roda

No one has mentioned the ability of an electric boat to run on lakes/reservoirs that have a gas motor restriction. I'm also sure the homeowner that is about 150' from where we pick up on one end would appreciate an electric for those 6:30am sets. I've seen some home jet-ski conversions, anyone have a '94 MC w/ a blown motor to use as a test bed?

I'm slightly bowlegged and on my first pass at Rini's he noticed my rear knee not staying tucked in my offside turn. My FM hardshells had come w/ the standard rear boot twist so I straightened it up and it helps keep my rear knee tucked in. On my front foot the top of the liner was wearing a hole in the side of my leg (drew blood every set) so I had to drill a new pivot hole for the top cuff of the binding on one side so that the shell now leans out with my leg (not vertical). Much more comfortable. -Rod A.

You forgot the 'capitulation' stage on your poll: 'give the house back to the bank and move to Florida'

I'd like to hear from the ski company design and layup guys on what has worked, what hasn't, and what they are working on for 2010 & beyond.

Ha.... I did. I picked a time to ski when I wasn't at work, the kids or wife didn't need me, it wasn't dark, and no one was out on the lake on a jet-ski or wakeboard. One of my favorite days of the year is Dec 22nd.. it's longer than the day before it.

I skied a set last evening here in Orlando, air 58 / water 70. Going to be in the mid 30's tonight and breezy so we expect the water to be in the mid 60's by the weekend.

I'm thinking in totally the opposite direction. I say you set the rpm and then don't change it. Let the boat speed vary. To qualify as an official towboat it has to be able to run a pass with a sled to a specific tolerance w/ the RPM fixed. That is the baseline, everyone has to deal w/ it. Lighter skiers would get faster end of tolerance times and bigger skiers would get slower end times. No processors, algorithms, reaction times to deal with. KISS. If you wanted to make it a bit more complicated (and arguably fair) then have several sled weight baselines that a skier would have to use based on his/her weight. Don't most other sports have fixed equipment to deal with?

John, any interest in taking threads like this and creating a Instructional tips page? Would make it much easier to go back and refresh the brain once in a while.  Could be a collaborative effort refined over time. Thanks -Rod A.

It was a Warp. From shore ,the sticker on the top looked to be Warp 7.  You can see the Warp logo under the MC sticker on one of the shots here: http://www.schnitzskis.com/bigdawg2008.html

I was advised by one of the central Florida water management folks (can't remember what org he was with) that using copper sulfate will kill the algae but in many cases a new bloom will re-occur that is much larger than what you treated. Has to do with setting up a better enviornment for it to grow the 2nd time. Lots of stuff on the net about it.... http://watergardenoasis.com/Support/AlgaeArticle.html -Rod

I've been working on initiating the cut to the gates using my lower body and staying open to the boat (per Rini) but it has really screwed up my timing, just can't seem to be consistent. Was discussing w/ ski partners and found that they keep their eyes on the boat then turn in as the boat gets to the balls (adjusting for length) while I watch the gates and start my turn as the boat gets to the balls. I tried watching the boat for a few passes and it may help a bit but it will take a while to get used to it. So the question is: Is it easier to time the turn in by keeping focus on the balls vs. the boat while waiting for them to come together?  Thanks -Rod

I have a 2005 MC197 non-slot that came w/ a 12x12.5 OJ prop. PPC I hit a turtle and bent a blade. Gave it to the local MC dealer which uses a local prop guy to fix. After it was returned I ran through the course and it seemed a bit fast at 34 even though I didn't have a skiier so I did a quick calibrate on it.  The next morning we skiied and I noticed right away that I could hear the engine reving more than usual to adjust for the skier (200lbs 28off).  When another skiier @ 32 mph skied it was running 34mph times before I calibrated it.  When we were done I ran through the cals on times down to 26 and they were all quite fast on the first cal pass. When back on the lift we looked at the prob then compared it to my neighbors exact same boat and we noticed that the refurbed prob had a much more defined lip or curl on the back of each blade. Boat seems to be running good times but just wondering if anyone has any opinions on if this is typical??? A 2mph swing on a simple repair seems a bit much to me.  -Rod A.

Isn't it the manufacture that put USAwaterski in this position, not the other way around. I understood the patent settlement to have made this call for all future boats and aren't most tournaments pulled by the latest model due to sponsorship rights? That seems to me like the market and patent law is driving the rules. -Rod

Hey John, check your UPS guys shoes to see if they match this print.  Ski is fine, thanks.  http://coppermine.sourceforge.net/displayimage.php?pos=-1038

Is there a sizing chart available for the Synchro? I have not been able to locate one online.  Looking to size one for 135lbs.

Just trade in that van for a moped!  http://www.imcdb.org/images/027/699.jpg

Eric, I used to bag 5' long model sailplane wings (carbon/glass/kevlar), about the same size as a ski. My pump is designed for some type of vending machine application w/ 100% duty cycle and if I remember correctly I could pull over 20" with it. I think it cost me around $130 for the pump. If you are near Orlando you are welcome to borrow it to see if it helps. What do you have in the bag to allow the vacume to pull evenly? I used to have a ski rope near all the edges and nylon fabric over & under the part which helped keep air pockets to a minimum.  -Rod A.

Has anyone taken a 2nd GPS & laptop out that logs the speed and then chart what is happening?  I have an older Lowrance aviation GPS w/ serial cable and a USB GPS but will need to locate some software to do the data collection. Can anyone help w/ that?  -Rod A.

Is anyone an IEEE member that can get the full text of this article?  http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?tp=&arnumber=1426439&isnumber=30805 And John/DW.. have you looked at this?: http://www.awaretechs.com/XCountry.html

It's simple.. our crashes aren't spectacular enough or aren't perceived as having the potential to cause serious injury. I think people like watching other people perform on the edge. What clips are in the highlight shows? Its hard to notice a skier on the edge for 99% of the population but even my 6 year old can understand cars sliding into each other or a wall and the danger that exists. I love watching the bmx guys. I can relate to ridning a bike and how unforgiving the dirt/ramp/concrete is. After all, water is soft isn't it?  Now, if we could only get WRC back on TV and in HD.....

DW, Did they let the Dakar participants vote on if they wanted to continue despite the threats?  Are you going to be at the Rolex 24hr?  I like to go up to the track in the afternoon and watch them go from day to night.  -Rod A.

I've been using FM's for a few months now and I have started to wear a hole in my leg where the top of the liner presses against the outside of my front leg. This is due to the shells being vertical on the ski, and your leg is angled out towards your hip. Has anyone heated up a shell and pulled it to the side on the top to be more in the natural shape of your leg? You could shim the bottom of the shell to make the top line up w/ your leg angle but then your foot would not be flat on the ski (I'm guessing that would be bad). I have heard of others cutting down the shell so it is lower on the leg, is it for this reason or for more fore/aft ankle flex? -Rod A.

Looks like the newer units (P4) have a fluid dampener on them to help w/ the rope jerking issues John mentioned.   http://www.wakevideo.com/  -Rod A.

Sounds like something I would want on occasion but not all the time. How about a rental unit?  Would be valuable for schools as they would become well versed at analyzing and explaining the data. A library of advanced skiers data to compare yourself to would be useful. Don't forget head position sensor and device to tell where your eyes are focused. -Rod A.

Thanks LKB, I'm in the Orlando area so I am lucky and get to ski all year. I might just pick up a used ski to ride for a few months waiting for the new models. At my level of ability I wonder if it really matters. I am consistent enough though that I can definately feel a .02 fin adjustment so I am guessing that I would also notice a difference in skis from year to year if the model has been updated. -Rod A.ÂÂÂÂ