brettmainer

@Drago, Nate hasn't skied behind this boat. I suppose I should have said "a few" rather than "a lot". I run 91 octane in the 5.3L, just as the owner's manual says to. It has had 87 in it and it runs rough (fluctuating RPMS) at an idle with 87 gas. I didn't notice a difference in the pull with the lower octane, but then I am just a sea level 34mph skier. I have nothing against the 6L engine. I regularly ski behind two of them (one in a 2021MC, the other in a re-powered 196) and like them both. The 6L in a 200 is unquestionably great, but it was not offered to the promo team in 2016. The choices were 5.3 or 6.2 (for a LOT more money). I personally cannot tell the difference between a 5.3L and a 6L when skiing. If I had the option to purchase either on a new 200 or MC, I would simply go with whichever was cheaper.

@Horton, I’ve heard that before, yet I have 1000hrs on my 5.3 2016 200 and have never had a complaint and not noticed anything bad myself. Lots of skiers, including some very high end skiers, really like my boat, some saying it is their favorite. Multiple 41s have been run behind it (not by me of course, as I can’t seem to find an 8’ handle.) Come up and ski with me sometime. I’d be interested to see if it changes your opinion. I don’t doubt you when you say others are bad, but it doesn’t seem to be the case with mine.

@Horton, I believe Goode discontinued their Reflex release boot. I forget the exact story, but it had to do with a weak, unreliable plastic part that kept breaking and causing pre-releases. Clicking the banner immediately to the left of this text box confirms that they are no longer for sale. Probably for the best you did not get one. FWIW, I ski on a Goode XTR with reflex classic front and modified R style back. I can't say this set up has increased my performance, but I have been very happy with how it releases in falls. I have never (knock on wood) had it pre-release.

I don’t know of anyone seriously injured, but I can see how it is very possible. I do know of two MasterCrafts (about 10yrs apart), both brand new at the time, that went from 36 to full reverse, probably due to rope wrapping around throttle but possibly due to driver panic. Instant submarine, tranny damage and bent shaft. Use a shock tube if there is any chance the skier might put the handle or rope back in the boat.

Add the original XT, delete the N1 and swap the c85 for the c75 is my guess for the 3 skis.

@RichardDoane, I’m impressed with how far you took it. You are 90% done, too bad the flywheel stopped turning and the project stalled. I saw the Brendella in the boathouse when I picked up Dr. Jack’s 2001 196 (that also needed work, but nothing compared to the Brendella) and didn’t think it would make even as far as you have taken it. The 2001 196 is now an every day skier (in Adelaide), It would be cool if the Brendella got there as well.

@Dirt, my point was that is not do gooders, it is the (not so) hard choice to have insurance or not have insurance. It isn’t really a choice. It is an insurance mandate.

Shelby and a few others need to calm down. Nate Boudreaux and USA Waterski are doing the best they can in the face of insurance requirements. Read the posts about the lawsuits and awards. We have to do all kinds of retarded shit to keep insurance these days. It sucks, but does someone else want to step up and pay the 7 and 8 figure judgements to save 2 hours of their life that could have spent scrolling this or some other random dwarf porn website? There is a large problem in this country with lawsuits and lawyers that seek and juries that award against deep pockets that are 1% culpable. That is a subject that would probably get me banned if I railed against any harder.

I haven’t skied behind any of the “new 200s”, so this commentary is just meant for the 2010-2017 versions. I was on the promo team for those years, so I had a few. My 2011 was the worst for -28 and longer. My 2013 was much better. My 2014 and 2016 were even better, as was our 2010 club boat. There was some variability during those years. I am not sure whether there were good and bad molds or whether it was engine or hydro gate placement related. Anecdotally, I could easily remove my drain plug on the bad wake 2011 but my arm barely fit on the smaller waked boats. Maybe the engine and therefore CG was an inch different? Maybe not because maybe the floor cut out was just different? But there was definitely a difference in the wakes boat to boat at -28 longer. Like many other boats (MC 197 for example), those problems went away at the shorter lines.

Bummer. I almost bought it just to try it. I haven’t tried a Connelly in 20yrs and am overdue. Anyone in NorCal who has one and wouldn’t mind a couple handle dings and some dog slobber on it, let me know if I can try one.

Super bad ass! Way better than @Horton posting videos of -32. We had promo Malibus in ‘98 and ‘99 (joined Nautique promo team in 2000). They were great driving and skiing boats, just not the same heavy duty quality as Nautiques (any one who has driven both over open water wakes knows what I mean - the difference between shutting the door on a Kia and on a Mercedes.)

A video of -32?! @Horton, you can run -32 on an ice chest lid! We have seen you running -35 on every ski you have ever skied. Commentary on ski behavior at -32 and -35 is fine, but no more videos that don’t include-38 and -39. Except for Buford videos. I would watch her -32 videos without complaint.

@SlalomSteve, I generally agree with much of your post above, but the last sentence of the third paragraph is incorrect. While it is mostly true that every skier who runs a particular pass has the same average speed (not exactly true because there are slight deviations in possible paths and taller skiers can run a pass with a narrower handle path than shorter skiers), that speed is NOT the same as the average boat speed. Average skier speed = the distance the skier travels divided by the time. The skier travels a longer path than the boat through the course, so the skier's average speed must be faster than the boat speed.

@Mateo_Vargas, you need to start at -35 once and while during practice. It is one thing to fold against Lafavor in Laku when he goes out first and runs 7@44, but to hand it to @Horton like that on Saturday…

One thing the live scoring lacks is results from run-offs. The order of names with the tie scores is not reflective of who won the run-off. Western Regionals M6 slalom is a good example. Four skiers tied for the lead with 2@38, but the actual placement order after the run-offs is not updated on waterskiresults.com. Even today, 4 days after the event, the "results" show: Storelee Tate Gaastra Hegewald I believe the final placement after the runoff was: 1. Hegewald 2. Storelee 3. Gaastra 4. Tate 5. Haw (not in the run-off)

@vtmecheng, I’d bet the oil the Ilmor engineer was referring to was conventional, not the synthetic. I follow what PCM and Ilmor recommend for their respective boats (even though they are the exact same base engines), but I suspect either oil in either boat would be just fine.

@Horton, yes

Once the child starts to run passes and go up in speed, I recommend a longer (for them) higher end ski. The extra length keeps them from burying the tip off the second wake and taking the kind of fall that turns them off to skiing, but the ski still turns well and still suits them as they gain weight and go faster. My daughter skied a 65” Goode 9500 then a 65” Vapor from 9 years old til 15, skiing from 23 mph to 34/32 off during that time.

I think boat maintenance schedules are skewed towards casual users who put maybe 50hrs per year on boats. Given the high rpms I generally figure an hour = 100mi in a truck. Probable less if pulling juniors and trick, probably more if pulling 36mph slalom and 35.5 jump. I maintain a couple of club boats (one new MC and one 6L 196) plus my own 200 and sometimes the local college boat when I feel sorry for it. MC still recommends conventional 15-40 for the 6L but Nautique recommends synthetic 5-30 for the same. I change the oil every 50hrs in the new (under warranty) MC but the synthetic looks almost new at 50hrs, so I’ve taken to letting that slide to 75-100hrs. However we put 20-30 hours per WEEK on the boats, so they are getting serviced every 2-4 weeks either way. Impellers still look new when changed every 200hrs if it has only been a couple of months. If we put 50hrs per year on the boats, I would change impellers every 50 hours (annually) but see no need to change $50 impellers every other week when they don’t sit and degrade. I change tranny fluid every other oil change and fuel filters every third oil change (how often do you change tranny fluid or fuel filters on your vehicles compared to oil?). I change the spark plugs once a year (300-400hrs) but I doubt that is actually needed. I keep spare belts handy to change when one starts to look worn, but don't change them solely based on a certain number of hours. My 200 has 920hrs and the belt still looks new, so I have never changed it. Point being, necessarily maintenance is a function of both time and hours, other than oil, which is truly just a function of how many engine revolutions.

My ski buddy is done for the year. 2yr old injuries that never healed, got worse and now, hopefully, will eventually get better. I wish I could trade places with her now.

The numbers seem down to me this year. Regionals participation will tell a more complete story. I do believe we are down about 10x 1992 to 2022, but that is not the point of this thread, which is more about year over year.

200-210lbs doesn’t seem too heavy for a 67” Senate. A 67 or 68” HO Omega would also be a good one to try.

Put McNerney and a cooler of Coors Light in the announcer's booth and be done with it.

I tried the Alt 2 long shallow this afternoon and I skied pretty much the same as the short deep. Surprisingly it did not feel much different than the short deep I had been riding, but it was in an eye rattling head/tail, so it was a rough comparison, but the buoy count was the same as the short deep would have been. Hard to determine a favorite setting from that, but both are good. Probably why they are both factory recommended.

My motivation is to be better than @Horton. The last couple years have been a failure. I used to be motivated to beat @Dirt and @schroed, but I am unwilling to quit my job and quit beer, so I’ve lowered my target. Even now I am a failure. Perhaps I shall lower my target to staying ahead of my daughter, but I fear I might lose in that as well. Plus, it goes against the grain to root against your daughter. That is likely to come home to roost when she is picking out my rest home. Back to the dog theme…there is no doubt that my dog is always the most excited family member to head to the lake.