Director Darwin

John's carbon fins are too thick to fit thru the ski - as are most others. I understand that the thin fin and its accompanying flex were part of the entire design process. Therefore, I would not be too concerned. I did replace the stock wing w/ a Goode wing and put it at 8 degrees. Has worked well so far.

Marco:  The length setting in the book is using jaws (Goode method). Schnitz worked w/ Fischer originally on the design and set up. That would explain why the numbers are the same as stock Goode numbers. The conversion to tips is 6.994. Those numbers work very well. My bindings were at 29.75 while I was getting used to the ski and running 28's. Now that I've begun cutting the rope, I've moved back to 29.5". I may split the difference to see what impact that makes. I use Powershells and can move the bindings 1/16th of an inch per movement. If you are using the inserts, they are 3/8" apart.

I am Ski Test Guy's assistant, Mugsy.........Actually, I'm a M4 skier from Louisiana. Lifetime skier. Get into 38 when the moon's aligned right or the boat times are slow. Touney PB is 2 @ 38. Used to trick and jump in my younger (dumber) days. Developed a lake / subdivision in my neck of the woods. 2 daughters who ski (better than me) and am surrounded by individuals who are great skiers. My ski of choice is subject to change. At present, I'm on a Fischer Yellow. My trusty 'ole Goode 9500 is still hangin' in the garage awaiting the day I realize how much I miss it. And, that day will come. Was on Nautique's promo team for 15 years and then re-purchased my 1997 boat, retired and never looked back. Chairman of SCR Junior Development since 1999. My day jobs are transportation management and real estate partnerships. Leaves just enough time for me to increase my buoy count by 1/2 each season. Enjoy the sport of waterskiing due to the people I've come to know. Without the social component, this would be one boring / frustrating sport!  jhd

Yeah - old and stiff - that's what I meant by "compressed".  Gotta work on flexibility.  JTH, I don't "look" anywhere but at the back of boat during the pull out phase. It is so hard and short that visuals don't work for me. I load the ski, swing the handle in front of me and then release. All of these steps occur in what seems a simultaneous fashion.  One thing that skidawg has emphasized w/ me is not to bend my knees when initiating the pull out - just lean over to the left. This keeps me from falling back on the ski.  Again, it takes some time to perfect. I would disagree that a "screwed up Marcus gate" is better than the traditional method. There are still plenty of great skiers utilizing the two handed gate. No one approach is universally good for all.

I've been playing around w/ the help of skidawg. Still not 100% comfortable with it. I'm not sure if I'm compressed enough of a skier to do it properly. If I can't work it out within the next week, I'll put it off until fall and begin again.ÂÂÂÂ

I had the same problem (head gasket) and once replaced, could never get more than 126 psi in the cylinder. The compression ring had stuck. Do yourself a favor, have the block checked and rebuilt - have the heads tested as well. If it all checks out, do a complete rebuild. Otherwise, get a long block and replace. I chased around this problem for 6 months before ordering a reman long block and dropping it in.ÂÂÂÂ

I'm bringing some information over from the old forum and providing some insight now that I've spent a couple of months on the ski: My 68" Yellow's flex numbers are: 79 111 134 150 I began with the following fin settings (using jaws) 6.994 / 2.499 / .682 - 9 deg wing Powershells set @ 29.5" These are stock numbers per Fischer I've moved the bindings forward to 29.75" - better at 28 off but not for 32 and beyond.  29.5" is much further back than any Goode (or other ski) I've skied. Next, I'll go to 8 deg of wing (feels somewhat better). Replaced the flimsy original wing w/ a Goode wing which is a bit larger. The 8 deg of wing feels about right. Jodi's recommended setting for Yellow - using tips 6.998 / 2.455 / .640 - 9 deg wing Update: I overheard an interesting conversation between a close friend and a professional skier who is sponsored by a well-known ski manufacturer.  He stated that his sponsor acquired a Fischer for research purposes and determined it had the most consistent torsional flex of any ski they had seen. Although I'm not an engineer or carbon fiber expert, the fit and finish of the ski is second to none and the consistency of the turns on both sides would make me believe that Fischer is doing something different (better) than anyone else. This just confirmed my belief in the product. When asked by friends to describe the ski I state that it may not be the fastest ski I've ridden (but VERY close), the best turning (could be), the most stable (not quite), the best carry-out (real close), the most predictable (but may be), but it does all of these things REALLY well and does nothing stupid!  It is as quick as the 9800, turns as well as any D3 I've ridden, about as stable as the 9800/D3 but carry's out much better than the Nomad. The ski always feels in control whether I am or not - it's always with me in the course. I've been searching for years for a ski that would replace my 9500 (speed yet better turning capabilities). I think this ski fits the bill entirely. Another friend was at Chet Raley's for a week recently and was told by one of the pro's who rides another brand to "get a Fischer - you won't be sorry".  The brand is getting strong support among skiers everywhere even those who are paid to ski on another brand.ÂÂÂÂ