Jmoski

@BHarwood - I have custom hard plastic orthotics that I move from shoe to shoe to compensate for my flat feet. I got them 30 years ago when I blew my ankle wrestling in college and have used them ever since. so, one aspect about moving to the reflex super shell i was super excited about was I can put my orthotic in it and not worry about losing it. The irony is I “think” I ski better without the orthotic after trying it for an entire season. Not sure why. Snow skiing they make a big difference holding an edge, not so much on a water ski. JMO

In going from Connelly stoker rubber bindings to Radar Vector to a Reflex hard shell I experienced progressive improvements in how “connected” I felt with the ski. With the hard shell the ski reacts to my input much faster than with a rubber binding. Might be more noticeable for me given the podiatrist I saw in college said “I had the flattest feet he’d ever seen.”

I suspect you will be happy with any of the major brand direct drive ski boats. In any given month I ski behind a: 2006 ski nautique 196 2016 ski nautique 200 1990’s Mastercraft 1990’s Malibu 1986 Mastercraft And as a beginner in the course my bouy count doesn’t change based on the boat de-jour. You will get accustom to skiing the wake and pull of your boat and you will only notice differences when skiing behind someone else’s boat. For example my 2006 SN has a better wake and tracking than my friends 1986 MC, but he spends way more time behind his MC. So what happens on the first couple passes behind my SN - he complains about how it doesn’t give/waggle when he cuts. why? he has gotten used to his boat’s poorer tracking and has to adjust behind mine. Also, prior to last year, my ski buddies and I had never being skiing with PerfectPass/Stargazer. Once two of us added it, we now don’t want to ski the Malibu that doesn’t have it! @DaveD - makes a good point about servicing and reliability, for the record my SN has never broken down, knock on wood.

As other suggested take a test ski behind the boat before you buy it. I would also check out the drivability as well, some boats track and steer better than others. Last, if your going to be running the course getting a boat with perfect pass already installed is a big plus.

It’s a pristine lake with a small ski mountain behind it that’s 2 hours from Boston. Hence crazy expensive real estate. I’ve been on it a few times and found it’s not great for skiing outside of early AM runs. The main reason being the skiable sections of the lake consist of either 3 roundish sections connected by channels, or narrow ways with lots of traffic, so once the non skiers are out they tow in circles which completely chops up the lake. Used to be a couple who ran a ski school on the lake but I believe they went out of business or stopped a decade ago. If you ever saw a yellow ski boat with a checkerboard pattern - that was the ski school. Unsure if there is a course on it.

Can you recreationally ski behind it sure, but the wake is really big. If you considering running the course, you want a direct drive. I had a Nautique Super Sport ages ago - great boat, just not for skiing :-)

Love the quote at the end: “Adventure is an invitation for common people to become uncommon.”

I improvised a “maintain the stack” exercise for my list of off season cross training items. I girth hitch a section of rope to a post and clip my ski handle to it, and stand on a bosu ball with the flat side up. This allows me to develop muscle memory of the correct position while leaning & balancing on the bosu ball. The items I concentrate on while getting a good static burn are: chest up, handle down, knees together, pressing with the balls of feet, and good alignment. Adding the balancing on top of a bosu ball makes a huge difference in making sure I apply balanced pressure through both feet. I do several sets of this static hold for a minute on each side (simulating off side and on side). Works great.

Thanks for the responses, to answer the questions: - no issues, just routine change out - yes I always run Stabil marine fuel stabilizer (its dark green) - maybe the source of the discoloration - Traditionally I go by hours, on my old nautique I had changed it at 100 hr intervals and it seemed in good shape (no green stabil then) - I’ll switch it again next season to see what it looks like and use the proper o-ring grease.

@oldjeep - I checked several local auto parts stores - they only had fuel resistant thread sealant for metal. Nothing labeled fuel resistant for rubber o-rings? Fuel I get just comes from local gas stations. Possible the filter was never changed, I bought it with a 105 hours on it from the original owner. Dealer supposedly did the proper maintenance.

Good thing I changed it. What does everyone else use to grease the o-rings? I couldn’t find a “fuel resistant grease” as the instructions state to use. I went Vaseline given it was the most common answer I could find on discussion threads.

@KatieJ - yes, my ripcurl suit was a chest zip - best seal of all the suits i’ve had. The O’Neill is really good as well, but in a crash I will get some water in at the neck - not so with the chest zip. The Chest zip was easier getting in but a little more challenging to take off than a back zip. Looks like the latest ripcurl suit there is no zipper - that will be the next suit once my O’Neill bites the dust. My chest zip was more comfortable than my O’Neill back zip actually. I tried a different brand chest zip but the zipper was much thicker than the ripcurl and hence it was somewhat uncomfortable - thus I sent it back. Wetsuitwarehouse.com is a good place to browse. The guys at perfski are great, but remember they are in Florida...

I skied today next door to you (MA) with 55 degree air and 33ish water (little ice on the lake before the sun hit it) So it was a great day to test the range of my new this year Camaro wetsuit. By now the docks are out so after launching the boat, I wade out with the wetsuit on to get into the boat. When I walked in I the felt the cold coming right through the Camaro on my legs, so before skiing I switched back to my 4/3 full wetsuit. The Camaro was awesome in early fall before the water temps plummeted, but is now outgunned. So a high end 4/3 gives me more range than the Camaro, granted the 4/3 suit is not nearly as comfortable mobility wise. As @TallSkinnyGuy points out - fit is critical. Both 4/3’s I’ve had: ripcurl chest zip flashbomb, O’Neill Pyscho 3 are tight as a drum - no water seepage into the suit whatsoever, just leaving your hands and feet cold.

I use the combination of air & water temps being over 100 (F) as a good yard stick for whether you will be comfortable with a quality wetsuit. Anything below that will be unpleasant. The sun being out makes a big difference as well given the black neoprene is like a solar sponge. Hoping for one last run on Friday in Mass.

I skied many years on an F1 until I tried my friends 2016 Vapor, all it took was a single ride to convince me to upgrade. I felt like coming out of the ball I am stepping on a gas pedal with the vapor. I’m sure skiers better than me can get much more out of the F1 that I can, but the newer ski helped me break through the wall I had hit.

I blew my left Achilles sprinting around the softball diamond. I was skiing again 9 months post surgery. By mid summer (12 months) I was 100% from a skiing perspective. Probably lost a 1/2 second of my 40 yard dash time. It was my front foot, so I switched to a reflex binding to protect it. The reflex has a safety strap on the back which limits how far forward your ankle can flex. I would suggest considering a double boot reflex set up given its your rear foot. I just have the r-style rear. Unfortunately the Achilles has a long recovery time because there are so few blood vessels in the area. Once you go through PT to regain your range of motion you won’t need the heel lift in the rear. Happy to answer any other recovery/PT questions you have.

I bought a blacktec 2.0 suit this Fall and its super warm and comfy. I am seeing how far I can go this Nov/Dec with it in comparison to my traditional 4/3 surfing wetsuits. I especially notice I am much warmer after skiing in the boat as it doesn’t seem to absorb water like a traditional wetsuit. Only two drawbacks for me on the Camaro are that it’s very fragile/easy to tear and the neck seal isn’t as good as my rip curl 4/3 chest zip.

Nice color combo - which edition is it? SE, LE or Team?

@ipskier - is there a course on lake placid? Years ago we stayed at the Wawbeek on upper saranac, it was the last summer before it was sold. Love the Adirondacks...

@skiinxs - just closing loop, I traced the fuel line from the top of the tank and all the way to the FCC, no inline filter. I did pull up the floorboard between the rear seat & the engine compartment to be sure. Glad I atleast know it's just the one.

The upgrade is well worth it IMHO, you get a much easier to use interface, gps based control, course mapping, etc. I had the same issue with my 2006 PP gauge, so happy I switched.

My friends 86 MC is one of the three boats we ski in rotation. The other two are a mid 90's malibu and my 2006 SN. It works well as a tow boat for us, we are only skiing at 15/22 off. The back end does get waggled more in the course from the skiers pull, and the wake is harder than my 196 - but it's all minor differences. My friends actually complain that my 196 doesn't budge from the pull, which they have to adjust to given we spend the least time behind it. He installed Stargazer on it (no zbox) which is a great upgrade. For those for have a friend/spouse that's learning to drive, the MC is nice beause the long nose in front makes it really hard to take a bow wave over the front by accident. The carb'ed motor can be finnicky at times, you just need to know how to tune it. My biggest complaint with the boat is it only has one cup holder! Bummer for cold mornings in the spring and fall!

@skiinxs - what year & engine do you have? I have an 2006 SN with the Excalibur motor, I only seem to have the filter in the FCC? I am changing my filter once I winterize and if there is a second I want to get them both. Thanks

We've had a very warm October here in Mass. I haven't had to don my warmest wetsuit yet. I'm hoping this is the year I break my record of December 12th for the last run of the season!

@rockdog - I believe to upgrade the software they charge $150 to bring you up to V9 via a thumb drive, this is separate from the Zbox cost.