BrennanKMN

For 27k I'd be buying one of the 3 or 4 2007/8 Nautique 196's on SIA for that price or less.

Diesel oil has the zinc needed too, that's why a lot of folks use that in place of VR1. Shell Rotella T has 1200 ppm Zinc. Valvoline VR1 has around 1400 ppm Zinc.

You're better off selling and buying a new boat. With the price of ZO boats falling fast the cost effectiveness of a ZO conversion is just not there anymore. Plus if you ever go to sell your boat after the conversion you will not recoup the costs.

Like @foxriverat I get my VR1 40w from Napa. Just did an oil change on my GT-40 last weekend. I also use Motocraft FL1A oil filters. About 5 bucks a piece at the local Ford dealer.

My steering cable was only a pain the first time and even then it was a hour job. Now each time I tie a pull rope to it and just pull the new one right in. Easy. The longest part of the job is removing the center floor section.

I am pretty happy with the number of sets I got this year knowing that I rarely have access to a boat on a lift closer than 15 min. Majority of my sets consist of 20+ min of trailering one way to the lake. Gets to be a long week when you do that 5+ times in one week. Lot of fuel in the truck too...

TSC3 Ski Nautique but replace the trunk with the bubble but from the TSC1. Not much else I'd want. Oh, and teak platforms. I am not a fan of the fiberglass ones.

That $280,000 in damages figure seems pretty low to me...

I try to ski pretty late in the season, but once October hits the skiing diminishes quickly. Daylight and water/air temps keep me waiting for only the best days. If I lived on a lake and didn't have 30 min of trailering each way I suspect I'd ski much later.

Direct copy from a previous post of mine last month: As someone who just coached a friend from not ever skiing to running the course at 15 off at 30MPH in 9 months you need to forget the course for a bit. I made my friend run drills for weeks at a time. Pull out, coast and cross the wake. He wasn't allowed to attempt the course until his wake crossing was solid. Trying the course too soon will only make bad habits worse. My advice. Get out of the course, slow the boat to 26-28 MPH and work solely on crossing the wake. Focus on starting your cut in with proper body position. Hips up, handle down, stacked and connected across the wake. Forget about your turns. Once you can nail the wake crossing turns will come. I know it is not what you want to hear, but it will pay off ten fold in the long run. I know I hate when I am told to get out of the course and run some drills. I promise some good drills and muscle memory will make the course much easier in the long run. Extra: You are close to getting a stack down, you had a few good cuts. I would like to see you bring rock solid across that wake every time. Doing some drills and practice without the buoys will make that much easier to learn. I see your shoulders coming forward at the center line almost every crossing. A solid stack will stop and that keep you feeling way more stable into the ball.

I'd like a diesel boat. If I am not mistaken I believe MC has a diesel powered 197 in early 2000. I think it would be a nice stepping stone into the full electric market. The diesel of today is not in the same stratosphere as the diesel from 2005.

@ToddL Absolutely, I hate when the driver keeps the line tight before I am ready. I generally keep it about 2-3 feet loose. This is after we shortened and talked to see if the skier wanted anything different. Once that conversation is over I move forward holding short by a few feet.

I am not picky. I just say "Whenever you're ready". All the people I have ever had drive me put it in gear when I say that and once they see me start to move pull me out. I do the same - I always go in gear until we are snug and then go. I generally keep the line pretty close to tight after shorting it so it only takes a second of gear before pull up.

I am going to have to keep an eye on this. I have contemplated repowering my 97, but always assumed that it would be smarter to just sell it and get into a 2008 196.

I am a big believer in no radio or music on while skiing. Might not make it safer, but I like my focus and the drivers focus 100% on the task at hand. I am also a stickler about the rope. I always hand over hand the whole rope into the water before I get in. I do this to check for nots and tangles in addition to making sure it is not wrapped around gear in the boat. I have seen it time and time again where people let the rope uncoil itself and it nots or snags something.

I think @6balls is mostly right saying that speed control is not an over arching barrier to entry; but it is one more nail in the coffin. What I'd like to see is of those that continue to advocate for ZO only tournaments, of them, how many don't own or consistently train behind a ZO boat?

@LeonL Don't get me wrong. I understand that ZO is superior to PP. I get that; if I could afford a ZO boat - I'd have one. What bothers me though is this is a sport, some days are good and some are bad. That is just part of life. I have been downhill ski racing my entire life. I have yet to go to a ski meet where they canceled it because the snow was crap (think tournament with PP boat). There were also meets where the snow is perfect (think ZO boat). That is the way the world works. You win some and you lose some. Now if you want to only ski in the meets where the snow is perfect, that is your choice. All I am saying is you are holding back those of us who would ski in perfect and less than perfect conditions.

I like this. I take the 'if you don't like the towboat - don't enter' the other way. If there is a PP boat and the ZO people don't like it - don't enter. ZO people say PP skis different, well, PP people say ZO skies different. It is a two way street. I get really tired of people who are only willing to ski behind ZO and scoff at PP boats like they are inferior and unskiable. How you can you say you are trying to remove barriers and then continue to say that anything prior to 2008 is no good? I'd be more than happy to ski behind anything. I am sure there are elitist people that only want the best. For me, a ski ride is a ski ride. Sure I might not run my best scores, but it sure as hell is fun to get out skiing more. I couldn't agree more with @Wish

The return spring needs to be under more pressure. Mine is always stretched. Never looks 'collapsed' liked that. That spring is doing no good at idle as it is providing no closing force on the throttle plate. You don't need a stronger one, you just need yours to do something at low throttle vs. high throttle. I will get a picture of mine this afternoon. The cable being kinda messed up is 'normal'. Just rotate that bracket to line up more square and fix the return spring and you'll be set.

You need an additional throttle return spring. Had the same issue with the idle and not returning on my boat. Adding the spring that was provided with perfect pass in addition to locating my servo in a better place fixed the issue for me.

I'd like to see Class C tournaments pulled with any current/previously approved speed control (including Perfect Pass). I have meet a few skiers around here who shy away from tournaments because they cannot afford to train behind ZO. All it means is more skiers willing to ski, more boats available to pull events which both are both good things in my eyes. Don't get me wrong. I wish I had a ZO boat, but it really sucks for me that I cannot train behind what I have to ski behind at a tournament.

If you use your boat regularly, no. The only time I'd even consider it is during winter storage. Even then I just fill the tank full and add some treatment. Never had an issue. People seem to get really bent out of shape about some of this kind of stuff (gas type/octane, oil type etc.) If it was really an issue you would hear about it all the time. The fact that there are not "Ethanol gas ruined my boat" threads all over the place means you are fine. The vast majority of people just put gas in it and go. If it was a problem, you'd know. I use regular pump gas with 10%+ ethanol in all my gas engines. I have never had an issue.

Similar to what @Fam-man said. I think it really depends on your goals. Do you plan to start running tournaments or do you want to ski for fun and just get better? If you plan to start tournaments I'd stick with 15 and the occasional 22 until you can ski max speed. If you just want to ski for fun; play around. What I will say is I wouldn't shorten past 28 until you are at least running 32 MPH easily.

As someone who just coached a friend from not ever skiing to running the course at 15 off at 30MPH in 9 months you need to forget the course for a bit. I made my friend run drills for weeks at a time. Pull out, coast and cross the wake. He wasn't allowed to attempt the course until his wake crossing was solid. Trying the course too soon will only make bad habits worse. My advice. Get out of the course, slow the boat to 26-28 MPH and work solely on crossing the wake. Focus on starting your cut in with proper body position. Hips up, handle down, stacked and connected across the wake. Forget about your turns. Once you can nail the wake crossing turns will come. I know it is not what you want to hear, but it will pay off ten fold in the long run. I know I hate when I am told to get out of the course and run some drills. I promise some good drills and muscle memory will make the course much easier in the long run.

Driving diesel vehicles has gotten me in the habit of putting the key into run for a second or two before I flip it over to start. I often find myself doing the same with the boat. I put the key to run, once I hear PerfectPass beep I hit start. I don't do it for the fuel prime though, just habit. I have never once had an issue starting my GT-40. I have even run it out of gas several times and had ski partners started it without a prime like it was full. I do ski with a guy who has an older carbureted MasterCraft that I will prime and choke if it is cold. Otherwise just turn the key. People often find a way to over think things. I know I do it. All I will say is do whatever makes you feel most comfortable.