the lake this year who are more familiar with PP than I...our performance (my ski buddy and I) coming up the course is typically affected - re: course faces east/west and coming back up the course we are usually in a headwind.

 Anthony