jdk99

Thanks guys. Great suggestions.

@wish: 03 SN196. 2300 foot slalom lake, no islands, decent set ups and 55's but no mini course. 4 kids, 8-13. All are pretty good free slalom skiers. All but the 8 year old can do pull outs with decent glide and leans (Rathbun drills) but they all flatten when crossing the wake and double pull. Had them watch N. Ross video (impressive).

Hadnt even thought of having them run 2 skis, long line - will try it. I am sure they wont like going back to 2 though :)

all thoughts appreciated.

Hope to start the kids in the course next year but have no idea how to ease them in. Do any of you fathers/mothers or instructors have suggestions?

2003 SN 196 excalibur 330.

Drysuit run yesterday.

On holeshot/initial acceleration, sputters misses for 1 to 2 seconds then accelerates to speed without issue. No issues idling, or at speed. Black smoke from exhaust when sputters. Becomes progressively worse during the course of a given outing but only on initial acceleration. After 3 or 4 sets, will actually stall out on acceleration and "check engine" light comes on. Will restart after several cranks and light goes off.

Thoughts greatly appreciated.

Thanks again for all the comments. Really trying to stick with either 93/94 prostar w EFI or TSC1 SN after doing all the research.

@hogeexpress, beautiful boat. color scheme is best 2000/2001 SN listed on SIA right now but i am looking for less hours as this will be my slalom tractor for many years to come.

as an aside, does anyone else find SIA to be like crack for a slalom junkie? cant help but pull it up at least once a day even thought i don't need anything. I need a 12 step program!!!

looking for best low budget course boat.

equivalent hours, condition, HP, EFI, etc.

input appreciated.

check out this previous BOS thread: http://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/5043/trakker-video-camera-vibration

based on this, i picked up the P4 with the JVC everio and have been thrilled with it. Incredibly stable images with the exception of a slight jump with heavy slack hits at short line lengths (that i cant ski anyway!).

Newbie here. Thanks to all of you on this site. Your posts have made me a better skier (and addict!). Just wanted to summarize what i think i've learned re: the stacked position as a struggle to make it through 15 off. Unfortunately, I am one of those skiers who has to think through everything before I progress. It doesn't just come naturally! I would love to know where you think i'm off.

Seems to me there are 3 crucial pivot points that must be optimized: The elbows (biceps), waist, and knees.

Optimum = straight arms (no bicep flex), straight waist (not bent over), and bent knees

The following sequence is how I've found myself progressing from horrible to less horrible to a better position behind the boat:

INITIAL POSITION: flexed arms, bent forward at waist, knees bent = BAD POSITION = OTF

POSITION 2: straight arms, bent forward at waist, knees bent = still BAD POSITION

POSITION 3: straight arms, straight waist, straight legs = improved but not optimal position. This is where I am currently. Feels much more secure and effective but straight legs forces weight back resulting in loss of position at wake due to lack of ski in water. Ski goes flat early, in part because I am riding the tail where the rocker is rounded and not flat.

POSITION 4: straight arms, straight waist, bent knees = OPTIMAL POSITION. Haven't achieved this yet but light bulb when on the other day when I was shore practicing with the rope tied to my basement pole. Put myself in position 3 above (straight arms, straight waist, straight legs). Then I gradually increased my knee bend and BINGO: the more i bent my knees, the more my weight shifted forward on the "ski", the lower my body dropped, and the lower the handle fell to mid thigh. Hoping to attempt this later today. Unfortunately it takes forever to transition what I think I know in my head to making it happen with my body behind the boat!

Any opinions on whether I am understanding things correctly or have I missed it somewhere? I sincerely appreciate the time you experienced guys take in posting advice for those of us just developing the addiction!

great discussion for us intermediate guys. hate to hijack the thread but quick question for you experienced guys relating to maintaining a stacked/balanced position:

do you have any tips on how to stay stacked upon taking the hit after the turn? i have all the best intentions and manage to stay stacked thru the turn only to get pulled forward at the waist once the turn is completed and the line loads.

First, I'm new to the forum but have been reading for several years. Great site!

I'm a 15 off guy with elbow issues so take the review below from that perspective. I've been looking for Clincher type gloves to help with my elbow and recently ordered 2 pairs of Masterline Prolocks (Lg and XL) and 2 pairs of Radar Vices (XL and XXL). I chose the sizes based on the comments I read on this forum. I tested all 4 sets on the ski rope tied to the pole in my basement (remnant of winter) so I could return the ones I didn't like by not actually getting them wet (which may skew my review). So here's my take, and of course this is just one guy's perspective (forgive the length but I wanted to put down all the things that would have been helpful to me in making the decision):

APPEARANCE: Prolock

Obviously very subjective. Vice if you like flashier, Prolock if you're more conservative (like me)

MATERIAL/FEEL: Prolock

prolock material is a little more form fitting and less bulky which i prefer. it feels closer to a conventional glove than does the Vice which kind of feels like having snowboard gloves on. conversely, the Vice while bulky feels like it might be a litter more rugged.

COMFORT: Prolock

very close in this category. however, the wrist strap of the Vice is a little more uncomfortable under load than the Prolock. HOWEVER, this actually has a purpose for reasons described below.

SIZE: tie

there have been several posts suggesting that the vice runs small and the fit isn't good for chubby short fingers. i didn't really notice much of a difference and the XL in both the Prolock and Vice fit well. the prolock might run a touch smaller than the vice but just barely. what I did notice with both gloves is that size is absolutely critical for a Clincher type of glove. it must fit snug and the middle two fingers must reach completely to the end of the glove or the dowel/strap mechanism is ineffective at redistributing the load to the wrist.

EASE OF PUTTING ON: Vice

both gloves are necessarily more cumbersome than conventional gloves due to the multiple strap system required to adequately redistribute force. that said, i found the Prolock more difficult to put on (especially the second glove) for two reasons: 1) the inner wrist velcro strap doesn't stay aligned as well as the Vice and you have to fish around for it, and 2) the Prolock main wrist strap is a double wrap making a littler more cumbersome than the Vice which has a single wrap.

FORCE REDISTRIBUTION/PREVENTION OF ELBOW PAIN: Vice

so this is where the rubber met the road for me and this is where my rope test was most helpful. with the Vice on one hand and the Prolock on the other (and vice versa), I loaded the line heavily with alternating hands. both gloves clearly transmitted some of the load to the wrist. however, the Vice seemed to do so better as when fully loaded I sensed minimal load at the elbow (medial epicondyle) and had no pain at all, either arm. the Prolock decreased the load but not to the extent of the Vice and I still had some elbow pain under full load.

i think the reason the Vice was superior lies in the wrist strap construction and location as compared with the Prolock. The Vice's wrist strap is wider and sits slightly higher up the arm and therefore load is better distributed to the arm bones (distal radius and ulna). as stated above, the Vice wrist strap is a bit more uncomfortable under load compared with the Prolock because of that redistribution. also, the web strap on the Vice anchors slightly more towards the radial/thumb side at the wrist than does the Prolock. I think this better maintains hand alignment (although others have commented that they dont like this orientation as much).

CONCLUSION: Both are great gloves with excellent construction and obviously there are some features that favor one glove over the other. Very close call but I bought the Vice. For me, the main issue was force redistribution/elbow pain and I found the Vice better in that regard. I strongly suggest you try both before buying as the differences are subtle but real.

Finally, to Horton, I completely understand if you need to delete this post because i've provided an unsolicited review that might be seen as favoring one product over another. and also because it might be the lengthiest document i've written since undergrad (priorities, right?!)!