DW

@Justin - in your search for a cheaper ski tug, and not sure of budget / years of interest, "off brands" that have excellent slalom reviews include: Centurion Carbon Pro, Gekko's and if looking at older options Centurions, MB's are considered good ski tugs. BOS members can provide good info on their favorite options. Happy hunting.

@2Valve - what did you use to determine speed, most easily available instruments have a fair amount of lag.

A check valve tends to trip at a certain pressure so one would expect your idle pressure to have remained constant rather than an upward shift, and only the higher speed pressure to have changed. Seems more like a signal issue from the sensor or there is molasses in the oil pan. Jody is pointing you in the right direction, an alternate pressure reading.

A possible solution: FSAE has a design & compete competition, entrants are from Universities around the globe with ~120-150 schools participating in the competition, which is to design a formula race car and then compete in a variety of events. A particular University turned down the proposal made by a student of that school to have an entry at this years competition. His ingenious solution as he was a transfer student was to ask his Community College if he could form a team and have the Community College represent them. "sure no problem". Students were from both schools on the team. Fast forward to the competition and they finished 20th out of 120+ entries beating several top notch Universities from around the US and world, damn impressive. We gave them the creative idea of the event. So maybe if ISU stands as a firm no, a transfer student could petition his CC to be the umbrella. Best of luck finding a solution to keep the team going.

Curious on how this one compares to the 9970cc.

+1

Awesome! There’s hope for the 60’s crowd yet based on those posting here.

My best suggestion particularly as you are looking during ski season, ski and foot any boat you are considering. One item not noted, 91-94 MC PS has significant chine spray at short line, it hits you in all the wrong spots. Parts for Fords are harder to find than the ubiquitous small block Chevy. Happy hunting.

Curious as to why entry was so small? Was it invite only, limited to 1 per country, not many counties invited, or some iwwf scoring scenario dictating the entry. Congrats to the winners.

The website link under Superior Handling states: Paired with the new hull rails and a sleek yet sophisticated helm featuring a 10” touchscreen, the ProStar offers the best ski boat driving experience on the water. Are there hull changes for the '23 or is that simply a carryover from '22? Interestingly the specs on the website have it at 5,800 # & 23'!

Met Daron Rahlves at the Baja 1000 several years ago, he raced a motorcycle in the event. Super nice guy.

The other changing variable between static and dynamic is wetted surface area along with lift force of water flow across the lifting chines. After consulting numerous differential equation solutions, filling a notebook with CFD analysis the answer is … run the experiment ???

Nice work, awesome restoration. I would be curious to know what it tips the scales at when in full dress.

@chrislandy - may be irrelevant but when I have driven my tendency is not to push the throttle very far past the engagement point. The system(s) hold speed just fine with that procedure. Boats include both MC & CC's equipped with ZO.

You should be able to “borrow” a radiator pressure tester from an auto parts store if the tank uses a typical radiator cap. If a head gasket is suspect a leak down test would blow bubbles in the tank.

@Gloersen - says a BOS slalom addicted skier … ??

You should be able to compare the remote filter block to the oil filter engine block adapter hose fitting locations if you don’t get any feedback.

I eagerly awaited the "Annual Watersports Issue" of said Waterski Mag replacement "Boating" to read about '4 Great Tow Tubes Tested' If only I could grant it a Panda! And could Todd R do a swerve video for that (for those not in the know, You Tube edged in water and swerve).

@E_T - phone home, your pandas want to talk to you.

It is a shame that the Super Bowl of 3 event skiing is not either popular enough, exciting or compelling to be broadcast on a more mainstream, popular channel (whether streaming, cable or whatever).

The oil in the pan is below all the parts that spin therefore an empty oil pan is not much different from one with 4 quarts of oil in it. The amount of 'pre lube' for your situation is no different than if there was oil in the pan. As noted if you do want to be cautious, follow Jody Seal's suggestion or at minimum pull the coil wire to spin it over. It is important to have oil in the filter before you start it up.

I used 3M-400L insulation. Works well so far, very light and easy to work with. It is available in multiple thickness depending on your need. Attached with 3M 90 spray adhesive, seamed with cloth electrical tape.

It is very common to have to pump the throttle a couple of times on a cold start. On a hot start the tendency is a need for more air so knob pulled and a slight crack of the throttle to allow a nice start. If that cures the start issue, it is carb related and usually is. A weak electrical spark will exacerbate the problem so yes a tune up might help. How old is the coil, that can be part of a weak electrical system.

@kirkbauer - congrats on livin' the dream. As for deep water starts, I have seen success moving people to clincher style gloves, so may be worth a try. Success with heavier folks and lighter skier with limited grip capability. As for throttle ups I was recently on a Prostar and the driver struggled with providing a slow throttle up due to the sensitivity of the throttle itself. It was difficult for the driver to slowly modulate the throttle as it has a short throw and a long dwell of travel prior to actual throttle plate opening. No idea if yours is similar or if others are the same, just an observation of this particular boat. Good luck.