GAJ0004

I have a 1994 Ski Nautique. I have had to replace the cable once at about 800 hours. The key to a long life on the steering cable is keeping your bilge dry. I always pull the plug and drain the bilge after the boat is back on the lift, and I leave the engine cover open to get it dried out. Another thing that helps is turn the wheel until the inner part of the cable is exposed and leave it in that position while the boat is in winter storage. If you pull out your floor panel in the rear of your boat you will be able to see where the cable attaches to the tiller. There is also a grease fitting in the rudder housing which may need to be greased. A good cable may still feel a bit stiff in the cold, but if the problem persists when it is warm, then it is time for a new cable. Make sure your boat is completely dried out before putting it into storage. For the first month in storage I leave the engine cover open, and open up all the inspection hatches and panels. Hope this helps..

I would always use the type of lift that is the most like the trailer. I would get a cradle system, instead of one where the boat hangs from its lifting rings. You want your bunks to be right under the stringers just like when it is on the trailer. We have an old Shorestation vertical bottom standing lift. We only have the 3 point cradle. Never had any problems. If you ever end up getting a regular free standing lift, do with a cantilever style. Easier to maintain and repair, and works better in shallow water.

If you are looking for a demo boat. Bill's Midway Marina in Conneaut Lake PA has a Freddy Krueger Nightmare Edition Master Craft PS190 from 2009. It was used up at Dave's Pond in Edinboro PA. The boat was kept in a closed boat house while in use on a lift. Their club driver is an expert at tuning and setting up ski boats. I have skied behind this boat at a clinic. I really liked it. It has the 400HP engine and ZeroOff. Go to http://www.billsmidwaymarina.com . The phone number and email addresses are there. Ask for Michelle. Tell her Gary Janzig sent you..

I get several seasons out of a rope. I buy ropes and handles in pairs. I usually keep 4 lines and handles, and rotate their usage from day to day. I find the sun does more damage than usage. I always untwist and coil them after each use and put them in the garage out of the sun. I have been using straightline ropes and handles. I like the TLS radius which they quit making. I bought two shadow handles 1.02'' they work pretty good so far. They are made in China, so I will buy Masterline, USGear, or Performance Pure next time. I bought a Performance Pure 8 loop. I will be putting it to the test this summer.

I have a 2008 D3 Nomad RCX. I keep everything on the factory settings except I have the rear boot pivoted 1 hole to the right. I always used the traditional tunnel bottom skis since they rode nice and deep in the water. The other thing I liked was they would roll on to edge easily, and they were very stable once they were there.  The Nomad RCX is different than any other ski I have ever owned(more edge to edge concave), and it worked perfect for me right out of the box. I just pivoted the rear boot for comfort. I have the D3 Leverage Bindings. On my 2000 O'brien Mapple Signature I had to moved the bindings forward one notch, and make some minor adjustments to the fin when I first got it. I kept the wing between 5 and 7 degrees.  It was an awesome ski, and I was worried that I would not find a ski that would work for me since no one makes a tunnel concave anymore since they are not very forgiving. I tried the HO Syndicate A1. It was very fast, which I thought was awesome, but I could never get in sync with it. It would slip out from under me like a banana peel at the finish of the turn right before the line load. The HO Animal bindings also hurt my feet. I tried it because the ski was shaped the most like my O'Brien Mapple, and the bindings were like the O'brien Leverage with the EVA rubber. I sent it back and tried the D3 Nomad RCX which I ended up keeping. It is the most forgiving ski I have ever been on. I have not taken a fall over the front since I have been on it. If you get into position where you would get yanked over the front the ski simply stalls and stops. At that point the boat rips the handle out of your hand. D3 Skis have been very good to me.. When I am in the market for a new ski I will try the next equivalent of the Nomad RCX or its successor, or an OBrien Elite. I would stay away from hardshell boots. I am not convinced they are safe, and people I have talked to have them say they are always repairing them. I figure if the ski does not work well right out of the box, then it is probably the wrong ski for you..

I have a 1994 Ski Nautique with a mechanical throttle with Stargazer. I used six magnets(3 in each direction) to calibrate, but run it in single magnet mode. It works great. This will save you some time and gas.. Get your analog speedometer calibrated, and then write down all the tach reading between 26-36 MPH. When you go to calibrate each individual speed you will be closer to the correct one in calibrate mode. It will save you some passes when calibrating it. I never had perfect pass before I bought mine in 2008. I burned a half a tank of gas before I figured it out.

I have water ski magazine going back to 1986.

If gas gets up past $4.00 per gallon, my boat will go back in storage..

I like front and rear boots, but started with a RTP. I would never go back. I feel like I have better control.

We have a grocery store chain in Ohio and PA that has a program called fuelperks. For every $50 in groceries, you get 10 cents off a gallon of gas(up to 30 gallons). I cash it in every 3 months before they expire, and I am able to take a big chunk out of my gasoline bill. I was able to get 80% of my boat gas for free last summer. I have enough cans to carry 30 gallons. I typically use 300 gallons in a season may-October..

I loved watching Hot Summer Nights on ESPN during the late 80's. I was so excited to see my sport on TV. Unfortunately, water skiing is boring to watch for someone who does not participate in the sport. I miss watching Bob LaPoint and Andy Mapple duking it out on the slalom course, Carl Roberge, and Sammy Duvall chasing after the overall titles. I liked when they showed all 3 events, slalom tricks and jumping, both the men and the women. I did not like trick skiing getting swept under the rug, when wakeboarding came out. My favorite event of all time was the 1987 Worlds. Watching Sammy win the jump title on one jump, and then the overall title(his 4th). He could not hold back the tears on his victory lap. The only people who would be interested in watching water ski tournaments on TV are other water skiers. I think the webcast is the way to go.

If you are talking about a Shore Station lift, try inlandabyss.com or Pymatuming Boat Sales in Jamestown PA. I am sure they will ship you the parts.

My lake is private in that you have to own property to put your boat on. We have to get out in the early morning to get our slalom skiing in before the tubers and jet skiers come out. My friends and I keep dozens of spares handy. I have been marking them to return to the lake office. I have been getting people dropping loose buoys at my dock. We have an accufloat floating course. We attach them with mason string and brass dog leash clips. We have it designed so the buoys just break off if snagged. All the skiers keep a couple of spares in their boats in case any are missing. I collect the brass clips, and restring a new one. It protects the structure of the course from damage. The bubble buoys are a great idea, but on our course if you hit a buoy hard enough to get injured you would probably break it loose. I am coaching 4 people in the course. I tell them to bail out if you think you are going to run over a buoy. The extra half buoy on one pass is not worth missing the rest of the season... We usually replace one "divot" per week.

In Pennsylvania I put my boat away at the end of October. I like to have it winterized and dried out before the snow flies. November in PA can be like spring, or winter, very unpredictable.  You want to keep your bilge dry during the season too. It will save you lots of money on steering cables. By then the weather is to unpredictable to risk leaving the boat out in the cold. I may miss a week of skiing, but by then the water is getting down into the upper 40's where it is not enjoyable to ski anymore. If it is still out on the lift, I drain the block when it gets below 40 degrees, just in case the temp does drop enough to freeze at night. The exhaust manifolds are more likely to crack first. The first month in storage it sits in the garage engine cover open, and all the panels removed and open along with the plug pulled. The garage is insulated, and gets heat from the furnace, dryer vent, and hot water heater exhaust pipes running across the back wall from the house. It stays around 45 degrees most of the winter. I am very particular about my boat maintenance. I have had some people think I have fuel injection. Mine has a carb. It still looks and runs like a new boat. I have 1580 hours on it. I keep a close eye when things start to drop below 40 degrees..

No skiing until April for me.. The nature of the beast in Ohio and Pennsylvania.. Hitting the gym 7 days a week. weight/nautilus training, cardio, and lots of swimming and stretching. Since I am a bachelor I catch up on my women chasing.. Chasing orange balls is easier..

I also wear cold water gloves. I normally wear half finger gloves when the water is warm. The water does not change much, but I would guess that the temperature changes the ski itself..

My take on skiing in cold water. Since I ski in Pennsylvania from April-October I ski in a water temperature range from 46-82 degrees Fahrenheit. The colder water affected me more when I used to ski 36 MPH. I have been on only 4 slalom skis. 1986 O'Brien TRC, 1993 O'Brien Synergy Z, 2000 O'Brien Mapple Signature Model, and a 2008 D3 Nomad RCX. My older skis were more affected by the cold water. When the water is in the 40's it made 32 MPH feel like 36. The main thing I always noticed was it was harder to slow the ski down in the preturn. On my O'Brien Mapple I never changed the fin settings, but I would change the wing angle as the water got colder. I would keep it at 5 degrees in warm water, and adjust it up to 7 degrees in cold water. My D3 I keep everything on the factory setting. The cold water is not as much of a factor at 34 as it is at 36. The three things I do, is shorten the time I pull across the wakes(just a tiny bit), and keep extra soft knees around the turn to avoid a blow out of your fin. Wearing a drysuit does negate some of the effects of cold water. The extra weight helps the ski ride a little deeper in the water.

I have PPSG on my boat it works great. If you don't get to use ZeroOFF regularly, use the B-2 setting. It is the most neutral of them all. You should not have any trouble adjusting. The B2 setting feels like Perfect Pass to me. I don't have any trouble adjusting between the two. I have the paddle wheel with the original software.

I have never had more than a sprained ankle. It was usually happened on old traditional rubber bindings(7-8 seasons old). I am on the D3 leverage double boots. They are a little stiffer than what I used to use, but I still can bend my ankles. With traditional bindings I would use the same ski and binding manufacturer. I used to use the front boot and rear toe plate, but switched to the double boot a few years back. I would never go back to the rear toe plate. You don't want to fall where one foot comes out, and the other does'nt. I have never tried hardshell bindings. I am almost afraid to.

I use spongex for the yellow gate balls. They fade after 2-3 seasons, but they survive multiple prop hits. If you are on a public lake the spongex is the way to go. I have not tried painting them.

I have Stargazer on my 94 Nautique. I have the 240 HP 1:1 tranny. I have only encountered one problem with mine. It would run a gate to 3 in tolerance, but then accelerate from 3 to the end. It would only do it at 30-32 MPH when I was pulling a skier 200lbs. I normally run the Kx at normal. If I am pulling a big person between 30-32 MPH I set the Kx to + or ++. Once I figured that out it works perfectly. If Stargazer is a new install for you, calibrate the baselines using multi-magnet mode. You will need six magnets. One at the entrance gate, ball 3 and the exit gate in both directions. Once the baselines are calibrated run it in single magnet mode.      I skied behind manual drivers for decades. I always kept both my speedometers calibrated. I still have my boat set up for manual driving in case Perfect Pass has any downtime. I always watched both the speedos and the tach. I would always accelerate a tiny bit when I would feel my skier pull the boat, but usually no more than 100-200 RPMS.

I have a Ski Warm Sahara. If a seal gives out, then it will function like a full length wetsuit. I have had mine for over 5 years.

My name is Gary Janzig. I live in Streetsboro OH(between Cleveland and Akron). I will be 42 in November. I have never been married and have no children. I ski on Lake Latonka in Mercer PA. I learned to ski when I was 12, learn to ride 1 ski at 14, and when I was 15 I got my first pair of trick skis, and ran the slalom course for the first time at 16. By the end of that summer I was able to run it at 34MPH long line(75' / 23M). The lake I ski on is about 2 1/2 miles long and about a half mile wide. We are fortunate to have a small group of us who are slalom course enthusiasts. You could say I am a total water ski addict. I slalom, trick, kneeboard, and barefoot. I have not entered a tournament since 1996. I never got past 22 off in a tournament. I only entered 3 or 4 of them. My personal best in slalom is 2@35 off at 36MPH, and 3@35 off at 34 MPH. I estimate I can trick 1800 points. I have landed a couple of flips on the kneeboard, and barefooting I can do a deep water start, flying dock start, and tumbleturns all long line. My boat is a 1994 Ski Nautique. I had Perfect Pass Stargazer installed in 2008. I have a 2008 D3 Nomad RCX slalom ski 68'' with double high wrap (D3 Leverage) bindings, a 2000 KD 7000 44' trick ski with the Wiley trick wrap, and an O'Brien Lowrider kneeboard. Ski season in Pennsylvania starts early to mid April, and goes to mid to late October.

Here in Ohio and Pennsylvania I will pull my boat out for the winter on Halloween weekend. I don't expect to get out on the water again until April. For me it is hours in the weight room, elliptical machine, and the natatorium. I have been in my drysuit since the last weekend in September. It has been raining and in the 40's so it would be miserable out there along with the high winds. It is supposed to get into the 60's and sunny this weekend in PA. Once the water drops below 70 I wear my drysuit. I get very stiff and sore if I don't. It helps me stay loose for trick skiing. We usually go out in the early morning, and in the fall it is usually only in the 50's. My boat does not have a heater. I would love to take a trip to Florida, but not in the budget..Â

I would go for the single axle trailer. My boat only gets towed less than 60 miles per year. I would think the tandem axle would be easier on the boat too. Less bumps and vibration from the road. The tandem axle does make sense you trailer your boat constantly, and for long distances. The Carbon Pro is a pretty sporty looking boat. Another closed bow option which I prefer.