baja

2022 Radar Vapor Boots from the great guys at Performance Ski & Surf. Pre-ordered but should arrive soon. Been in these boots from the RS-1's, Vapors, and now 2022 generation. Stoked!

It is 9 years old and it sucks.

I've been in smaller ski shops, well done!

@Stevie Boy I recommend using a very fine grit grinding wheel or file to make sure you can get Horton's fin settings accurate.

@Dacon62 google Pacific Coast Marine Windshields. They were the OEM for Malibu 2007 RLXi. Used them to replace a walk-thru window. They are in BC.

I expect gloves to last about 150+ sets a season but they are still reliable backups after that. Always by a new pair each year. Currently Amara palm Radar Boa for last 2 or 3 years. Before that Masterline Master Curve Amara palm. I prefer Amara because it doesn't destroy my $160 handle like Kevlar does.

Towing career was 100 trips of 100 yards each way to and from the ramp. Handled all the hills in the picture with ease.

 

@SkiJay Thank you so much for the thousands of hours you have dedicated over the years to unravelling the voodoo magic of fins and deciphering and documenting the science behind them. So of course it is no surprise that you have the accurate fitment measurements to most common skis, fins and fin boxes... and CAD drawings... and now you are designing a better mousetrap for the benefit of a sport that is smaller than curling... and sharing your knowledge and technology. Thank you.

Does this count?

 

skidim.com Call them if you don't know what you need. These folks are super knowledgeable and helpful.

I received an interesting offer from a Nigerian Prince who is a promo driver and needs help transfering funds for a deposit on the to-be relaunched 200. He seems like an upfront guy and even he doesn't have a picture yet.

No Neoprene November today at Shadow Lakes in Indio, CA. Water in the mid 70's with no wind and air in the low 80's. Awesome weather and a great day skiing.

Lowest set count for the season in 10 years. The Quarry in Corona was only open for April and May due to low water. Filled the void with trips to Martha's Vineyard, Groton Long Point, St. Helena, San Juan Islands, Baja and some sets at Shadow Lakes. Psyched up for snow ski season with an IKON Pass, snow tires, and time to kill.

The free repair kit that Boa sends you includes the correct tool.

I'll jump in and answer for Greg since he's supposed to be working hard today so we can ski tomorrow. Yes the boat was sold about 5 weeks ago. His new boat is a 2018 TXi that he pre-ordered from So Cal promo guy Scott Larson. Another great boat.

I'll buy a copy of the 2nd Edition in whatever format you choose. This will replace the 1st Edition that has migrated to a ski buddy's house along with my extra pair a calipers. He let's me borrow it anytime I want so I got that going for me. Amazon self publishing is an easy way to go for both paperback and/or Kindle digital.

Fin Whispering is the bible, the rosetta stone, the magic 8 ball, and/or the definitive doctoral dissertation on slalom waterski fins and wings... depending on where you place your faith for the answers you seek to the greatest of all questions facing mankind... WTF does my fin & wing do and why?

I'm 64 years old, 6'2", 175 pounds, 30-32mph @ 15 off. Skis have been 2014 Senate Carbon, 2016 Vapor Lithium, 2017 Senate Lithium. All skis have been 67"and skied each ski for 2 full seasons. Always the same boots Radar Vapor/Strada /RS-1 over the years. Never changed boots at the same time as changing a ski. Always set the fin and boot settings accurately to the same Rini or Rossi numbers I'd been using. Skied 3 days a week almost year round for the last 5 years, so 200+ set a year. Always at my club lake at The Quarry in Corona, Ca. (which now is shut down with no water). All the major variables of boots, fin setup, site, boat and conditions are neutralized. So when I changed my ski, I would take one safety pass without chasing the balls to make sure nothing felt odd... never did. Then straight into my normal set. Run my 30 mph opener 3 or 4 times in a row, then run 32mph a few times. Each ski felt very similar but only "better" in some subtle way that I continued to appreciate the more I skied the new ski. Changing from the 2016 Vapor to the 2017 Senate Lithium I definitely felt the Senate was easier on my body after skiing. I believe that the RADAR design philosophy for the Senate as a slightly wider version (0.2 inches) of their highest performance ski is key to my experience.

@ToddF There is a great 2012 TXi 6.0L in So Cal with 435 hours for about $38k. It's a former promo boat out of Utah and I've skied and driven it hundreds of sets. Awesome wake, pull, and tracking. He's getting a 2018 TXi from So Cal promo guy in a few weeks.

TXi So Cal

A change in your swim suit can screw you up if the legs are scooping water and the suit has no stretch. Hurley Phantom and other brands with stretch make it easier on low your low back. By the way... thinking about it rarely helps after 30 years.

Inside the liner.

@OSUwaterskier gets the prize for the most polite and useful post. I backed a 50' sailboat under power down a very narrow fairway using that technique on Smith Island on the Chesapeake many years ago. 10' of clearance on either side. A nice breeze and current added a few points for difficulty. It's how you drive in reverse a single engine direct drive boat... in and out, nudge forward then reverse, coast a bit, realign and repeat as needed...alway slow... and a good deck hand to fend off the inevitable soft kiss of somebody's $1M baby. Bow thrusters and now even stern thrusters are very common on touring trawlers. $5K-15 grand will get you started but that's chump change on a coastal cruiser.

 

@eleeski I was in that parking lot a month ago on April 17th as the last stop on my spring skiing road trip while breaking in my new IKON pass. A couple of days at Mammoth, a couple at Mt. Rose with freshies and wind, and then one day at Squaw for the first time in about 40 years. The Quarry in Corona is running out of water in the next few weeks so I'm already looking forward to winter. Rocking the wagon and sandals.

Since there are 10 choices to respond to the survey, I thought I would pick the response that makes a lot of work for the guys who want to accumulate lots of self reported information, put it in a nice looking chart, maybe a simple linear regression. Then subjectively modify the results based on favorite color combinations, time of year sold, location, unsophisticated buyers who paid too much, sellers who were tired of looking at that boat in the driveway, too many engine hours, not enough engine hours, whatever the last comment on BOS was about the bump at 22 off. Or you could buy the boat you love and be happy with what you paid... and be skiing right now... gotta go, I'm up.

Ski buddy grew up in the central valley of California and skied lots of irrigation canals behind pickup trucks. No wake zone!