skibug

I opened this discussion topic because I am on a 68" RC; so, I am not sure if my numbers will translate. Not to highjack this thread; but..........I am very interested in feedback on StarGazer. What kind of boat are you skiing behind? Can you adjust the pull timing (i.e. like the KX setting with normal PP)? I am assuming you ( or whoever owns the boat) has an inside track on the product; because, when I emailed and called PP, they tell me I can't purchase anything until their product release in the February time frame.

I agree with you about the slanderous comments and the anonymous bomb dropping. I am not one to condone that type of behavior. However I do look to ski forum(s), this one in particular, to allow the honest exchange of information, industry news, and events. In a constructive way, I would always like to know where the character of a man or company I am dealing with stands. So as far as service and/or product related inforamtion, good or bad, I would hope we could talk openly here and solicit other members for their valuable input.  I appreciate your efforts in keeping this site a one of intergrity and solid ethics. Let's hope it can bleed over to some other sites that may need a dose.ÂÂÂÂ

Not to belabor a really touchy subject; but, I can tell you from first hand accounts that Ed Neill holds Radar and Andy Mapple accountable for the horrible incident. I ski on one of Ed's lakes, in North Carolina, that he leases to our club. On the starting/boat launch dock, he has a sign posted that says "NO RADAR SKIS ALLOWED" and trust me, it is not meant as a joke. As a coincidence, two of our members had skis break this year and luckily there were no injuries that occurred. Both of them were in 2005 model year skis. One was an HO Monza; the other was a D3 X5. The two ski companies, HO and D3, handled it 180 degrees opposite of one another. I will let you guess on which company handled it which way; but one company gave my ski buddy #1 a brand new 2007 or 2008 model and the other company basically told ski buddy #2, using an appropriate cliché, "go jump in the lake!". Ski buddy #2 was even willing to buy a new ski from the company if they would have given him the "Nationals" pricing and the ski company wouldn't even do that. Now ski buddy #2 is skiing on a ski made by the same company as ski buddy #1. Unfortunately, I have a ski made by the same company as ski buddy #2.  The moral of the whole story is acknowledgement of accountability. The ski Ed was on was still a semi-prototype. Radar changed their construction techniques somewhere in that time frame from what I am told. We all assume risk with this very aggressive sport; but, it is a slap in the face when someone doesn't acknowledge that they made an error, intentional or not. As far as skis breaking, for some reason all the companies quote a general failure rate of 1% - 2%. If that is true, then why wouldn't they take care of those 1% - 2% to ensure return customers; as well as, premotion of that act by word of mouth.  When I purchase my next ski, in a year, I will be ready to spend $1000 - $1500; and, I will probably won't consider a company that won't stand behind their product.  As for which company above handled the identical situation which way.....if anyone wants to know......just ask me. ÂÂÂÂ

Passing on some information about Mastercraft Pro Waterski Tour Stops. Slalom skiers only There will be 5 Pro OM,OW,Pro salom events in 2008, 4 of these will have a M/M event with a $5,000 minimum May 30,31 June 1st Whitestone Lake Estates Talking Rock Ga. (OM,OW,M/M slalom) June 20-22 Lake Jepawhit Fenton,Michigan (OM,OW,M/M slalom) June 27-29 Emerald Lake, Akron, Ohio (OM,OW slalom OM Jump no M/M) August 29-31 Mirror Lake Catawba NC (OM,OW,M/M slalom) September 19-21 Diablo Shores Elk Grove, California (OM,OW,M/M slalom) Lots of Pro and amateur events for the coming year Thanks Dana Reed - Pro Slalom Events,LLC

I can agree that skis do breakdown and that the time it takes is not a definite science; but, for the average joe I can't see a frequency greater than 2 years. That is based on the fact that most of us are not given skis for free; so, a new ski every year hardly seems realistic at $1000 a pop. Also, why couldn't you measure the flex after each year and determine how much has been lost? If the machine flexes it the same after two years, why change?

I have heard from some pretty credible sources that you should only stay with a ski for 2 seasons. So now I have to figure in about $500.00 a year into my ski budget so I can be on a new stick every 2. Do you think that the manufactures actually cycle test skis to failure; or, do they just computer model the postulated failure? Maybe they do niether.

Isn't the Heel Side considered the "Good Side"? I am RFF and 2-4 ball are my strong turns. Toe Side has your back leg working against body; or across your body, however you want to look at it.ÂÂÂÂ

From what I understand, talking to the PP technical rep, the upgrade can be made for $400.00; but, you need a multi line display module. If you don't have one, you will also need to buy that item ($200). All in all, I think it is GREAT!! I have a 2003 Response LX and I plan on getting SG when it is available. I think that PP really understands the market and listens to what the skiers want. As late as this fall, talking with someone who knows the ZO people, early indications are they probably won’t have a retro fit for boats that aren’t DBW, or at least it wasn’t a priority for any near term deployment. That really limits your exposure to the market. Especially since PP is the standard. Another tid bit I learned from talking to the PP rep is that the way SG works is that you calibrate it off of the GPS; but, it isn’t a continual speed tracking system like ZO. At least that is the way I understood the explanation. It doesn’t rely on constant updating from a satellite. You do have to have 2 magnets, one at both ends on the entrance gates. So once you calibrate, the system adjusts based on RPM and not MPH.  I am not sure if I entirely understand how it works; but, it can’t defy the laws of Physics; so, it has to be based on the formula “velocity = distances * timeâ€ÂÂÂ.  Either way, as a PP owner, I am excited to see how well it works; and, how easy (or difficult) the retro fit will be.

I too have skied behing Zero Off and I do agree that it is a good product; but, PP is coming out with their answer to the Zero Off GPS. It is a GPS system of their own. They tell me that they have been testing it and the comments have been positive. They are due to release it in February of 2008. I was just wondering if anyone on this site has been fortunate enough to been one of the test participants; or, if anyone has any inside information/connections at PP.ÂÂÂÂ

Anybody have any additional info on the new PP GPS system. I have attached a link to their brochure. http://www.perfectpass.com/download/stargazer.pdf It is their answer to the Zero Off. Additionally it gives those that don't have a DBW boat an option as it will work as an upgrade to PP digital pro. Any comments or insight??

 SORRY, ACCIDENTALLY POSTED IN THIS FORUM....MOVED TOPIC IN "OTHER STUFF" Reference PerfectPass GPS system.

I have a comment and a few questions on this discussion. In regards to binding placement, all the emphasis seems to be on front binding placement. If I remember correctly, front binding movements tend to affect your off side turns. So, does this mean that, in general, the warmer water temps tend to affect skiers' off side turns?? Do we tend to disregard our strong side turns because we can overcompensate/overcome little inconsistancies?? I guess what I am hunting is; when is it a good idea to move both bindings in together, forward or back?

You can go to their website and see the details. I would only recommend it if you are definitely going to buy a ski in the near future. The way it works is that you pretty much commit to buying a ski from them buy putting down $400; and, you can try as many skis as they have. They ship them to you one at a time and you can ride them for a couple of weeks until you find the one you like. If you don't find one that you like, they will charge you about $40 per ski that you had tried plus shipping.

If you are going to go the DEMO route; which is what I did and I highy suggest it, H2Osmosis @ Trophy Lakes has a pretty good program.

I have skied the 2007 Connelly F1, D3 X5, and the Nomad RC. You can't go wrong with either of the D3 skis. I like the F1; but, I liked the D3's better. The F1 is very stiff and less forgiving if it is not set up correctly.  There is a thread under this category titled "D3 Nomad RC" which gives some insight on that ski. ÂÂÂÂ

1. Don't know??? 2. I heard rumors that they are.... 3. see # 1 4. They are supposed to be coming out with one, not sure how it is going to work 5. see #1 & #3 Does anyone know if Jamie Bueaschene (sp?) was behind PP or ZO at when he set the record a couple of weeks ago??ÂÂÂÂ

From a technique standpoint; when I start breaking at the waist because I am getting tired or skiing lazy, I concentrate more on my counter rotation which slows the turn down and gets the ski out in front. Then it is just a matter of staying in the strong position. Yeh right.......easier said then done. This is just what seems to work for me.

I have been behind a boat with ZO (Trophy Lakes). In my opinion it was actually a more consistant and softer pull then my PP; but, not enough to make me go out and make the $1200.00 investment, when the PP works just fine. That's just my two cents. I ski with 2 proffessional drivers, one being Dana Reid, and they both say the ZO will take over all tournament sites.

Take note of the KX setting of the perfect pass. The default is a "Normal" read out on the LCD. Try setting the KX on the perfect to a "-" or "--". This delays the reaction of the perfect pass so that the rpms pick up slower when the boat gets a load. It should  feel a like a softer pull. You can play with it. It can make a difference boat to boat.

I got my 68" RC 2 weeks ago. I am 35yrs old, 5'6" @ 200 pounds. I typically run 50% of my 28' off passes-34 mph. I achieved a personal best this weekend with the new RC with 2 @ 32' off. I rode the new 68.5" X5 down at Trophy Lakes last month. The ski was great right off the dock. Rock solid in the turns and behind the boat. I had them send me the Nomad RC so I could ski it at our club lake and compare the two. The RC is definitely faster, rides higher, and is less work to ski on. I found it a little more tempermental in the turns; but, nothing that a little better form didn't take care of. I alomost think that was a benefit as it forced me to concentrate a little more on my technique. The benifits do come with a little squirliness; but, personnally I believe that it is a "no brainer" trade off. I have made A LOT of adjustments to the ski in that short two week period and the have all been in the right direction. Contrary to the numbers stated in the begining of this thread, I found that the factory settings didn't work as well for me. I too am working with H2Osmosis and another well conected and knowledgable individual for the set up I am running.  My thoughts are this is a good thing relative to the versatility and usability of the ski.  Currently I am running my front binding (HO Superfeet) at 30.125" Fin length = 6.841" Depth = 2.495" DFT (Flats not stem) = 0.0760" I do agree with the other comments by jdarwin, especially the part on the ski's ability to allow you to scramble and catch up when you need to. You can turn it as hard as you want and bury the edge and you aren't waiting on it, it's already ahead of you and making up width. I am very very happy with the ski and echo the comments that the ski really rocks!!!