What Zero off settings do you use?

[ScottScott]

As I'm just been getting through the course over the last 2 years, now getting through at 15 off 30.4mph, I have just stayed with B2. I had a good lesson not long ago, and after we realized it was accidentally left on A2, so I've been trying that lately. Got me wondering what most people use. Too complicated to tie in what speed/line length you're skiing at, but feel free to add that in comments. Has this been done before?

[Ilivetoski]

Depends on the boat but typically B3

[PatM]

I can’t believe that there is that many so far that uses B3. I’m usually the odd ball

[The_MS]

Always start with B1 on all the boats and move letter if it is out of sync with me. Usually C1 if that happens. I have never liked A1 on any boat.

[eleeski]

Personally, C3. I switched from PP Classic with a switch and KX + PX10 and an extra 100 pounds of weight and C3 was an easy transition that I just stuck with. But for people transitioning from PP recently, I've found A1 works best. Also if I'm skiing really smoothly, A1 is magic.

 

I'm light enough and weak enough that I couldn't feel much difference between C3 and C3+.

 

For tricks, only C3. We pay a lot for fancy non stretch ropes. Why would you let the boat be weak on you?

 

Honestly, I haven't tried + yet for tricks. I'm not pulling hard enough to notice. And when the boat gets left on B3 I still ski OK. I suck if it is A1 (people sometimes mess with me!).

 

Eric

[dave2ball]

it all depends on the boat. MC B3. Nautique and Malibu C3.

[skiinxs]

I use a1 + now with the new version. The pull is way better for big guys, I don't feel beat up any more after a slalom set!

[Ed_Johnson]

Ski 28-38 using B1+....Love the plus setting and have used it for years now. Waiting to try the NEW Plus setting when I convert my 200 over to the single puck system.

 

[lpskier]

“Normal” is B3, but I also like C2. I think the two have a lot of similarities with B picking me up a spot later but both letting go about the same time.

 

On the other hand, I had my best Nationals score last year behind a 5.3 Nautique and skied A1, I skied a 6.2 this weekend and my best score was with at A3; I tied my PB in May behind a MC set on C2.

 

So the point, I suppose, is “it depends,” and you need to experiment to see what is best for each boat/motor.

 

On the other hand, one of my ski partners has skied B2 all summer regardless of boat (C2 last winter) and SHE ran her second tournament 2@39 this weekend. Classic over-achiever!

[Chef23]

I have a question for those of you that know ZO. One of my ski partners generally practices at B3 then switches to B2 for tournaments because it gives him a little more time to get set properly after the turn if he is scrambling in a tournament.

 

I told him I thought that was nuts and he should keep the setting he practices at in tournaments. Does his logic make any sense?

[The_MS]

No

[sunvalleylaw]

Frankly, I voted A3 because someone picked that for me once. But at my level, I really don't even know which would be better. I guess what @BRY says makes some sense.

[BRY]

What other peoples or your favorite pro's setting may be is totally irrelevant to what your best setting is. So Poll may be interesting but of little use. Only way to know is to try them. For most skiers it's not a magic bullet, the differences are noticeable but subtle.

Until you have a really good stack position I think you should stick with B2. Why? It's the most symmetrical engagement. Keeps you from developing your form to compensate for asymmetric A or C and 1 or 3. No offence but if your -15 30mph your stack is not great. If it was you would be skiing shorter and faster. A good stack takes you far.

[PatM]

@Chef23 If it is Ray you are refering to Slap him. He should be skiing the same as in practice

[Chef23]

@"Pat M" how did you know who it was.

[Drago]

Not many 3s in any letter, hmm

[ALPJr]

I'm skiing my first tournament since 07 this week. Will be the first time with ZO. What is recommended?

[ScottScott]

@ALPJr I think most people would consider B2 to be the default, or starting point. If you get behind ZO boats more in practice you can experiment with different settings. Have you been using PP? I think I've seen reference to one of the settings being more similar to PP but I don't remember which one, I don't think it was B2 tho.

[lpskier]

So far, it looks like pretty much equal distribution across the ZO spectrum, except for B2. I expect B2 to be the most popular as it is the “default” setting and a lot of folks don’t experiment to see if anything else might be better for them.

[eleeski]

That B2 is the default setting is purely an artifact of the programming - it's in the middle so you need the minimum clicks to get to your desired setting. It might be the worst setting for someone transitioning to ZO - hence the dislike of ZO from first timers.

 

Old Stargazers felt most like A1 so I default most skiers to A1. Nobody complains about the ZO. But nobody complains about my MC 197 either - conditions at my lake are pretty nice and lots of PBs happen. Warm glass is more important than letters.

 

Eric

[ALPJr]

Warm glass shouldn't be a problem B)

 

[Chef23]

@ALPJr I practice primarily behind PP and ski A2 on ZO and ski close to the same in tournaments that I do in practice. Most people say to start with B2 but if you are struggling with B2 give A2 a try.

[BobF]

Related side note: Is this chart still accurate? I do remember many beards ago that there was a change between letters/numbers and what they meant.

 

 

[The_MS]

Zero off sucks

[MISkier]

@"bf`" the chart is accurate.

[vernonreeve]

Seems like skier weight should be another question. It would be interesting to see what 200lb+ skiers are using. And maybe 180-200, and under 180.

[Drago]

@Chef23 b2 is fairly strong on most boats (unlike pp)

[eleeski]

@vernonreeve Big guys who ski hard seem to prefer C.

 

You either want as little reaction from the boat (A1) or as much reaction (C3). Light smooth skiers won't need much reaction no matter what. Heavier skiers who pull things around critically need comfortable timing of the needed power response.

 

@MS 's comments aside, ZO provides a consistent repeatable feel to the pull. While the new PP is much better, the reliability and ease of ZO is magic. And easy to adapt to.

 

Eric

[ALPJr]

Thanks. B2 was fine

[The_MS]

@eleeski I am pissed at ZO the company for lack of interist in truly making a top shelf product for Slalom and for the poor customer service surrounding upgrading the system. I would disagree about the reliability and ease when B1 feels totally differant on every boat. Takes 3 passes to figure out if it’s the boat or am I skiing like crap.

[eleeski]

@MS Fair enough observations.

 

Personally I've done OK with the variation between manufacturers but there might be something there. Along the lines of wake variations. No variations between boats of the same model.

 

More importantly, no variations from day to day. Once you figure out your letter on your boat, it's always the same. Can't blame the pull so I'd better figure out what I'm doing.

 

The ease to the driver is fantastic. Push the throttle and perfect times which feel the same behind any driver that can steer.

 

Customer service is slow but eventually happens. The ZO American Skier project is way behind schedule. I can blame a bit of that on ZO but really it's me. But I am reluctant to send back the current head which has a minor glitch because of the delays in the past.

 

It is magic for tricks and jump - rerides are so rare.

 

I'm still a ZO fan.

 

Eric

[The_MS]

I think it has made skiers better and is great for drivers. They need to do A few things to improve.

Send update cords with each purchase.

Don’t charge for an upgrade

Make letter/number feel the same on each boat

Get some everyday skiers to test new stuff

[chris55]

A2 for 15off at 32 to 34 mph. I used B2 but A2 feels smoother at that speed and line length

[TeamWally]

I'm 5' 10 200# and a bit of a hacker. Big fan of C1+, particularly when I ski the @MarcusBrown high line. However promo guys who continuously change props and even ZO head units make me bat poop crazy. Jump Props, trick props, all around props.I thought the ZO Koolaid was same pull from boat to boat. I've got two grandkids who are pretty flexible, been skiing them C1 so they'd have a strong pull off the ball and then have the boat get off them as they crossed the wakes. Worked pretty well till the last software change, now they are pulling their brains out on A1 and cant seem to get free. But then there's always Pickle Ball to look forward to.

[BraceMaker]

@MS as I've commented before due to having accelerometer built in there should be a calibration mode where it performs a few throttle response tests and reads the results. It should be A quick thing to run. Point boat straight into course engage like Autocal on PP and go back and forth a few times while it tweaks the responsiveness and checks our your engine.

 

If it gets a poor result it should set a fault. Let you know maybe the fuel is crap or the prop might be wrong for the elevation.

 

It's just like how that chart will always be accurate as it has no units.

[LeonL]

I believe the chart to be accurate also, at least for rev Q and R. The chart may not be exactly to "scale" but the area above the line should be the same regardless of the shape. It portrays the action.

[Golfguy]

Zero Off Rev S upgrade Advice

 

I am about to upgrade my ZO from Rev R to Rev S. I have a single puck system on a 2016 CP and have ordered the upgrade file.I know I need the cable ($250). Is it possible to rent/borrow a cable? Does the same cable do all FBW boats. Any advice is appreciated. Thanking you in advance.

[The_MS]

I get 10 updates per day for free on my IOS

[Drago]

@MS I’m getting the feeling you don’t like ZO

[The_MS]

@Drago not sure where I sit but I am pissed at ZO for not being all they should be and USAWS for accepting it and not caring about the masses that don’t have access to use it.

They can give us a better product and they won’t. With 70k new boats I think they could charge a bit more and make a product we can all use without all the BS that surrounds it as it is now

[ScarletArrow]

If ZO radically alters the feel behind different boats thereby affecting a skiers performance, isn't this a reason to allow slalom skiers to choose their own boat brand to ski behind at a tournament?

 

Isn't this the same logic used by trick skiers?

[GaryWilkinson]

I’ve voted B2 because that’s ehay I’ve heard is most popular,

 

But can someone tell me what’s the closest to PP Stargazer?

[o2bnMaine]

I guess I'm resurrecting a very old thread by voting. I've been putting some thought into my ZO setting. I'm using a '09 Response LX (320hp). I'm finding that any setting I use behind the new Nautique seems to be great. I've only used A2 behind the new MasterCraft and Malibu (so far). I used to go out with A2. I've recently been playing with C2. Both feel solid to me. But, for my boat with its wimpy engine, I am starting to wonder if I can find a better option.

 

So, for someone who's only 155 lbs using a 320 hp boat, should I be thinking about how I set ZO for my boat vs. what setting to tell friends who have newer boats??

[MISkier]

@o2bnMaine, I have the exact same boat and I am about your same weight (150 lbs.). I use C2 on everything. In addition to my own Malibu, the club boat is a 2022 Nautique 200, I regularly ski behind Prostars from 2017-2022 model years, and I see the Ski Nautique (Glastron version) in tournaments a couple times per year. All good at C2. If you are thinking you need a little more from the smaller engine, maybe try the plus setting. I haven't thought that my boat was too weak, but would try either C3 or the plus setting if I did.

 

Full disclosure (and subject to mocking): I use only 90 octane ethanol-free in my boat. So, I would not expect any detuning in mine and should be getting full power.

 

Edited: My impression of the Ski Nautique (Glastron version) with the 6.2L engine is that it has the best ZO tune/calibration of all of the boats. Very, very smooth and solid.