HighAltitude

Pathetic! Either man up and file a protest or say congrats to those who skied awesome. To state "something was off" and have it posted by somebody else is pretty weak.

This was awesome! Drove an hour and a half north and got two sets in with CP. The lake is beautiful and the club members were very nice. Conditions were perfect with smooth water, high temps (93 with zero wind) and decent water temps. No '19 SN, but I preferred it that way as I have a matching SN200 to the one pulling the clinic so there was no "adjustment" for the wake. CP is great at coaching because he keeps things simple. I have only had one other waterski lesson a long time ago, but I've had plenty in tennis and golf, and I hate having to think about 14 different things in my backswing. We worked on two things. 1. Keeping the arms "relaxed" and down by my side when pulling. 2. Gate timing/technique. By concentrating on those two things I gained 1 mph by the end of the session (31 to 32 mph)and I'm positive I'll be running 32 MPH consistently now at my home site. As an added bonus my son got to ride in the boat with CP and the driver. My son doesn't really ski but he is my driver and occasional spotter and he took all sorts of notes and shot some video so it's like a lesson that keeps giving. Bottom line...I had a great time and hope this happens more in Colorado. -Marc

2011 Subaru Outback. Glad it's only a mile, once in the Spring and once in the Fall. Towed it about 60 miles once...never again!

Sam, Thanks so much for the help! Austin was great and you guys made an extremely fair deal. I am really impressed with your company. I've always liked your equipment but I never knew you had such exceptional customer support. -Marc

Bummer, I thought had an easy solution with the radar plate. I'll call HO again to see if the can check in the bowels of their shop.

Anybody have any HO EXO binding parts they would like to get rid of? I would like to buy an adapter plate plus an extra toe and heel section that attach on the ends of EXO frame. I tried to reach out to HO but never heard back on my inquiry. Please contact me via email at marc.rathmann@gmail.com. Thanks! -Marc

Anybody have an adapter plate they would like to sell?

Has anybody skied a Senate C (circa 2012-13) and also skied the new Senate series? If so, how close are they? Thanks.

PM'd you. Do the bindings release on twisting falls? Tried watch a few video's but they did not emphasize how the release actually works. I'm very familiar with snow ski bindings and it's obvious the front doesn't release like a snow ski binding but wasn't sure about the back.

Damn, never thought of that! That is a good idea to squeak a bit more out of the boat. Probably the ideal boat is a later model 196, 6.0L with ZeroOff. I had a 1999 196 with the 310 hp GT-40 and it would do 36 with no problem at 7000 ft. I hate to say it since you just bought the boat, but the 200 with 5.7 is not a great match for the altitude. I did a bunch of research before upgrading and came to the conclusion that a 6L was an absolute must if I bought the 200. I happened to get a great deal on a 2014 6L promo boat only 30 minutes away. Despite the 196 being a better fit for altitude, I must admit I just wanted a 200. Selling a 5.7L 200 would seem to get you the money for a 2008/09 196. You wouldn't need the 6L but too much power is never a problem.

I have called Delta and have talked to the extremely knowledgeable folks at ACME numerous times. They have zero expertise when it comes to propping a 200 at 6800 ft. They will give you a guess as to what prop will max your rpms. That's the standard answer. The only way to increase speed is to reduce the rpms, A 540 or 542 will turn more rpms than a 1598, thus you will get a better holeshot but reduce your top speed. A 422 will reduce your rpms and give you a higher top speed and a reduced holeshot. With that said, even with a 422 it might not be able to hold 36 consistently enough for you. Where do you live? I have a 654 that I had a little extra cup added in. I would be willing to let you borrow it to see if it works.

Why is both feet on one plate less safe?

How was the holeshot on the 1598 compared to the 1868? I like the holeshot of the 1868 but don't like the feel of the wake when it's turning those high rpms. As for a 343 at 6800, I'm just not sure you have enough engine. A 422 will get you to speed but it will be a pig out of the hole. Do you have a long lake? I've run a 668 on my 6 liter to see just how much of a pig it is. I asked my 220 lb neighbor to be the guinea "pig". He got up... but just barely. I'm 150 lbs and it's actually fine for me but it can only get to 34 if we start going towards the island instead of directly into the course.

Why doesn't the Velcro release rear to front? Or does it only release on side falls?

JuanJ, Did you ever ski with the 1598 or did you just run the boat up and down the lake to get the speed info? I live/ski at 7000' and continue to search for the best prop. I'm convinced a three blade is the way to go but not sure between the 1442,1458 or 1598. I have a 6 liter so I know we are not comparing apples-to-apples but it would be interesting to hear how the prop felt behind the boat. -Marc

Does anybody know if a snow ski setup has been tried? Basically, just mounting two hardshells on a metal or hardened plastic plate. The plate simply gets inserted into a snow ski binding which is mounted on the ski. It seems so simple that I figure it must have been tried and discarded for some reason. I have tons of old ski (snow and water) so I thought I might try it this spring. Also, has anybody just bought Velcro and mounted a plate to their ski like the Goode system instead of buying a whole new binding system? I would like to try the Velcro release but don't want to buy a whole setup to find out I really don't like it. I prefer a system that keeps both of the boots together as 90% of my falls result in a twisting moment and I tore up some ligaments in my front foot when only my back foot released and the ski started to helicopter. Right now I have a Radar plate with two old RS-1 bindings on it I thought I could mount via Velcro to an old ski. Again, it seems so simple I wonder why something like this hasn't been mentioned more. Thanks in advance for any replies! -Marc

Two out of my three are on ROTC scholarships at college, so I'm trying to convince them to take their summers off and just stay at home. They know they have a job after college and they make money every month so I would think it's a no brainer. Of course, I know I'm being selfish but they only have a few more summers before the real world kicks in. Needless to say, I will support them whatever they do. Even with them working crazy hard last summer we still had a ton of time together.

Just had my triplets go off to college. Talk about going cold turkey! They all are great drivers and they love being around the water. Luckily, we live on a ski lake so it was part of our daily ritual this summer. Thank goodness my wife is also is a good driver and loves to ski. I never thought I would say this... but I'm hoping they don't get summer jobs/internships quite yet as I want another magical summer like 2017.

Golfer's elbow sucks. I've been battling it for 18 months now. Although it has been painful at times, it's never been so bad that I couldn't still do the things I love, like ski. Unfortunately, that has also caused me to ignore it for the vast majority of the time. Only about two months ago, did I really start getting serious about getting rid of this. My medial epicondylitis started after changing my workout routine to include pull-ups every day. After about a month of this, my elbow didn't just hurt while doing pull-ups, but was sort of a continual dull ache, I also was skiing, playing golf and playing tennis at the same time. Despite the term "golfer's elbow", golf seems to irritate it the least so don't think just because you don't golf, you must have something different. The rest is my opinion....but I have spent a ton of time reading about this subject. You might want to google tendinosis, A lot has changed in how to heal this is the last few years. Unlike tendinitis, the typical RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation) routine does not always work. The problem is the tendon isn't inflamed, it's completely ignored by the body. Thus, the tendon is not getting any nutrient rich blood in order for it to heal. The advent of PRP was to address this very issue, There are a ton of other treatments that have now sprung up based on this theory. There is shock wave therapy, dextrose injections, even nitroglycerine patches. Hopefully you can cure it by simple stuff such as the Theraband. (I have the green and red) but I wasn't able to. I have been using deep massage with a Theracane (totally different device from the Theraband)) for the last month and have reduced my symptoms by 50%. ,I have my first dextrose injection on Wed. I am hoping in the next month I am able to eliminate the pain for good. I'll let you know how that goes.

The O'Neil Fluid drysuit is great. It's a little tighter in the upper body than the previous hybrid, but I really love the warmth and overall fit. Construction is top notch.

64 sets in the course. Maybe a few more before we set the course in April. Best year I have ever had and completely in love with the sport. Can't wait to start next year!

Seems like super-solid advice and ties right back to earlier comments on simply getting some lessons. Bottom line...I've seen guys run 32 off on a women's P6 that happened to be laying around. It's definitely not the ski, but the skier. With that said, a lot of us love new equipment. I want to try something new and I'm looking for something that fits my style. I've ruled out the '17 Pro Build but I think a Senate might be perfect. I will use the Syndicate demo program and try an Omni as well in the spring. Does anybody know if the reflex plates fit on HO skis? I don't want to order an Omni and then find out my new boots aren't compatible when I only have two weeks.

I read this yesterday on the other thread and was excited to read about your progress. I can't wait to try an Omni!

I'll check out an Omni Syndicate via HO's demo program next year but will also need to try the Carbon Omni as well. Not sure I need to pay extra for capability I won't use.

How do you like your CX? What is the best feature about it? I missed out on a chance to ski one last week and I'm kicking myself. With that said, I'm also interested in how it will compare to the Omni. I would assume the Omni shape is slightly more aggressive. What is the CX made of?