Getting a lot of slack on my offside

[Chef23]

I got a new 66" Goode 9960 Mid to replace my Goode Fire Mid. I have the ski set up as close as I could get it to the stock settings for the Mid which are the same as the settings I had on my Fire Mid. I seem to generate way more slack on my offside with the 9960 than I did on my Mid. With my calipers I am running binding at 29.5", length 6.779 (stock 6.777), Depth 2.449 (stock 2.500), DFT .713 (stock .711), wing 8*. The length is done with the jaws the way they show it on the Goode website.

 

I was at ski school last week and it didn't seem to be a big technique issue based on the coaching. At 22 (34mph) off it isn't a problem, 28 off a little slack but still no issue. I can run 32 but have to be super patient out of 2, 4 which is my offside to wait for the hookup. Every crack I have taken at 35 has had huge slack at 2 ball. I have never run 35 before but I have been into the passes much better than I can seem to get now.

 

Any thoughts on ski setup that might help. I know I could get on the front of the ski a little more but the only change has been the ski and the problem has surfaced I am running same bindings and pretty much the same settings.

 

Thanks for any thoughts.

[GOODESkier]

Without seeing video....... I would move the bindings ahead a 1/16 or an 1/8 to start

[ForrestGump]

@Chef23 I'm curious why such a large departure from stock depth. You're .050 less. That's pretty big. Especially since you didn't compensate by lengthening the fin.

[Than_Bogan]

I got 50 cents says that's a typo. Probably meant 2.499?

[SkiJay]

@Chef23 is your caliper a slot caliper with no notch at the base of the jaws?

[Chef23]

I did mean 2.499. There is a notch in the jaws of the calipers. When I looked at the Goode website for the non slot caliper measurements it looked like there was a notch.

[SkiJay]

@Chef23 The reason I asked about the notched jaws is that in the photos Goode uses in their Water Ski Tech Manual, the dial calipers pictured look a lot like they are notched at the base of the jaws, but if you look closely, you can see they're not; what looks like a notch is just glare from its chamfered edge. The caliper they are using is chamfered both at the tips and at the base of the jaws, a much better design than the straight jaws found on the Slot Caliper.

 

http://www.goode.com/images/lengthwebsm.jpg

 

If you are measuring fin length using the notches in the jaws of your caliper, your actual fin length may be as much as .060" too long, or more!

 

If your fin length is this much too long, it could really work against getting wide or early, especially during your off-side pre-turn. A hot narrow approach to your off-side ball is a recipe for slack. Too much fin length would also reduce your feel for the tip of the ski, making tip engagement at the ball vague and inconsistent with some occasional form-breaking tip-bite. Does any of this sound familiar?

 

If you think this may be the case with your fin measurements, add .083" to Goode's jaw measurement and use the tips of your calipers and you should get your setup pretty much right on factory spec.

 

Fin length measured with V2 slot caliper with straight jaws = 6.777"

The same fin length measured with the caliper's tips ≈ 6.860"

[Dusty]

Fin measurements seem close enough that it is likely a technique tweak that needs addressing. From my ski partners that run it, 35 off requires a little different approach. They tell me that visually, if you get your eyes outside the buoy line, you have already pulled too long and are going to have slack. They talk of 'lack of commitment'- not releasing the edge and beginning the turn without reaching the buoy with upper body? From the boat or towers, the (successful -35 pass) has an edge change that is more positive- quicker, and closer to C/L than you can get away with at -32...

[A_B]

I would DFT of .710. Leave everything else the same. This should push the tip down and slow the turn so you aren't turning into slack.

[Chef23]

After struggling with the offside and a few sets trying some things that a skier I respect suggested to fix the issue from a technique perspective I got the bright idea to check the fin on my Fire before I send it back with the calipers I use (Mituyo 8" dial) and there was a big difference in the length of the fin. The DFT, depth and wing were all pretty much the same but the Fire had a length of 6.748 vs the 6.779 I was running on the 9960.

 

I know it is a big move but I put the 9960 to 6.748 and I am going to ski on it today and see how it feels.

[ToddL]

I recently was advised to make a 0.005 adjustment to fin lenth. It may just be placebo, but I really feel more secure in the finish in turn on my off-side. So, yeah, that little bit mattered. The change was done by one person using 1 set of calipers. He measured the fin as-is a few times to find consistency in measurement, then made the change, then measured the result a few times to ensure the desired change was achieved.

 

I also think measurement technique and tools can vary by more than 0.005 +/- from person to person. Obviously, specifying technique is critical (tips, jaws, slot, etc.) and for jaws, specifying "type" of jaws might matter. Maybe even using a second caliper to document the variance between the tips and jaws as a reference would be a good idea...

 

In the case of making an adjustment to a fin for a desired affect, using the same caliper and having the same person use the same method take the before, during, and after measurements will always work to acheive a desired change in settings from "a" to "b".

 

However, sharing fins settings from one person to another and from one type of caliper to another always injects some level of variance - maybe even 0.005 +/- (which could be enough to matter). Sharing settings seems to get skiers close enough for a baseline starting point. After that, having someone who knows how to identify recurring issues and attribute them to fin adjustments is worth gold.