Goode PowerVest Video - 12 passes

[Horton]

 

The above video is almost 9 minutes long / 2 rides / 12 passes of me skiing at 28 off. These are my first two 34 mph rides since surgery. I cannot think of anything less interesting. The skiing itself is not super technical. Some of the passes felt good and some are really crap.

 

What is impressive is that I was not freaking exhausted afterwards. I did not hurt the next day. The PowerVest unquestionably makes a huge difference. It does not impede my skiing and is letting me get back up to speed after a year off the water.

 

Gear Used

Goode PowerVest

Wakeye xt-One

Camaro MODETEC SKIN MONO

Reflex Boot w/ R Style

Radar 2015 “Blue” Vapor (get one on sale at www.perfski.com )

 

[Chef23]

@Horton.

Good to see you on the ski again and back up to full boat speed. Do you feel any restriction when you stretch in the turns? Have you custom molded it?

[Bulldog]

Another question would be "do you feel the benefits of the power vest justify the cost?" It is expensive but sometimes you do actually get what you pay for.

[EFW]

Nice wake

[skidawg]

Very bummed there was no yard sale!!

[bigtex2011]

Haha @skidawg .. maybe he can tighten the straps and make T-rex arms

[Horton]

@Bulldog that is a hard question to answer. Let me answer in two ways

 

1) Is a $1,400 - $2,000 ski worth it? Is a $75,000 boat worth it? It depends on your goals and budget.

 

2) For a healthy 20 year old - NO. For a 60 + year skier with lots of broken parts - YES. For everyone in between it is a sliding scale so MAYBE. Would you pay for a piece of gear that lets you ski a more?

[Bulldog]

@Horton good post. It would be priceless in that case.

[disland]

Just being able to ski more passes makes this interesting. I went windsurfing a few days ago in 25 mph winds and 5ft surf and you wouldnt even consider trying to do that without a harness. Without a harness your arms and grip would last about 5 minutes and you would be done for the day

[Texas6]

@Horton, where would you say you are feeling the most relief on your body? As a sufferer of chronic elbow tendinitis during the ski months, I have wondered about it. Would you say it's more helpful on the arms than the lower back, or both?

[Horton]

@Texas6 the way I have it set the most impact is arms, shoulders and upper back (I think)

[Horton]

@Chef23

 

I feel no restriction at all reaching at the ball. I was worried about that but no.

 

I have not molded it. Since it is a review I try to keep things stock. I like the vest the way it is. Not sure that I need to mold it.

[buoyboy1]

John - Do you think the straps will put wear and tear on a drysuit or wetsuit over time?

[Jordan]

@Horton ...I think that since the vest is designed to be molded...such that molded is indeed stock as it was intended to be used...why not mold it up and report on the difference?

[Horton]

@Jordan partly because I an up to my ass in things to do. Are there actually instructions from Goode about the heat molding?

[SkiJay]

@buoyboy1 I used the PowerVest for three years and about a thousand sets, three quarters of which were with neoprene tops or wetsuits. None of the neoprene showed any signs of wear. The straps feed through sheaths that feed the straps under your arms to protect your lats, and in the process your neoprene.

 

@Jordan @Horton I don't think Goode intends for the backplate to be custom molded and there are no official instructions. Molding can lead to cracks and failures of the plate. That said, I did lots of experimenting with molding. It made the vest marginally more comfortable and a little less prosthetic looking, but molding didn't seem to impact the performance one way or the other.

 

 

This remold gave it a narrower waste, a slight outward flair along the bottom edge, and a better form-fitting shape over the shoulders. I used a heat gun and patience on this one. Using the oven works too, but that's a two person operation, and less precise because the plastic cools and hardens so fast. It's also worth noting that the vest wasn't designed with easy plate removal in mind and the whole process can be a bit of a chore.

[rodltg2]

I would love to get one if those .however I've spent a lot $$$ on waterskiing this year. New ski lake home , new water ski , and new boat. i'm surprisedmy non-skiing wife hasn't killed me yet !

[Milford]

Heat molding the plate certainly makes it more comfortable. I don't think it causes any weakening of the material. I have had non heat molded plates crack as well as heat molded crack. Reinforcing the material just under the area that the strap runs through certainly helps. Or you could go with the option I did last year, which is make a custom molded plate out of carbon fiber. Made a cast of my back with plaster of paris and then used that as a mold to to lay up the carbon and vacuum bagged it. End result is a much stronger (bulletproof) custom fit back plate that you barely notice when wearing.

 

[JAG]

as a chronic low back pain sufferer, can you say that the vest relieves some of that pressure? It seems after my 1st pass in the course, I can feel my back tightening up, grip getting weak.

 

thanks,

 

RPG

[Horton]

@rpg low back? I think so but am unsure. I know it is definitely taking a lot of load out of my arms shoulders and upper back

 

@Milford ?

[Jordan]

john...do you think that you will stick with the powervest for the long run...or just until you gain confidence in your arm?

[Horton]

@Jordan I am not sure. The one thing I do not like about the vest is that I am not getting very much exercise when I ski.

 

My back is killing me because I have started seeing a trainer and she is an evil witch so I am going to be super happy to use the vest today. When I think I am going to ski for maybe 4 days in a row I will for sure wear the vest. When I first shorten to 35 or 38 and may take some hits I will wear the vest.

 

On the other hand... I think may go back to my normal vest when I am only getting one ride for the day so I can build some muscle.

 

So really I am not sure how much or how little I will use it going forward. I am sure it works. I am sure it is magic if you need to protect your arms, shoulders and back. There is no question that the vest protects you from taking hits. I am sure it lets you ski a LOT more per day.

[Milford]

@rpg - yes it does protect the lower back and will eliminate that tightening up feeling. As long as you are in a stacked position, you are receiving some benefit. How much depends on how tight you run your straps. I try to run my straps as loose as possible, as it helps get free in the edge change coming into the buoy. If you break at the waist during the turn, let go. In those situations the vest does not protect the lower back. Having had 2 lower back surgeries, with a 3rd probably in my future, I have decided to use it all the time and not mess around. It really is a great option for those who need it.

 

@horton - Build muscle in the gym. Much more controlled environment. Use that muscle while skiing. Also, if you can ski without the vest, I believe you will ski better, so the goal should be to use it to heal and then when you feel 85-90%, lose it.

 

Anyone planning on going on an off season, week long ski vacation to Costa Rica or Mexico would benefit greatly, as you will be able to ski every day and not be so sore that you can't move.

[Horton]

I skied without it today just to see the difference. Wow! skiing is a lot of work.

[sailworks]

Milford and Skijay - you guys obviously have a lot of experience with PV!

As advocate for PV and several year user - I can make a couple of comments that might be of interest to those exploring the vest re molding and plate breakage:

1. I've found that molding works well re better (more comfortable) fit, and agree no difference in performance, and no difference in "breakability". I use oven at 250, always have plenty of to time to slip the plate back into vest, put on the vest over wet suit, wrap w 6 inch ace - done!

2. The plate can and will break (after enough ups) - always along the axis of strap (see pic), and did repeatedly until I found solution as follows: take a piece of a broken plate (until you do this, you may have several), warm til soft, cut (easy with scissors) a piece roughly 3x4 inches, and while still warm, lay it on back of working (intact) plate in axis of strap from slot to edge of plate, and use packing tape to hold it there (glue / epoxy will not work). This patch is completely stable and has completely eliminated this recurring problem!

3. I don't have a pic of the reinforcing "taped patch", but you can kinda see it here in pic of mod using eyebolts to replace gizmo that PV comes with.

If you are at a point in life where you love to ski but want to protect hands, elbows, biceps, epicondylitis, shoulders and back - PV rocks!

[disland]

@saiworks why packing tape vs ducktape?

[sailworks]

@disland

I suspect duck tape will hold the reinforing "patch" , but the packing tape (unlike duck tape) is low friction with respect to strap. I place it to hold the reinforcement, but also to make the strap slide smoothly at edge of back plate (where the strap tends to wear over time). The bending forces where the plate fails (see pic) are high, packing tape will not stretch under these loads. Besides, packing tape weighs nothing, and doesn't hold water. You don't need all the tape that shows in picture, but packing tape is really stiff and and I thought it might add stiffness to the molded part of the plate. Not sure about that, but cost nothing to try:)

I think the eyebolts provide much less friction than stock set up!

[Milford]

Prior to making a carbon fiber plate, I was reinforcing the pvc plate with additional material and attaching with stainless steel screws with countersunk threaded nuts. Not sure what they are actually called, but here is a few pics of what I did to keep the plate from cracking.

 

[Garn]

Where did you get your carbon plate Jeff @Milford?

[Milford]

@garn - got it at Walmart. Same isle as the tampons....

[Garn]

LOLOLOL!!!

[sailworks]

@garn

I like Milford's reinforcement, but if breakage is issue (as it was for me), also think about (easier) option of taping a patch of the plate material just 3x4 (or maybe bit larger) just over the area is the crack shown in earlier post. The patch / reinforcement should lie along axis of strap from slot to edge of plate and cover couple inches below the area where cracks occur (shown on earlier post). It completely stopped this recurring problem for me - easy and cheap.

[One_Ski]

This information has been a big help. I'll turn 60 this year, and quickly decided against the PowerVest several years ago after seeing the price. After reading Horton's review and hearing about your experience, I decided to buy one. First try (so far, my only chance to ski this year) was impressive. This was open water skiing, and the ubiquitous wakeboard boat meant I spent a lot of time hanging on the handle waiting for smooth water. Even so, my workload dropped by 70% or more, and I skied more than ever. I'm still working with strap length, but the vest does an impressive job of reducing arm/shoulder loading just when the pull is hardest.

 

When I got home, I pulled the vest apart and did some heat-gun molding - mostly at the bottom of the plate to keep it from digging into my back at the base of the belt. The strap-loop rig on mine was poorly assembled - two different d-ring sizes were used to hold the strap (1st picture) and they did not fit properly into the slots; not the quality I expected from this $600.00+ vest. It's easy to see how loading is likely to crack the plate near this strap.

 

 

 

I looked at the eyebolts and decided that might be a little too geeky, even for me ;0) So, I went to West Marine and bought some hardware that should improve strength and strap movement (second picture). This bracket is called a 'footman's loop'; I'm planning to mount two of them on the plate near the slots and run the strap through these.

 

 

[jipster43]

@Horton or anyone else that may have any experience with this injury and the PowerVest.

 

My compromised shoulder/rotator cuff has resulted in a torn bicep tendon (from the shoulder). It's not particularly painful and hasn't bruised, but I do have the "Popeye" bicep muscle that will need to be fixed. I'm wondering if a PowerVest will allow me to squeak through the remainder of the season before I have surgery. It snapped while I was skiing and I skied another pass before I looked down to see that my bicep was a little deformed.

 

The vest is on order regardless. I probably should have purchased it at the beginning of the season.

 

[Horton]

@jipster43 The vest might let you keep skiing but you want to do a repair as soon as possible. I would bet your doctor would not be as happy to repair it months later.

[jipster43]

Thanks Horton! I have an appointment with the doc tomorrow morning. We'll see what he says. It sure would be nice not to have to hang up my ski for the season.

[sailworks]

See what your orthopod says .

Isolated long head biceps ruptures are rarely treated surgically - a lot of ortho docs have opinion that it's mostly cosmetic issue. If it's going to be fixed, MUCH better to do it sooner not later!

Another issue is the fact that when a long head biceps ruptures, it is just under rotator cuff, and sometimes biceps rupture is "marker" for cuff injury as well.

Speaking as an orthopsee what your doc advises after proper full eval.

 

[jipster43]

Thanks @sailworks I have an MRI scheduled for tomorrow evening which ought to give us a better idea of what needs doin'. My rotator cuff has been a problem for the past two years and this is definitely a direct result of that. I was planning on looking into surgical solutions for the cuff after this season wound up, so I'm prepared for the knife, but I'd much prefer to get another couple of months of skiing first.

[Horton]

bump