Boody

I have the same findings as Scoke, I ramped down the "pregate" to almost nothing and I still get 34.7 - 34.9, every time. The skier pulls it down to 34.2 on the pull out, but the boat takes off in the glide. SG is way to slow to react and causes and yoyo effect all the way thru the course. And it doesn't care if you are in the pull or in the turn, it will compensate whenever it gets around to it. I wish ZO was available for our 2005 Nautique.ÂÂ

I was talking to Terry Winter about this same subject shortly after he went to the Connelly. He brought up a good point, the heavier ski will handle the chop and rollers much better. He said he felt confident when the wind came up that his ski was going to stay in the water. He came by and skied at our lake a little while ago and I saw he was on the same Connelly he has had since the beginning. Let me tell you, this thing is banged, scratched, gouged, all over the place. Makes you wonder if skis really do break down and if the scratches and gouges matter. Find a ski and stick with it, something I have a problem with.ÂÂ

Thanks, email sent.

Sweet, I actually don't know what a "redim" shape is? I will probably go with a std. What flex is it? I ski 34 mph, consistent -35, but not 38. thx

I am looking for a carbon fin for my HO A1, if anyone has one for sale, please let me know.  Thanks

I've been on FMs for several years now, but I have come to the realization that you don't "need" a hardshell rear boot. I am also seeing lots of folks on the Reflex and am now curious about them. What hardshells are people using on this forum, what are the most popular rubber bindings for the rear?

Matt, you hit the nail on the head, that is the primary concept I have been working on since I saw Bruce Butterfield post something similar on this forum. It really works and greatly increases consistency. I just think, "Center mass leads" and good things happen.

Kudos to both Mastercraft and HO. Both companies are on the forefront of adverstising, signing people and promoting our sport. I have always been a D3 / Nautique guy, but I love what Mastercraft and HO are doing.

I have always wondered if Kristi's record was legit, because it was before any type of speed control. Her record held for so long, it maded me suspicous. But, nice to see Karina throwing up a great score. She is the real deal, no question!

To my knowledge the ski Marcus was riding was a custom Nomad. I saw it and noticed it had a 4" strip of grey down the length of the ski, indicating he obviously modified the ski. At Diablo, they were announcing it as a "wide ride", which makes sense. Not sure if this is something D3 plans on doing in the future or what.

In reviewing the below rule regarding having slack, I still have some questions. Does this essentially mean that if you have slack, ski back to the boat guides, take the hit, but hang on you still only get 1/2? Even if you ski away? If thats the case, it makes it too subjective for the judges to interpret how much slack is too much. They should just make is so if you ski away, you get the bouy, if you don't, you get a 1/2.  Am I interpreting this wrong? “1 point when the skier has crossed the line of the gate buoys before passing the level of the next buoy (or the end gate in the case of the final buoy) with a tight line under the power of the boat without falling.â€ÂÂThere is no reason to break your back or hurt the boat crew if you end up inside the first set of boat guides with a slack line. It will only be scored a ½.There is a slight difference in the wording of the rule between AWSA and IWSF, but the intent is to be the same. IWSF rules apply for class L and R events, which are run according to “world†rules. Following is the Official Interpretation of this: There are no differences between AWSA and IWSF. To receive credit for a full buoy score all of the following must occur: The skier must cross the near boat guide buoy line The skier must have a tight line while crossing the boat guide buoy line The skier must be under the power of the boat (IE being towed by the boat) when crossing the boat guide buoy line The above is true for all buoys except that for six ball, where the skier is permitted to have slack going through the exit gates. If the skier skies away then they may continue. If the skier does not ski away, the turn ends and the skier scores 6 provided they went through the exit gates with or without a slack lineÂÂÂ

I am not seeing the problem with the new version of Zero Off. I have been skiing tournaments like crazy this year and have not seen nor heard of people skiing poorly or below their average. Yes, the MC with ZO is intimidating and feels a bit hard, people are still skiing well.  I skied behind an 09 Ski Nautique with Zero Off this weekend at a tournament and thought it felt great. I skied above my average and several others got PBs. I saw a M4 skier run 38 off for the first time getting 2 at 39, it was awesome.

I agree with Horton's review. I have been watching this ski for several weeks now and have always thought there was something to it. While I love my RCX, I just had to try the A-1. After missing my 35 on two consecutive rounds at a tournament this weekend, I told Greg Badal to hook me up with an A-1. On the third and last round of the tournament, I tried the A-1 and stroked 35, with only one practice set under my belt.  The ski felt great, I don't have as many sets as Horton, but I am already a believer. I hope this is what gets me thru 38.  ÂÂÂ

Sweet pic, I will get my A1 this weekend, but I want a carbon fin. I have a carbon fin on my RCX, can I make this work on the A1?

Sweet, skiing above your average, it must work. Everyone I have talked to has nothing but great things to say about it. My wife demo'd one and skied awesome, got into 32 off on the first ride, which is her average. I ordered her one, but she separated her shoulder before it got here, so its sitting her for her when she gets healed. I will also be getting one soon from Greg Badal, looking forward to it, even though I am loving my RCX, but heck, its only money. Keep us posted as you ski on it more.

Yes, its too big, especially when you get into 35 and 38. You will perform better with your 66 at your weight. The RCX probably feels good because its a better ski than the RC.ÂÂÂ

MS, how did it go? I have one on the way, I can't believe it because I like my RCX which is still practically new. But I am hoping this is going to the secret that gets me thru 38 off! I am hearing only great things about this ski, but are there any cons?

I skied on the RS-1s for about one month and yes, if you wear them loose and they are safer, but not as safe as others. Problem is, myself and many others don't ski well with loose bindings. So your safety rests soley on how tight you happen to snug them down? No thanks. I can snug down my FMs as much as I want and there is very little risk of injury. I understand if some feel they perform well, but to argue they are safe is somewhat silly. Regular rubber bindings are safer in my opinion.  My ski club primarily uses FMs and after four year with 8 skiers running them, I have not seen an injury yet.ÂÂÂ

I have skied the SG and ZO in several tournaments and I can say SG is a little more forgiving. I don't think it skis 4-6 balls behind your average, unless you are practicing at 17.09. Most of the tournament skiers are preferring SG when given a choice. I have seen a few boats this year that has both systems and you can choose.  I have not heard anything negative about the systems, other than nobody knows what A,B,C means on the ZO, and everyone has an opinion about it. You need to remember that tournament drivers may not always err on your side. In a stiff tail wind, you can get burned, making it very difficult. Where ZO or SG will give you a perfect ride with a head or tail wind. Its one less thing you have to worry about. In fact, I judged in the boat recently with PP classic and the driver was giving lots of 92s and 91s.

We have private lake that is only two years old. The shores are sloped 12 to 1. Lately, one particular section of shore developed a 2-3" shelf from last years vegetation. This is causing a small backwash problem. The soil is mostly black sticky clay. I need to do two things: 1) Knock down the shelf and 2) Put some type of rock or sand on the shores to keep it from eroding. Is there any type of equipment that I can use to knock down the shelf, something I can attach to a tractor? I would like to do sand, but I am not conviced it will hold, but may give it a try. Anyone have experience with sand? If not, what type of rock is ideal, and perhaps something that you can walk on for tournament purposes. Thanks. Mike

I have 7 sets on my RCX and really like it. I came off the RC, but I was supprised how different the RCX was. The ski turns better and holds the angle.  The speed is the same as my RC. The tip stays down amazingly well.  I had the best practice score so far this year after just three sets, its a keeper. On of my ski buddys with an open rating just got one and he loves it as well. He came off the Monza and described the RCX as being stable yet fast. He said he feels he knows exactly what to expect with this ski.

I tried the RS-1s in hopes they would be an upgrade from the FMs, which I mentioned are somewhat heavy. The Radars are light. While the buckles on the FMs may catch, I am not convinced they truly hinder my skiing. I guess I tried them hoping they would be the magical missing link to make me ski better :)

My wing angle is 8, but I went back to the FMs and the tip rise has gone away. The tip rise problem was only with the Radars, heck, who knows, I am just glad its gone.  When I tightened the laces down, it was much better, but not being able to release is too dangerous in my opinion. Even tightened down, it is still possible for one to come out and one stay in.  At least now I can push the limit and not worry as much about the release, its just one thing I no longer have to think about, the FMs will always release.

There is nothing "hard" in the front of the boots, which are secured by elastic laces over the liners. Other hardshells have a buckle so when you rock your knees / legs forward the forward motion of your shins is inputed to the ski. However, you can cinch the upper laces down further, which I liked but I couldn't release as easily.  I felt the Radars were more like rubber bindings in the front, too soft for me. However, the lateral and rear support was quite stiff. This is my theory with lack of tip pressure going into the bouy and tip rise at the end of the turn, but its just a theory.

Sure Brent, The pros are comfort, weight, and speed. I felt the edge changes were quicker due to the light weight and the ski carried good speed thru the turns because the sleek design. The buckles on my FMs tend to drag a bit and slow me down, so I could feel a difference with the Radars. A con for me was the lack of tip pressure. I feel because of the open front design, I could not get as much pressure on the front of the ski, like I did my FMs. Also I had a problem with keeping the tip of the ski down at the end of the turn. I tried mulitple binding placements and fin adjustments and could not get it fixed. I have discussed this with others, but I have no one else has shared this problem that I am aware of. So it may just be me or my ski setup, Nomad RC. I was able to run a some 35s, but often strugged. So I don't think they are too far off the mark, they just aren't for me. I got a RCX and went back to my FMs and things are going good, so I am selling the Radars.