oldmanskier

I am an old man 68 soon to be 69.I had my right hip replaced 2 years ago and it did not affect my skiing in a negative way.Deep water starts are an issue at times but that is because I am 30 pounds to heavy.Hopefully I can get the fatty Tom issue under control before spring.I am having my right knee replaced (back leg on ski) this Thursday.Other people that had these procedures I have talked to, including my surgeon said I should be able to start skiing in mid spring or possibly sooner.Of course doing all the Physical therapy required is a must for the best outcome.Hopefully this spring I will still be able to ski like I want with a bionic right back leg.Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

I am an old man 68 soon to be 69.I had my right hip replaced 2 years ago and it did not affect my skiing in a negative way.Deep water starts are an issue at times but that is because I am 30 pounds to heavy.Hopefully I can get the fatty Tom issue under control before spring.I am having my right knee replaced (back leg on ski) this Thursday.Other people that had these procedures I have talked to, including my surgeon said I should be able to start skiing in mid spring or possibly sooner.Of course doing all the Physical therapy required is a must for the best outcome.Hopefully this spring I will still be able to ski like I want with a bionic right back leg.Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

FYI We replaced the following parts on our club boat. Distributor cap, button, fuel injectors, new coil, new relays. Not for sure which part resolved our issue but the 2012 Master Craft intermittent low power issue was resolved. Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)gpo

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. We have a guy at the club researching the various resolution options now.

Mastercrafter I appreciate the offer but do not want to chance loosing or breaking your laptop. Thanks for the offer.

Boat: 2012 Mastercraft Prostar 197, 5.7 ILMOR, 2085 hours. Our club boat has started having low power at times when getting skiers out of the water. Had issue on Saturday but did not have again till today. We used boat Saturday (issue), Sunday (no issue), Tuesday (no issue), Wednesday (No issue) and today (issue). Today pulled 3 skiers (about an hour of running) before issue occurred. Service required message appears and low power is very noticeable getting skier up and up to speed. I can cut the boat off for a minute and restart and issue disappears for a couple of more pulls thru the course. Then issue repeats and I cut off boat and restart and issue disappears for a few pulls. Temp and oil pressure are good. Anyone else had this type of issue and if so what was the resolution? Thanks for any information. Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

Unless someone has come out with something similar, in my opinion Wally's are the safest buoys. Since we have been using them no one has had an injury by hitting a buoy. The price of Wally's are worth the decreased possible injury from a ski Buoy hit. Note: You have to follow instructions on inflating them correctly to keep them safe. Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

My new 2022 HO Carbon OMNI 69" wide arrived from Bart's today. Not that it has anything to do with skiing but it is one of the best looking skies ever. I have been trying to get one for weeks but 69" is rare. Every time I would find one it would be gone before I could get on line and purchase. I found the one I purchased on Bart's site and ordered it right then. It was the last 69" one they had. Now I have to wait a few weeks to try it out due to last Friday I had Carpal Tunnel and elbow release surgery on my right arm and hand. Recovery going well but will be three or four weeks before I want to try to ski. I hope this ski will make skiing more enjoyable for a 68 year old man like me. I no longer want to work hard and see how deep I can go. I just want a ski that will be easier to get up on and experience that nice rhythmic feeling of running the course at the longer lines. Hope everyone has a great ski season. Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

Thanks for all the information. Looking forward to going to the tournament. Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

If all works out I plan on going to the Lake 38 Pro tournament on June 4th and 5th to watch the tournament. Anyone recommend any good motels close to the tournament site? Are there any restaurants near the site or should I bring food with me to tournament site? Is there shade to sit under(trees, ETC) or should I bring my own sun shade to site? Any information will be appreciated. Thanks. Tom smothers (oldmanskier) e-mail tomjsmothers@aol.com

I am waiting on the 2022 HO Carbon OMNI 69" wide to come out. I contacted HO and they said mid May before these would appear. Even though it is a little bit big for me (I am 210 lbs) I need a low drag and easy to get up on ski that I can still ski in the course at 32 mph 15 thru 28 off. My research indicates this might be the ski for me. I also like the price of this ski. Deep water starts have been difficult for me since right hip replacement. No pain in hip which is great but just not as strong as I once was. I hope this ski will make skiing more enjoyable for a 68 year old man like me. I no longer want to work hard and see how deep I can go. I just want that nice rhythmic feeling of running the course at the longer lines. Hope everyone has a great ski season. Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

I could NOT express in a few words about the man we all knew as MONGO in the waterski world I met Steve (Mongo) back in 2000 at Chet's place. Over the years I have watched him ski many times from the boat at Chet's and at Sawmill lake in Indiana when Chet did clinics there. I loved to watch Steve ski. He was so powerful yet so graceful to watch for a BIG guy. If Mongo made a turn and got both hands on the handle he was going to the other side. While watching Steve ski he would at times get in deep at the buoy and I thought the pylon was going to come out of the boat. I would duck down thinking the handle was coming in the boat and then look up to see Steve on the other side turning the next buoy. When I first met Steve I heard people calling him Steevie Ray. I asked Steve why they called him Steevie Ray and he said he was not for sure but did not like that nick name. So NOT wanting to address Steve in a way he did not like I said what do you prefer. With a big grin Steve said I love MONGO. So from that time on I addressed him as Steve or MONGO. Great memories but Tears in my eyes and a heavy heart as I write this. Steve (Mongo): I will miss your humor and encouragement you gave me the time's we skied together. I will miss the lunches and dinners we had together over the years at Chet's place and Sawmill. I will miss the stories only a veteran Navy and commercial pilot could tell. I will miss that big smile you always had even when your sets were not going like you wanted. MONGO we will miss you. My prayers go out to Steve's wife Melinda, family and friends. Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

For sure get in ski shape by skiing a few weeks first before going to ski school. I went down to Chet's 3 years ago (I was 65 at that time) in late spring. I had not skied all winter and only had done cardio and weight workouts during the winter. You get 8 passes per set at Chet's. By the third day at Chet's I could just barley do a deep water start much less run a full pass in the course. Spent last three days at Chet's just doing gates 1 and 2 balls and only able to do 4 to 6 passes due to that was all I had in me. But I am an old man so a younger person in really good shape might could pull it off. Hope your time at ski school goes well. Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

savausini: Thanks for the information.

savaiusini: What is the performance difference between the Omni Carbon and Standard builds? Thanks for the information. Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

I have been interested in the HO Omni due to my age (67) weight (212), height (5' 7") and injury's that make a deep water starts difficult for me now. I would most likely want at least a 69" ski. I still try to ski the course at 32 MPH and just like to run back to back 28 off and occasionally try a 32 off. I see several great deals on the 2021 HO Omni online. For you that ski on either of these skies do you think there is a big difference between the 2022 and 2021 Omni? At my level do you think the carbon versions of the new Omni's would be of any benefit? Any input will be appreciated. Thanks Tom Smothers (oldmansker)

Since I retired in June I took the summer off and skied 5 to 6 days a week. BEST SUMMER EVER. Go to No Wake lake around 9:00 am, ski buddy and I ski a set, eat lunch, ski another set and I get home by 2:00 PM and if needed get house work done. My wife is still working full time so I now do all the house work she used to do. This is still better than working a full time job. My main ski partner went back to Colorado for the winter and I am quit bored. My wife could pull me on the weekends but I no longer like to ski in the winter and use a dry suit. So for winter I got a part time job 30 hours a week at a HomeGoods store unloading trucks, processing (opening boxes) and stocking store. This is different from soft ware developer work I did for 44 years. This job keeps me on my feet for 6 hours moving doing manual work. I have lost 10 pounds so far and making extra money for new ski stuff this coming spring. Looking forward to next summer when my ski buddy comes back to Chattanooga. I will then quit part time job and we can have another ski summer like this past summer. Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

Just an FYI on Resolution to our boat below issue: "Boat runs ok for a few passes and then gives a "Service required" message on screen. Once I receive the message power drops and especially slow coming up to speed." It turned out to be a bad injector. I replaced spark plugs and saw No 7 plug was fouled. Ordered new injector and replaced on no 7 and boat is (so far) running great again. Thanks for all the above suggestions. Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

Jody_Seal thanks for the information. My boat is stored for the winter and at 471 hours currently no Manifold issue. Hopefully by next ski season the replacement manifolds will be available for those that need them. Thanks again Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

I have a 2014 Centurion Carbon Pro with PCM 5.7 Catanium engine with 471 hours. Does the 2014 PCM 5.7 have the potential for this manifold leaking issue? If so is there some way to prevent this from happening? Thanks Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

Due to our boat not able to start we recently replaced coil, cap and button. This fixed the issue for the last several weeks. Current issue: Boat runs ok for a few passes and then gives a "Service required" message on screen. Once I receive the message power drops and especially slow coming up to speed. I can cut boat off and back on and message goes away and boat appears to run fine for a few passes. I am thinking is may be a fuel filter issue. I looked around on the internet for 2012 Mastercraft ILMOR 5.7 fuel filters but can find nothing for 2012. Anyone replaced fuel filters on a 2012 Mastercraft Prostar 197 with 5.7 ILMOR? If so how many filters and where are they located? Any information is greatly appreciated. Thanks Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

From all the research I have done and comments I have read I am leaning towards the 69" wide Carbon OMNI. It appears to be the right size, less difficult deep water starts and low drag I need at this time. Late in my season so next spring I will decide which ski I want depending my weight and injury status. Thanks for all the comments on HO OMNI. Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

Been reading thru this post on the HO Omni. My age 67, bad front ankle, size 5' 7" 214 pounds, difficultly doing deep water slalom starts and ski price has me thinking this might be the best next ski for me. I do not need or want to spend $2000 dollars on a high end slalom ski at my ski level. I mainly just like to get out and do multiple 32 mph at 28 off passes. On a good day may try a few 32 offs. I want a low drag ski I can get up on without too much difficulty and still be able to run the course at 32 mph 28 off. I was looking at HO Web site and considering a new 2021 69" wide Carbon OMNI if available. Do You guys that ski on this ski close to my height and weight think this would be a good ski for me? Any comments will be appreciated. Thanks Tom Smothers (oldmanskier)

Water Ski calendars. Since Gordan Rathbun is discontinuing his waterski calendar (that I have collected since 1998 and thanks Gordan for do it this all these years) I hope some other Water ski organization will do a Waterski Calendar. I know of no other waterski calendars at this time. Tom Smothers

Installed the following new parts on our 2012 MC. Coil, cap and button. Boat is up and running. Thanks for all the great suggestions to resolve our boat issue. Tom Smothers.