GAJ0004

1995 was the last year for Correct Craft building their own trailers. The Ram-Lin trailers of that era look identical to the Correct Craft trailers. If you took the Ram-Lin decal off you would not be able to tell them apart from looking at them. You could end up with either one depending on the time of year you took delivery of the boat. I went to the Ram-Lin website. The trailers they build today resemble my 1994, but you can clearly see the modifications. On the 1995 if the tounge tilts up and down, and you have the big carpeted bow stop. At the time Correct Craft outsourced their trailer building to different companies in different regions around the country. They built them to their specs.

I went through the same thing when I made the change from 34 to 36 MPH. When I started could get into 32 off at 34 MPH. When I bumped the speed up to 36 I could barely get through 15 off. I went to Hazelwood's ski school in 1993 which helped me. These are the keys that helped me. 1. Get as much angle as you can coming into the entrance gate, keep your lean away from the boat. Try to clip the back side of the right gate ball with the top of your ski. Like always your strongest pull should be right behind the boat. Try to maintain it until you get past the right gate ball. Keep your eyes focused on a spot ahead of ball one. Keep trying to maintain angle until your edge change. 2. On the turns, keep your knees bent and soft. If you are kicking out your fin in the turns, soften your knees up more. When finishing the turn, make sure you let the ski finish. Compared to 34 you may feel like you are waiting longer to load on the rope and lean. If you pull too early you will have to pull longer to get to the next ball, and you will carry too much speed, where you will still blow your fin out. If you don't let the ski finish you will lose angle. When I switched to 36 MPH I had big trouble with my offside turn and pull. I am left foot forward. On both pulls make sure your hips, chest, and shoulders are pointed in the same direction. On your offside pull you have to rotate your hips chest and shoulders more away from the boat to maintain the same angle you get on your onside. If you do it right you can actually make up lost time on your offside pull/lean. To get used to the speed, just practice at 15 off. Keep running pass after pass and work on just getting earlier, wider, and more smooth on every pass. When you begin to feel like you are waiting for the buoys to come to you, then start shortening the rope. As a warm up, start at 34MPH @ 15 off, and 35 MPH @ 15 off, and then work on 36 MPH 15 off.  If you have Perfect Pass Stargazer, you should be able to do that in practice mode. Not sure if ZeroOff does the same thing. When skiing cold off the dock I always start at 15 off no matter what speed I am skiing at. Hope my tips help. Keep us posted..

If you have to haul it yourself, have it shrink wrapped..

EZ Loader makes inboard trailers? They were always good. The single axle trailer is all you need unless you plan to tow the boat on long trips. The one I was looking at had more stuff on it than I was interested in. Going from the 350-400 horsepower I would guess would be about a $6000 price difference(using Master Craft as a guide). I was looking at the hydrogate. When it is in slalom mode the plate is down, and in jump/trick mode it is up leaving the tunnel at the keel open. I thought it would have been the opposite. The keel section running the entire hull looked like the last version. At the rear of the boat, the chines taken out of the sides of the boat were still there but they started further back than the previous versions I have seen. The front part of the keel by the bow had some different changes that I never saw in previous versions. The parts that you would recognize as the spray relief pockets on the sides were gone. The flat part of the bottom had some different cuts and shapes to it too. Liked the way the back seat could be taken out. Just pull up on a handle to unlock, slide it forward and out. The sides of the back seat bottom rested on a very thick plastic track with a smooth surface, with the same material along the side of the seat bottom's frame. I saw the Big Dawg slalom webcast. It rides very high on the water. The prop was not installed, so I did not get to see what the stock setting was. I hope I get the chance to try one out...ÂÂ

I finally got to see a Ski Nautique 200 on the showroom floor. It was the open bow with the tower. The tower would definitely get in the way if you are a serious slalom skier. The back of the tower was close to 1.5'' behind the ski pylon.  Compared to my 1994, it is a BIG BOAT. The interior was beautiful. I am not sold on the dash. I like having my guages in my line of sight. The one I looked at was $62,000. The saddlebag compartments look like they could store 2 68'' slalom skis comfortably. The bow storage on the open bow had enough space to store the part of the passenger seat that fits in the windshield walk-through area. It looked like part of the observer seat could be disassembled into 2 pieces. It had most of the bells and whistles except for the LINC computer screen. It had analog guages. The trailer was similar to an EAGLE trailer, but I did not recognize the make. The gas cap is in the center of the stern. It does not look like it would be difficult to fill with a 5 gallon gas can. The analog guages looked good. All of the vital info is displayed in them. Temp, oil, fuel, tach, voltage, and speedometer were all in the two displays. Very solidly built boat like you would expect from Correct Craft.  I looked underneath. It looks like they used the 196 hull as a starting point, but the changes were obvious. Anyone know how fast it goes from 0-36?ÂÂ

I would buy a used Nautique before I would buy a new Moomba. I only know one person here in PA who has a heater. Unless his was malfunctioning, it did not generate much heat. When the water and air get cold here we end up putting on drysuits. I wear cold water gloves in the spring.  If it does get cold enough we lift up the engine cover and use that to warm up. I am sure as the new model gets more established the price will come down. I may be able to afford one in 4 years. Unfortunately there are no Correct Craft dealers in western PA. Just like with cars, the first year of a new model always costs more. I would think boats would take more of a beating in the south because of the sun, and being used year round. My boat sits in a dark, dry, and semi-heated garage during the winter which seldom gets below 40 degress when the snow flies. Fortunately my boat is still in like new condition, and it is mechanically strong. If I did get a new SN200 I would get the skiing and maintenance necessities, no bling. I would order one with my color scheme..

If I were buying a new boat. I would get a single axle trailer, closed bow, 350 horsepower engine, bare bones stereo(preferably no stereo), ZeroOff, dripless packing gland, and a 12volt plug. I do use a fat sac and extended pylon for kneeboarding.  Heaters and showers are a waste of money. Analog guages. I would stay away from the computerized dash(LINC system) I think is what they call it. The auto industry tried it in the 1980's and it was a disaster. With all the bling they are adding to boats these days I am waiting for a boarding platform that flips up and becomes a plasma screen TV.

At 55K I plan to hold on to my 1994 Nautique as long as I can get replacement parts. I have never had to make any changes to it. I keep it at factory specs. I have never tuned the steering, or changed the prop. The only change was PPSG in 2008. I still use the version that takes the paddlewheel reading.  I was thinking a shock tube may help stop the rope from snagging on the hinges on the SN 200. Am I the only one who still uses a shock tube? Was the base model 55K, or is that the loaded version? I think they rounded the back end to keep the rope from catching on the back corners when you circle to pick up a skier, design cue from 1997-1999. I would like to see a teak wood platform be available. I am afraid to see what I fiberglass platform would look like after a 1000 hours.

Sounds like the SN 200 is not living up to its hype from what I am reading on here.  The last time I skied behind a 196,(2006) it had no wake. Just a trail of bubbles. The inconsistency in the wakes on different boats could be the lake conditions. For example I skied at Jack Travers in 2000 during a drought. I think his lake was down 4 feet below normal.  The bottom of his lake made the water fast. I was constantly blowing my fin out at 22 off 36MPH. The water was 5-6 feet deep with a rocky/sandy bottom. The same week I went to Bill Peterson's. The lake he was on was 15-20 feet deep. Never blew out a fin once. The only way to know for sure is to try out all kinds of boats on the same lake on the same day. If the boat is good enough to pass the USA Water Ski test at the time of its manufacture, then it is good enough for me. I have only skied behind new Master Craft 190's and 197's. 2008-2009 vintage. My 1994 Nautique can do the same job with 100 less horsepower. The only major difference I notice is, you can take more people along for the ride on the newer boats. I don't notice much difference in skiability, but the newer boats have more interior space.  From the pictures I have seen of the SN 200 and the specs. I am concerned that the boat weighs 2800 lbs verses mine which is around 2300 lbs. The manufacturers need to start keeping weight in mind, otherwise they will lose the benefits of the 300+ horsepower.  If I am going to shell out $40,000 + for a new boat, it had better completely blow my old beast out of the water. I have only slalomed once behind a 1993 Malibu Echelon, loved it..   It sounds like I am not as good as most of you guys on here (PB 2@35 off 36MPH). I personally don't buy that a closed and open bow ski the same. I would have to see that for myself.  Since I have not even seen a SN200 in person I can only use the MC 190, and 197 as a point of comparison. The MC 190 has a much softer wake for slalom than the 197, but I liked the 197 better for tricks. The wakes were the same size, but the 197's wake was a little firmer. What do you think of the guages moved from your line of sight from the driver? I still like have my speedometers/PP/ZeroOFF display in my line of sight while I am pulling a skier. I like the overall design of the SN200 from what I can see in the photos. I would rather have padded fold-away ski racks below the gunnels, verses the saddlebag compartments. How many of you would actually leave a $1000+ slalom ski in your boat all the time? I would'nt. My equipment gets put in my boat garage when I am done skiing for the day. I would rather have floor space when I am out on the water with a crew of slalom skiers and barefooters. I like the compartment/step in the back for soap and gloves, and the design for taking the back seat out. That would work well for me. I am not sold on the LINC system. I still prefer analog style guages.  The auto industry tried the computerized dash boards back in the 1980's, and it did not stick around long. The graphics are good, but could use a little more pizazz.. I was thinking for more striping options, and more options on SKI NAUTIQUE logo placement. I definitely like the closed bow version best. It is what a top of the line tournament boat should look like.. No skiing for me until my lake fills up, pray for rain over Mercer PA.. Off to the lake to detail the boat and replace some burned out trailer lights..

My uncle is an expert auto mechanic(in the business 40+ years). He says the most important thing you can do for your engine is to change the oil and filter. I change the oil and filter on my boat every 50 hours, no ifs, ands, or buts. It is not necessary to change it again before running the boat in the spring. I always change it before putting it away from the winter regardless of when it was last changed.  Clean oil is a must to protect your engine long periods of storage. I take my 1994 Ski Nautique in every 400 hours for a tune up, and I change the transmission fluid every 100 hours. Since my boat is a Ford based PCM. I only use Motorcraft FL-1A. I only use factory parts. I may have to replace my water pump this year. I went through two impellers last year. I did not have the Sherwood impeller last year. I just installed a new Sherwood impeller. If this one goes too, then it I will replace the pump.

I change the oil and filter on my boat every 50 hours, change the transmission fluid every 100 hours. I take it in for a tune-up every 400 hours, and check the drive shaft alignment. Will add more later..

Once the water gets warm I wear a spray leg legging. My right leg(rear) gets bruised so bad without it I can't bend my ankle, then I can't ski. Easy problem to fix..

They close the gate valve April 1 on my lake in Pennsylvania. I hope to be back on the water in 2-3 weeks. I may miss a weekend since my family is awaiting the arrival of my brother and his wife's third child. I hope to have the slalom course back in the water before the end of april. I will be working extra hours through the end of April.

I was just referring to water skiing since it is not exactly a mainstream activity. I still get people scoffing at me saying it is not a sport because you just stand behind a boat. Then I explain the course, and they are suprised. I will pretty much do anything, but getting out on the dance floor is cruel and unusual punishment. Some people think what we do is scary. They can't believe playing football gives you more of a beating..

I tell any woman I go out with, that I would need therapy if I did not ski. I told her it is cheaper than paying big bucks to go see a psychiatrist from going stir crazy.  I actually have lucked out. I have two single ladies I have been teaching to do the slalom course. One of them has been only skiing for a couple of years and she gets through the course consistently at 26, and is starting to get into 28 MPH. The other I have created a monster. She now runs it consistently at 30 MPH, and is starting to run 32 MPH all at 15 off consistently. They are both excellent drivers too. They learned on my 1994 nautique to drive manually before I had perfect pass installed, and before one of them got a Master Craft with zero off. They joke I don't need a wife, since I have the two of them to keep me in check.. Water ski season in PA starts in 30-40 days, unless work gets in the way...

I am not in a relationship now, but my last one(4 years ago) was very manipulative and controlling. I get so many guys telling me if I ever get married my skiing days would be over. She was history before it ever came to that. I found it is much easier, and cheaper chasing the orange balls verses chasing women. Water skiing is part of who I am. I would not give it up unless my body says no more. I did see Saving Silverman. It was funny as hell, but true. You guys who have a woman who likes to be out on the water as much as you do are lucky. They are hard to find..ÂÂ

What would you do if your wife/girlfriend said you spend too much time and money on water skiing, and she throws out that if the relationship is going to work the skiing will have to be curtailed or stopped? I saw a T-Shirt one time that said "She said if I go to the lake one more time, she's gonna leave. Boy, I am going to miss her." What is everyone's take on this one?

This is a shot of Lake Latonka in PA taken out my parents' back door. The lake is down by 5 feet. Our docks and lift are up out of the lake bed. They will close the gate valve in the spring and the lake will fill to its normal level. We expect this in Pennsylvania, but I can understand how those of you who live in the south may hate it. We actually get a little more snow where I live in Ohio because we are right on Lake Erie.

I have a 4 Straight Line TLS Radius which they don't make anymore. I am bummed out about that. It is by far my favorite handle. The best ropes I had were the Straight Line International series. I had a pair of them which lasted me 13 seasons. I like them because the end caps are small, and makes it easier to get your hand back on the handle. The bend in the handle makes it more comfortable in the lean.  I am going to be switching to Masterline ropes as I replace my lines. Straight Line ropes are not as durable as they used to be. I keep 4 slalom ropes and handles. I rotate them on each day of skiing. After every morning of skiing they get coiled, and hung to dry in the shade before they go back in the boat garage. Has anyone tried ropes and handles made by US GEAR? Their radius slalom handles looks like it would work for me.

jdarwin, Where was this taken? It almost looks like Pennsylvania and Ohio in November. If it start to freeze in the south you will have to change to a Hewett Roll-A-Dock to get out of the way of the ice. ÂÂ

The floating type is the easiest to work with. Lake Latonka is a private lake of about 700 homes. It is 2 1/2 miles long and about a half mile wide. If you are lucky enough to have a sheltered place to put your course you can use the anchor weight specified by the manufacturer. The course on Lake Latonka is anchored by a 200-300 diesel block at one end and a camshaft at the other. I don't recommend using your boat to tug on the mainline to put tension on the cable after the initial set up. We have broken a cable or two over the years doing that.  One of the guys on the lake put a comalong at one end. If the course starts to bend we just tighten the ratchet. Our anchors are settled in pretty good. We used 1 inch thick poly rope as the anchor lines, and a 3/8'' snap hook to attach the anchorlines to the mainline. We have not had to do much to maintain it other than replacing tuber and jet ski divots, and submerging it for the winter.

I think ours has been in place for 15 years. Some sections of the mainline have been replaced periodically. This is the second one that has been installed. The original was ripped out by a pontoon boat that decided to throw its anchor in the middle of it on a very windy day, and an I/O went through it and got the mainline tangled in its prop. For a few years we took the whole thing out, pipes and all. It took 10 people and half a day to do the job. Now we submerge it. I can submerge it by myself in about an hour , and it takes me two and a half hours to bring it up by myself. I am able to do everything from my canoe. I would love to hook up one of those systems where you can surface and submerge it with and air compressor, but we would need a 1/8  mile of hose just to reach the course. Just got done making 28 new buoy lines. My next project is to attach them to the buoys that are piled up in my boat garage.

What kind of slalom course set-up does everyone have? On Lake Latonka we use an Accufloat permanent. We use brass clips and mason string to protect it from tubers and jet skis. Better to have the buoys get broken off than have the whole course ripped out if someone snags it. We submerge it during the winter months with half-filled antifreeze jugs and wire ties. I have a custom made grappling hook(all edges are rounded and smooth) for pulling it back up in the spring. It is out in the middle of the lake in about 15-20 feet of water.

My boat gets waxed(1 coat) top to bottom once a month during the season, and a full detail job before it gets put away for the winter(2 coats). I usually get a top speed of 42-45 MPH depending on water temp. I think the wake may soften up a little, but never noticed any effect on tracking when I pull my brother(220 lbs) in the course. I do it mainly to keep it clean, and maintain a new appearance. I used the 3M oxidation remover over the entire hull and deck during this off season. One more coat of Meguiars cleaner wax and she will be ready. Since the boat is kept on the lift, algae and water damage are out of the equation. The back end of the boat gets the morning sun. I keep wax in it to keep the oxidation under control. If I ever buy a brand new boat it will get two coats of wax before it goes in the water.

I have my magnet sensor on my driver side( most people have it on the passenger side). I have it in the vinyl pouch next to the driver seat, the bottom facing the outside of the boat. Make sure the magnets are north pole up when placed in your course. I have the skier to skier S1X magnets. I place them so they are about 2 feet under water. I leave all six in because there are other boats on my lake with older versions of PP. If you have a mechanical engine be careful not to overshoot the baseline rpm too much when pulling up your skier. If you do, the system will have to search for the baseline rpm. You will notice the boat speeding up and slowing down before it locks in. As a driver you will have to pay closer attention when initially locking in the speed. After that it is a piece of cake to drive. The single magnet mode also gives you times from gate to gate. I always clear the timer between passes. It has worked very well for me. Most passes are seldom more than + or - .02 seconds off actual in good conditions. If conditions deteriorate it is not quite that accurate, but still within the quarter mile per hour tolerance. ÂÂ