Omni vs. Omni Carbon vs. ‘04 Connelly F1

[OREGON85]

I recently bought a boat and, though I had little interest in water skiing, I thought I’d give it a try since the boat came with a ski. Well, now that’s about all I want to do. I’ve been skiing on an old HO Impact and I think I’ve got the basics down and I’m ready to move on to the next ski. We ski open water and have never tried a course and likely won’t have much opportunity anyway. I found an ‘04 Connelly F1 on Craigslist for $100 with double Animal bindings. Unfortunately, they are M and I can’t get my size 10 feet in them so I haven’t tried the ski. My wife used it and immediately looked better from the rear view mirror, but reported she found it much more difficult to have good form because it was so responsive. I had been thinking an Omni would be a good ski for us.

 

Here’s the dilemma:

I could put new bindings on the F1 or buy an Omni. If I put new bindings on the F1 I could move them a new ski later, but if I just got a ski and bindings at once I could go with the direct mount style.

 

The question is:

How does a ski like the old F1 compare to the Omni and how does the Omni compare to the Omni carbon? HO’s marketing has me convinced that is the ski for me.... anything else I should consider?

 

Thank in advance for the input!

[Chef23]

The F1 was a high drag ski. The Omni will be much better than the F1. I would go as high up the food chain as you can. The Carbon is definitely better than the standard.

[Garn]

You will love the Omni. Designed to have much less drag then other skis. You'll ski longer sets with less work on your body. They are also fast because of the low drag and easy to get width at the ball. The Carbon Omni is just what it says, it has a sheet of carbon making it light and more responsive. The correct answer is it depends on your boat speed. But really, the Carbon Omni has such a bigger upside to it. Go with it.

[MDB1056]

Agree with above, Omni will be a better choice. The F1 was finicky but performed well at aggressive levels but as someone learning the Omni is a far better option. Just for grins have you tried to get your feet into the medium animal bindings using lots of slime / soap? I ask as I'm a 9 1/2 and no way could get in without slime but using it I slide right into med's. Now that you've got the bug........... don't fight it. Go ski........

[Jmoski]

I would go Omni or Senate, and steer clear of the F1, I had one a decade ago and because it was so squirrelly at lower speeds, I developed bad habits on it that took years to undo!

[OREGON85]

These are super helpful responses. It looks like I should just go for an Omni. Help me understand the difference between the regular and the carbon version in terms of how it would feel.... that is help my justify the extra two hundred bucks or so to my wife. :smiley:

 

@MDB1056 I used dish soap trying to get into the and it didn’t even seem close to going.

[Horton]

The F1 was a difficult but cutting-edge ski 15 years ago. By today's standards it's absolutely terrible. Today, no one should ski on it unless they are pure masochist.

[ReallyGottaSki]

whoops

[jeblanc]

I agree with Jmoski. For many years I skied open water on an F1 when I wasn't skiing on my old Concept. The F1 was definitely squirrelly but I learned to adjust to it. However, when I began skiing on a course last year I was making very little progress with that ski. I had developed bad habits, I believe, due to making those adjustments. I couldn't maintain an edge when crossing the wake. Plus it was a very tiring ski. At the beginning of this summer I got a Connelly V. Since then I have made far quicker progress on the course, and I have more fun on it. I can regularly ski 15 off and I am now working on -22. And the V leaves me far less fatigued. I finally understand what it means to be a ski that is more "forgiving." Go with the Omni, and the Carbon Omni if you can afford it.

[OREGON85]

Update: I bought a new Omni and have skied on it a few times. I was going to get the carbon but before I bought it I called HO and the guy I talked to said the non-carbon would ride better in rough water so I got that. I am loving the ski! I never did ski the F1 on account of not getting my feet in.

 

However, wife who has been skiing the F1 was not impressed with the Omni. She tried it once and decided it was not responsive enough.

[BraceMaker]

@OREGON85 - weight and speed play a huge role. I would imagine she is having more of a loose binding and too big ski issue than an actual ski design problem.

[Bill22]

@BraceMaker I was thinking the same thing. Is it possible she is 105 lb. was on a 66” F1 and went to a 67” Omni with XL bindings.

 

@OREGON85 can you share more info? Maybe as a test, have her try the Animal bindings on the new ski.

[skibrain]

Or maybe get your wife a new ski with bindings and ski just right for her. A wife that skis is well worth the investment on her gear!

[OREGON85]

The weight range for the ski is pretty wide and we’re both well within. The bindings may certainly be the issue. They say they are for size 7-11 and (assuming that’s men’s sizing) puts her on the bottom edge. I put a Freemax front boot and ART back. I suggested that maybe we should put double Skymax on and she said she was happy with the F1.

 

@Bill22 good idea, I’ll give that a try.

 

Unfortunately, due to fires, cooling weather, a new job and possibly moving it looks like our 2020 season may be done. :/