MitchellM

Interesting link. The VR-140 mirror and ZXR-300 bracket are $544 direct from PTM but only $390 when bought separately from NVN Marine. Another BOS win!

That's a great deal and won't last long. Very tempted to get my feet wet with that one.

Polk County does not issue permits for slalom courses, but they do have standards for their placement. These standards were emailed to me today. I am required to obtain a permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

I would like to put in a slalom course on Lake Agnes in Polk City, Florida. The lake has an average depth of 10 feet and has several spots that seem suitable. My neighbor tells me there were two courses on the lake in the past that his sons used when they were competing. I am new to the lake and just learning the topography. This is a 377 acre public lake. I presume I would need some sort of permit? Any idea of the cost to put in a permanent course? How do I select the best location and orientation? I have considered a portable Insta-Slalom course, but I am hesitant about the time and effort required to put the course in place and remove. Plus, I only have my malibu LXI which is less than ideal for installing these portable courses. Call out to Jon Travers has been sent already, but I was curious about the collective wisdom here.

Agreed. That sounds like a total fabrication with no scientific basis. Exactly how does prop wash affect the phosphorous level in a lake? These nutrients come almost exclusively from fertilizer run-off from lakefront lawns. A better effort to tackle this problem would be to ban residential fertilizer use. Sounds like a neighbor who just doesn't like power boats on the lake.

Don't ignore the excitement, anticipation and the honeymoon effect of skiing on a new ski. Without a measurable metric, these likely color our opinion about equipment degredation.

They must decay in some way over time. The bigger question is how this would affect performance for the average skier. I'm a decent tennis player. Tennis raquets are made with similar composite materials, and they definitely do fatigue over time. A tennis raquet likely takes more physical punishment than a water ski, but my raquets are usually "dead" after a year of play. This is a very noticeable and well described issue in tennis.

I guess I am not the typical target for most of these lake homes. I am/was not looking for a primary residence. I've been looking for a Florida lakefront home that I can use on weekends and a few full weeks every year for skiing. I already have a pool in my primary residence, and it is a PITA. Now that my kids are older, the pool is rarely used. I want my lakefront home to have the lake as it focus and primary body of water. A pool would just be a nuisance to maintain. The home with solar panels to the left of the listed home has no pool. Much more appealing to me. Now I could get behind a hot tub!

I'm in. I've got a road trip coming up. Please describe the photos along with reading the text.

Who unboxes a book? Are you going to read it to us in audiobook format?

I've looked at three homes in this development and a few others on this lake. These are nice, but there are no mature trees in this development and the lots are set back from the lake. The addition of a pool in most of these homes is a deal killer for me.

I had the boat out in direct sunlight most of this weekend. The week days it's been inside a covered lift. Not much direct sun in there.

The pinking has faded significantly with a combination of sun exposure and applications of 10% benzoyl peroxide. I've also kept the cover off the boat for the time being on my covered lift.

Yes, I read that article and others. I suspect I have bacterial pinking. The boat was left in a storage yard while I closed on my lake house 6 weeks later. The boat had the black full cover on securely, but it was in full sun and likely got very hot. Also, there was some rainwater intrusion which led to some moisture under the cover. The intense heat from the dark cover in contact with vinyl in some regions caused this. I hope it's not permanent, but it may be. Very unsightly.

I hope you're right. Some folks report having success with 10% benzoyl peroxide.

Anyone have any experience with pink staining on their boat vinyl? I stored my new to me 2005 Malibu LXi outdoors with the black cover on for the past 6 weeks. When I removed the cover to finally ski, there was pink staining of the vinyl on areas where to cover came into contact with the vinyl. This does not scrub off. My understanding is that this pink stain comes from a bacterium in the foam padding which secretes the pink stain when there is excessive heat and moisture. Seems like it's always excessivly hot and moist here in Florida! Any suggestions would be appreciated. Depressing to see my new boat with this problem my first day skiing this weekend.

I'm also wondering about what rope and handle to buy for visitors who are novice skiers who might also like to wakeboard. Should I just let them use my expensive rope and custom handle? Part of me wants to just buy an inexpensive Radar rope and handle set for guests for $70. https://waterskis.com/radar-control-13in-elliptical-water-ski-handle-package/

I'm hoping to be there Saturday and Sunday. I'll definitly be doing some shopping at performance ski.

Great tips here. Don't underestimate the effects of the shorts or tops you are wearing. Baggy shorts that create a lot of drag will make your starts more difficult. My wife even noted a major difference with a new top that had loose openings at the wrist. Problem went away when she rolled them up over her forearms. Every little bit helps!

I like the new one, but was just reaching for the missing WTF emoji when I read the stolen adaptive ski equipment thread. WTF!

@Horton is the software limited to only 5 emojis?

@epnault What boat do you use?

The starbrite kit was a great recommendation. I just refinished the swim platform on my new to me boat. 2005 and the owner is not sure anything had ever been done to the platform. Here are the photos. No sanding was done. Two coats of teak oil.

My search is over. Just bought this boat from a great guy in Orlando. 2005 Malibu LXi with just over 500 hours.

This is gold. Thanks for posting!