jerrym

Yes

We have been using wally boat guides and turn buoys for 5+ years with excellent results. Might be time to try out the solar version....

Our club uses google calendar. Members put their ski time on their calendar and it is shared to everyone. Works fine except for when we over-book.

@aupatking - the answer to your question would require some additional information regarding the type of plastic used for the boot, and even then we would only end up with a wide range for the lifespan. As mentioned above, UV is especially destructive to plastics as it breaks down the plasticizer in the material, causing it to become brittle. Heat will also damage the material as it will break down the chemical bonds and reduce various properties of the material. The answer is to inspect the boot material for damage on a regular basis, including looking for stress cracks, change in hardness and discoloration. Just like we should do with the rest of our gear!

@Chef23 - make sure you form the new liner. As @MS said, you will like the binding.

I peek through my window at every 1 ball. Why do it the easy way??

Early in my ski career I was pulling my buddy with his trihull with a Johnson outboard and his big furry dog at the bow. The skiers falls, the boat slows quickly, and I pull up to the skier who asks " why is Frosty swimming in the water?" Everyone was fine but that dog went right under the boat and popped out the back with that same look on his face. I'm pretty sure i had the same look on my face too! There are no cushions in the front our 200OB.

Make that man a vegemite sandwich!

Shipping a boat is pretty easy - brokers will provide a quote and source the driver so you'll get competitive pricing and no hassles. I've sold a couple of boats sight-unseen without issue, but can tell you it is hard to take good photos of minor blemishes on the gel coat.

@jimbrake - great thread ... I too struggle with the fatigue thing. I'm skiing 3-4 days per week, 2 sets per day, plus a couple of nights of hoops for cardio (and fun). I'm finding fatigue to be an issue for evening sets after work, like @A_B . I'm only 58 but notice I do not have the stamina on the court that I did 5 years ago. Too much work and not enough beer...need to re-balance !

A refreshing 93 deg in our lake in Memphis.

We will be hosting a two-day ski clinic with Seth at our lake in Memphis this coming weekend. There are still a few slots available. PM me if you're interested.

It's disappointing to see our sport's magazine cease to exist. It was clear that Trent was trying to make it go but if it wasn't profitable with TR, then Trent was in a tough spot. There is a snow skiing mag called "Powder" that seems to continue to be successful even in the current media environment. It's not simply a vehicle for advertisement like other ski mags, but rather has deeper content and great photos along the lines of what TR was doing with Waterski. This is another indicator that the water ski market is shrinking.

It's past time to move on to a newer ski. The sixam is pretty forgiving, but you will find modern designs like the vapor are just as forgiving but provide much better performance. Don't settle for anything less than top of the line....your only regret will not having done it sooner. Check out Horton's ski reviews to help narrow your choices. PS - the lithium is a great choice!

I skied behind a jet ski for the first time on Sunapee. A buddy owned a summer cabin on the north shore, across from Tyler's compound. It's a beautiful lake and a great place for a summer home. My buddy sold the cabin for way more than it was worth, but then immediately regretted it.

Wow - the hydrodyne is gorgeous! You gotta keep them both. Restore the stars and stripes like you have the Hydrodyne. Do we dare ask if you have any classic cars that you have restored?

Bought the Epic Pass this year, so a few days in Vail in early Jan with my son and a week in Whistler in mid Feb. with a gang of hard core skiers. I see where Whistler is opening early with 60 inches in the last week. Wow!

@vtmecheng - good luck with the repair. The hard part is the recover can take so long. It's great to hear that your doc has taken such interest in your care.

I suffer the occasional spasm in that area but it sounds like you have a rather serious issue. Find a good PT if you don;t have one and get professional guidance on an exercise program.

Our club has used the wally buoys for a number of years with good success. We change them out once a year as they fade a bit, but we can spread the cost over the club membership. No ankle injuries to report. We get some moldies on the underwater portion of the ball but fortunately we do not have jelly blobs!

You may want to clean your battery connections, and check the voltage on the battery as a first step. Erratic voltage or bad ground (earths?) can cause crazy stuff. If that doesn;t work, you may want to pull connectors off of the back of the units and reseat them.

One drill I can suggest is to get into the perfect body position that @mwetskier is suggesting when you pull out at the end of the lake. At this point in the pass, you can focus solely on body position and the feel of the ski, with no distraction from buoys. Look down to see where the water breaks on the ski, and glide on your front foot until you sink. NO BACK FOOT AT ALL! Get some video of yourself doing this as well as feedback from the boat. Make this a habit every time you drop. It will help build a foundation for this body position when you pull out for the gates. @Ibskiing and @SheSkisStrong - do not give up, this is a problem for most skiers and once you break through, you will find the pure joy of carving a clean, fast turn.

@dbutcher good question...I was expecting some rubber particles from the impeller which I was late in replacing in the spring. The shower system was also cleaned early in the year so the metal particles came through this summer, after the new impeller was installed. I can only assume the particles are working free from the water channels in the block.

@colo_skier, @"76S&S" - thanks very much for the guidance. Gonna try this unit and use the barb fittings as well. It is nice to have the clear reservoir to see the debris. I'll try to remember to post our results late next spring.

@colo_skier - thanks for the info. You have one on the hot water line? Near the engine or in the back of the boat?