How much does the back of the boat move?

[Horton]

If you have ever laid down in the back of a slalom boat when someone is skiing you know it moves more than expected. Does anyone know how much it really moves?

 

I am assuming short line slalom, a good driver and the pylon not moving out of tolerance.

 

@jdarwin‌ @Jody_Seal‌ @Roger‌ @WhoEverElseWouldKnow

[SkiJay]

Interesting question but I have to ask, @Horton‌, why did you ever find yourself lying down in the back of a ski boat while someone was skiing in a course?

[Wish]

must be a new spin on the "mile high club".

[skidawg]

It moves a lot more than u think

[mwetskier]

end course video for record purposes is measured at the pylon which is the only important consideration.

[Razorskier1]

A perfect driver, IMO, keeps the pylon centered but let's the back of the boat swing with the skier. That is when I get that feeling that the boat is just with me and the pass is easy.

[Drago]

6"

[DW]

@JTH: Distance would= Sin(rudder angle) x Distance (Pylon to rudder). That is the difference in movement between pylon and back of boat, any side to side pylon movement is added to that.

[Stevie Boy]

Driving the way @Razorskier describes, to the driver it feels like it is moving quite a bit, this could be deceiving, if you are really on it driving wise, or though it feels a lot, it probably is not, probably impossible to answer, from the drivers point of view.

[Roger]

The movement of the back of the boat varies. Different boats require more (or less) input than others for the same skier/rope length. Also, different boats react differently with some pivoting around the pylon more and some rocking side to side more. The pylon is allowed a 22cm [8.66 inches] variation (11 cm [4.33 inches] either side). Even so, to pass for a record, there is a cumulative total that cannot be exceeded. A couple of years ago, I pulled Karina to 1@41. She had a rather poor start at 1 ball at 39 and hooked two ball. I took the end course video home as I always do and the back of the (Mastercraft in this case) was moving quite a bit, but the pylon remained in tolerance (though it certainly did move at two ball). If I did the same pull with her using the current Mastercraft, the tail of the boat would not move as much because the new boat (when set up correctly) simply requires less input than the old one did. All the current boats I drove this year are pretty good from a tracking point of view, but they don't all drive the same. If you are serious about becoming a good driver, drive every boat and every skier you can.

 

Some drivers are afraid to move the wheel and if they're hit by a big puller, they are moved out of tolerance while other drivers tend to over control some boats which while the pylon may stay within tolerance, probably doesn't feel so great to the skier. The hardest task to learn as a driver is how much to move the wheel, when to move it, and just as important, how and when to release the skier. The top drivers have this part of the equation under control so the pull feels good to the skier and the pylon remains within acceptable tolerance.

[Razorskier1]

I want to ski behind @Roger! Didn't he say he was looking for ski partners????

[Roger]

If you make it down to Okeeheelee, I'd be happy to pull you. Not in search of ski partners at this time, but always happy to ski with another Baller :smile:

[Roger]

BTW, this is the 39 pass I discussed above. I'll have to see if I still have the end course video since this was a while back.

 

[Razorskier1]

That is a really cool pass. Incredible speed and load management.

[ColeGiacopuzzi]

http://youtu.be/fxYu_ifbef0

 

Here is an end course video of 41 driven by will bush. The load is probably a lot more at this pass translating to the back of the boat moving more then say a 32off pass! But kind of cool to see how the tail of the boat moves side to side, but the pylon remains in the middle!

[webbdawg99]

Who in the world is the "mastimf" character that posted all those nasty comments?!?!? (on the video that Colebrah posted above) I'd love to see HIS end course video! If he ever was a Baller, Horton probably banned him years ago!

[MattP]

@Colebrah‌ I fixed your video link.

[aussiemc]

That end course driven by Will is near as good as it gets. If Nate had of run 4 bouys on the next pass, (43'off) would the record have been approved without "tape" on the windscreen of the boat?

[ozski]

That was some nasty thread on youtube. Ouch.

[ColeGiacopuzzi]

Thanks @MattP‌ appreciate it!!!

[schafer]

Little off topic. Does it not seem like Karina's pull out for the gates is kinda strange? Perhaps she has changed her approach some since then.