TallSkinnyGuy

I ski in a public lake and use an EZ-slalom course. I have to set up and take down the course each day I use it, which adds about an hour of time to the whole excursion. I ski at a deep lake (90'+ where we set up the course), so I have very long anchor lines -- this adds time to set up and take down. People on a public lake often don't understand what a slalom course is and I'm sure it would get abused if I left it in, so I haven't even pursued trying to get permission to leave it in.

I made a bad mistake during the summer of 2016. I was freeskiing in our public lake behind an inexperienced driver who turned sharply into me just as I was coming out of turn. I knew another boat was behind us, so if I dropped the handle I would lose all the good water that lay before us. I therefore tried to take the slack hit. Wow, what a mistake! I felt a pop, I even heard a pop, and some damage was done to the muscles between my right shoulder blade and spine (rhomboid? trapezius?). I was really sore and couldn't ski for a few weeks, but then the pain became low enough that I started skiing again and finished out the season. I figured it would get fully healed up over the winter. However, I started feeling some pain in the same area once I started skiing again this past season. Some days I would hardly feel it and others it hurt quite a bit and I'd have to give it a few days rest. Now here I am at the end of the season and I've only skied once in the last two weeks. I skied three days ago and previously hadn't skied for over a week. But three days ago and I had a short set and had to quit because I was feeling a sharp pain in this back muscle I'd injured the previous year. It has continued to hurt and is still hurting today as I write this. I was trying to find some advice online yesterday about how to treat this kind of issue and one site said if you hear a popping when the injury occurs you should see a doctor right away. Oops. Has anyone else experienced this kind of injury (seems like it might be common in this sport)? What have you done about it? Did it ultimately heal up?

Awesome! Possibly the most beautiful ski ever made, so even though you can't ski until spring you can display it as a piece of art in your home until then. IMO the 2017 graphics are substantially better than those on the 2018 line. Most people say graphics don't matter, but that's probably because they have an ugly ski (there are a lot of them out there -- well, maybe I'm just too old to appreciate busy graphic styles). Graphics aside, I've really enjoyed skiing my 2017 Graphite Senate during the past few weeks. There is a high probability that you will be very happy with yours, too.

The only way to physically test the differences in materials is to be on the exact same shape of ski but made with different materials, like Skijay's experience noted above. I would love to ski the current Radar Senate in all three versions back to back on the same day. The closest I've gotten to that is skiing my '15 Senate Alloy one day and then my new '17 Senate Graphite a few days later. However, these skis are different shapes, so not truly a valid test for this discussion. I found that a much more significant change was going from a relatively soft front boot to a Radar Vapor front boot. It took me at least 5 or 6 sets to get used to the stiffness of the Vapor boot and not be distracted by it anymore. I had the new Vapor boot on my Senate Alloy for a few sets before switching to the '17 Senate Graphite. I wasn't fully accustomed to the new boot by the time I got on the new ski, and I felt like the biggest difference after getting on the new ski was still the new boot. The '17 Senate Graphite definitely felt less damp in the pull-out, but otherwise felt quite similar to my '15 Senate Alloy. I would have gone with the '17 Senate Alloy except that I wanted the adjustable fin and I absolutely love the graphics on the '17 Senate Graphite. For me, the biggest difference in the skis is probably that I think the '15 Alloy graphics are okay but the '17 Graphite graphics are spectacular.

I set up and take down a portable course each day I use it, so the course is never in exactly the same spot. I initially would map the course and was getting good times. I then got tired of mapping the course each time and stopped doing it. I have actually never mapped the course since getting the v9 upgrade, but I can confirm that v9 does a significantly better job of not overshooting the speed (and settling in at the correct speed) much quicker than v8 without mapping the course.

I just changed mine last week. My manual says every year or 100 hours, whichever comes first, but that seems overkill to me. My first filter in the line (just above the fuel tank) had 150 hours on it and the second one (just after the fuel pump) had 300 hours on it. A friend of mine hadn't changed his in over a decade on his '98 SN until he started having issues with loss of power at higher throttle levels. Changed the fuel filter and he was all good again. Since hearing that story I've been tempted to wait for symptoms to change the fuel filters out, but the "maintenance" guy in me won't let me go that long. Plus, they cost me only about $15 each and are quite easy to change on my boat.

@escmanaze I paid a lower price to upgrade from v8.06, so you may not have to pay the full $150 upgrade price depending on your current version. However, after using v9 for most of this season now I think I would have been willing to pay the $150. My biggest complaint of v8.06 (with my mechanical throttle and EFI engine) was that it would overshoot the speed and take too long to get back down to the set speed. This year's v9 is substantially better at settling in at the set speed, which makes driving a lot easier.

I'm a very low-level skier -- still don't run all my passes at -15/34mph. I bought a new 2017 Radar Senate Graphite a few weeks ago and didn't do anything to the fin for the first six or seven sets. I then decided to measure it and found that it was substantially different than recommended "stock" settings. For example, I had to move the fin forward about a quarter inch to get the recommended DFT. Granted, I didn't make these changes between sets on the same day, but I couldn't feel any difference in the performance of the ski the next time I used it a few days later (note: I also did not put the wing back on). Well, I probably did feel a difference, but I never know if changes in performance are from my own inconsistent technique or from something else. Regardless, I figure I should set my fin to stock settings so that I am at least not developing technique needed to counteract wacky fin settings.

I just watched the latest FlowPoint podcast with Sam from HO Skis. He said something quite relevant to this thread. He said he has been skiing on the Syndicate Omni since May and has been getting more -32 passes (34mph) than ever before. He was previously on the HO VTX (one of their high-end skis). He is loving the Omni because he is able to be more consistent on it. He pointed out that it is a great ski if you are getting into -28, -32 or -35. Note that he has access to any HO ski but is choosing to ride their mid-level ski. This further supports my understanding that "mid-level" skis can certainly be a great choice for a skier who has a max speed of 34mph or less and is freeskiing OR running buoys up through -32 or so. These mid-level skis are true course skis but designed to be more forgiving so you can be more consistent in the course while you are developing your technique.

I'm not an authority on this, but my impression of "more forgiving" is that the ski is less responsive to your movements so when you screw up the ski gives you a little time to get back on track. In contrast, a less forgiving ski -- let's say the LEAST forgiving ski -- would require you to be perfectly in position at all times because if you are out of position the ski won't work right or will push you even further out of position. High-end skis are generally more nimble and responsive, but if you are not consistent with your technique and don't consistently point the ski in the direction it needs to go with the proper amount of weight fore and aft it will be harder to keep the ski under you in the right place. That is what I found in my personal experience.

My opinion is only one and you and I do not have the same exact athletic abilities or access to water, but I have been in a very similar situation as you. I started off with a mid-level ski, but so many people on this forum made the high-level skis sound so attractive I made the switch. I regretted it and went back to a mid-level ski. Frankly, it's a little frustrating to me how many people on this site push skiers at our level to high-end skis. At our level you just don't need a high-end ski and they are harder to ski on (because they are more nimble, less stable, less forgiving than mid-level skis). At your level you still have room to "grow into" a mid-level ski. If in a few years you feel you need to move up to a high-level ski, then do it then. If you are skiing that much you'll want a new ski in a few years anyway.

@Horton with no driver perhaps you can spend some time modifying that Eden ski lake ad so it isn't so annoying. When it is in view I think I'm about to have a seizure.

I ultimately did talk to Brooks and he told me they had fixed that problem in Senates going forward, so I suspect that means it isn't an issue for the 2018 line.

So I just spent some more time trying to adjust the fin and found that if I cranked down hard enough on the front adjusting screw it would crush down the surface of the ski enough to reach the fin and move it. Kind of a bummer to have to crush the ski surface, but it is obviously all covered up under the fin block, so not an aesthetic issue. I was then able to get all the settings correct and am now looking forward to trying the ski with factory settings. I skied it twice last week before measuring the fin and was surprised how far off the fin was from factory specs when I measured it for the first time yesterday.

I'm working on a brand new 2017 Radar Senate Graphite, so no previous owner to make modifications. Seems odd to me that I can't achieve "factory" settings on a new ski using the supplied adjusting screws. I figured I must be missing something and not smart enough to figure it out (still concerned that might be the case).

Actually, my problem is the opposite of what you guys are describing -- it seems I don't have enough fin material under the front adjusting screw (rather than too much that has to be filed away). It seems my fin is not hitting an obstruction but rather the adjusting screw is hitting an obstruction (the obstruction is the top of the ski) making the adjusting screw not be able to push the front of the fin down enough to get the necessary length. Should I just forget about using the adjusting screw and simply use my fingers to pull/push the fin into position? Would there be any downside to that?

I used this thread today and the video above to help me learn how to adjust my fin. I am just trying to set my fin to factory settings (was delivered with fin quite far from factory settings). I thought I was doing well when I got the DFT and depth just right, but I can't get enough length because the adjusting screw hits the top of the ski and stops before I can get the front of the fin down enough to get the length I need. I then loosed everything up and tried shifting the fin around to re-position it and started again. Got DFT and depth perfect but then again not enough length. What am I doing wrong?

Depends on your athletic ability and how much you plan to ski the course. If you're athletic and getting into a course more than four sets a week next season, you might "outgrow" the standard Connelly V in a couple seasons. But if you're getting into the course that much you'll probably want a new ski after a couple seasons anyway. I remember Horton's review of the standard Connelly V from a few years ago in which he stated that he thought the V was a capable ski up through mid-32 off at 34mph (IIRC). You've got a long ways to go to reach that level. If I were you I would go with the standard V (or an Alloy Senate or a standard CX) and then if you reach a certain level (e.g. running full passes consistently at -15/34mph), then reward yourself with a new ski that is a little higher performance, like the carbon versions of these skis.

The Mastercraft TeamTalk forum is an invaluable resource -- you should join that forum if you haven't already.

I'm pretty sure all the front bindings are compatible and there are ways of making the rear binding work, including drilling new holes in the plate (this probably works best on a metal plate).

What they are calling the Shadow looks pretty much the same as my Talon boots but with a plastic plate rather than the metal plate mine came with. See my comments above regarding the Talon. If you want good release I think you need to look at a different brand. I have narrow feet and just switched to a Radar Vapor front boot -- way higher performing boot -- much stiffer. A buddy of mine has the Radar Vector -- no release issues and he seems to like their performance.

I have the Connelly Talon bindings -- their top binding before the Sync came out. They seem to be designed for people who don't want to come out of their bindings in a fall with the lower lacing section going high up on the foot. The Sync looks similar. I don't use the top lace loops of the bottom section and then use loose bungee laces for the cuff section. My foot will come out with this setup, but it reduces the amount of support provided by the binding.

Skied my first time today on my new Vapor Carbitex boot. Very, very different from what I've been on and it took a few passes to start to get used to it. I've been on Connelly Talon boots for the past five years -- my understanding is that they're similar to HO xMax and Radar Vector boots. I kept my rear Talon but bought a Vapor boot for my front foot. Using all the lower lace loops in the Talons my feet will not come out easily even with the cuff bungee laces very loose. I adapted by not using the highest lace loops on the lower section, but this created a less secure feeling that I never liked. So, I decided to try a Vapor boot. I wear a size 12 street shoe but have a narrow foot, so I bought a size 12 Vapor boot and it is clearly the right size for me. First thing I did this morning was dip the ski in to get everything wet, put my foot in the boot and clamped down the Boa and left moderate snugness in the upper bungee lace. I then conducted a release test and felt comfortable with the release, so I got into both bindings and hopped in the water for my first pass (I'm a 15-offer). The Vapor felt so different (crazy stiff!) I missed the gate and then skied gently inside the balls through the course. Same thing on the second pass, but I started to get a feel for it a little more. Third pass I decided to be a little more aggressive and just mentally get past the different feeling and I was able to make the pass. I stayed on my "opener" for the rest of the set to get used to it (-15/30mph). By the end of my first set (8 passes) I was undeniably feeling the benefits of the stiffer boot. I started feeling so much more confident in my pulls because I felt like this boot allowed me to hold my edge so much better. I also found that when I bobbled in the turn and lost my angle I was much more easily able to regain my angle than on my old boot. I was sold! The Vapor boot is unquestionably a big performance upgrade from my previous boot. I also did another release test after my first set and my foot/liner slid right out. I was amazed that my foot could feel so locked in and stable, but yet the release was smooth and easy. I skied 10 passes in my second set and never felt any cramping in my foot. However, the Vapor is certainly not nearly as comfy as the Talon boot. I feel like I'm in a cushy couch in the Talon, but of course, that was part of the problem -- cushy couches don't give you the edge control I wanted. I only skied 6 passes in my third set, but I got up to my personal best and feel like as I get more accustomed to the Vapor boot they are going to help me take my skiing further. This boot is one of my best gear purchases yet.

One more comment: don't overlook inspecting the trailer. I was so focused on the boat when I bought mine that I didn't spend much time looking at the trailer. When I got home and looked at it I found 15-year-old tires that had to be replaced immediately, brakes that did not work and other issues. These would all have been negotiating points if I had paid attention when checking out the boat.

One of the great things about owning a MC is the incredibly helpful MC TeamTalk forum. Lots of knowledgeable people who are willing to help. Here is an extensive used-boat-inspection checklist thread: used boat checklist