Is 30mph easier on the knees because the water is softer ?

[swbca]

After skiing at 36mph in Boy's and Men's divisions for 20 years, I ended up getting surgery on both knees from the sharp impact on the wake, and traded my 1982 Ski Nautique for a 1985 ProStar . . the first major brand flat wake boat.

 

For those of you in M7 or beyond did the lower boat speeds reduce the impact on the wake ? or does the wake just get bigger ? Unlike my 1985 ProStar, the 2004 ProStar wake grows fast when you start slowing down from 36. The 1985 Prostar hull was sort of a flat slab compared to later models that were designed to eliminate spray and have a trick wake.

[Stevie Boy]

32mph 22 off Ouch ! 30mph 22 off Ouch ! Ouch ! OUCH ! Other line lengths not so bad, at the higher speeds, especially 36mph, there is a lot more overall pressure on your knees through out the whole pass.

I personally think it comes down to form, poor form is going to be harder on your knees, in saying that, from experience bad knees can also come from what you got up to when you were younger, if you abused your body when you were younger, you are going to pay for it when you get older.

@swbca avoid 22 off if you can, I do know people who practice with the rope a little longer or shorter and only ski the 22off if they have to, because of the bump behind the boat.

[BS74]

Sort of depends on boat mfg. and year. I watched parts of the 2020 Nationals on Youtube last night and I really felt sorry for those who skied lower speeds and longer line lengths behind the Malibu! Freeze framing some of the runs and the rooster tail was thigh high! I have a 2017 Nautique 200 and it's pretty good. I also ski behind a 2017 Malibu, and try to avoid it when possible, add a couple passengers and I avoid it even more. ! Some of the older Mastercrafts and Malibu's had great wakes at longer line lengths. Some like the Ski Centurions also. Watch a video of Terry Winter running 22off through 38 off at 30 mph, he's getting a lot of air off the wakes till he gets to 32 off. (Video is on this site). I'm in Men's 9 this year and currently staying at 32mph until I get brave enough to do the division speed of 30mph.

[dbutcher]

@swbca: Is the wake softer at 30 mph than at 36? Maybe a little. Is the wake bigger at 30 mph than at 36? Yes, but don't worry/stress about it. You will forget all about it before the first tournament. The 22 off bump is probably the rooster tail. You do not have to ski 22 off if you don't want to. The opt up rule (which did not exist in 1985) allows skipping line lengths (at your own risk score wise). So if you decide you want to start at -15 instead of -28, after running -15 successfully, you can shorten to -28. If you then miss -28, you will score as if it had been -22.

[dvskier]

@dbutcher I believe that you would get a score of the completed pass, 15 off in that case.

[ral]

Nope, if you run 15 off and opt up to 28 off (or 32, 35,...) and you do not make the full pass, you will get score the number of buoys you ran @ 22 off.

[dbutcher]

Rule 10.06 F. Opting Up is well written and self explanatory. For example: If you run -15 successfully, opt up to -28 staying at the same speed, then miss somewhere in the -28 pass, you will score as if you were at -22 when you missed (as if you had not opted up). If you run -28 successfully, you get credit for -22 and all of -28. The opt up is no longer a factor.

[Bruce_Butterfield]

@swbca you are getting wrapped around the axle again:)

 

The wakes of recent boats are night and day better than the '80's boats. I don't think you could pay me enought to take a set behind a 198x Ski Supreme, an early '80s Mastercraft... or Nautique of that era. Quit fretting, start the excercise program and hit the water when its warm.

 

BTW, let me take a wild guess.....you are/use to be an anal retentive engineer? Or just anal/rentative? :p

[dbutcher]

@Bruce_Butterfield I bet you'd do it for $100, maybe less. Of course, I'm not paying.

[swbca]

@Bruce_Butterfield I didn't say that all the early 80's boats had a great wake. The 1986 MasterCraft had the smallest wake of all boats to that date. It was a new hull with the same pre 86 deck, marketed as the first "no-wake" boat . . I traded my 84 Correct Craft for the 86 Master Craft because the CC wrecked my knees with a much larger wake. I had 100's of hours with both boats and I am clear on the difference.

 

My post was not me "axle wrapping" which sounds like an unnecessary pejorative . . . I am curious about the M8, M9 skiers experience of wake impact at 30,32 mph because my knees are my "achilles heal" that could bag this entire endeavor. I am not worried about wakes in tournaments . . . I am trying to figure out if a normal schedule of practicing at 30mph could be a problem that might prevent me from skiing . . . it happened to me before . . . learning all I can before summer is part of my preparation and this forum is backed with a wealth of experience.

 

(In my first post I mistakenly said 1985 ProStar. . its 1986)

 

[Stevie Boy]

@swbca skiing at the lower speed does take some adjustment, staying with the handle longer, as well as timing in general, you have to work on maintaining speed out to the bouy or else you will miss out on angle when you pick the boat up.

[Horton]

@swbca I watched two friends ( both past national champions ) transition to 30mph in the the last few years. I expected they would do better on wider skis. To my surprise they both ended up on the high end Connellys. I believe this is because the Connelly is a narrower ski and goes through wakes better.

[ALPJr]

When ZBS (zero based scoring) came into play I listened to my body and went from 34 to 32 to soften the impact on my whole body, and to continue having fun running some passes. I haven’t had any new issues with the wakes. I’ve skied a lot with a now Mens 9 skier who I saw go from 34 to 32 and now to 30mph. He picked up a full pass after going to 32mph, switching from a Monza to a slightly wider TX Superlite, and has avoided major injuries. He starts at 22 off and doesn’t have any troubles with the wakes.

[swbca]

@Horton I have a 68" D3 ION that I haven't tried. Since everything is new to me, including skiing, I will just learn how to ski that ski. I will be skiing at 170lbs, so a 68" ski should help stay afloat at 30mph.

[swbca]

@ALP @Stevie Boy Encouraging comments . . At 30mph, I've heard you need to avoid the hits you can take at short lines when you have no speed behind the ball and the boat is taking its time to get ahead of you. I suppose that's technique and suitable ski for the speed.

[ALPJr]

My guess is that the same shortcomings that cause hits at 34/36 can result in hits at 30/32 also. The 68 Ion sounds like a good choice. It’s seems to be a little bit wider under the feet than most other top end skis out there.

[Stevie Boy]

I think @Horton hit the nail on the head, the standard high end ski.s, helps to cut through the wakes, the wider ski seems to have too much surface area and is always going to be harder to keep on edge unless you have impeccable technique.

That's what I discovered, tried a couple of wider skis, they just didn't feel that good for me.