DW

My assumption would be the ski boat market would be less impacted by the economic swings based on the personal use buyer demographic compared to the wake / surf segment. Older audience tending to stick with their chosen passion.

Those should be 13 x 13, that with an M after or an MD after. The standard CVP prop they used was a standard 13 x 13.

@Gale K CVP will be stamped on the hub face.

Assuming the stainless prop would be a CVP, which was OE in the day. There are a few that flung one of the blades off due to the weld at the hub failing.

Unlike the auto industry, the boating industry is allowed to use up stock already on the shop floor. So the implementation date of a new regulation kind of floats. Companies tend to stock up on pre regulatory stuff to delay a cost increase.

@BlueSki - did you check vertical play on the rudder? I’ve felt a notchiness on a couple of boats with vertical play in the rudder. A fix can be a thin stainless washer to remove the play. Also, check all the cable joints and fasteners for play.

+1 on posting links to top level tournaments and sites w/ results. Your site is a go to ski site and it’s nice to simply be able to click to a result site.

@skialex - size 10, standard plate @Horton - for sure the plate is not very stiff in that direction, I was thinking of a way for fun to actually measure it although it does in fact add some lifting force on the front inserts. As much as anything curious if others noticed this as it only is obvious with the boot clipped in as you try to mount the plate. Or compensated for it because if .001" fin change means something then ... 🤣

It's a feature - when you clip the heel down it noses up the toe thus bending the plate (off the ski so plate is free to flex). Thx for comment on ski response effect.

Installing a Supershell 6.0 boot / plate combo on my ski. I shim my plate and in the process verify the plate lays flat either on the ski or on any shims. Typically I install the plate only then clip in the boot. This time I set the plate w/ the boot clipped in and realized as I was checking shim contact the front of the plate was curled up. Popped the boot off and presto, plate was flat. Thus, at 'rest' with a boot clipped in, unless the plate is shimmed for it, there will be an upward force at least on the front attachment points. 1. Does anybody else check this? and 2. Do you shim the plate for zero force with the boot clipped in? There is always the chatter about the flex impact of a boot plate and Reflex does have a solution in the DC binding. @Horton - a back to back test?

Gotta ask, how were the mosquito's at the campsite? 🤣 Glad it did come together, even if past your goal.

Thanks to all the organizers for hosting another excellent demo event providing the opportunity to ski 'Gooder' (you had to be there) equipment, excellent & witty coaching, pizza and being pulled by some MI skier driver who keeps the path under 5 on a great lake. Thx & nice job everybody:-)

My ski tug uses the belt driven Jabsco pump. Had a bearing failure a few years back, locked the pump, the belt started squealing like a castrated pig coupled with a giant cloud of blue smoke billowing from the motor box. That's a slightly more exciting way to stop your raw water intake stream at 36 mph:-)

I have also seen the impeller rubber split along the shaft hub. +1 on replacing once you have it apart, that one will be a nice spare.

@Andre if you do the $ v. sweat & hours trade so you can afford it why not? A new L96 long block is $6k thru Michigan Motorz if needed or by now some will be in a boneyard for a more intensive swap over at an even better price. Trannys do show up on eBay. A concern might be the electronics and replacement cost of that stuff, much harder to find ‘cheap’ solutions if you don’t work for ‘them’ and get a company discount. Good luck.

Good results using AC Delco's in years past, most recent is a Deka going on 9 years (holy crap, didn't realize it was that old!). Usage is ski tractor, no tunes or sitting around with ancillaries going other than blower. Slightly elevated compression ratio & advanced timing and starter is used after / between each ski set. Guess I'll give the Deka a double thumbs up:-) although I should go get a new one. As for moving battery, +1 for a few of reasons, 1 being the 45 lbs moving forward & 2 maybe shorter cables and 3 under the bow seat should be a drier location. I actually moved y battery farther over to port side to help balance. It is 'free' ballast if you want to use it that way.

An observation on the contraction of people water skiing. Competition from easier but 'similar' sports (things done on the same body of water with a boat) such as wakeboarding, surfing, tubing, paddle boarding, jet skiing and droning around in a pontoon siphoning off potential skiers. Basically, things that are easier to do. That is what has happened on our lake, the upcoming potential skiers are not, they do easier things. Perhaps a similar comparison is the growth of pickle ball, it is stealing a lot of the tennis crowd. Why, its not as hard on the body and easier to master at a level one can play with others, you just show up at a court and presto, the opportunity is there.

Not sure one could get away with 'I look at it for the articles' with this thread:-) The youngsters won't get it...

A bit off topic - all my docs waterski:-) Primary, ortho, ophthalmologist, dermatologist 🤣 And they know surgery is only during off season with a focused purpose of getting back on the water / snow and focusing on being / staying active. It may be a niche sport with declining participation although there are strong pockets where access is available to many.

Not one but two identical oil pump failures? Did both engines run 140 kpa oil pressure all the time and at slalom speeds? 800 hours in 2 years is impressive, lots of sets per year!

Limited access, maybe? - on our little lake (a paradise of smooth water:-) in Michigan, access is not an issue. The kids of the parents that have ski boats sitting on a lift simply don't. It's all the 'mature' dads that ski. The kids are off doing something else. The region of Michigan I refer to is unique, lots of small lakes perfect for water sports. Heck, we even have a course that only a couple of boats use, and of course a few bass boats. Most boats are pontoons, that segment growth has been amazing. Access here is not the issue, interest in a challenging & physically demanding activity is. PS: there is not a single 100k boat on this lake. Tournament skiing? - seems like a very different argument than simply recreational skiing, different requirements for success.

This may help 😁 https://www.google.com/search?q=sticky+fingers+scene+from+the+replacements&rlz=1C1CHZN_enUS978US979&oq=sticky+fingers+scene+from+the+replacements&aqs=chrome..69i57.9041j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:8a5b705f,vid:QE4DHCz9brQ

Where can one find a results sheet for the events?

Before a significant load is applied to the propulsion unit, a few areas that are sensitive - filling lifters & lifter bores, cylinder walls & piston skirts and bearings. Also, cheaper oil filters are not as robust when hit by cold high pressure oil. To the OP, I like to warm things up before the skier says hit it, my indicator is when the oil pressure starts to drop off the cold start up level, at that point I know everything has lubrication. But - when the old one lap qualifying session was in effect in NASCAR, best power is with a cold air-fuel mixture so the teams pumped cold water through the engine just before the car went on the track and had the radiator covered so by the end of the lap it would be overheating and blowing steam out the vent. Note: these engines were specially built to handle it, so don't do this at home:-) On the flip side, there was an extensive start up routine (which included heating the oil) on the road race IMSA / Indy engines. The teams can't start the engines without a manufacturer tech monitoring the engine start up.