Jmoski

The amount of condensation you get in the tank over the winter is a function of three variables: volume of air in the tank, amount of water vapor held in the air, and the % drop in temperature. The ability of air to hold moisture is a function of temperature. The colder the air is, the less it can hold. The metal tank is a problem as others mentioned due to rust. Yes, a metal tank will cool of faster, but at the end of the day once the tank & air inside reach equilibrium with the ambient temperature, the total amount of condensation is driven by the size of the temperature drop.

Looks like in MA I only see power equipment stores that sell small containers for much dinero...

@BraceMaker - good question on the vent - my assumption is that it functions like a check valve, meaning it's one-way, if you overfill it or the plastic tank shrinks in the winter with a full tank it will spit out the excess. If the vent draws air in - that would make me nervous as that means water could get in if I took a wave broad side? It's the air that's already in the tank by virtue of not being full that has moisture in it that condenses when you drop the temperature from 70 to 0 degrees F. Hence why I leave it mostly full. If only I could get gas with zero ethanol!

I've always run Sta-Bil 360 Marine - no issues firing up in the Spring after sitting for 4-5 months during winter. I start putting stabilizer in the fuel in October as I never know which run will be my last. This way I know the fuel throughout the system has it. I also leave the tank mostly full to minimize the amount of air in the tank. My friends older non-fuel injection boat is especially sensitive to old gas & getting moisture in there. Last winter he left it almost empty and then had a bitch of time getting her to run in the spring. Condensation from the air in an empty tank as the temp drops is the source of the problems...

If you have well documented maintenance logs to show it was cared for that should lessen the concern on the high hours.

Check the bolts for the swim platform support brackets - that's what that reminds me of on my older nautique, tracking fins on my 196 are not through bolted.

If you use it or the bucket trick, the most important step mentioned above is "dump the block" before winterizing. it's imperative you drain all of the water out of the system before pulling marine AF from the bucket. Otherwise you run the risk of diluting the AF from it mixing in the block & the manifolds and thus compromising the freeze protection it affords. Also, if you pull AF through the system, make sure you remove the impeller after and rinse it off as the alcohol in the AF can cause the impeller to swell. I just store the impeller in a zip lock bag wet and leave the RWP and the belt off for the winter.

I would love to a summary page/comparison chart of the skiis that have been reviewed with links to the in depth reviews, that would be super handy for people looking for a new ski. The summary page could have metadata and individual reviews hung off it - much like tirerack does for tires. Not sure if the software used to power BOS has support for that.

@Edmund - to me a blemish is discoloration or surface scratches that are cosmetic. Sounds to me this is more than a blemish. The rough spots you describe on the bottom of the ski will (IMHO) disrupt the laminar flow of the water under the ski. The degree will be proportional to the amount of surface area that's not smooth, and could negatively affect how it performs.

Had the same problem, I switched to using a full reflex liner in the rear with a velcro strap and that is holding up much better than the R short liners. I also filed down the rear edge on my r shell as it was fairly sharp...

Some depth finders allow you to input an "offset" to account for the fact that the puck/sounder that's glued to the bottom of the boat is usually below the waterline.

Nice thing about upgrading to a better set of bindings first is you can use them now, and then move them over onto the new ski when your ready for that purchase. This way your only changing one thing at a time, which will make the transitions smoother.

The vapor skis are made in the US, I was fortunate enough to get a tour of the factory in Seattle by Eddie himself, and a pull on Radar's test lake to boot - awesome people!

I run a full reflex liner in my r-style rear. When I ordered it I asked for a Velcro strap to secure the top. My handy wife stitched it in place - works great.

I had the same experience as @BraceMaker - my old stoker bindings would rip after 2 seasons of use - design flaw IMHO.

FYI - my 3 step approach assumes one is starting with both feet in (rear boot or rtp) - if your dragging up that's different.

Here is my magical 3 step starting guide guaranteed to work! 1. If your LFF lean left until the boat goes (opposite for RFF) 2. Just as the boat goes suck your rear foot under your butt (this puts the ski on a 30 degree angle to the surface) 3. Push forward a bit and hold an athletic stance over the ski until your up. If the handle gets pulled out of your hands your too far back on the ski, if this happens try putting your head down a bit as the boat goes - you don't need to see. If you go out over the front of the ski your too far forward - try pushing back more on take off and just when you think it's time to stand up - wait another second. One tip for your driver - put the boat in gear for a second or two before throttling up. Also, It takes much more speed to get a skier out of the water than a wakeboard due to the extreme difference in surface area. Hope this helps

I second @ScottScott's concern about the age of the tires. In general the serviceable life of a tire is 6 - 10 years. Trailer tires take a beating - so I switch out my trailer tires (including the spare) every 6 years regardless of remaining tread. Rubber breaks down over time even if not in use. You can check when your tire was manufactured by looking at the last 4 digits of the serial number which are the week (01-52) and the last two digits of the year it was made. On a side note Goodyear has a great new trailer tire called the endurance - made in the US, N speed rating (86 mph) I don't advise confirming this! And they have a built in scuff guard. I put them on my trailer and am very happy with them.

@C5Quest - I put my 67" vapor side by side with my buddies 67" senate and we realized the front binding on the senate is about 1.5" farther forward than on the vapor (this correct based on Radar specs, we have the same size bindings.) Hence, this might be why the vapor "seems" bigger. I assume the senate being wider is part of why the binding is more forward.

How close are you and your wife in terms of weight? - dangerous question I know! My guess is you would each need a different length ski anyways, especially if your running the course. Nothing wrong with a matching set of his & hers Radar Senates!

Here is where my heater is connected on my 196 with the Excalibur engine. Red hoses. The first picture with my finger in it is where it takes the hot water, the second is the return behind the belt. If you winterize the boat don't forget to blow out the new shower line & components.

Insist on going for a test ski run behind the boat you are going to buy. The line length and speed you run will make a difference on the wake dynamic. Most sales videos of newer cross over boats have the skier on a very short line.

April to late November for me in Mass - 50 degree air & 45 degree water is as low as I go - 4/3 ripcurl wetsuit works like a charm...

This is my old tow vehicle: 2006 Toyota Tundra, which I traded in last year for a 2016 Tundra crew max... Now this is how your fill up the V8 beasts... Here is the new one:

@adkh2oskier - I might have a line on a pair Medium talon bindings, I sold my old F1 to a friend and they want to switch to a hard shell binding, so if the size is right I can connect you. The binding are in great shape, i got them maybe 5 years ago to upgrade from the stoker bindings. The are a LFF set up.