BLANE-O Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Somehow I didn't know this site existed! I have been missing out! Anyways I am about to swallow my pride and retire my 12 year old Connelly F1X but before I get serious shopping I would like to hear some input about what you guys like/hate about the current options out there. Now here is the hard part. I am 6'0 180 and consider myself an advanced skier, but I have never had a chance to attempt a course (Live in West Texas and our only lake is a mecca for idiots and there is a zero chance of a course surviving) so I only get to ski open water and its behind our Sanger V215 v-drive that has a respectable ski wake for a non-tournament boat, I ski 28-32 off depending on the water at 34mph. All that being said does anybody have some good input into what I should look for? I have loved my Connelly but we bought my wife a Radar Lyric last year which has made me start looking at the Radar Senate or Vapor for myself. Any help is appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller gregy Posted July 31, 2015 Baller Share Posted July 31, 2015 Vapor Rocks. Easiest ski I've ever skied on. If you want to ski on a course get an portable ez-slalom. I bought one a few years ago when the ski lake went dry. Sets up in around 20 minutes then pull it out when your done. www.ski-it-again.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Ilivetoski Posted August 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted August 1, 2015 I love my v type and it may be for sale in a few weeks depending on how fast I can get my v type R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller gregy Posted August 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted August 1, 2015 @BLANE-O where do you live? Not a lot of lakes out that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLANE-O Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 Kinda sounds like I'll be pumped with either. We live in windy West Texas so lakes and calm water are hard to come by haha, our closest lake is an hour and a half drive. But I can't complain, my wife has turned into a ski bum too so she is game to be on the water and at the back of the lake ready to dip a ski at the butt crack of dawn, so we still get some good runs in. @Ilivetoski what bindings do you have on your v? I like the idea of the sidewinders with hinges for a tighter fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Ilivetoski Posted August 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted August 1, 2015 @BLANE-O I started out with strada bindings but bought reflex about 2 months ago. I love the tighter fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Wayne Posted August 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted August 1, 2015 @BLANE-O do you have any shops around you that have demo programs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLANE-O Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 @Wayne unfortunately no, there is only 1 boat dealership anywhere around that even keeps water skis and last time I was in there all they had was a radar satori and p-6... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Wayne Posted August 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted August 1, 2015 No demo opportunity does make it harder but many of us have chosen skis "blind". Some questions to help narrow things down. - Are you looking to buy new or used? - Are you planning to keep your existing bindings to transition to a new ski? - Are you replacing bindings? - How much did you want to spend? You gave your type of skiing and I think something classified as a "crossover" ski might be good to look at. While the latest all carbon ski and hardshells are enticing I don't think they are necessary for your use case but that depends on what you want to spend. Also look at the reviews Horton has done on this site and think about how your current ski acts. This might help give you some clues to good candidates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLANE-O Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 Probably looking at a closeout 2014 model this winter, maybe used if I find one I like. Definitely new bindings, my current bindings are Connelly strokers that never have fit great. Budget is around $1000. I agree a top notch course ski isn't going to do me any favors. All that being said I really want more aggressive performance than a crossover offers, which really makes me lean toward the Senate just for the little extra width, probably with profile bindings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller schafer Posted August 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted August 1, 2015 +1 for senate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller skinut11 Posted August 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted August 1, 2015 @BLANE-O It sounds like I have the same ski situation that you do ( 28 off, 34 mph, open water most of the time) I love my carbon V with sidewinder front boot and rtp. I have a blast on open water and it seems to run the course quite respectably. Caution!!! The sidewinder can be tightened very easily to the point where it will not release!!! I'm currently in hospital with a BADLY broken leg/ankle because of this issue. I would suggest that you close and lock the hinge before you tighten the laces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Wayne Posted August 1, 2015 Baller Share Posted August 1, 2015 @BLANE-O sorry, I was using cross over more as the definition that HO used for the CoX. The list I would be looking at would be - Radar Senate - Connelly V or Carbon V - HO CoX or CoX Superlight. Depending on time of the year, year of ski and bindings you should be able to stay around $1k with those. One of the D3 skis may also come in around there but I'm not too familiar with their line. It's really hard to choose a bad ski these days. I would recommend trying to have the same ski and binding manufacturer. It eliminates a lot of the "does this fit" discussions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLANE-O Posted August 1, 2015 Author Share Posted August 1, 2015 Awesome, thank y'all for all the input. Sounds like I was definitely on the right track. Eases my mind about a thousand dollar purchase! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller TallSkinnyGuy Posted August 2, 2015 Baller Share Posted August 2, 2015 I also liked the idea of the Sidewinder binding, but when I tried it on it felt terrible on my foot. I upgraded to the Talon binding and it is way better for the shape of my foot. Due to the design differences, the Talon will fit more foot shapes than the Sidewinder. Also, the Talon (and other bindings of that style from other companies) have two sets of laces -- one for the foot and one for the ankle. IIRC the Sidewinder only has one lace, which makes it more difficult to tighten the foot area well without tightening the ankle area too much. The Talon also comes with a non-stretchy lace and a stretchy lace for the top -- I chose to use the stretchy because I want to increase my chance of coming out of the binding in a fall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashman Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 I just snatched up a 2014 graphite vapor which is working great for me even at -15. With a vapor boot and RTP it came in well under your budget. I think this an example of a ski intended for advanced skiers that also works great for non-advanced guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLANE-O Posted August 3, 2015 Author Share Posted August 3, 2015 @TallSkinnyGuy I just noticed that the Talons are width adjustable as well, does the adjustment make much difference? My feet are size 13 but they are super narrow which makes any kind of binding a pain to fit correct since most that big are extra wide as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller TallSkinnyGuy Posted August 3, 2015 Baller Share Posted August 3, 2015 @BLANE-O I never messed with adjusting the width on mine as mine fit great out of the box. However, I also have narrow feet and so I I ended up with the size Large binding even though it is recommended for size 10-11 and I wear a size 12. The length is obviously not an issue since they have an open toe. I tried on the XL and it felt way too big for my skinny foot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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