blagrata

Had an unfortunate incident of a tree falling on my trailer this past weekend.  Picture attached.  The bunk boards are fine.  The jack was smashed.  The port side of the frame is visibly bent a bit where the tree was.   The other side isn't visibly bent... but I think the whole trailer from around the wheels to the front coupler has a little bow in it.   Has anyone had experience with fixing trailers?  I'm going to make several calls tomorrow (including insurance)... but just kind of want to know what to expect?  Can they be straightened?   Would the trailer be safe to take the boat a little ways?   I am in Ohio... so unfortunately the specter of winterization looms soon.  Any advice would be appreciated.  Thanks.  

 

 

@Mastercrafter Certainly looks like they are still in business. These bags (Leadwake) are great. We toss them around a lot and they still look like new 5 years later.

@Mastercrafter Certainly looks like they are still in business. These bags (Leadwake) are great. We toss them around a lot and they still look like new 5 years later.

@ScarletArrow I use 150#s under the observer seat (or one twelve year old plus a 50# bag). or just put it on the floor in front of the seat. Counterweights the driver nicely on the 2011 SN200. I have the Leadwake bags. Unfortunate to hear they are out of business. They used to cram a 50 lb bag in one of those flat rate USPS Priority mail boxes. I ordered 5 one time... mailman must have hated me.

@ScarletArrow I use 150#s under the observer seat (or one twelve year old plus a 50# bag). or just put it on the floor in front of the seat. Counterweights the driver nicely on the 2011 SN200. I have the Leadwake bags. Unfortunate to hear they are out of business. They used to cram a 50 lb bag in one of those flat rate USPS Priority mail boxes. I ordered 5 one time... mailman must have hated me.

My 9 year old (he's now 12) learned really fast on the right ski. We ditched the half combo ski really early in favor of the Radar TRA. I'm a big fan of the Wiley's front boot for kids. I originally went with it because it's the only one I could find in a XXS. We're now up to a Medium for him. I think it's really good for its simplicity. No laces to adjust. Definitely benefits them to have things optimized. The right rope for kids helps too. At 60 lbs and 15 mph the standard adult rope was dragging in the water.

My local dealer said they were allocated zero build slots for Prostars. Did not indicate that they weren't being built though. This was not me inquiring to buy one.. just casual conversation with one of the sales reps.

 

I second the wileys standard slalom binding. soft rubber. easy to get in and out. They go as small as you need. I like the simplicity of it... no messing with the tension of bungees. They will rebuild them for you as the kids foot gets bigger if you wish. I have just kept buying the next size because there is another kid that will use them.

 

@escmanaze Back seats are useable when towing from the rear tow point. Agreed on all that other stuff being better from higher tow point.

The Prostar looks great without the tower. The Prostar looks great with the tower. Mastercraft really did a great job designing this thing... and kept it pretty simple. I'm not sure why one would need to pull a tube from the tower. Pulling from that grab bar in the back (really sturdy) with one of those egg shaped floats midway back on the tow rope works great. Kids love tubes... a good gateway drug for the rest of towed watersports. Whatever gets them and their friends interested in getting on the water.

 

Great looking Prostar.... and tower!

I did try the current radar vector on at the same time....it felt a lot more like my ho xmax.....and was easier to get on and off. The BOA comes on an aluminum frame which would mount to the syndicate omni

I tried these on in the store. I wear a 13 shoe. The xl (11-15) were crazy tight to get into ...and I currently ski on HO xmax bindings of the same size. Maybe they run a little small.

@LoopSki Do you have the grab/tow bar on the back? That's where I tow a tube from. I had to get one of those ropes that has the big inflatable egg halfway back to keep the rope out of the water... but otherwise the tow point works great.

My 18's pylon was a little loose.... mainly creaking. The dealership had to replace some grommet or seal that they said shrunk after manufacturing (maybe over winter). I can't remember the details though...it did fix the creaking

That's strange...I thought all skis with direct connect also had traditional holes too. Maybe they didn't at first?

My 18 prostar doesn't have straps with the poles. There is a holder sewn into the cover for each of the 3 poles.

I have found that some contacts are more resistant to getting splashed. I use a particular brand of daily disposable contacts for skiing and rarely have a problem. I have different contacts that I wear for everything else that get fogged up when skiing. Some contacts are more hydrophilic than others. Alcon dailies toric are the skiing contacts. Added bonus is that I throw them away after skiing and don't put potential bacteria back in my eye. Have your eye doctor get you some samples.

That color scheme is awesome. I was disappointed that Mastercraft discontinued the Mediterranean Blue when I ordered my boat a couple years back.

A tab was broken on my hydrogate on a 2011 Nautique 200. I ordered a replacement part and just need to swap it out. It looks like I need to remove some small screws going into the hull to swap out the part (that slides up and down). Does anyone on here have experience with this? My biggest question is do I need some kind of marine sealant around the screws that go into the hull... or simply just screw them back in. Is there any kind of backing plate on the hydrogate? Thanks in advance.

 

Even though the buoyancy may be easier to adjust with water in the buoy... the buoy will have more mass. More mass=more inertia. With only air in the buoy the only resistance to the buoy displacing when hit with a ski is the resistance of surrounding water... and the elastic cord. i guess I would think of it like hitting a volleyball on a string with a baseball bat...one filled with air... one filled with water. The medium that it's sitting in would just add to the resistance. Maybe in practice it doesn't make a big difference in terms of safety... but it does seem like there would be more of a "thump" when you hit it.

A Durango is a bit more economical and can tow 7400 lbs with the V8 hemi. Nice amount of room and layout for a midsized SUV. Should be plenty to tow a prostar without the $ for those other large SUVs you mentioned. More towing capacity than similar mid sized SUVs

@escmanaze I ordered a malibu several years back and just requested the letters be shipped along with the boat. Nice clean lines with a subtle emblem near the back. If you still get the letters loose then you can sell them with the boat (if they care) or you could sell individual letters to those that have them fall off. :). Anyone have an extra M?

@escmanaze my 2018 tower was either 6000 or 6500 on that build sheet. Pretty darn close whichever. I'm kind of wondering if the tower brackets are the exact same dimensions....so perhaps I could have them just stick my existing tower on the new boat at the dealership...and sell my current one without. Tower and mounts look identical

The current version of the Prostar has a quick release @ScarletArrow (although there is a wire for the light on the tower that they didn't put a coupler in). Looks to be the same tower and mechanism. Makes sense... current tower is great.

Just looking for some guidance before I start taking things apart. 2011 Ski Nautique. The handle by the driver's elbow that shifts the hydrogate is sticking. It will go full forward into slalom mode with no issue. There is quite a bit of resistance when pulling it back ... and will only go halfway. I have not checked to see if the gate is actually moving at all. Where does the system typically go bad? I see screws and a little plate around the handle... haven't opened that up yet. I would imagine there is just a shifting type cable that runs from the handle back to the gate. Does the cable go bad/rust? Anyone had experience maintaining or fixing this type of problem? Thanks in advance.