TustinTom

PM sent with pics Regards Tom

I will probably go by the boat this weekend and will measure for you. It's a 06' LXi

What @Horton said. I reckon the sensation would be.....if you are getting up from a couch, instead of moving or rocking your head/weight forward first, you push/rest your shoulders back first. Imagine helping Grandma off the couch. She puts her arms up, rolls her shoulders, moves head over knees and you grab under arms and stand her up. Now, imagine her in a straight jacket with a rope/handle at the belly button. You just grab the handle and pull her up standing. She is looking at you the whole time, back straight. I have felt/done your "plowing" comment. A regular vest/skier can duplicate the same. It's a little different, but their is less stress in getting out. At 6'4" 240, average strength (below ave. for a water skier) the only way I could consider multiple sets in a day or lessons would be with the Power Vest.

Hi: I think the warning was meant to be, once you start, you are not peeling it back up for adjustments. They have a removal video on their website. I replaced my rear deck and added it to the top of our gunnels on our 06 LXi. Love it and great customer service/company.

@Than_Bogan , this has been/was/is being done by Wakesurfer's. They never have to get wet. Start by standing on your board on the rear deck, let out the rope until you are in the pocket, drop the rope and surf. Then have the boat stop and surf back to the rear deck. All without getting wet. If our ski day involves "family/kids", we bring the Wakesurf gear. For obvious reasons, I don't let anyone surf without a life vest or surf back to the deck - no matter how many times they say they saw it on YouTube.

If you have something to ship them in (hard/soft case) you may consider ShipSticks.com I've had great luck with them and it totally takes the hassle out of hauling to and from the airport/worrying about the baggage handlers etc. Sent via 3 day to get the lowest rate and was at the Hotel when I got there.

+1 for all the comments above. I should confess I have experienced both the FL Winter AND possibly worse, the Dallas, TX Mid-Summer humbling. As a Salt Water (64-72*) skier, trying to get up mid-summer/mid-season in the 92* soft water in Dallas both exhausted and embarrassed me far worse than the FL Winter thing. I thought I would get coached up/past 15/32mph. Umm, NO. The water "felt" like getting pulled up through molasses, I had to swim to keep my head above water and resting in the water was a energy zap. I could only manage 1 set @ 9am, when it was cool at 90* and 80% humidity. I would go back to FL or TX ski schools in a heartbeat, but with properly adjusted expectations (as mentioned above) and a little more time in the weight room. You will have a great time !!!

Great looking boat. We bought an 06 LXi, with the Wedge due to it's versatility (non-skier needs) It can serve up novice to intermediate wakes with some help - see below. You will want to look into a Wakeboard Pole (non perm solution). Great for a lot of reasons: Passengers can sit in back, easier starts etc. Can get a rack and put on it to keep boards off the floor. As mentioned, you will need on board ballast. I have/like the Eight.3 Ronix bags. Great quality, quick fill w/easy to on-board/off-board water. I also have the Eight.3 WakeSurf Shaper. This velcro's just at/below the water line in the rear of the boat, opposite side of Surfer. It does make a significant difference. Your/our boat is NOT designed for these activities- my comments are directed as a DD boat user. I have the Phase5 Kong board. While it is designed for a heavier surfer, kids use it and can ride without the rope their first ride. Is it super snappy/reactive for them - probably not. Will it give the beginner rider excitement -yes. Easy to ride - yes. At 240lbs, I have ridden 4x and got rope free for about 20 seconds. Notes: You are about to enter "kid" pain/time drain/grief - all in a good way. The boat will not handle/drive/pick-up skiers/surfers like it does now. Unless the kids have Wakeboarded before, start the surfers from a standing position on your rear deck. (look up on Youtube) Do NOT be afraid of buying a bigger board than you think or the local guy might try to sell you. You don't have a Wakesetter. The "push" from the pocket is nominal, you need all the float/push you can get.

I think Enzo Ferrari said he would rather have his cars 10% lighter than 10% faster (adding the required weight to increase HP). The rationale being the wear and tear of accelerating and decelerating more mass during a race. @adamhcaldwell I spend way more time on this forum, watching videos, reading Fin Whisperer etc but still struggle at 15 off/32mph. Only skiing about 3x a month, I can't practice enough to conquer the technique needed or when on the course, don't want to practice because that time is so rare. I'm also handicapped with excessive weight. At 6'4" and a weak 240lbs, I think I'm "medically" 40lbs overweight. Please come up with a technique elixir that will get my butt up, arm's down and weight on my front foot. Perhaps a monthly prescription only available with the purchase of a 71' Denali ? I'm all in ! I'm already a fan of the Adam's. Videoing my golf swing or skiing is the same. What I "feel" I am doing and what I am "actually" doing are two different things. The difference is the ability to correct and perfect the technique is far greater/harder in skiing. The similarity is that is either the club or skis fault. LOL.

The College "Game Day" signs were AUsome. I'm still laughing. I was raised on AU Football. At 6 years old, I got a #88 Terry Beasley tear-away jersey for Xmas. Relatives still go to all the games, etc. WDE. USC graduate, so Fight On ! Glad we didn't have to play AU or Bama this year.

Sport Tube and use Ship Sticks. I've had great success with Ship Sticks. Shipping out is only a bit more than the airlines. They use/go through FedEx. Difference is they pick up the phone/customer service and seem to treat their packages well. Your boots will have to come off if you have/use the smaller Sport Tube. Toss each one in a paper bag. Throw your binding screws & screw driver in a glad bag and roll in a paper bag. Tape some foam (soft foam from like a laptop box) to the top/bottom of the ski. Rope/Handle in bottom portion, vest fits mid ski, boots and towel at the top. Peel off a 4 ft piece of Duct Tape (throw remaining roll in for trip home), apply tape where the Tube pieces connect. The contents/ski will be packed tight and not moving. Ship 3 days early to your hotel or directly to TBS for cheapest cost. I went there 18 months ago. Great spot. Anything else, stay in shape if you can, visit Performance, bring a 6 pack, it will be fun.

Prayers to you & your family for a positive outcome.

Gotta love the "V" (San Joaquin Valley for those not living in Cali) I bet you could drum up some farm Canal skiing video too. Growing up in Fresno, those guys loved sunset on Pine Flat Lake. Not sure how they would survive today's Wakeboard wakes. They hated the rollers from our PS 190.

My 15' Radar Fit All Sleeve is just now starting to tear/ski wear at the top. This is stretched over a 71 Lithium Senate. It stretches like a mother. I've been very happy.

Agree with @BraceMaker Look at the "line" of skis vs. a "single feature". I would say the Theory or P-6 (newer models: Katana or Butterknife) would be closer to the HO TX. Great question on the CET, it was my first thought when I saw HO's new Omni video. Why did they keep the CET on their Syndicate Omni but it's not on their Syndicate Skis? The buyer of an all Carbon Ski is probably doing a higher % of course skiing, or at least wanting to. Not sure if this will help: I have a pre-Clean Edge Tech (CET) HO TX Superlite (sold my regular TX). It's now the "boat" ski. The TX SL is a fantastic ski (for a wide ride, it's off the hook) and definitely course worthy especially below 34mph. The TX SL is way above my ability. More than one first time user/intermediate skier, has let go of the handle as they were not ready for the speed it creates. I ski the Radar Lithium Senate. Similar upgrades/differences between the Radar Lithium/non-Lithium line of skis and HO's Superlite/non-Superlite skis. Again, way above my 30-32mph, 15/22 off hacking, but I love the extra stiffness/speed of the Lithium and SL's models.

Perfect parallel to the best Bumper Sticker I've seen (from the local gun store)..... "My only fear is that when I die, my Wife will sell my guns for what I told her I bought them for" Agree with all of the above !!

I like/love them and they definitely help me ski longer. FYI- I just received a new pair this past week from Masterline. The dowel on this pair is definitely smaller than my older pairs. The dowel itself is enclosed/sewn in at edges and not "open ended" like the older pairs. This is where some skiers on the board here liked to knock the dowel out. Being about 20 lbs too heavy/out of shape and only skiing 1x week, I kind like more of a Lock/Hook, so I might try/look to the Radar version next time. You may have some slight adjustment if you roll the handle to your fingertips (think extreme) in a turn. Look forward to your thoughts after your next trip out.

I'll be the pro-use/devils advocate. Living in Orange County, driving to fresh water and being back by 10am is an impossibility. So, I have no choice but the ocean/salt water. After 25yrs. of salt use, we sold our Mastercraft on the original "I" beam trailer (painted). My neighbor who bought the boat replaced the trailer. You would have to tear the block apart to see any evidence of salt use. I figure the cost of use was a 25 yr. old trailer and 1 extra set of manifolds and 15 more minutes spent rinsing it down and flushing it out. We never would have put 1,000 hours on it if we kept it out of salt water. At the hotel, I would not leave my gear/keys in the boat overnight, even though the dock will be semi-secure. Prior to your trip, launch your boat at home and wax your trailer. Prior to launching in SD, I would use T-9 spray (or comparable) on the engine/electronics & brakes on the trailer. Check underneath your trailer. It probably has holes that will fit a garden hose. After launching, wash the trailer & brakes and flush inside the trailer tube holes. If you have an I beam trailer, even better. Bring a garden hose as they probably don't have one at the launch. Run the engine when you pull it out for 5-7 minutes (water should get warm/hot). If you run your bilge, fill it with fresh water and re-run your bilge. If you planning on selling your boat anytime soon, then you may need to consider the perceived steeper "salt water" depreciation curve. I have 2 neighbors with brand new X-30s who won't go in salt. They will use them 3x a year on various 3 day trips. That to me doesn't make sense or cents. Upside is I'm making decent slalom skiers out of their wake board kids :) When you get home, wash & wax the trailer again and you will have a brand new Prostar that hopefully has 20 more engine hours of great family story's.

Done. Prayers out for Ty, his family and surgical staff.

Both great boats and what I was looking for last year. I only saw one 206 and the guy wanted as new $$. I would agree with the driving/skiing/pricing commentary above. Seems like prices on West Coast/So. Cal are more expensive than say, Florida as we have less boats for sale. I ended up paying $24k for 400 hr., 06LXi/wedge, heater, tandem trailer. I would only add that you have to watch the nose of the LXi. It is can be easy to dip especially with passengers. What are you using the boat for? Both open bow so maybe family/kids etc? If so, options you may want to consider if all else equal: Tower, Cruise Control, Middle Seat, Heater. The LXi has a wedge (option) which is good start towards wakeboard/wakesurf needs as well as a larger fuel tank. Both are great boats and I would be just as happy owning, driving or skiing behind either. Mid-High end slalom skiers (much better than me) would same the same....and they have above.

Fuzzy Station and the Knobs

I would only say/add (with no affiliation) to ship it via Ship Sticks. I have done this twice and been very happy to not worry about TSA, the Airline or fitting in the Rental Car with other luggage. I used the 2 Tube (1 ski and gear) and put in some duct tape and the return shipping label taped it up and dropped it at the front desk of the Hotel. Ship Sticks used FedEx and they came and got it. It arrived 2 days after I got home.

After watching that, I officially give up......Boat, Ropes, Skis, Vests and Fin Whisperer book for sale. My 15 off hack ego needs to know that it was trick photography. The video needs to be pulled down and erased from memory. On my way to see a shrink. LOL

Saltwater involves a little extra maintenance. We just sold a 1,000 1990 MC Prostar that was in used in salt since new. Outside of two sets of risers, the only way to tell it from "new" is the original trailer which would have been replaced if we kept the boat. Bought a new to me 06 LXi and immediately put it in salt. Trailer gets rinsed at launch and when finished we do the wash boat/trailer and engine flush. As a buyer and operator who has to ski in salt, I would be the buyer paying close to asking price (Coastal Pkg is a benefit). No, I wouldn't share that with the seller but it's a plus. Now, if it's on a galvanized trailer...you would/should get close to what a Non-Salt comparable boat would get. Again, reverse perception to me as a salt user.

Hi @Jaypro : In case you have not done so, go to their website. SeaDek.com > Products (tab) > Swim Platform Pads (drop down) > Mastercraft I think the first two products under 190 Prostar are what you are looking for, depending on the fiberglass deck (holes or no holes). I am doing my LXi now. I ordered the Template Kit and it was super easy to use. I also am doing the gunwale on both sides as the top is a bit slippery with only one non-skid pad to jump from (which is black and chrome, which is always to hot to put your foot on). I think they just came back to work from the Holidays. Call them. So far, they have been wonderful to work with. Best of luck. Tom