auskier

would that have included the purchase of the australian factory as well?

with LCQ coming up very soon, there will be a number of very serious contenders looking to have a bite at 43 and make the masters. 3 at 41 wont be hard for many, winning in a field that will most likely have a higher winning score than at callaway, will be.

@allycat that would all be well and good if the aussie designed and built boats were half the boat that a big 3 boat is, but the fact is, they are 20 years behind a US designed boat. There is a simple reason that malibu in australia have around a 50% market share - they are simply better than anything else made here.

The 04 LXI did not have the rudder tab, in Australia at least. The US built boats may have?

so today did not go to plan in regards to the webcast... hopefully tomorrow.

The hope was to have the webcast functioning for the juniors which kicks off in 9 hours time, however some 'technical difficulties' may delay that a little, but we will hopefully have it up and going! For those of you familiar with the moomba cast, things will remain pretty much the same as recent years.

it does make a big difference to the hole shot. As part of this, the engine mount/shaft angle changed slightly also, resulting in a lower nose rise out of the hole. It makes it feel like a much more powerful boat. Time will tell what is the best prop to use, as last I heard, it was not settled upon when the ratio change had been made.

I can see it happening that when im 34 years old the age brackets will change forcing me to ski 36 until im 40...

A ski partner of mine has had one for 12 months or so. Exactly the same as a LX, with current running gear, fitout and style. Due to the walk through, the dash and driving position has moved slightly to the starboard side. Overall its a very decent ski boat with a walk through open bow in a compact proven hull.

Ive been doing it for a few years, mostly to help my skiing and doing it a LOT prior to my US season trips over the last few years. Now I get sore from crossfit, not from skiing. One thing I noticed particularly was not loosing much in buoy count with some time off. Crossfit kept my agility, strength and balance up, making the time coming back to my average score much quicker.

@Chat_Scott I dont see it as a quality control issue, but rather a setup issue. The overwhelming majority of response ski boats will never pass through a slalom course in Australia. They set them up to be an awesome sporty feeling boat for the wally's.

Another comment on the Aussie built boats.. The early TXIs did not track great and there was a great variance from boat to boat in how the track and sit in the course. Many of them seem to sit nose high and tend to float, even with some weight in the front. I have driven 5 or 6 2013 and 14 TXIs and there seems to have been a continuing improvement since the first year of them. Maybe it was just those boats, but the promos I drove of that year, it was near impossible to keep rhythm and feel with the skier. Every American made response I have driven has tracked much better than any Aussie built boat. What they do differently to our boats, I do not know. But I have no doubt that it is a lot more than the little rudder tab! Despite all that, I think the build and material quality is much better in our boats.

If it gives CC greater control to develop things more then it could be great for the sport. Imagine developments like more integration with ZO for things like fuel management. The boat goes out the gates, and the driver disengages, ZO/ECU closes down 2 cylinders until the beeper goes for the next pass or the boat goes back into gear... start stop technology... better interior ergonomics by altering motor hardware positioning... better torque curves and engine mapping for specific props, hulls etc etc. Someone with a lot more knowledge of engine technology could come up with a lot more reasons than me.

I believe too many people try too hard when it comes to driving straight. As a result they make movements with the boat which ends up hurting the skier and feeling hard. Most of us are out there to have fun and enjoy skiing and dont need a record capable pylon path. Let the tail of the boat go with the skier a little, dont correct the boat when the skier is off the second wake into the ball, and slightly point the boat to the next ball as they hook up. I think those are a few key points to keep in mind.

6 buoys in the course 259m long not including pre gates. 58km boat speed 11.5m from centre line out to the ball 16.08 seconds through the course 9.75m is the world record line lenght 26 buoys in the course including pre gates all of the above - for when the skier is done.

there is definitely a wrong answer in there somewhere. I know I got them all correct.

need. more. options. just home from the northern summer in the US, now about to kick off our southern summer.

if he is heading south to sydney from up north, his best bet would be to stop via stoney park in Port Macquarie on the mid north NSW coast.

"But officer, isnt this Colorado? I must have made a wrong turn somewhere"

I believe an auto tracking system exists and several reputable people have tested it/skied it. I wouldn't doubt that a forum member or two has seen it. that will be next.

none. it was 55 and showers here today. but only 9 days until im state side!

no doubt its close. hopefully we will have the boat video soon. Obviously the angle we can see isnt the best way to tell. I agree with the quarter call. In the photo @Rico posted above, I think she has lost the handle just past the ball. Being as late as she was, she was still on an outbound path with her ski. at best she is parallel with the buoy line. that's my opinion.

ZO will try and shoot for a good time in each segment. If it thinks it is going to be slow out of the segment it will continue to gas harder to get that good time. Majority of the speed increase when the switch comes on is when the skier is coming into the first wake, so if the skier slows the boat more than it expects from the turn to the first wake, it will continue to accelerate harder than with a higher letter because it knows it will get an OK time. Lowering the letter will give better pull into the ramp. @Jody_Seal will be able to explain it better than me and know what PF to use.

and you are on the warp..

so with a bit of chatter about the centurion being better this year, what have they changed? One of the critiques of it was the tracking (compared to the big 3), but a few posts lately say its better?