Help setting up a course?

[Jack_Haase]

Hello,

So over the years here in my home town we had someone who would set up the course and he got it set up perfectly. Our slalom master has recently moved on and now I am the one who maintains the course. Me ... A 17 year old... I realized earlier in the year just putting on the buoys is half the battle. I have absolutely no idea what the measurements are. I am just asking for some tips. I have a surveyor but don't understand on how it works. If I could get measurements and tips on how to make my course up to standard it would be greatly appreciated

[skimtb]

Having a course is a good thing. Are there other skiers to help or you in it alone?

Can you get a hold of the old yoda?

Sounds like there are individual anchors for each buoy or is it series of cables and pipes?

Do you have to take down weekends or similar or does it stay up.

[Jack_Haase]

@skimtb it is a floating pvc course with the U of m ski team using it and about 6 or 7 other families from the area. We leave it in year round.

[WoodySkier]

So the course is in, you just need to put the bouys on it? If that’s the case, you just need to fish up the cable and swim down the course with a life jacket (Or 2) on and pull the cable up and then the PVC arms and put the bouys on. We used to pull our course every weekend and had to do that, it’s not hard to do, just need a few guys.

 

Also, the whole UM ski team uses it and you can’t get any of them to help?

[Jack_Haase]

@WoodySkier sorry should have specified. The course is in right now. All buoys are on and somewhat aligned. I know for a fact the gates are off. I am just looking into how to make sure everything is measured out correctly.

[igkya]

@Jack_Haase Look in the AWSA rule book. It will provide all the measurements needed.

[skimtb]

Is it in shallow water? If it is cable and pipe, typically i don’t think anything is “adjustable”.

However if the mainline is getting hung up in seaweed or sandy / mucky bottom you could have issue.

What do mean the gates are “off”.

[Jack_Haase]

@skimtb the course is pvc pipe and it is about 4-5ft where the course is. The gates are too close in so when you go thru them it automatically makes you late for 1 ball.

[foxriverat]

Sounds like you need to go to the gate ball pvc and follow the cable or rope to the anchor and pull it tighter or heavier anchor.

[WoodySkier]

You need to pull the course tight by moving the anchor or adjusting the cable if you’ve got it set up that way. With our course we have a line floating up from each anchor with a float 3 or 4 feet underwater. Occasionally we need to move the anchor to get the course right again, we just hang onto the anchor line and pull it away from the course to tighten up and straighten it out.

[BCM]

@Jack_Haase - Here is a link to a diagram. It is worth a check, a family member maintains a cable/pvc course setup and found that there were some measurement issues (gates were too close to 1 on one end). If the mainline is tight (you should be able to to pull it tight enough by hand) and the measurements are off (which was the case on the course I am familiar with) the location of the bridal on the mainline has to be moved. Depending on how it is all put together it can be pretty simple with hand tools and some new cable.