Jetsetr

Cool boat...the old stuff, while old and without the whiz bang goodies are just COOL.....all the brands had their differences in appearances/personalities... Personally I would probably not drop the extra coin for the roller cam. In a marine application like yours really no advantage. The zinc additive isn’t an issue. If you lived closer to WI I would do the swap for you. I’m getting pretty good at this boat engine swapping thing. They’re easy to work on. (usually work on turbine engines, but have a lot of experience with supercharged alcohol and nitromethane engines). My new engine for my Malibu is from Michigan Motorz, awesome to deal with no BS. PM me if anything I can help you with.... How do you KNOW you have to replace then engine??

There are 4 types of lifters: Solid lifter: need to be adjusted periodically-not used in any current marine engines. Standard lifter: hydraulic operation needs no adjustment Flat Tappet lifter: basically the same as a hydraulic lifter Roller Lifter: a roller follows the cam shaft lobe, a more radical cam profile can be followed, and a SLIGHT increase in Horsepower due to less resistance/friction. Some need to be adjusted, some don’t. Depends on application. All cams except a roller needs zinc in the oil for longevity. A bottle of Lucas Zinc Additive is about $12. Pre 96/post 96 has to do with the intake manifold bolt pattern. They are NOT interchangeable. Hope this helps a bit...

I could PROBABLY do WI to MN depending on when it happens. Would be a direct run no stops for skiing ☹️.

I think she played tennis in college...not sure.

She looks a little nose heavy eh? (I live close enough to the Great White North to speak the native tongue...)

@Horton the Macallen 18 sherry oak is MUCH better...just say’n

IF I needed music to ski it would be Chevelle: Face to the Floor Resembles my off side wake crossing OTF’s unfortunately much too often...

Would be awesome...except don’t think you want to hear my turbines running (good news it’s only a few times a year at home). “Jet Fuel-the scent of speed”.

351W...took the radio out. Will place a “inop” aircraft placard on the one in the new boat...

My 89 will be for sale soon. 1004 hours, with or without Stargazer PP, digital GPS speedometer, good interior, new prop, decent trailer. Runs great, sounds bad ass...Reasonable...

New Second stage turbine and nozzle for one blow torch, and starting the second blow torch... Also finishing up the DLMC (De Lux Motor Coach) And a new GM long block for the Malibu

@Nater Are the lots on the NW and N end of the lake sold off????

@Horton I TOTALLY agree with your assessment that this forum is biased towards a very narrow demographic of slalom skiers. THUS anything OTHER than a DD boat gets whizzed on. And that’s ok, but sometimes it comes across as rather snobbish when anyone mentions/questions something about something OTHER than a newer DD ski boat. Outboard Hydrodyne, V Drive, DD boat older than 20 years, something “other” than the big 3, they’re ALL great in their own way, and they bring people into waterskiing. That was the objective I thought? Did you really think I was even remotely serious about skiing behind a pontoon boat? I hope not...I was trying to inject a touch of humor. This is supposed to be fun, we should be trying to bring new people into the sport. And, we are in the “boat talk” section of the forum, not the “competitive waterskiing” section.

There’s a lot of ways to make a VDrive boat better...aluminum engine, fuel/battery forward, etc etc. The problem HERE is most/all the folks on this site are hardcore skiers and they’re not even remotely interested in a mult-purpose boat. But if you look at the overall watersport demographic they are also the smallest group out of all of them. So, the members here are going to be highly biased against ANYTHING other than DD boats with zero off and the other goodies that the majority of recreational users really couldn’t give the south side of a northbound rat about... I would be willing to bet 200 pontoon boats are sold for every new DD ski boat. Horton needs to do a pontoon boat shoot out! 250hp outboard, best wake, best tracking, biggest grill and slide. This HAS to be “single panda” worthy...

Some days I reek of jet fuel ???

By about a ton! You can do anything once.... I agree if your going a few miles below 35 you could probably do it with no issues... You start dragging a 3500-4500 pound boat at highway speeds you better have enough vehicle. My thought is if you want to be a Darwin Award winner on your own that’s fine with me, problem is on a highway there are often innocents involved that happen to be at the wrong place when you’re getting your award. Seen it WAAAAAAY too many times working the Fire Dept. I have towed big trailers (until last summer when I built my new hauler to get away from pulling trailers) with big trucks (Kenworth T-600) all over the country and you WOULD NOT BELIEVE some of the things I have seen people pull trailers with.

GMC FWD 2500, 4Dr crew cab, Duramax, Allison, 4 wheel disk brakes, tow package. Quit screwing around with underpowered, too light, too short and no real brakes before you kill someone. You will drop 100K on a boat and tow it with a clown car: WTF! Pull up some YouTube videos of towed trailer accidents. 95% of those accidents the tow vehicle is just along for the ride, and it usually doesn’t end well...

Tail wagging the dog... Big brakes Big engine Long wheelbase... WORD....

Lakes all opened up in SE WI....water temp 34...I have never seen it go from solid ice to open so quick... If it wasn’t such a PIA to drain down the boat every time I would drag the Brendella out...Have drysuit, will ski. Guess I better order that long block for the Malibu sooner than later....

Shipped a 1000 pound turbine engine on a 6x6x4 pallet from Salt Lake to southern WI UPS ground...$430... I wouldn’t trust USPS to deliver anything of value... Here’s something you need to remember: UPS is a trucking company that has airplanes... Fed X is a airfreight company that has trucks... Big difference. UPS is my go to shipper except for documents, then Fed X gets the nod. I would like to be the guy rebuilding all those UPS starters for the trucks...shut off for every delivery!

@brooks Union: Wider Senate? Know someone who bought a Union as well, have not had the chance to ride it. Need new Radar decals for my new tug!

@Chef23 A beginner course skier is not going to start at 30mph and 22 to 32 off.... He’s going to start at 26mph (or less) and 15 off. I know you know that...the longer ski will help. We are on the same page. I have skied my 69 Senate down to 22-24 and it still works...it’s a lot of work but great training for balance (and shifting weight off the tail). Think there’s a video of @twhisper down below 20 on a KD someplace...pretty impressive. Have to learn form and technique before speeding up and shortening the rope. The great thing about the Katana is it IS good to 32 and can get you into a short® line. The same for a Butterknife but @ 2mph slower as a max “recommended” speed. I’ve had mine 30+ many times with no issues. Every time you’re crossing a wake you’re adding 15mph+ to your speed. And to be honest I’m not sure how they come up with these “max recommended” speeds anyway... Someone more knowledgeable could chime in with that answer...

@Math64 Go with the 69, easier to ski at slower ski speeds, more area more lift (if you want to) easier to get up. Unless you’re really cranking turns and aggressive course skiing the 69 will be fine. I have a Butterknife and a Senate. Butterknife is much easier to get up on, it’s only 1/10th of an inch wider than a Katana, same shape. Butterknife is my go to ski for spring rides, refining my suckage technique and getting back into ski shape. Put new slalom skiers on it as well. Also easy enough to ski that I don’t get as tired (but I probably ski the Senate more aggressively). Either a Katana or a Butterknife would be great skis, if you’re leaning towards course skiing I would recommend the 69 Katana. When you’re learning the course slower is better, and a little more lift of the 69 will allow that.

Some people can’t see the forest because of all the trees....

I have over 8000 hours in one of those EMB-145 thingies.... Trans States is the operator, but they don’t operate their own flights...it could be American Eagle or one of the United airlines feeders. Your flight info should have that information