storm34

I sent an email to a buddy who is in the NE IL area. Send me your contact and I can connect you two.

@Klinger and I started a ski club last spring in hopes of getting more people skiing at our lake in Dexter, IA. Over the last 18 months we've seen nearly 50 new skiers at our lake, 2 new AWSA members in 2016 and 8 new AWSA members in 2017! Club members range in age from 2-52 and have a wide variety of ability levels ranging from novice to nationals qualifier and an adaptive skier who's made huge strides in the past two years. The addition of a weekly ski league has jump started our club and gotten people off the dock, either chasing buoys or supporting club activities. Our lake association has shown a lot of support as we establish a strong foundation to a successful club. Even better yet, we've started adding safety coordinators, trained drivers and a few non-skiing volunteers to help our efforts so we can host sanctioned clinics. Who knows, maybe even a tournament in the future. We're expecting to have a few first time tournament skiers this weekend at the Iowa State Tournament and with any luck some new regional qualifiers as well. All of our ski club members have made huge strides this year but most importantly, they've had a ton of fun! @JeffSurdej - our members (Diamondhead Lake Ski Club) probably didn't register with the 321 code but 8 of the 11 members are new this year!

+1 for Aqualon. It doesn't breathe well but with vented pole mounts it's great. We have one for our 01 SN from Angola Canvas and had a custom cover made for the Chris Craft. Low maintenance and great protection. What else can a guy ask for in life? http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj532/chrismars515/DB3BC176-2C3D-45E1-9F55-83CD23740030_zpsrwrxl9nq.jpg

+1 for Angola Canvas.

Wholesale Marine has some battery powered options. Can't speak to their quality but they're not a significant investment.

Thanks for sharing. Added to the bucket list!

@ESPNSkier Unfortunately it's not. Mine is "1939", another CCFan owns "2011" but I know a few other "promo" owners and will check their serial numbers. Here's a sample from our "Dos Promos" photo shoot at a gathering in North Carolina. Probably the first time these boats have been together in 40 years? http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj532/chrismars515/_TMP6741_zpslm9sbn5h.jpg

@ESPNSkier looks familiar! Here's my 72 National Tow Boat I've been restoring over the past few years. Would love to see any other pics you may have! http://i1266.photobucket.com/albums/jj532/chrismars515/47DE53A6-596E-4373-86AD-281603FD0D24_zpskffjccyu.jpg

WI MC owned by Dan Jawss....pic stolen from the MasterCraft Project Facebook page.

Good info @ToddL! @Horton, give us some more info. Location, dates, general coverage area etc. I'm in the production industry and can help with referrals to rentals or someone to handle the whole gig.

Thanks for posting results! Glad to see CP back in the mix this year.

+1 for the Senate.

Wow. Awesome website.

@Horton - Infinity styled center mounted v-drive comeback dressed as a Carbon Pro or Supreme?!?!

We're in a mud bottom lake and everyone fights this problem. Cleaning with acid (Starbrite or The Works toilet bowl cleaner) followed by a coat of wax are good short term solutions. Haven't had any issues with using the acid but don't let it sit on other surfaces for long periods of time (trailer paint, concrete, running great etc). The only way I've been able to keep boats clean of long periods of time is to buff the bottom. We use the following products in this order and it seems to last at least two summers. 3M Super Duty Compound on a 1" pile wool pad, 2x 3M Perfect-It II Compound on a 1.5" pile wool pad, 1x 3M Finesse-It II Finishing Material (this is a polish) on a wool/acrylic blend polishing pad, 2x Collinites 925 wax, by hand with a microfiber cloth It sure is a PITA to buff everything and give it a few coats of wax but you'll be skiing while all the neighbors are cleaning.

@Skoot1123 - We need to see more pics of that reverse gel in the daylight!

@RazorRoss3 & @oldjeep - Some clarification and some info that might only add to the confusion. There is still an Iowa State Ski Club which skis at Dream Lakes just south of Ames. Not sure who the point of contact is at this time but if anyone needs to connect with them I can help as we ski with a graduate and know the gentlemen who helps them with a boat every year. They're very fortunate to have Dream Lakes and a gracious supporting cast behind the scenes. The state of Iowa does have a promo boat (Bu).....but it wasn't publicly known until a week before this year's state tournament. Not exactly sure the details behind his deal which further confuses the whole "Promo" situation on a lot of levels. All things aside - awesome boat and a cool guy. Hope to see them both more in the future. Next closest boat would be an MC in Nebraska or Minnesota as you mentioned above. Both of those boats were at this year's state tournament. MasterCraft had a long time promo owner based in the Des Moines area who started in the 70's and got out sometime around 2010. Great guy, was very active in the tournament community and a great representative of the sport. The previously mentioned ISU graduate then took over his duties for a few years but life, rules/regulations and growing costs have kept him from getting another boat since 2013-ish? He was very active and made a conscious effort to help on the collegiate level being when possible. Seemed like he fought getting the boat early enough from the factory and keeping it late into the season, one of the downfalls of the promo program when it comes to supporting collegiate skiing. I'm new to the tournament scene but quickly realized the need for more promo boats in the area. Hopefully we can find some solutions in the next few years.

What happened to making the promo boats more desirable or special when compared to what the used market has to offer? Seems the only thing setting the promo boats apart is a sticker in the window or graphic on the platform. How about allowing full colored deck (Nautique) or special color options not available to the general public? Maybe price breaks on upgrades for the promo owners to give them some leverage against the market. Not sure what is currently negotiated with each brand but give the owners a little freedom to make their boats stand out. My 44 year old, bright orange Correct Craft promo boat is now one of the most desirable boats to Correct Craft enthusiasts. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "never seen one like that before" from the general public at fuel stations and local lakes/rivers. The fact that it's something you couldn't order from a dealer and there were only 15-20 made (educated guess) makes them unique. How do we get back to that point?

Just had a boat delivered this weekend (via uShip) from Arizona to Iowa for just under $500. Couldn't drive myself for that kind of $$. Make sure to choose a reputable transportation company (check for insurance and positive reviews), allow plenty of time to collect bids and have the rig ready to roll at a moments notice. We had someone in Arizona retrieve the boat and do trailer maintenance which was a huge help. Lastly, be patient - our auction opened with bids started around $1,200-1,500. +1 on the SNOB being much smaller inside. I'm a former SNOB owner and currently have a TSC. The playpen open bow isn't worth giving up the cabin space IMO.

We've discussed the idea of having an "old school" tournament with old boats & skis at the end of the summer. Would be really fun to do a two or three round tournament and mix up new and old technology to see how scores fluctuate. Round 1 - Old Boat & Old ski Round 2 - Old Boat & New ski Round 3 - New Boat & Old ski

@A_B - Good point on the benefits of skiing slower speeds on a larger ski. The 71 has been great for me this year as I've slowed the boat to 30 mph at times to focus on some technical elements this year. Now you got me thinking I should give the 69 a shot to see what it does at faster speeds.

Sorry to hear about your mis fortune, hopefully they work with you on a replacement. I put a lot of passes on my Radar bindings before they gave out.... lasted much longer than my previous HO bindings. Ended up patching them together with an old turn buoy and some zip ties to get through regionals and have replaced the front with a new Profile binding. If you end up having to buy new go for the Profile boots....you'll love them!

I have to ask...why 36mph at 50 years old and not in the course and not ideal conditions? If you're not out slaying buoys then I'd say it's hard to justify the price of a Vapor or even Graphite. 71" Lithium performs fine for me at 36. Might be a better fit if you decided to drop speed. Never got into 36mph on the 69" but I did experience the ski sinking at the buoy at slower speeds. Not the case with the 71.

Same as above, got a good deal on a 71" Lithium this summer and loving the change. Was skiing on a 69" senate graphite earlier in the season and feel much more comfortable on the 71" lithium. I'm 6'5" and 240# and currently skiing into 22 off at 36mph.

@34mph Correct. No paddle wheel needed for stargazer w/Z-box.