DW

Ski friends have said same, sure path has improved the driving from out of tolerance to in tolerance.  Example of technology providing a nice benefit, and yet not taking the task away from the human.  Thus, simply improving human skillset.  Win-Win.

@Than_Bogan - a good ear and a hammer 😆

Very hard to do but rebound could be measured by video at a very high frequency capture rate, akin to hitting a tuning fork.  I do feel a torsion test would be of value , it is a standard in the automotive motorsports environment.  The one test I found to work, have two skis setup exactly the same (a known good or new one & the one in question) and go ski the course.  The experiment I was able to run using this technique left me feeling that the one in question seemed to have a slip angle or downcourse slide (did not hold edge as well) across the wakes.  For me personally, I could not tell or feel if the turn radius had changed although I felt the start point of going cross course was still the same.  In this case I was really lucky as I had two skis from the very same batch or born by date to give me more confidence of a valid test.

McMaster Carr sells the full spectrum of screws in bulk.  A dab of anti seize during installation will help the corrosion issue but handle carefully.  I’ve had luck cleaning with brake clean or carb cleaner (can with a dip bin so you can let them soak in the solution).

@swbca - until you change the title, not important as 'average' will quickly become 'ex'.  For most, you should not be the instructor, find someone else she will listen to.  That should lead to a good result.  As an observation, transitioning drivers from reactionary to proactive is a key to having a great pull, although that takes a lot of repetitions.

@tjs1295 - perhaps direct from GM supply may diminish although currently there is a huge aftermarket supply base to provide any SBC variant.  In the case of repowering old boats, the hot rod industry could be the savior as that demand is high and keeps the crate engine business going.

If you still want one (6.0) you will need access to alternative fuels:

https://poweredsolutions.gm.com/products/6l-lc8/

As Jody notes, the mfg's (boat) do rat hole stuff when things are discontinued or regulation changes are imminent.  With any GM V8 power unit there tends to be a large aftermarket supplier base.  One can ground up build a Gen 1 SBC from aftermarket parts in almost an infinite number of power and displacement levels.

@tru-jack - it was noted that Mikaela picked a ski outside her allotment for a specific discipline, it was from one of her competitor / Atomic teammates stash.

In addition to the characteristics noted for a ski degrading, fin box stiffness or degradation / change will also have a significant effect on ski performance.  JTH - at the elite motorsport level, specifically F1/Indycar etc.  the tolerances are down to thousandths for numerous measurements (shocks, aero, ground clearance).  Relating to skis, numerous stories of a team / driver changing the chassis to fix a recalcitrant car.  I've experienced that very thing in a formula car.  Or maybe no matter what the sport, humans simply whine about something and yes sometimes its mental. 

@aupatking - your problem is obvious, the cure is to send me a few of those skis.  That should cut back on ‘choosing stress’ so you can focus on skiing 😂

@jcamp - how would you create the value and/or incentive for that concept in this sport.  How would the ‘sponsors’ benefit / profit given the niche nature of the sport?

@coledimich - look on the bright side, they should all be leaving now 🤣

Can anybody provide any insight as to some redeeming value to these hideous creatures?  And could we send them back to their namesake country (yep, Canada, LOL).

Wouldn't an 'independent ski test' be entertaining on that batch of skis, of course organized by Horton and the video narrated by Marley.  Sign me up.

Inevitably there is always a stretch of perfectly smooth water, full sunshine and mid summer temperatures within a week of pulling out the course / boat / lift ...

3 hours ago, Mastercrafter said:

I'm amazed we can't just get someone from ZO / E-controls to hop in here and tell us what's up. Are we really force fed a speed control system and left with only speculation / best guess as to how it all works? Will we ever know if Rec Mode gives you the same gates as tournament mode? What does + actually change? ZO just states "more responsive pull".. but what is that? Quicker increase in engine RPM? Does mapping only affect gates?

Unfortunately when a company has a monopoly there is no incentive to allocate any resources for customer support.  Even more so when you can count the inquisitive ones on one hand.  Ironically, I recall getting the actual program tables from the Accuski guys for both learning and allowing the customer to do their own programming.

Thank goodness the boat manufacturers actually sponsor an athlete, they certainly don't profit from it.  Kudo's to them for doing it and showing their passion towards the athletes.

Thanks to TWBC for all the hard work and bringing world class skiing for our viewing pleasure.  It is cool to see the athletes in action and also get some skier & equipment data posted on screen.

Curious - was this year typical for the high number of razor thin differences or a mistake of inches costing a potential podium?  Made each run critical to ensure the backup score was better than your opponent.

On 10/16/2023 at 7:54 PM, Horton said:

would have been interesting to see with sure path as I think a good driver can fool it some

There may or may not be a lot in that statement.  It would be really interesting to have more insight on the thinking of an expert driver that has understanding of how one would exploit the loopholes/limits/function within the system.  

Don’t think his run qualifies for being ‘light on the line’.  Nice work!

This site has a good list of exhaust manifold suppliers:  https://www.cpperformance.com/c-9-exhaust-systems.aspx

Stainless Marine.  One of several source options.  Ford stuff will be harder to find.  Not all have O2 bungs, particularly for older engines since your pondering that option.

On an SBC the weight savings via a full aluminum build = 275#, that includes block, heads, intake & exhaust manifolds, engine water pump, flywheel, t-stat housing, misc brackets, removing extraneous hardware.  Better pistons / rods can also reduce some rotating mass.  In addition to engine, trans weight can also be a target depending on what trans the boat has.

@Scott Russell - there is also a lot you can do on the boat side to improve the wake via weight savings and moving the CG forward.  It is a fun project, very rewarding results.  A lightweight, snappy ski boat is a blast to drive and as I noted can still track or even improve the tracking.  Good source information will also be the brand specific forums as that is where resto mod boats will most likely be a topic.

1 hour ago, BraceMaker said:

@DW issue with that is the best time to install an EFI is right after you make sure its running perfectly on a carb, not when you're having running concerns.

If you cannot make your boat run on its carb its not going to run well on aftermarket EFI.

From my reads that assumption is not 100% correct given several commented going back to carb resulted in boat running great.  All I was trying to point out, the swap may not go as planned given some data posted.   Pretty sure most are not ASE certified either so there is that.

Scott, as many have posted to end up with ZO it takes the econtrols ECU to be compatible with the ZO system.  ZO and PP Stargazer do use GPS as the throttle control strategy, the older PP system used engine speed to control the throttle position.

As for the EFI question separated from ZO, ski boat owners that has tried and posted about an EFI conversion (mostly all trying the Sniper) have given up over not getting it to work.  Maybe it's just those that posted and there are several running around but I have not seen a single conversion post that ended in a happy marriage.  Given your expertise a carb should be fine and you have a few options, typically a Holley or Weber (which is same as Carter AFB or Edelbrock).  Just don't run one too lean, marine engines run richer to stay alive as they are always under load. (and that may be the issue on an EFI conversion, the O2 signal / existing calibration really does not richen the mixture enough, IDK).  

As for an older boat, no question they can be improved.  Removing weight, relocation key components to move the CG forward will improve the wake along with some hull enhancements to correct the deficiencies of any of the specific hulls (side spray on an older Prostar as an example).  Moving CG forward counters an aggressive weight reduction program and in my example project improved the tracking.

A quick read of your thread, you have to decide what is your priority in your hobby, we can easily help you spend money.  From what I read you are looking at two paths   1. build a really nice older ski boat that exceeds the original 240 hp performance level and has a functional speed control or    2. spend a fair chunk of change to end up with a ZO speed control boat either new hull or old.  For item 1, an SBC can easily be build in the 385-400 hp range that offers plenty of torque and drivability to pull up a skier, boarder or footer.  Marine cam or torquey truck cam is what you should settle on.

@UWSkier - the only thing that should rub or wear on a drysuit in Arizona would be the marks from the hanger in the closet …

@BGrow76 - interesting feedback, my thought was the water getting in thru the neck as that part does not seal tight for me.  I will have to pay more attention next time to compare notes.  Wearing it today was a mistake, more like I was in a broiler even at 64 degree water!  Amazing how warm these things are.