Dockoelboto

I just got set up with the MOB release system and couldn't be happier! I realize it is a bit more of an upgrade than you may be planning but it is quite lovely taking boots off on the dock.

sport nautique 200 is sort of a crossover, not 23' but has a decent non course ski wake, good for wake boarding, surfing, maybe...

I had a quick lesson last night from a guy who while not a pro is an extremely accomplished skier. He stressed balanced position on the ski and "athletic" stance. @MarcusBrown , for a novice skier, where being back feels safer being balanced on the ski feels terrifying. It felt like I was always on the verge of being too far forward. However the benefit was I actually felt the ski accelerate with ease and was actually using most of the ski and not just the tail. It felt good to actually understand, even if to a small degree, what a balanced athletic stance feels like.

@Horton thanks for posting videos about long-liners like me. I just wish I looked half as good as you look doing the same thing. As someone with no prior coaching, trying to figure this out I'll take any tips I can get. I think constantly about stack but the hard part for me at least is in part the transition from stack on dry land to stack leaning on the rope and then adding in wake crossing. Offside pull feels terrible so hard to "commit" to it. I really struggle to generate speed to the first wake, I realize a lot of that is mental so especially on my offside pull I end up double pulling for speed. I watch videos and recently have been filming myself. Boy, do I look terrible. I'd love to see a series of videos or discussion topics focused on initial dry land stance/setup up to 15off or so level skiers. The flowpoint method from @MarcusBrown looks amazing, just too steep to spend that much a month right now on water skiing. That is above all the other money I spend water skiing.

To be fair, if you are in the market for a boat, talk to @bananaron , he knows how to find deals and knows what is available. He was very helpful for me last summer!

@keithh2oskier , first nice video/skiing! Way better than what I can do. Did you have to play around with the settings or was it pretty easy to use? Seems like there are quite a few cheap cameras, I just hope the image stabilization is decent. The vibration is a killer.

I purchased a skidoc orbit and have been using my phone - iphone8 to try and get videos. I haven't tried selfie mod with image stabilization off but the other videos I've had are tough to watch with the vibration. I will try selfie mode at some point and may consider adding some vibration padding as well. I hear the go pro 8 works great (and 7 too) but I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this: AKASO Brave 4 4K 20MP WiFi Action - about $79 on amazon. Any other good cheap action cameras to consider? Thanks!

@MarcusBrown very useful video for someone at my level, and by that I mean limited skills. Thanks for info on a good foundation. Now I need to see about membership!

The boat is only worth what someone is willing to pay. You might find someone willing to pay big money for a TSC1 with ZO but that is likely not a great option. Location also dictates value, at least to a certain degree. Here in the PNW there are a lot of overpriced boats for sale. Some guy currently has a 99 SN 196 listed for 20k. It has been listed for 1yr, no budge on price. Club boat seems like a great option, making it ZO to try and flip for profit, seems risky.

@Chris Rossi This episode answered a lot of questions for me. I've never had "proper" instruction and just learned to free ski growing up on my own. Now I live on a lake and have access to a course but I don't know what I'm doing. Like many I tend to be too much rear foot heavy as I'm afraid of OTF falls. Ironically it then tends to make me break forward at the waist on my offside pull thus increasing my risk for OTF. The episode talks about equal pressure on the feet and straight arms. Just recently I have been trying to practice positioning on dry land, I wasn't sure how helpful it was as so far it hasn't transitioned to form on water. Against a post I feel a lot more pressure on my front foot and can shift weight much more easily. I'll keep practicing good positioning. I definitely need more understanding of core fundamentals and frankly all aspects of skiing. Thanks for the episode and input! Helpful things to think about and practice on. I'm hoping to incorporate more video into my learning, I think that will help a lot. Thanks!

@vtmecheng I feel your pain. My offside pull has a serious mental block and I cannot for the life of me stay in a strong position. just can't figure it out. Glad I'm not the only one

Thanks for the info. Very helpful. As someone just trying to figure out what I'm going it is helpful to know some basics I need to work on. I bought a skidoc and hopefully video analysis will help. Plus maybe I should hire a coach. Any in wa?

@Gloersen thanks for the tips and videos! Very helpful, I'll practice those drills and really work on getting video going. I'm thankful to be able to have a lot of access to water so hopefully I can improve more this season.

Looking for any tips/advice on working on my offside pull. Sorry, no video just yet, I'm working on that. My issue is that I feel completely out of sorts and have no balance or confidence in my offside. I know the offside is tough for many and I've read a lot about position and I know I need to work on that a lot. I just feel like I can't get into a stacked position and feel completely out of control. I've tried pulling on a rope on dry land, not sure how helpful that is. I've read a lot about stacked position and skiing tall, I feel better about that on my onside but for whatever reason I can't "feel" it on my offside. Someone recommended pull drills - pull out to either side with short rope and just practice pulling. Any other tips or things to work on? My onside pull is better, or at least I can do it reasonably well. I don't know if it is in part just a confidence issue or if there is a way to feel more in control/balanced while pulling to my offside? Any advice/tips/recommendations would be appreciated! I know I need to work on video, I think that will help a lot, just trying to get the right set-up.

suspension and brakes are your biggest enemy. most outbacks have limited towing capacity. "towing" to the end of your driveway is probably fine, in the real world DON'T DO IT

If the bow lake crew is ever interested in skiing near Olympia, let me know. I live on a lake with a course and am always looking for new ski friends! Especially if they are willing to give sage advice to help me ski better!

Personally the demo option is huge. I was in the market for a new ski last summer, looking at all the skis available and watching pros ski on them wasn't helpful. A demo was very helpful - I ended up getting a D3 ski. I had a rep come with me and I was able to try a few skis. Just having the option to demo a few skis in general is very helpful.

reach out to @bananron - he always seems to know good deals for sale on those boats.

I think another unique aspect of the sport, given that it is relatively small, is that on a forum like this you have world ranked professional skiers interacting with fans, giving advice/recommendations and their thoughts on the sport. Whenever I see a big name in the sport commenting on this forum I personally think that is pretty special.

thanks for the updates, I'll give her a call at some point. need a new handle!

website is down, have they gone under? Anyone have any knowledge of this?

Throw some bindings on these and make a run for the course!

nice to see fellow WA skiers still out there. Monday was air 55, water 51 down in Olympia. It isn't over till the fat lady sings!

You have had many many helpful comments so far. I don't think I can add much but just to add my 2c. Depth: yes, a wake/surf boat can handle 10ft deep water but just barely. Those massive boats need deeper water, if that is your target audience for one of the lakes, make one deeper. Plus consider noise. I live on a private competition lake, it is quite and peaceful. Wake/surf boats typically come with massive speakers. There is definitely a different vibe with the surf crowd, not a bad one but it definitely is more social. That can mean way more noise. People living by that may not be too happy. The large waves and shore erosion is a big issue as well. We have rocks around the more sensitive areas of our lake to limit this, we also have a no ballast rule and even with that, we still get some erosion. The wake lake will need to be really set up to deal with those waves. Access/time on water: Big issue. I know at least initially it wasn't meant to be private but if people are paying big money to buy/build they will want access. If it is open to the public, that will limit access. Our set up is if you are an owner you get access. We don't have a community boat, everyone who skis has their own. We share and ride together but we also take turns. I've never waited long and frankly sometimes waiting is good. We have an HOA that is reasonable and covers maintaining/filling the lake and the grounds. We don't have to pay extra per set. Owners are allowed to build a dock in accordance with the CCRs. Plus there are boat houses if you choose and a marina where you can put a lift. Basically you can do whatever you want as long as it follows the rules. This works great in a private setting. Much harder to deal with in a public setting. Living on a competition lake is amazing, if it is done right. I love the idea of opening it up to more people but it isn't easy to make that work. GOOD LUCK!