Mastercrafter

.... this makes me think I should mount up the RTP I bought last June and never used, and perhaps give the R-Style a break for a while.

Yeah. Guess we threw out the 100 degree rule. We are going to check February off the list if possible this year.

14 hours into the New Year and I can check January off the “skied in Michigan” calendar. Friggin miserable. 31 degree air, high-30s water.

Apparently not over yet in Michigan. Driving via Google Maps made things extra spicy.

Right. Surf boats are currently the savior of new ski boat production, but IF there are future sweeping regulations to ban surfing that happen to ban skiing as collateral damage, it’s not just new ski boats that disappear, it’s the ability to use all existing ski boats. Things got really bad with surfing during 2020 when fake money was created, everyone was working from home (the lake) and everyone overextended themselves to buy a new surf boat. Hopefully water finds its level in a few years, things settle down, and we all continue on for decades to come.

One interesting side note is that our lake is private, you need to live on it or have deeded access to use it. Except for a small number of surf boats, all of them on the lake are waterfront property owners. So, their waves are impacting their own docks and shoreline as much as anyone else’s, but they’re also the ones with new hoists, docks, and seawalls that resist damage better. It’s ‘ol grand pappy with the wood dock, rock shoreline, and 1980s pontoon moored in the water that suffers the most. The number of surf boats compared to the number of pontoons and other watercraft is very very small. As the saying goes, the few ruin it for the many.

I know what you’re getting at. My other post that I decided to delete was basically “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” Surf boats will be the death of inboards and wakes on public lakes, but without surf boats, we aren’t getting new ski boats from the big 3. New ski boats aside, surf boats are also going to ruin it for the tens of thousands of already built ski boats that are using public waterways without issue, property damage, or much concern. If Joe Public could differentiate between surf boats and ski boats, I would vote to ban them on our 700 acre lake- simply put, they are detrimental to everyone and everything but themselves. But, if I go to the city and state my case (and win) against surf boats, the result will probably be a broad no-wake rule. Therefore, I keep quiet..ish

Nevermind, decided I should just be happy today.

Guess I’m not getting my refund 🤷🏻‍♂️

Pre-release through the gates resulted in 6 stitches in my chin. Better than my teeth stopping the ski.

I like where this is going.

I really like Deckadence but it does get hot in Michigan summers.. I can’t imagine Florida or somewhere else in the south. But, it’s super durable, practically stain-proof, and overall comfortable. There are off-brands for vinyl loop flooring / miner’s moss that can keep you from having to pay Deckadence prices. I have a tendency to put holes in Seadek so hard pass on that.

This is why skiing needs to just be metric. This is why America should adapt the metric system as a whole. How long is -28? No one really knows. How long is 14.25m? It’s 14.25m. How many feet in a mile? 5280. Weird. How many meters in a kilometer? 1000. Wow, that makes sense. I’m Mike and I’m running for president.

So.. I’m curious if you’d share.. What’s the cost for a new permanent course? You said JT is installing one for you and I see on Instagram he’s busy pouring concrete anchors.

@jjackkrashThis was a little lucky but I do appreciate Nautique tracking despite being a Prostar sort of guy 🙂 And yes there was a skier at 12m.

$9 for 50, delivered next day. Truss Head is extra wide and hold great with no washers etc. Order Pan Head if you have size constraints on your bindings. https://www.mcmaster.com/products/phillips-screws/316-stainless-steel-extra-wide-truss-head-phillips-screws/

Fire up that justification machine. I like it. … however the boat is half blue already.

..Unless the Gunmetal Vapor matches the gunmetal flake on your boat.. gotta coordinate 🙂 @Lebow-ski you will love that 24.

Dang, congrats. Beautiful boat.

I guess the price per acre is okay.

Ah, oops.. that makes sense as the 6.0 is obsolete in the automotive world. Wonder how long it'll be an option in the Prostar. Malibu is only 5.3 and 6.2 GDI as of now, no 6.0 available.

I had a feeling something like this would happen when Correct Craft acquired PCM. Non-Cat ZR409 6.0L was something like 13K last I checked. What's the cost now for a cat engine, and are they even available or only for OEMs?

.... What a flex tester can't test is compression and rebound rates, and I'd have to imagine that has as much or more effect on feel and performance of a ski than actual spring rate and stiffness. A new ski is likely to be more crisp and feel more alive than a ski with 1000 sets but I'm not sure we have the equipment to test it. Going back to the race car analogy, suspension setup (compression and rebound, along with spring rate) makes a world of difference.

Peter charges $350 for the same end product as $99 gets you from Redline, and you get to enjoy all the excuses as to why they haven't shipped along the way.

Redline Vinyl Graphics on eBay, 99 bucks for the whole boat, good quality stuff. Have used them many times.