8 buoy course diagram

[crashman]

Can someone please repost any diagrams/pictures you have of an 8 buoy course? I've found the old thread here but it looks like the attachments are missing

http://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/1557/how-does-a-8-buoy-course-work

 

I'm mostly wanting to know the total length of an 8 buoy course. I recently skied a site with a very short setup- it's about 1500 ft long with large doglegs at each end. Boat coming up to speed isn't a problem with the doglegs but on one end the boat is still turning into the course during the pullout, and I'm thinking an 8 ball course could be magic on this site. Thanks!

[crashman]

300 from shore to 55s? I wasn't even thinking 55s would be an option. Thanks @OB

[Ed_Obermeier]

Here's a diagram.

[GAJ0004]

I would be totally lost skiing in there.. Looks confusing..

[MattP]

@gaj0004 it's really easy. Pullout at the greens go through the orange. Then turn 6 times and out the orange.

[GAJ0004]

I suppose it is easier if you are actually there..

[crashman]

perfect- exactly what I needed to know! Thanks guys!

[Edbrazil]

Nice diagram by Ed Obermeier. I've got one, but similar. With the exit-only gates as yellow

round buoys.

LaPoint Lake in Orlando is about 1580 ft. on the course centerline.

Goode Lake in Ogden, UT is about 1420 ft. on the course centerline.

 

Both sites has L-shaped turnouts at one end at least, which helps a lot.

[Edbrazil]

Make that "have L-shaped..."

Some skiers will find the "Zero Buoy" before the start gates to be annoying esp. at 28 and 32off.

[crashman]

here's a picture of the site- it's skiable as it is now but could be better I think with an 8 buoy.

[Klundell]

That place would be great as an 8 buoy! I ski Goode lake and it works very well even at 36mph.

[webbdawg99]

@Edbrazil I think that most top level skiers would argue that you should be going around the zero ball at 28 and 32. It will impact different people at different line lengths. But it does get in the way for everyone eventually!

[mwetskier]

according to the schnitz website all the top skiers turn for the gates when the left gate ball and the 1 ball line up and that would be 15 to 20 feet before the 0 ball but the one time we tried a 8 ball course the 0 ball seem right in the way.

[Waternut]

@GAJ0004 I skied out there with @Mattp last year. Even as a beginner skier, it's super easy. It looks way more complicated from the boat. When you get up, you almost don't even see the first exit gates unless you're looking for them. Pull out at the green 55's and the gates are where they should be. Then all the turn buoys and your exit gates are where they should be...all the other buoys are practically non-existent when you're skiing but it sure looks like a mess from the boat and the dock.

 

The only thing that's a little confusing is 5 ball coming the other direction. If it's not pulled down, it can potentially be in the way. You don't get any time to celebrate or reflect on your pass either because you need to pull out to drop immediately after the exit gates.

[KcSwerver]

@mwetskier i do not use that judgement at all. That sets me up at a bad line towards one, i go 2seconds after gate ball and one line up.

[Klundell]

@webdawg99 I was talking to nick Parsons about what he does with the zero ball at 32 and he said it is right in the way. I'm definitely inside and a little before it @32. But I do have a little narrower start. Almost everyone I've watched goes inside it at 32 and around it at 28 except me I go inside on both.

[MattP]

Skied the 8 ball course today. Went around 0ball 22,28,32 and turned right before @35 and before/inside @38.

It will get in your way if you look at it. The damn thing is like a magnet.

[crashman]

I will be happy the day when zero ball gets in my way

[colo_skier]

Just to confirm I think I understand. The 0 ball is the 5 ball from the other direction?

[MattP]

yes

[escmanaze]

Does anybody know if sometimes those extra gates sitting in the middle of the course get in the way as you are going from ball to ball crossing the wakes?

 

I'm considering an option where I start to ski at GOODE a lot more, so I'm curious about this whole 8 buoy course thing.

 

I can imagine that every time I come around 4 ball and I'm headed toward 5 ball, that I see these annoying gates sitting there waiting to grab me as I'm crossing the wakes.

 

But maybe the dimensions don't really work like that and they are actually not really in the way? They look like they are in the way in the diagram, then again, the diagram scale is, of course, far from actually accurate.

 

I'm not as worried about running into 5 ball before my gates because I'm always narrow on my gates and I'm still down at 15 and 22 off.

 

Thanks

[buechsr]

They never did for us. Mixture of longliners to 35.

[escmanaze]

Were they in front of you, or behind you as you crossed the wakes?

[ALPJr]

Not a problem and at some sites the extra buoy drops down under after the skier passes so that it’s not an issue at all going back.

[buechsr]

I want to say behind.

[C5Quest]

We have an 8 ball course at my site. Also have the ability to sink Zero ball on each side before the run. Its AWESOME!

Total site length is about 1675 I think? Makes a huge difference in set up time.

[lpskier]

Absolutely not regardless of line length. An 8 ball course is nothing to be frightened of and is a godsend to short lakes.

[Horton]

My experience is it's hysterically confusing for the first ride and then once you wrap your hand around it it's fine. I've skied quite well on the 8 ball course at Champion lake outside Orlando

 

 

[teammalibu]

A guy skied our 8 bouy for about 3 days and was struggling! After I told him for the tenth time, just pull out on the greens then turn all the reds till you run out! He looked at me and said “ but I’m color blind” I said well then your fu$&ed!

Lots of PBs on our 8 bouy!

The zero ball will def let you know if you are high on your pullout!

[escmanaze]

Well, with much thanks to the diagram from @Ed_Obermeier above, as well as everybody on here, I skied Goode lake and had a great time. For now, the little 0 ball right before the gates, probably messed me up more than anything, but I think that with a little practice, I could actually use it to my advantage (and then not know what to do without it right?)

 

Funny thing is that I was worried about the entrance/exit gates being in the way when going from ball 4 to ball 5, and just like everybody else here, after doing it, I know they weren't in the way, but without video, I have no idea if that is because they were way behind or way in front of where I was skiing. Oh well, who cares as long as they weren't bugging me right?

[Lars]

Skied an 8 buoy course at Lapoint's once where the ball would submerge, except for one pass it didn't. Got so thrown off, wasn't sure if i should be going around it. So if the zero ball is not submerged... should you be going around it?

[escmanaze]

From what I read on here it sounds like it depends on how short your line is. If I took a guess based on what I've heard here and what I experienced there it would be this: Super short line guys are going to backside that ball. For me at 34 mph and 15 off, I think I get a really good gate if I "frontside" the ball and go right in front of it, about as close as I dare get to it.

[lpskier]

@Lars I think there is universal agreement that you go around the buoy through -28. After that most people turn before it. I turn around it at -32 and go over it (the buoy is submerged) at -35.

[owennibley]

@escmanaze I skied Goode Lake last week and it took about 4 passes to get my bearing sorted out. On one of my passes headed north, I'd thought I would get a early start to the pull out. I pull out early, then saw what I thought were entrance gates and went for it. Well.... those weren't the entrance gates. They were the 6 ball guide bouys the other way so I was REALLY early on that pass. lol. I'm sure if I skied there regularly, I would get used to the course setup but I don't think I'd EVER get used to how rushed the gates are. Both sides are 90 degree turn ins and to get the timing right would depend so much on the driver.

But you work with what you got. I'm glad they opened it up to having memberships/passes there.

[escmanaze]

Yeah, where you have access to Calls, It's easy to understand why you would choose that instead. But right now, Utah Lake is so low that on Monday I didn't even want to ski our lowest, least protected course as it was just a touch too shallow on one end for me. So...right now, Goode is all I got, and I will take it. Also, all those trees around there seems to be amazing wind protection. How come Calls has never planted trees around the perimeter? I think what bugged me the most was the fact that the boat was actually turning left before I ever fully made it out of the exit gates when headed south. I get that it isn't a super big deal, because once you make it around 6, only rarely can you not make it back to the gates. Still, it felt like a touch of cheating. I feel like the rushed gates didn't bother me that much at all...but I do have questions about how well the boat can actually settle into speed with them being so quick. I also am super glad they opened it up a bit and I can easily see myself skiing there a LOT more in the future.

 

[BraceMaker]

@escmanaze the math dictates that once a skier is shoreline they cannot ski outside that ball unless they're doing some form of a one handed gate with an actual cut to 1 ball.