Jmoski

@503Kento - it’s better to inflate trailer tires to the max psi when cold and just leave them. If your trailering long distance in extreme heat - taking pit stops along the way to let everything cool down is probably the better approach. Inspecting your bearings is just as important, neglected hubs result in as many trailer breakdowns as old or under inflated tires.

The trailer should have a placard on it with the exact tire spec listed. Goodyear endurance trailer tires are great if they have them in your size - speed rated to 75mph, scuff guard built into the side wall in case you catch a curb, made in the US/Canada.

Our course is also on a public lake, we just leave the green learner buoys attached as we rarely have to replace them. It’s boat guides and outer red turn buoys that usually get clipped by yahoos.

Are you having issues with it? I picked up a newer boat last fall that came with a 2019 Boatmate trailer that has the Vault setup, upon reading up on it it’s supposed to be maintenance free? I’m with you on wanting to be able to ensure my trailer is fully operational prior to a long haul though…

Given you level and weight your probably best on a 67” ski, not sure what length options you have on the used siege or short line.

Related post: https://forum.ballofspray.com/discussion/26953/solid-slalom-balls#latest

@wish - I custom fabricated them from a 1/4” thick sheet of starboard. I used a 2.75” hole saw drill bit to cookie cutter them out and then used a table router to round off the top edge. I was never a fan of driving a big galvanized nail through the side near the bottom to act as an attachment point. I got a section of 5mm dinghy line from west marine and the plastic eyelet from somewhere online. We use zip ties to attach to the clip on the end of the bungee.

These came from skiertoskier.com - again we use the just for the boat guides. We actually cut them down as by default they provided too much flotation and I didn’t want to counter weight them.

We use solid foam buoys for the boat guides minus the entry and exit gates. Maybe that would give you enough flotation? We use the solid foam buoys as our course is on a public lake and then can take multiple prop hits. They also thump the under side of a boat hard when a yahoo runs over it - hopefully discouraging them from doing it again…

@chrislandy - in the US the weight at which trailers must have brakes varies from state to state, but most trailers whose total weight (including cargo) that exceeds 3000# have brakes. How are the max tow capacities set for the tow rig, that I can’t tell you.

@chrislandy - that is off the Mastercraft website that lists the weights for their trailers. My friend has a 2018 PS so I know the total rig weight is 4500# as it was right at the limit of his Toyota Highlander that he would use if I wasn’t around to use my Tundra. The trailer under my old 196 was 750# as well, but the 196 is only 2600#. My guess is the PS is just heavy enough where they have to use a 5000# rated axle, that’s in part where the extra weight is coming from. MC trailers are awesome though - well built.

That’s good, at least the receiver will not be a weak point. If it had the 1.25” class II receiver that would make it a definite “no” from my perspective.

@jaypro - does your bronco have a class II or class III receiver?

@jaypro - your solution is simple, don’t let you son take your truck!

Dry weight of your boat: 3300# Single axle trailer weight: 1130# —————————- ———- Total combined weight: 4430# Add gas and gear your a 1000# over. If you have a dual axle trailer, that’s even heavier. If your trailering it 2x a year to launch and retrieve for the season - ask a friend who has a truck to help you.

For your driver: make sure they have you lined up and the steering wheel centered, put it in gear for second and then throttle up gradually. Also, make sure they are being consistent on each try - some drivers will try to help you by changing it, but that will screw you up if your trying different things on your end of the rope! For you: you already have one key - the rear foot sucked up under your butt, but try keeping the ski on a 30% angle. I am assuming you start with both feet in the bindings? The goal as the boat takes off is to just hold that position until you feel support from the ski to allow you to stand up on it. I think about feathering my front foot like it’s on the gas pedal - when I feel support I know I can stand up. Also remember to keep your rear knee tucked in as if it flags out to side it will add a lot of drag. Finally, make sure your not wearing a bathing suit that acts like a parachute on take off which will also add unnecessary drag. Do you have a ski school near you or a friend that is an experienced driver? Might be best to eliminate the driver variable.

My SN 200 uses a Livorsi throttle assembly, if you have the same component, the adjustment Allen screws are on the bottom of the unit in recessed holes. I can get at one of them without pulling the side panel. Not sure how accessible it is on the ProStar.

Wanted to close the loop on this with a few tips for anyone else that needs to replace the Base Assembly. 1. Confirmed replacing fixed my issue! 2. My neutral button to rev the engine was not in fact broken. Because the unit thought the boat was already in gear - the button input is ignored. 3. As part of install, once the unit is installed and connected, leave the side panel loose, and reconnect the handle. This allows you to access the two recessed Allen head bolts on the under side of the unit to adjust the play in the throttle while “clicked” into neutral - the bolt closest to the faceplate, the farther bolt adjusts the friction/stiffness of moving the throttle. Getting this correct is critical as my replacement from Nautique parts had way too much play/slop in the throttle once clicked into the neutral position - enough where if the handle was off from top dead center, it’s enough to trip the neutral safety switch! If you have a 200 and you get a delayed rolling start when you fire it up - I suspect you have too much play in there and you are subconsciously moving the throttle to allow it to start. 4. To remove the base assembly, pull the top cup holder and the padded side panel, but leave the arm rest pad on the top, removing it won’t help as it’s solid fiberglass under it. After the padded side panel is off it will expose 6 screws, take them out, and there is a bolt on the bottom as well. To remove the handle - pop the plastic cover off the center to expose the Allen head bolt holding it in place. 4 bolts hold the unit in place. Pretty straightforward once you know how it’s all put together,

Interstate marine lead/acid HD starter battery is what you want. Stay away from dual purpose batteries. Make sure it’s the same group # and has the same or more CCA. I have had good success with high end AGM batteries, I have a north star in my truck currently and put an interstate AGM starter in my previous boat. They worked well, but are not 3x better to match the 3x price difference IMHO. The one advantage is in the truck: because the AGM is sealed, I no longer get corrosion build up on the terminals that I would have to clean off every year - I don’t get this with the boat, maybe because it only used seasonally.

I sold my 2006 196 limited with 430 hrs, mint condition (2012 trailer, stargazer, cover) for $31k last October. Could have held out for more but had already acquired a 2018 200 SN and I only have indoor storage for one boat.

If you want full length sleeves I would go with a camaro. The new titanium pro has a new waterproof zipper (I have the full suit). But that might be warmer than your after. The blacktec is a good option as well, and will seal much better than a cheap shortie. In a short sleeve consider the ripcurl zipper free (works like a chest zip for entry, minus the zipper) works great for sealing out water, I have a full 4/3 ripcurl zipperless entry.

Unless the boat is in really rough shape, 20k for a 196 with ZO and reasonable hours seems suspiciously low.

Left handed across the board, LFF My parents saw at age 4 I was a lefty, they tried rolling the ball back to my right in the hopes of throwing it back righty - nope, I switched hands and threw it back lefty. Took 2 years to find a lefty catchers mitt for baseball.

@MDB1056 - this does have me questioning my logic for buying the 2018 and selling my 2006 196 that gave me 11 years of flawless use! The 200 is awesome though when it starts :-) , I’m sure after a Summer of use with this issue in the past I will not regret making the change.

Thanks - just ordered it. Unfortunately I am not the original owner and they want a fortune to xfer the warranty, I opened up a case with Correct Craft directly to see what they will do. I just want my boat running again asap. even if I got it covered under warranty, I’d still have to pull the boat, trailer it 2 hrs to the nearest dealer for “warranty work” who told me he couldn’t look at it until July!