GAJ0004

They pretty much got the bugs out of the slalom wakes in most boats in the 1990's. My boat is a 1994 Nautique. It's wake is just as flat as the new boats at slalom speeds, but it is not as soft. Older boats will expose weaknesses in your lean across the wakes verses newer boats. Smaller skiers don't like my boat. If you are bigger than a 150 pounds and still feeling more than a slight bump, then you are not on edge enough.

I have a USGC approved neo vest. It has saved me many times. I have a Ski Warm, and a Connelly.

I would make some ropes that attach to the rear lifting ring/tow eye. Attach them to the guides on the trailer. Measure them so they are taunt when the boat is sitting on the trailer. I would float the boat on to the trailer, hooking up the winch, and the ropes. The boat should be lined up so it does not hit the trailer fenders. Pull the boat out of the water slowly. That should work.

I would ski every day if I could. I would definitely bring gas if I lived closer..

I remember the Bass Nautique 2018 from 1985.

Start with the bindings on the factory setting, along with the fin. You will want to move the fin back to keep the tip of the ski down. Only move the bindings forward if that does not work. You will want your front and back feet as close together as possible. This will give your legs more freedom of movement. If the fin adjustments don't do the job, then start moving the bindings. I started with a rear toe plate. I use the full boot now on both feet. I keep the rear binding a little bit looser than the front binding.

I always take extra deep breaths in between passes. Everyone busts my chops about being tired after one pass, but I do it to help myself recover quicker for the next pass. I exhale at points of exertion, and the rest of the time breath like I do when running.

Screwdriver and allenwrench. Some spare parts for the slalom course.

Depending on the depth of the water I recommend a Hewitt Roll-A-dock. Easy to take in and out if you have to remove the dock from the water to protect it from ice. You won't need to build or buy another dock ever again.

I kept my boat at factory specs.

I am planning to up my speed in practice to 36MPH. I got really sloppy last year.

When I was a teenager I was first learning to ski the course. One of the guys skied with(Dale Stahlman) was in his 80's. He would do a standing shallow water start to conserve energy he would ski 2-3 passes through the course at 30-32 MPH at 15 off and call it a day. I first learned by trial and error, reading Joel McClintock's and Tony Krupa's books. Dale also gave me some tips that helped me get started. I was 15 at the time.

I have always had good luck with Interstate Batteries. My first one lasted 12 seasons. I just put my third one in last year. My boat is a 1994 Nautique. There should be a decal on the underside of the battery box lid that gives the battery specs. Measure your battery box first..

Tournament participation has to be dropping due to the cost of the sport. I would hate to be a promo boat owner because of the pressure to sell a boat and to get a new one every year. If they stop holding events where there is trick skiing I will probably retire from competition. I stopped into my local Nautique dealer to get an idea of pricing. The sales rep assumed right off the bat I was looking for a wakeboard boat. The boating public's interest has shifted to wakeboarding. The new generation that would be coming up in skiing is wakeboarding instead. I our sport is slowly fading away partly due to cost, and lack of interest.

For my body type I do more cardio to keep my weight under control. Lots of bike riding, and rollerblading. I am going to keep doing the Insanity workouts, but I am going to do the month 1 workouts to save energy to ski.

My goal is to order a new Nautique by the 2020 model year. I am finding little cracks showing up in the gelcoat on the deck in my boat. Only 2 little ones so far. They are about a quarter inch long each. I am the only one who would spot them right away.

Keep as warm as possible while skiing. I will be hitting the water soon in PA and OH. I will wear my drysuit until the water gets into the 60's before switching to a full wetsuit. I don't make the switch to a vest and wetsuit shorts until the water hits 70 degrees. I have the baggy style Eagle Sports Drysuit. I wear a t shirt, a thin sweatshirt, and sweatpants underneath. I wear a regular nylon vest on the outside. It is like skiing with a parachute on, but good for early spring conditioning. I am sore for the first couple of weeks. I free ski for the first few times out. I have not skied since October. I have been doing the Insanity workout all winter with some of the P90x workouts. It will be interesting to see how fast I get back into skiing shape.

I have Performance Pure from Performance Ski and Surf of Orlando, but Masterline handles. Trick ropes are all Masterline When it is time to replace them it will be with Masterline.

If it says AWSA approved towboats only, does that restrict it to current model boats, or ones approved at the time of manufacture?

If I were going to spend the money on a new boat I would order it exactly like I want it, since it would probably be the last one I buy, ever. My dream machine is a sn200 in silver cloud, victory red front stripe, and masters blue or vapor blue rear stripe. Progressive graphics, ZR 409 engine, and the team package. I have been told the analog gauges are not very good. Still on the fence on the trailer. Single axle is all need for storage, and an occasional trip to the marina for service. What is the best trailer, Phoenix, Ram-Lin, or Boatmate?

Slalom, wakeboard, kneeboard, trick skiing, and barefooting.

Get a compression check done first. If the numbers are still good hold off on the rebuild. Is it sucking down oil in less than 50 hours? I

That place is beautiful. Where could she possibly want to move to that would be nicer?

I have been doing the Insanity workout. In this off season I have cut back on the weight training and concentrated on more cardio based. I do some of the P90x workouts with it, but only 2 days a week. As the season draws closer I will be doing cardio only. I have dropped 11 pounds since Christmas. I am 5'9'' and started out at 208 lbs. I weighed in a week ago at 197. I have also taken an inch off my waist. The nutrition plan shows you how to calculate your calorie requirements. I am eating 5 small meals a day. Take your body weight, multiply it by 12 and that is the number of calories you need to maintain your current weight. Subtract 500 off that if you are trying to lose. Insanity is a more cardio based program, and P90x is more of a resistance based program. As the season draws closer I move away from resistance training and more toward cardio. The skiing will provide the strength training during the season. I did a ton of weight training last year and bulked up way too much. I had a terrible season in tournaments. Not a good way to start your first year in Men 4. Just to qualify for the Midwest Regionals I have to ski a personal best in every tournament. No less than 2@35off to make the cut. My PB is 2@35off in a tournament 4@35off in practice. Once the season starts I am going to go back to the shorter versions of the workouts, and get back out on my rollerblades and bike on the days where I am not skiing. The Insanity workouts are pretty intense. I don't want to be too exhausted to ski.

I winterize, detail, change oil and tranny fluid myself. Do some minor repairs myself, but take it to the marina for tune-ups, engine alignments etc. I bring it to a marina every 400 hours for service. That is part if the reason why I have never missed any skiing due to a breakdown. The season is too short as it is.