Director Darwin

I have a pretty good idea. The numbers reflect a value that is used to balance the 1st and 2nd segments. Where as in the past, we had a SSB to balance the 1st and 2nd segments. Now we have (for lack of a better term) First Segment Balance. But it's broken down into two separate parameters. This was all a result of trying to keep the soft gate PP was noted for and still get your segment times actual. You work the numbers up one digit at a time (from the #'s we suggested) until you get your mid and end times to balance. We found that the heavier the skier, the slower the mid course time (7.18's). By upping the 1st and 2nd segment numbers, we were able to get good times regardless of the weight of the skier. Don't know if I answered your question. If not, hit me again.ÂÂÂ

If this thread is any indication of the content, I can see why it's blocked!

Do I get a royalty on this? I'll have to get one prior to our tournament!  ÂÂÂ

Scoke: I believe there are several segments of Parish in the Edged in Water video. There is the funny chapter w/ his dad shooting a paint ball gun at him but there are several other segments that have Parish in them (Just Sets 1 is one that comes to mind).

The last picture we have of him - trying out his new Monza last summer at his lake in Minnesota.........http://www.alsap.org/CapeNewenham/CarterMorris_CapeNeweham_1954_ski3.jpg

As for your question regarding MS - he was headed out last November to check the buoys and....................... http://www.robgalbraith.com/data/1/rec_imgs/626_nc2000_frozen_bike.jpg

uh oh - looks like your serious about this! I prefer "I am a Ball Of Spray" - pretty unique group.

It would be a best seller in Louisiana - and probably California!

Oh, God, what have I done! http://www.ccstcloud.org/cc06/cfs/clinic_photos/SS26043.jpg

I found that the speed going into my on-side turn was the most difficult to handle. Again, this will take some time to acclimate, but I see a definite upside. My concern is slowing the ski at 38 off. It felt great at 28 and 32 - didn't try 35.

None of us made changes to the fin when we removed the wing. One would think an adjustment is in order but I have no experience with this. I consider myself quite handy when it comes to fin setup but this is uncharted waters for most of us (no pun intended).

I was told that PP has 60,000 units in the field.  FWIW. I am fortunate that I'm able to ski behind ZO (08 Nautique) and SG (08 Malibu) as well as PP 6.5ng (97 Nautique). My performance tends to track the same behind each. I've come to the conclusion that the differences are more boat related than cruise related. Therefore, I'll keep my old PP 6.5ng system in my 97 SN until such time as the technology (i.e. pull) becomes a liability to my training.  ÂÂÂ

It pains me everytime Horton is right about something - no wing - it has possibilities. Several of us played around with it this past weekend after Dawg had some success. Given that he normally skis Open (36) the "no-wing at 34" makes sense. It is a different sensation and will take some time to get used to but the width at 32 off (didn't cut to 35) was insane! I have to get used to carrying the speed thru the turn but I see some benefit. One interesting note was the "buzz" coming from the fin. Didn't notice it in the course, but outside the course, the fin "buzzed". I could feel it with my back foot. Kinda creepy!ÂÂÂ

I'm certainly not an expert but Skidawg was coaching my daughter on some 28 off technique last night and it was a great tip that I intend to utilize: As you come off the 2nd wake (or thru the white water) try and get your inside hip to the ball first. In other words, going into 1 ball, try and get your left hip to arrive at the buoy first. This will make your ski move under you and cast outward along with keeping your upper body and hips pointing toward shore.  Its just another way of using the "counter-rotation" theme.   This will allow you to take advantage of the speed (and cross course angle) you and your ski have generated. The "knees up" scenario you mention occurs right before the edge change. This is a result of coming thru the wakes. Upon exiting the wakes, you will notice that the skier begins to extend their legs while at the same time bringing their inside hip around in a counter rotation. The action of bringing the ski under you and ultimately outbound creates the delelleration that you seek.  I know I probably missed some things here but the "inside hip to the buoy" visualization is something that clicked.

We have G-10 plates available - same material as the Goode Powershell plate but in a thinner, easier to use version and for less! Can be sent blank, with holes for HO/D3 or any binding combination. Makes moving your bindings from ski to ski effortless. And, you keep your front boot/back boot spacing the same no matter the ski. We can also custom design a plate using any combination of binding manufacturers. G-10 is preferable over aluminum because when it flexes, it doesn't degrade the integrity of the plate. Aluminum will lose tensile strength over time and if it bends, it is impossible to reshape to original. Also, if you use dual loc, it adheres to the G-10 much better than aluminum. We have made binding plates for Fluid Motion bindings, Reflex bindings, RS-1 bindings, HO bindings, Goode Powershells and many more. E-mail me for details. Plates start at $50. Contact jdarwin(at)lakesatcottonwood dot com for details.ÂÂÂ

Nothing - MC, CC and Malibu are all "Official Towboats of USA Water Ski". Acme and OJ and "Official Propellers" of USAWS. For the right price, Carbon Fins can be the "Official Slalom Fin" of USAWS. In this arena, perception is 9/10ths of reality.

I'm constantly amazed by those who somehow extrapolate the performance of a professional's ski/binding/vest/handle/glove/boardshort/whatever over to their own skiing. JT could ski 38 on a boat paddle. So could Andy Mapple. I certainly appreciate the consultative insight the pro skiers put into assisting in the design efforts of the manufacturers but the fact that Skier A ran 41 on Company B's boots, has very little effect on my ability to get thru 38. Bindings and skis are a very personal choice and should be undertaken as such.

So, what are you skiing on these days? 68"?  Seems a bit big - probably why the 67" felt so good. RCX on the way. MS will be in town this weekend tryin his new Monza and taking the RCX for a ride.ÂÂÂ

1. G-10 is much easier to work with from a design and machining standpoint. It's a perfect product for the purpose we are using it for.  I'm not certain that there is a reduction in weight compared to aluminum - depends on quality / thickness of the aluminum plate. 2. Once aluminum is bent it loses a portion (could be significant portion) of its tensile strength.  G-10 can bend and retain its original shape without any degradation of its integrity. 3. Dual loc adheres to the G-10 better than aluminum.

lkb was right. Whatever mode your are in (A,B or C) in the tournament mode, it maintains that mode when you jump to recreational mode. We've left the controls in "Rec" mode for the time being. This allows minor adjustments to the speed once you get to a pass your are having difficulty with.  My only complaint w/ the Rec mode is the lack of posted times. I can only assume that at 34.2 we are within .02 of actual and if 34.0 we are around 17.00. Otherwise, I really like the ease of use that the ZO offers. Once I learn how to adequately navigate around in the system, I'll be more comfortable with it. But for now, I love the "plug and play" ease.

One of my members finally received his 08 Nautique yesterday and by the time I got home he had the system mapped and had skier a few sets with it. I skied behind the boat before driving it so I'll give that impression first. The version in his boat is not the most current and will be updated within a week. He understands the updates impact the jump setting and not slalom. Therefore, the slalom version is what we'll have going forward. I started in the "Recreation" mode so I could dial in a bit slower time. We set the speed to "34.0". The time was 17.00. The pull felt a bit strong for me so we moved to the "Tournament" mode so I could option for A, B or C. The speed was set for 34.2. I choose option "C" for this pass. The pull felt softer but almost too soft. Time was 16.96 but didn't feel any faster than the 17.00 in "Rec" mode. I would assume the "Rec" mode defaults to a setting of "A". Just a hunch. The next pass I opted for setting "B" and it felt great. Again, times were 16.96. Overall, I didn't feel a significant difference from PP Classic to Zero Off. The Stargazer version we have at our site is not upgraded so we have continued to use PP Classic. Driving: This is where I noticed a BIG difference. As stated by some on another forum, the boat does "gas" the skier at certain intervals but as an "old-school" driver, I remember the days of 240hp carbed boats and the "blocking" technique we used to maintain times. The action of the Zero Off was eerily reminiscent of the manual driving days. The boat was very responsive to the pull and release of the skier. To me, this is preferable over the constant or slow response of the current PP version. It allows the skier to release from the boat, maintain a tight line and get in good position out of the ball before the boat recognizes the skier's pull.  I think this was the intended purpose of the PP slalom switch but the result was not as intended. Again, these are all first impressions of the system and we'll be playing around with it further over the weekend but I like what I see/feel so far. We'll have the updated StarGazer version in an 08 Malibu this weekend as well. It will be interesting to hear the feedback regarding the two systems.ÂÂÂ

You can purchase the Goode plate for around $150 or a G-10 plate from me cut to the same spec (less binding pattern holes) for less than $50. The Radar boots will convert easily to this plate and without all of the Goode-specific holes/slots. And since you are not concerned w/ a release spec, I would put two strips of dual loc 400 on the plate matched to two strips of 250 (clear) on the ski.

I have an old washer and dryer - would it be tax deductible?

For me, D3's have always handled rough water conditions the best and still provided good performance. In the end, you want a ski that sits a bit deeper in the water (bevel design) and D3's (especially the X5) have this characteristic.

"Correct Craft doesn't have the logistics worked out on this at all". Surprise, surprise, surprise!! They are notorious for sending out product w/o current updates. My 2005 promo boat came with PP version 5.0! That version was 4 years old at that time.  Thanks for the updates. I'll be in touch.ÂÂÂ