TallSkinnyGuy

I'm just going to chime in regarding Zero Off. Personally I think it is entirely unnecessary for open water skiing. Perfect Pass is great for open water skiing and recent versions are very good for novice-level course skiing. IMHO, if you are an open-water skier with no interest in course skiing, there would be no absolutely no reason to get a new boat just to upgrade to ZO.

This topic (difference between Senates) has been discussed quite a bit in the last couple years, but I'm too lazy to look for the threads. Ultimately, my takeaway from the discussions (and comments from people you tagged in the first post) is that it mostly comes down to how much you want to spend. Someone skiing 15off at 30-32mph will enjoy any of the versions, so if funds are limited get the Alloy, if price doesn't matter then go for the top version or something in between. The Graphite is not going to get a skier at this level more balls than an Alloy, but it will feel slightly different. If skiing a course I highly recommending putting a Vapor boot on the front. This was a much bigger, noticeable upgrade for me than moving from an Alloy to a Graphite.

Mid-level skis like the Omni, Radar Senate and Connelly V would likely be great skis for your son. Plenty of performance but also quite stable and forgiving.

Skied my last set of the season today. Water was 47 and air 65 in NorCal. Winterized the boat after my brother and I each skied a set. Brought the boat home and tried to fill it up with gas, but the gas kept spewing out for some unknown reason (it was well under half a tank full when I left the lake) and the fuel gauge suddenly stopped working, so a few things to figure out and work on this winter. This was a great season -- my first as a member of a private ski pond. So much fun.

I skied 11/4 in 80-degree air and 62-degree water and was comfortable in a full suit. One week later in the same little ski pond in NorCal and air temp of about 66 and water temp at least five degrees cooler. Face, hands and feet got quite cold today. Winterizing the boat next weekend and hoping for the snow to start dumping in Tahoe.

@TEL I had exactly the same experience as you when I switch from soft boots to Vapor in the front. It took me at least 3 or 4 sets to get used to it and probably 6 sets before I didn't think about the boot anymore. However, even before I got used to it I started noticing how much better edge control I had. Give your Vapor boot a few sets and I bet you will love it.

I would think your consideration set would be Lyric or Katana rather than Butter Knife. My wife and son ski on the 65" T.R.A. at 23-27mph and it works great for them (it is the same shape as the Lyric). My wife is about 120 lbs. The Katana would also be a great choice and even easier out of the water, but you've got a boat now, so you will likely surpass the Butter Knife's intended level of use quickly.

Yes, I got the T.R.A. and they love it.

I was talking with a friend of mine who is an avid cyclist and saw that he had a boa system on his cycling shoes. I commented that I had the same system on my ski boot (2017 Radar Vapor boot) and he asked if I had a backup lace/dial. He said his have broken many times so he always carries a spare lace/dial with him. I'd hate to go out to the lake and spend the time to drop in the boat and get ready to ski only to have my lace break. So, I looked on the Boa website to see about ordering a backup. Turns out there are a bunch of different systems. Mine looks like it is probably the L4 version, but I was hoping someone here could verify that before I order one. Also curious if anyone has actually had one break and if the replacement process is very difficult.

If skiing a course I recommend upgrading to 3-event version rather than just wakeboard version with "simple slalom" but I can't tell much difference between ZO, zbox and PP 3-event and ski close to your level.

Pretty unlikely your wife would notice much of a difference between the Graphite Senate and the Lyric at speeds under 30mph. I switched from the Alloy to the Graphite, and at 34mph I could feel a slight difference in water feel, but very slight. I only ski up to -22 and believe it is more likely that someone at shorter lines who is more consistent in technique would notice more of a difference between the two models.

I haven't watched the speed fluctuations, but I get ball times that are usually a max of .02 from perfect at each ball. This is with version 9, which also does waaaaay better at not overshooting the set speed compared to version 8.

Talons tend to hold your foot in the boot like, well, talons. Personally, I think they made the highest lace loops of the bottom section too high up on the foot. I could have the cuff laces super loose on mine and still not come out easily, so I ultimately stopped using the highest lace loops. Now I can crank down on the lower lace, mildly lace the upper cuff bungee laces and feel more secure in the boot yet still come out easily in a fall.

I've tried a few different bindings in the last few years any my favorite so far is the Radar Vapor. Quite a bit stiffer than any previous boot I've tried (I've never used hardshells), but very comfortable and I have confidence in my ability to release from the binding in a forward fall. You don't have to tighten the upper lace much to feel really good lateral support with the Vapor.

The 65" TRA is for 120-160 lbs according to the size chart. 63" for up to 130 lbs. However, both my wife and kid will be skiing slow (wife skis at 26mph tops and son skis under that), so I figured 65" even though they are both a little under 120 lbs.

Anyone know what the differences are between the three models listed in the title? My son has the same size feet as my wife and is just a little lighter. I was thinking of getting a ski and bindings that could work for both of them. They are both just learning in the mini-course. The price differences are substantial between the models but my understanding is they are all the same shape, all have the all-terrain core, but possibly different flex patterns? Different enough that just learning the mini course would be affected by it?

I used a cheap ball pump and put it and the turn ball under water so that the pumped sucked in water instead of air. I put in just under half full of water and that worked well for my purposes.

My boat is a '97 MC 190 and not on the list of boats that needed the RPMs inverted. However, I set it to RPM mode and it was jumping around by 30-50 RPMs. I switched to inverted RPM and then it would hold steady at whatever RPM I set and would only periodically bounce up by 10 RPM max. No reason not to do this test and confirm if you needed inverted RPMs or not. The RPMs have to hold steady or the system won't work for you in the modes that are based in RPMs.

I was on a V a few years ago and really liked it. I moved to a top-end ski and it was too much for me. Choosing stability and forgiveness over nimbleness I went to a 2015 Alloy Senate. End of last season I switched to a 2017 Graphite Senate. Yes, all the skis in this class may feel slightly different from each other to people at our skiing level, but IMHO not enough to go out a buy a new ski. I got the Graphite Senate because I was rewarding myself for selling my business and think it is the coolest looking ski in history. I actually did not notice a big difference when switching from the 2015 Alloy Senate to the 2017 Graphite Senate, especially compared to the huge difference I felt moving from a fairly soft binding to the Vapor binding. That change took a number of sets to get accustomed to, but it was a very good change due to the dramatically increased support I feel from the boot. I expect I would really like the Omni if I tried it, too. To skiers at our level I expect these mid-level skis feel very similar and they all work great.

I got this inexpensive bag from Overton's a while back. It is an ugly bag but has a padded bottom and plenty of room for tall boots and fin/fin protectors.

Thanks @ColeGiacopuzzi, that is the exact video I was talking about. He particularly mentions "giving the handle back to the boat" at turn-in as a bad thing with the second and last skier. Perhaps my novice skier mind took that too literally without a full understanding of what the advice was intending to accomplish.

I watched a video by the Wilson brothers a couple years ago in which they were commenting on a few different skiers and pointing out things they needed to change. In that video they stressed keeping the hands low during turn-in and not letting them rise up and disconnect from the body (I tried but failed this morning to find that video). I've been trying to do that ever since even though it feels quite unnatural to me. Your video and instruction suggests the opposite -- raising the handle up away from the body during turn in. Is this just a difference in styles or is it an actual technique philosophy difference? Or maybe the thinking on this technique has changed since that Wilson video was made?

Get full payment before you ship it. If the buyer is concerned about your credibility, talk on the phone with the buyer and/or talk to them through BOS or another forum where you have high participation and credibility.

O'neill, Rip Curl, Xcel, Camaro all make very good wetsuits, along with the companies that make tri suits like you have. The most important thing is the the fit -- should be very snug fitting so that water pockets cannot form and be flexible so as to not restrict movement. Cheap wetsuits generally do not stretch well and therefore restrict movement. Tri suits and all the Camaro suits I've owned or seen tend to be fragile but otherwise work great for skiing. High-end surf wetsuits are excellent because they are stretchy but also durable -- downside is they tend to be very expensive ($400+ for a full suit).

The 2016 Senate at the 67" length is 7.043" at max width point, so nearly the same as the Omni. The 2015 Theory (last Theory made) in 67" length is 7.347" at max width point, so probably just a bit wider than the TX. Of course, width is just one factor in the design of a ski. It is probably more telling when comparing mid-level skis to know the manufacturer's recommended max speed than the particular width. The Senate is recommended for a max speed of 34mph while the Theory has a recommended max speed of 32mph. IIRC, the TX suggested max speed is 34mph, so more in line with the Senate. I think the CX also had a recommended max speed of 34mph, too, but I don't know for sure.