Dano

I second concrete anchors set with an eye hook in the centre would be cheap and easy

My perception is that, the faster cross course you can get the more time you will have as you approach the ball. I envision this as being high on the boat with time and space before the ball allowing you to round the buoy with speed. (when you are high and wide rounding the ball requires a smaller change of direction than it is from a narrower positon). You want to carry that speed through the turn and across the wakes. I don't think you really want to scrub speed off. I think a slower ski will take a different path that is more direct buoy to buoy setting you on a narrower path with less space before the buoy at a more consistent speed. However i do think this path will have little room for error and could be more physically demanding. If you are skiing a path like this with a fast ski, I could see how you would need to scrub speed off in order to round the ball.

I like to get out of the course and do some free skiing. I try to work on specific areas of my skiing while doing so. No buoys means you can concentrate on one thing and have as much time as you want to complete your task. I would say that when free skiing I am not attempting to duplicate course skiing. I'm looking to try different things in area's that I wish to improve. I'm not just linking multiple turns together pretending the course is there. Take what you think you learned back to the course. Good or bad it was still time on the water and lots of fun.

@Jody_Seal i'm not up to speed on the subject. but if an older boat already is running a 5.7 is it not possible to swap just the E controls onto it? Much the same as converting a carbed engine to EFI?. May be cheaper than swapping complete engine?

Great skiing! it's pretty impressive to see a guy in his 70's getting past a mutitude of previous health issues including 2 knee replacements, not only skiing, but improving and running buoys! @vic proves it's not just a young persons sport. Anybody at any age can enjoy it. See you on the water tomorrow.

I went from double boots to radars HRT. Have about 5 or so sets in it. I’m size 11 running shoe and running the HrT laces pretty much fully loose. Its definitely more comfortable with every set.

@AdamCord in your post above you suggested moving the Autopatkings fin back. Just to be clear were you be suggesting "move fin back and keep LE the same" making the fin longer as well? Or "move fin back and keep the same length"

I would try speeding the boat up a little. Maybe 25mph tbe wake should flatten a little and she should be creating more speed with less effort, since she'll be more on "top" of the water. I've tried skiiing at slower speeds and it felt like I was working hard and going nowhere.

At least @vic won't complain about driving 20 mins to see the white caps blow down the lake anymore. Kidding, he'll ski no matter the weather. Pretty awesome to have my dad as my ski partner!

@Horton I think these video's are awesome! Am i correct in thinking that maintaining handle at hip off the second wake (through edge change) would help in keeping hips aligned in an outbound direction? Would this set you up to be in a good position to simply make the reach without "thinking" counter rotate? This past season I've been working on this counter rotate thing but i'm missing something. As I often think counter rotate and sometimes it goes very well and the next time it's straight leg and tail riding a wheelie out of the turn.

Not worth the risk. Even though the water temp is above freezing the temp of the motor will meet the air temp and freeze the water contained in it. The RWP acts as a stop while not running however the line from the water pick up to RWP, engine water pump, block, heater (if equipped) and exhaust will still be full of water and freezing. I would think potential for sinking does exist, as there is potential for ice to crack anything that freezes. If the ice inside does not act as as dam you could then be taking on water.

I watched my ski partner make massive movements with his fin last year like 1/4 inch changes at a time. He skied the same passes regardless. He only noted that some of them were a lot more work than others. Not saying that fin design and adjustment doesn't have merit. Just that good form likely maybe plays a bigger role.

@Stevie Boy I think the goal is to apply your efforts at the appropriate time. (not "do less so it's more manageable) By doing so we can be more efficient and much stronger behind the boat where we need it most. Load here builds more and more and peaks at CL. I'm guessing here but the edge change may help manage all that load by giving you a move to direct all that energy and shoot the ski out onto a turning edge. Loading off the ball creates a situation in which you likely will not be strong enough to maintain that position all the way across CL. Meaning you'll be giving up position and direction. In this scenario you need to load immediately off the ball and then your actually loading less as you approach CL. If your loading less as you approach CL your losing position, and direction is slowly becoming more down course. I ski just like this most of the time. it's my biggest hold back and very difficult habit to change.

For context i'm skiing into 32@34 this past season so maybe not qualified to sound in...... load is a topic that maybe is missed here. Loading too early off the ball is just a lot of work and compounding problems as you approach CL way overloaded. You can build a lot of speed into the wakes like this but you won't be in a good position to do anything with it and likely there will be too much line tension making handle control difficult to manage. But you can run 22 and 28 off like this without too much trouble, shorten to 32 and it's obvious your doing it wrong. I've found it important to let the ski finish the turn, and be In a good stacked position on hook up, and "let" the load build as you approach CL. When I'm able to do this I hit CL with a lot of speed and edge change seems to happen automatically and it's much easier to keep the handle in tight. Setting you up for nice approach to the next ball.

- Hardin marine - DIM - amazon - marine hardware - ski boat parts online.

A heat gun can be used to heat the thru hull which will essentially melt the 5200 so it will release and the thru hull can be removed without damaging the gel/fiberglass.

@dave2ball and @lakeho26 . I measured mine the best I could just using a tape measure and pulling the rope tight. I also compared it directly with my ML rope so I'm comfortable the length is correct.

I recently purchased a Syndicate knotless rope after reading @savaiusini comments on another post. Took my first sets with it today. I have to say it has a different feel to it than the ML's that i'm used to. Hard to describe it but the feeling was one that is more "connected". Perhaps that is not the right word as ML ropes are a very high quality and definitely do not feel disconnected or stretchy. The Syndicate rope is noticeably lighter and thinner than and ML rope and from what I understand has a different weave. Looks to be good quality and marketed by a reputable company. Too early to speak of durability. So far I am impressed. It is a knotless rope not a slide loop rope. The loops are large enough to fit over most any pylon I would think. I have not had any issues with it popping off the pylon (nor with any other rope doing so) but I do throw the 15off loop over the pylon and let it slide to the floor just in case the loop i'm using were to come off the top in a fall. If I had one wish it would be for slide loops. Picked it up on sale for less than half the cost of my previous rope. Hard to have any complaints at that price point.

That video of Andy has me a little confused. He doesn't appear to be nearly as high on the boat as I expected to see. I've been aiming to get much wider/higher than that. Am I seeing that wrong?

@adamcaldwell can you give us some estimations of when to pull out for the gate? Lets say skier is 28@34 would you begin pull out a boat length before the 55's? 2 boat lengths?

Moving the rear boot back was a very good suggestion. I did that and skied it yesterday, results surprised me quite a bit. Onside seemed to be much improved without taking away from the offside. Ran right up to my PB first set. I didn't think 1/4 inch in rear boot placement would render a noticeable change, but I do believe it did. @Chef23 i agree my handle control needs work and direction is never optimal as I scramble from ball to ball. work in progress.

Went back one hole with the rear binding. Seems to have been a move in the right direction. Thanks @skiep

I'm with Bracemaker. Rather than printing and shipping. Create a PDF, pay per download. Will save you the cost of printing and the hassle of shipping.

Hi all, I'm on 2015 66" vapor. I'm 170lbs. fin is at 2.445, .745, 6.954. boot is 29.25. I'm skiing well with this set up 32off at 34mph. My offside turn feels real good every time. Onside, is not very consistent, sometimes it seems pretty good other times it feels hard to initiate and it feels like the ski nearly stops and i get folded over on hook up (too much tip?) and other times i'm diggin a hole with the tip high and of course thats slow and hard to hang onto. just trying to find some consistency. would a fin move help this? Sorry I don't have any recent video's.

Seems to me the wing would act as a wedge that would drag the tail of the ski deeper into the water, increasing drag. Similar in principle to the "wedge" Malibu uses to adjust wake for wakeboarding.