Clydesdale

Thanks @jhughes. New to me, but doesn’t sound too bad. Anything to watch out for when dropping rudder or disconnecting shaft? Also, I don’t think my seal is an OJ. It says “glide” and a google search looks like that’s the name of the manufacturer. Or is it really made by OJ?

Thanks @Tracks72 . Unfortunately this is one of the new “dripless” seals. This is my first experience with one of these and I think I’d prefer to go back to the traditional like yours!

@jerrym mines doing the same. Also a 2019. Curious was your shaft misaligned too, or just needed seal replacement. Thanks!

@floridagm great you guys did that for the kids. Don’t get discouraged!

@floridagm OP mentioned a website to schedule and pay for pull. Did she just make this up to stir the pot? And look at me stirring the pot myself by asking the question. ?

@bishop8950 thanks for doing the best you can with limited resources. I won’t complain any more. ?

Only have course end camera (through the smoke) for OW? Not great. Maybe I’ve just been spoiled by TWBC.

At 215 lbs I’m at the far end of the weight range compared with the flying kids seen at nationals. I’ve skied multiple versions of the two nautiques and MC. Haven’t skied a new Txi. The differences are so subtle not worth mentioning in my opinion. But perhaps I’ve just discovered the one benefit to being a heavy slalom skier.

Missed the Lake Michigan thing. That’s not gonna work for a ski boat unless your able to find a shielded cove or similar.

6 people on a direct drive ski boat is tough. You lose the back seat due to the tow rope. If you absolutely need six people while towing look at a v-drive. Slalom wakes won’t be as good, but the cockpit is more usable while towing. Open bow is an option, but some have safety concerns with that-especially when towing. Maybe look for a v drive malibu sunsetter, but tough to find one now under the 15k mark.

I don’t think the base Omni has an adjustable fin if that’s important to you.

I’m 215 and I ride a 69 Omni. The 69 is ample ski for me even down to 30. I think you could probably go a little shorter. Carbon Omni would be a good choice.

Do what the rest of us do. Take out a loan against your 401k and do both. ?. (But ya, ski school)

I’ve owned all 3 of the skis you’re comparing. I liked all of them, but the Omni is my favorite because of the effortless glide you’re talking about. Pull a little shorter, and coming into the turn try to keep the ski slightly outbound from the boat as long as you can so you minimize the time parallel with the boat. Once you get the feel of it, it becomes effortless…. I smile every time I ride it.

Thanks @tjm . Thread answered my questions. Good to see others had similar thoughts on foot size, boots, etc.

@MISkier I called it a carp line front for 100.

Busy contemplating my setup on a rainy day in Maine. :-( I'm Interested to hear opinions on front binding placement. Manufacturers recommend placing the front boot with the heel a certain distance from the tail. And, while I understand that is the simplest measurement, is the distance to center of the foot really what matters? I mean, we don't ski on our heels, right? I'm 215 lbs and have a small foot for that weight-10.5. Most people my weight are around a size 12. So, if a large footer placed their binding the same distance from heel/tail, the center of their foot will be further forward than mine. Do those of you with foot size inconsistent with your weight find optimal front binding placement typically differs from recommended? I find that I'm always a little forward of recommended and I wonder if this is why.....

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRF1LKEnqBr/?utm_medium=copy_link

Bet the promo folks at Malibu wish they washed the boat. ?

As your skiing improves (as yours has) you’ll tend to ride more balanced on the ski. This may affect your spray. But… IMO correct form and fast crossings are much more impressive than putting up a wall by standing on the back of your ski!

Malibu I-ride is worth looking at if you see one. Pretty decent slalom tug for a x over, and has plenty of space and freeboard for public lakes.

Sold my last malibu to a new family on our lake last year. They LOADED it with ballast and turned it into a surf barge. Glad to see the kids having fun, but I can hear my baby screaming “save me” every time she plows by. ? Saw my first malibu come up on craigs list 10+ years after the sale. She was a mess. Dirty, upholstery ripped to shreds, gelcoat badly oxidized. I shed a tear. ? On the bright side I’ve seen my old nautique 2001 many times and it’s looking better than ever. Current owner replaced stringers and did a pretty nice restoration. ?

“Page not found”? Maybe it’s me.