Dano

I have the x-series and I couldn't be happier. It's a stiffer rope but it has some give to it. My last rope was a syndicate which is definitely stiffer than the x-series.

One of the common things a see skiers do is to ski with their front knee locked out with zero bend, hips back and rear leg bent. Telling that skier to bend their knee, combined with an explanation of why and how can only help them.

Slalom is hard. It takes a person with real drive to succeed and get better at the sport. First to keep at it, 2nd to dedicate the time with early morning sets or late evening sets if you’re on public water, 3rd to invest the money for boat and equipment. It’s not like other comparable sports. Surfing and wakeboarding have that almost instant reward for beginners, and if you don’t get better or enjoy them enough to continue you can still hang with your 10 buds on the boat enjoying the tunes, bevies and the day on the water and both are totally doable on pretty much any public lake at any time. Readily accessible. It’s relatively easy to sell that lifestyle. Slalom made a good push it the early 90’s to create a sellable lifestyle with espn’s hot summer nights. But it didn’t seem to survive the test of time. I for one really miss that enthusiasm. money is not what’s holding the sport back. It’s just that slalom is hard and requires more effort than most are willing to commit to.

@swbca age of cable should be considered. Don't assume that smooth operation means good condition. It's been suggested to me to change cable every 300 hours or 5 years. I had a cable snap on me without warning, Always smooth and turning easily. It let go as i backed away from the dock after launching the day after course skiing. It could have been a really bad situation. that cable was the original cable, 25 years old, and 1200 hours.

@adamhcaldwell thanks for that explanation. I wish I had come across that a few years ago.

I think the knowledge is the part that is holding a lot of skiers back. They either don't know what a good position is, or they don't know how to get there. Last year I signed up online with train with Terry Winter. He has so much really really good information on his site. It is worth every penny. After studying a lot of videos, articles, and getting some direction from Terry himself, I was able to make some progress. Video is a great tool too. You can see if the actions you attempted had the desired effect or if that new thing you tried had and adverse effect. I don't have any where near me to get in person coaching, but if did you can be sure I would be taking advantage of it.

Start with a good wash, followed by a clay bar, a high speed polisher with medium cut polish, a fine cut polish, and then a glaze. wax to finish. I usually use a wool pad to start as it will remove material relatively quick so be careful and keep the polisher moving so as to not stay in one spot. Switch to a foam pad to bring the shine back up. If it is heavily oxidized you may want to start with some 1000 grit wet sandpaper to sand off the oxidation. finish sanding with 1500 and 2000 grit and then buff to a shine just as noted above. Be careful sanding and polishing in that you do not remove too much material and sand thru the gelcoat completely. I personally use either 3M or Maguiars products.

How often do clubs get new boats and how many hours per year are they putting on them? if getting a new boat every year or 2 do the hours add up to be enough to effect value? If not why not just let the boat be enjoyed by all members without the stress.

I consider owning a boat to be a luxury. On top of that, a tournament boat is a very specific tailor made item with a very small audience. I expect them to come with a hefty price tag. I think manufacturers have done well to continue to cater to this market with any offerings at all. the profit margins have got to be very small especially at a time when the cost of everything is rising dramatically nearly everyday. I think those that can afford brand new are going to buy brand new without too much concern on the price. It's something they want and they can and should enjoy it. Clubs and skiers like myself who don't have that kind of cash have the used market to turn to. with everything from 1 year old to 30 years old being available at prices for every budget. It's clear that building a cheaper boat either isn't profitable, or simply doesn't fit with the current manufacturers business profile (factory space, quality of product, customer demand, etc....) If there was a situation in which a 75k boat would sell like hot cakes, and have a greater profit margin I am sure a manufacturer would be doing it. The problem I see here is that 75k still is not affordable for the majority of skiers that don't like today's prices so I don't really see this increasing sales. It won't be long and ZO will be the norm on most used boats. I know a new off the lot boat is currently out of my reach, but a 10 year old boat, that could be in my future. I'm fine with that.

I'm curious to see where this conversation goes. Hortons comment is very relatable to me. I've been working to improve and I have some thoughts on how to get there but I'm hoping maybe there will be some great tips here.

@Shell I have seen your boat, it is beautiful but I am not in the market for a boat.

I would buy a CP just so I don’t have the same boat as everybody else.

@swbca I think steering cables and linkages are the most under maintained items on a boat. I am guilty of it myself in the past. It won’t happen again. My steering cable was smooth and seemingly in good condition. But it had never been changed since new in 1989. It snapped as I reversed from the dock. I was lucky. Next time it gets changed every 300 hours or 5 years whichever is first. steering parts should be inspected yearly and replaced if there is any question.

If I take my hand off the throttle, the carburetors return spring will cause it to return to idle. Yes it is a strong spring. It’s the key to making pp work well with cable controls.

I bought from Hardin Marine. They have a pretty good selection of sizes. Looks like they are close to same price as skidim. Looks like inflation has hit this product too.

Just built this rack for my garage. It’s just some 1/2 inch plywood I had left over from a flooring project. About half an hour with a jigsaw and an hour painting. Got a welcome Matt from the dollar store and cut into 1/2” strips to give my skis a nice soft non marking surface to rest on.

Hi, my family is planning a camping trip to this area end of June early July. Firstly I’m wondering if there are any suggestions for where best to camp with a 24’ travel trailer. My kids are ages 11 and 8 so would be nice to be near the beach. Secondly, I can’t pull my boat with me, so would be great to meet some local skiers, make some new friends and maybe get a pull. I’ll pay of course. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I'm size 11 in a running shoe. I am in the standard HRT. I get up both feet in so the snug fit didn't bother me. It does loosen up a bit with use. if my memory is right it really didn't take long for it to loosen up, and it's fit like glove ever since.

@Horton thanks for sharing your set routines. It’s easy to get caught up in trying to set a PB every set, but it’s really hard to improve technique when skiing at your limits.

I started to include -15 into my sets last year. I can run -32 on a good day. I was very surprised when I missed my first attempt at -15. It was a good reminder of how important timing and rhythm is. It is different than the shorter lengths for sure but it still requires the same fundamentals. If nothing else it gives you a pass to work your way into your set, get the blood flowing, and get your head in the game. for me I think it has helped to instill better habits, which have lead to more consistency, and more complete passes. Yes going around all six is still fun even if the rope is long. I will continue to incorporate -15 until my fourth pass is no longer my hardest pass.

D3 Neo and R3. Works 02

I'm on an R2. I don't know how it compares to an R1. My 2 previous skis were a C65 and 2015 Vapor. both of which were absolute rockets and really really fun skis to ride. I don't think the R2 nearly as fast as the other 2 skis were. but what it gives up in speed it makes up for with stability and predictability that is really confidence inspiring. It's allowed me to consistently ski right up to my PB pretty much every single set. I have not experienced that kind of consistency on any other ski. The R2 seems to arc a more direct path leaving the wakes than what i was used to which took me a dozen sets or so to trust that that path will still get me to width and arrive at the buoy in a good position, I think it allows me to get a little higher on the boat but I don't know I'm still just a hack. It's been a great platform to work on my technique. Having said that my PB was set on the C65. Which was one of the funnest, skis i have ever owned. When i was feeling it on that ski it was insanely good.

head up, and looking down course is a huge help for me. I try to see all the way to the end of the lake in my glide, In doing so you can see the whole course. I don't like to use the term cross course. For me if at apex I only want to take my gaze to the next buoy, If i think cross course i end up over turning and usually swimming.

@Thomasasheris there any difference in the vests aside from colors? I have a Rebel Star and love it. @wawaskr My old vest was an Oneil Slasher. The stokes has a fair bit more flotation. I really liked my oneil, it fit well, was super comfortable and had zero restrictions. When i first put my Stokes on it felt a little different and bulkier which i was a little worried about but my worries were not warranted. I spent all of last season in my Stokes and I can tell you my next vest will be another Stokes. It's really good.