Short Course Thanks Ed

[ricar116]

Me and my ski buddy hack on a resevoir lake 10 minutes from work. No private lake accesability. We don't have a permanant course on the lake as all of the decent coves are used by many. Got an EZ Slalom from Ed a couple of years back with pre gates.... all the good stuff great system. If we set it up we could get back to work by 10:30 and there were only a couple of coves we could use that were large enough with smooth water. I asked Ed to put together a 4 bouy mainline with no pre gates this season. We have so many more coves available and can be back to work by 9:00 am (dawn patrol). We set the course up more often and we seem to be improving faster albiet 4 balls at a time.

 

Maybe not for everyone, but a great option for us. Can actually make the course an option to free skiing for you public lakers.

[Razorskier1]

Just ordered some buoys from Ed for the U of Iowa home course. We had a great time talking skiing, and eventually even got the order placed! Thanks Ed!

[Ed_Obermeier]

My primary reason for being in business is for the opportunities I get to talk waterskiing with everyone. Damn sure isn't for the money... :>)

 

Cool thing about a 4-ball portable course is it can be set up and taken down quick, like 10 minutes on each end. Like @ricar116 said maybe not for everyone but if you have limited time and limited access it makes for a nice quick fix.

[Wish]

@Ed_Obermeier‌ is...well....awesome.

[gregy]

@ricar116 I have 2 extra green buoys with small weights for 55 markers. Use a gps and eyeball and you can get it pretty close. No more missing 5 ball! I like it.

[pgmoore]

@Ed_Obermeier‌ and @ricar116‌

 

During the week I mainly ski on a private lake with the club boat. But on weekends, it is mainly on public water with friends and my boat. We've been debating a portable course for next summer.

 

This is something I really want to do... but how long really does it take to set up and take down? That's really our biggest question that would be holding us up.

 

This is definitely something we're hoping to line up for next summer!

[Ed_Obermeier]

20 - 25 minutes is a REALISTIC setup/take down time. We've done it in 12 - 13 minutes but that's a very experienced crew who have done it together for years busting a hump in ideal conditions just to see if we could do it that fast. Realistically the average is 20 - 25 minutes, regardless of manufacturer.

[ricar116]

We set the full course pre gates and all in 20 to 25 minutes. The first time took us an hour but you develop a system. We use our short course with our short bus ('94 Nautique) and our scores to the average score on King Pin with 20 frames. In all seriousness the travel time to an acceptable cove is as much of a time savings as the 10 minute setup and during the week that is huge. Portable courses have made course skiing possible for us. Again many thanks!

[Razorskier1]

You guys are way better at install than me!!! I can get one in place in about an hour with a three person crew. Taking it out goes faster. Could do that in 30 minutes by myself. I think like Ed says, if you do it a few times and figure out your system, it goes quickly.

[ricar116]

Prepare. I pre-bundle each buoy set with bungees at each end with corresponding colors together and place all the bundles facing the same direction on the same side of the boat before we put the boat in the water. When ever possible always set it up down wind and let nature help you out. We are a two person team and yes some days are better than others

[jhughes]

We can hammer the full course into the water really, really quickly. Everybody has a job, thinks ahead, and knows what to do. Guy on the platform handles the center sections, anchors, rope slack, guides the driver, and puts the diamonds on the boat guide sections. Guy just inside the boat puts all the buoys on and extends all but the diamond section piping and handles spool. So the sequence for a given turn buoy arm would be: 1)As boat is idling forward, before you get to the diamond, in-boat guy is taking 3 sections and putting them up on the gunwhale of the boat facing the right direction. 2) Same guy clips on 3 balls- 2 boat guides and a turn ball and drops them in the water. Now you have 3 sections sitting across the gunwhale with the buoys dragging along in the water. 3) Diamond arrives off the spool (which is on the doghouse) platform guy puts diamond loops on center section and extends the PVC slightly. 4) Meanwhile boat guy is extending turn sections out and pushing them into the water, using floatation from turn ball as the arm is telescoped out 5)boat guy clips extended 2 arm sections to slightly extended boat guide section held by platform guy 6) platform guy extends connected guide section out and drops the whole arm in the water. Repeat x6, very efficient and quick.

[gregy]

Another tip. We have a heavy canvas tarp we lay over the trunk cover and back of the boat to prevent damaging the interior.

[Ed_Obermeier]

We use large cheap rubber backed throw rugs, the kind you get at Target, Wally world etc. I've set the course up out of my boat literally hundreds of times and to date haven't done a bit of damage to the interior, gunnels etc and I'm as anal about my boat as anyone you'll ever meet. I suggest this to all of our customers. Tarps, beach towels, anything you can use as a cover up.

[jhughes]

I should mention we have a Gates 1 - 2 Gates mainline from Ed too, that's just a 2 buoy course. Great for practicing gates but I need to add some 55 sections to it.

[Ed_Obermeier]

Did I mention that we enjoy doing custom work? :>)

[BraceMaker]

Interesting timing, was wondering over labor day how much effort it would be to cut and splice in some D Rings.

 

Buy a second hose reel, run the mainline from one reel to the other unclip a caribiner and strip the spare off, reclip the other gait end, and wind it up, then wind the off section onto the spare reel and store for next time.

 

We've had an epidemic of folks putting in swim rafts and marking swim areas with 50 pound bouys. Limits set up areas.