GaryJanzig

LaPoint Ski Park.

Since batteries are so heavy a ski boat will have to be designed where they are removable. The weight is okay for a surf and wakeboard boat, but not for a ski boat. The batteries would have to be designed to be a bunch of small removable modules. You could buy enough of them where you could use the boat while some of them are charging and just keep swapping them out. The electric Ski Nautique prototype is a good start, but the entire interior is taken up by the battery. You would only need the electric motor, cooling system, cruise control, and going from forward neutral in and reverse would just be tripping a switch. The rest of the spaces that would be taken up by the engine and fuel tank could be used for batteries.

I have been using SAE 40 since day 1. Pennzoil, STP, NAPA. I have been using FL-1A, Wix, or PCM oil filters. Change every 50 hours and at winterization. 2300hours season 30 coming up.

A new boat is out of my reach. I think of the modern boats the Pro Star is the best value for the money. The only thing the new boats have that I would want would be Zero Off. If I did buy new, I would also have to get a new lift, and a new tow vehicle. When the time comes, I will drop in a new engine, zero off and a transmission(1.23:1). Are there any engine and transmssion combinations that would fit under the stock engine box without the need for a shim under the engine cover? I have the carbureted 351w and 1:1 transmission.

2300 hours on my '94 Ski Nautique. In the garage from November until some time in April depending on the weather in western Pennsylvania. The marinas always told me 50 hours a season is average. Usually 75-100 per season for me. Fewer skiers out my way.

Don't mess with anything except the binding placement, and fin/wing settings. The ski designers know what they are doing. Too expensive an item to risk screwing it up.

Midwest Regionals. It is held on a weekend where work will not interfere.

On days with a strong headwind and tailwind I run two passes at each line length so I can practice each pass in both wind directions. Other days I go out and simulate a tournament. If I miss or fall I start from the beginning and try again. I struggle to run 32off consistently so some days I work on that pass. If all goes well I will get more than 4 sets a week this coming season.

In the spring I free ski for two weeks at 36 MPH, then for two weeks I work on my opener only. I like to mix it up. Most of the time I go out and start with my easiest pass and work my way to the hardest. Once I miss a buoy or fall I start backing down each pass until I am back to my starting pass. Other days I go out and practice my second hardest pass to work on getting earlier and wider so I can progress on the next one.

Don't see much sun between November and April in northeast Ohio and northwest PA this time of year. Right now, just over 8 hours of daylight. Even if I could ski year round I would only be able to do it on the weekends. I am at work during the daylight hours.

Got yanked over the front and got hit above my right eye. Had to get 7 stitches. Still have a half inch scar.

Brand new factory 2020 Connelly GTR

@lpskier We usually don't have an issue with the course bending. The come along giving out is usually what causes the course to start bending. IT sometimes loosens, so I just give it 2-3 cranks and we are good to go. I hardly ever have to touch it. Sometimes if a buoy gets cut loose the string on the replacement is too long and the course can bend a bit. I shorten the string and it corrects. We use mason string to attach the buoys so if they get snagged they will easily break off. Not sure how long our anchor lines are since they were put in over 25 years ago.

@leonL With the jugs attached to the pipes while submerged I am guessing how deep it goes. When I drag my grappling hook from my canoe in the spring to bring it up it feels like the cable is only a foot off the bottom. The 41 foot arms have 3 jugs attached each with about a half gallon volume of air to keep it from sinking into the mud. On the end where the skier buoys are I have a counterweight attached which is a half gallon jug filled with sand. A half gallon volume of air is enough to bring the end of the pipe back to the surface. I attach the jugs fulled with sand to keep it from coming back to the surface. In the past I have tried adding more water to the jugs to make it go down, but last year I had two pipes get stick in the mud. For the main anchors we have a 300 pound diesel camshaft on one end and a 200 pound girder with legs at the other. We use a comealong to keep the course tight. We broke a cable once when trying to straighten it out with a boat tugging on it. We got it as tight as we could by hand, and put two loops in one of the anchor lines and attached the comealong to the loops. If the course starts to bend we can crank it a few times to straighten it out. We can also loosen it up if we have to do any structural repairs. We have it set up where the water line on the buoys is six feet from the cable and pipes.

On Lake Latonka we have an Accufloat course which has been there for over 25 years. It is a private lake, but with similar traffic to a public lake. It is 15-20 feet deep where ours is located. We only submerge it for the winter. We use mason string to attach the buoys so if a tuber or jet skier goes by it will break off without damaging the structure under water. The strings are tied to brass swivel snaps(dog leash clips) which are clipped to the eyebolts on the arms. To submerge we swap out the buoys with antifreeze jugs(zip tied to their own clips) half full of water and let it sink. It floats a foot off the bottom. I have a custom made grappling hook with smooth edges to find it in the spring from my canoe. If you want to sink it while in service, put a 40 pound anchor in the middle of the gates on the arms, then detach the skier buoys and let it sink. The Accufloat kit comes with instructions on how to sink it. +The important thing is to keep the pipes from filling with mud while submerged, they will break from the weight. When I swap out the buoys I can sink it in about an hour by myself, and bringing it up in the spring takes two hours. Never tried the 40 pound weight method.

@101driver When I take them off the rack in the garage I check the loops for wear and check for fading. If I see anything I retire the rope. When I am done skiing for the day I take the rope out and bring out the next. I ski from April-October in PA, mostly dawn patrol. I don't count the number of sets. I usually get 4-6 seasons out of 4 ropes.

I buy four sets of slalom lines and handles. I rotate their usage every day or two. I retire them when I start to see any fraying. I get a few seasons out of a set of 4. Mostly Masterlines, but had a couple of the Performance Pure ropes which lasted me several seasons.

Had to pull the boat a month early due to the lake being lowered for repairs on the spillway for the dam. Last weekend of September.

Even if you have the means, it is very difficult to justify spending six figures on something that will depreciate for a recreational item. I am at 2230 hours and I still get people telling me my boat looks almost brand new. The only thing the new boats have that I want is Zero Off. When the time comes, I will get it repowered and retrofitted with zero off. If I did buy a new boat, I would also have to get a new lift and a new tow vehicle. My Equinox is just big enough to tow my boat for short distances. Talking to other skiers at tournaments I heard many of them say the boats are getting too big and too heavy. I have a 1994 Ski Nautique. Other skiers on my lake call it the barge since the wakes are bigger and harder than the newer boats.

Look up the Ron Tanis videos restoring a rare bird. He restores a 1988 American Skier including stringer, floor, and new foam in the floors. I know a guy who restored the floors in a 1984 American Skier. Good winter/offseason project.

I was thinking of filling some old washer fluid jugs with sand. I was going to put them under the bow to try to flatten my wake a bit.

I just bought an ACME 540 for my 1994 Ski Nautique. It is the same as the 541 except it is right hand rotation.

You should be able to remove the rear floor panel. you could always install a second bilge pump, The cheapest way would be to get a transfer pump sold in the Wal-Mart automotive section. You may need a longer piece of plastic tubing to reach the back of the bilge from the engine compartment. If you have an inspection hatch behind the engine compartment you could access it from there. I keep a sponge in my boat. If I get water in the bilge(usually not enough to start the bilge pump) I use an old car sponge to dry it out after pulling the plug while on the lift. Try to keep the bilge as dry as possible. It will extend the life of the steering cable.

Not good enough to need it.

I do my own oil changes, winterization, detailing, changed out the steering system. I also change my own transmission fluid every season. I have installed some replacement parts such as speakers, speedometers, stereo source unit. Tune-ups and engine alignments and major repairs, upholstery, I leave to the pros. I just upgraded my prop from an OJ legend 13x13 to and ACME 540 13x12. My next project is swapping out all the engine and manifold drain plugs with valves so I can drain the engine for those cold spring and fall nights with no tools.