east tx skier

@Chef23‌ I have been there. It's nice. But it's a little brackish to be honest. Not to mention, there are smoother waters in Texas. Er, huh, I mean there is no good water in Texas. But, in all seriousness, if you want lodging info and channel maps for the Brazos, I'm happy to send it to you.

The Secret Spot is about the most rewatchable skiing video I have seen. It's a shame they never released it on BluRay since it was shot in 1080. They did a good job at having a driving theme (I don't know that I'd call it a plot) into the movie. The buoy segments are limited, but I got my fill. As for Warren Miller, there was a segment in one of the later movies shot at Ski Paradise many moons ago. But to do a Warren Miller movie, you need him doing voice overs, and that's just not legally possible anymore, sadly. “If at first you don’t succeed, failure may be your thing.” “On the other hand, you have different fingers.” “They say its always darkest before the dawn. So if your going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.” “If your parents didn’t have children, odds are you won’t either” "You want your skis? Go get 'em!" And, of course, “If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do.” -Warren Miller

I always stabilize my fuel if I know it's going to sit for a while. The blue "marine" stabil has treated me (my fuel) well.

I heard an Indmar tech explain the recommendation for 89 octane like this (paraphrasing). Typically, boat gas sits in the tank for longer than car gas. As it sits and time passes, the octane rating of the fuel is lessened. The engine (in the example, a 351 HO) will run fine on 87 octane fuel. It will not run fine on 85 octane fuel. We recommend 89 octane so, if it sits for longer than usual periods, the engine won't have issues due to reduced octane levels. I don't put the kind of hours on my engine (PCM GT-40) that some of you folks do. Even if I used my boat a little more frequently, I would opt for 89 octane since that's what PCM recommended at the time. If the engine retards timing to deal with the lower octane fuel, efficiency suffers. 89 Octane is about $3.00 more per full tank than 87 octane. If it enables me to run even slightly more efficiently, I may break even on the difference in price. And, if it doesn't, I can't say that I care about that $3.00. Manufacturer said put 89 in it. I put 89 in it. I can save that $3.00 per full tank somewhere else.

It may depend what mode you use it in in open water. There is a practice gps mode that we used to use with SG. The main benefit, if any, was that it wasn't waiting for gate input from magnets or coordinates or whatever. If you open water ski with it in regular GPS mode, the zbox should be in the mix.

In Texas, we are now required to drain the engine and any other part of the boat that holds water both before entering a public lake and upon leaving. Installed ball valves last week.

On the Johnson pumps, there is a white gasket that covers a large portion of the surface of the access plate. It is certainly a case of semantics, but the seal on the Sherwood pump is an o-ring. I know Rod has spent a fair amount of time dealing with Indmars, and the impellers that fit those pumps often come with an o-ring and a white gasket. So it's not a bad idea to distinguish between the two so he isn't wondering why there is an o-ring, but no white gasket in his PCM impeller kit. Also, here is the step-by-step for changing the impeller on a PCM Ford marinization. aquaskier.com/articles/impeller_replacement.htm

We have mobile home type screw anchors for our club's course. They are in 15--20' of water. I have no idea how they accomplished that. As they corrode after decades of use, we have been going beneath the "bell" to reattach the buoy lines. Fun with scuba.

Rod, get a paint pen and make a "this way up" notation on the side of the pump. Also, make a mark across the edge to make it easier to line up the two halves with the plate that holds the o-ring gasket. As with anything in life, lube helps. Good luck.

I have a small amp and sub on the hump under the bow of my 98 SN. They are nearly on the center line. I would guess this is about 30 lbs. I have had this long enough not to care if it had a slight effect +/- on the wake. I have experimented with 50 lbs hanging from the underside of the eye and the result was no difference in ski wake, but the boat handled terribly at idle. I took it out and haven't played with weight since then. The only big no-no with weight in our boat is anything over 100 lbs all the way to the port side, i.e., someone sitting in the most comfortable part of the observer seat. This throws the wake off noticeably. Move the observer six inches or so to starboard and all is well.

Started working in earnest with our 8 year old last month. First season at the helm without being on either mom or dad's lap. He's not ready for riders yet, but he is in training. My wife was pulling her dad on slalom (free skiing) when she was nine. Different era.

Thanks, all. @ALPJr That 92 of yours brings back memories of my 93 205, for sure. Good luck with your sale.

Hard to argue with a 98 in resale red. I looked for this boat for years.

I still have my Monza Prototype (early 05 I think). My wife loves it. I just can't bear to part with it.

@‌kfennell Unless something has changed, the regular CIPA mirror mount won't work. It's the mount for the CIPA Extreme mirror that works with this one. Not sure if you can buy the mount separately from CIPA or its dealers.

@AB‌ If it's the same as the PTM mirror I bought a couple of years ago, it will work with the swivel type bracket from a CIPA Extreme. I bought the mirror alone and used my CIPA Extreme bracket with no issues.

The rotating ball mount that CIPA sells with its Extreme mirror also works with the PTM Edge mirror. That's how I have my PTM mounted.

There is a recent thread on the MC forum about spongex boat guides from fishing outlets for about 60% of the price of the typical boat guides. Like under $8 versus $10. They are slightly smaller, but I think we'll be giving them a try this season.

I get mine within 1 or 2 1000ths or recommended and ski it. At times, for me, a couple of 1000ths forward on the DFT has helped, but, after that, its crank it tight and don't touch it.

Most of those MC guys seem to be going for Viper Customs for their skins. There is a guy in Tennessee who has a lot of original patterns, but he seems to be a bit slow. Good, but slow.

You know, I may never break any records, but I have had plenty of instruction. So, from a guy who may never even run 15 off, but is still trying, I would like to say this. 1. Kudos for having the guts to put this up in front of some serious skiers (myself exlcluded), and 2. You're pulling up before the first wake (or center wake). Hold your position until the "second wake, i.e., where the wave rolls off the rooster tail on the opposite side). From there, you start your run out to the buoy line and can nail your turn around the ball. Better at watching than skiing. Good luck.

Here is the factory grind on my old MC 205. You can barely see it. A little goes a long way. The wheel would spin at over 20 mph. Great feel holding it straight at speed. The arrow shows the area where the grind is most obvious, but it runs the length of the starboard trailing edge (remember, it's a MC. So it's set up for a right hand pull at the wheel). http://mastercraft.com/teamtalk/attachment.php?attachmentid=2804&stc=1&d=1129056132

Start in the middle and work your way out. Be patient, and use stainless steel staples. Good luck.

Thanks, @foxriverrat, When he gets it back out, I'll get out there with the measuring tape and see where he has it. Cheers!

Just out of curiosity, how are you getting a great wake out of a mid to late 90s comp? I have heard more than one person make that statement about the later Supra Comps. My brother in law has a 99. With the cavitation plate all the way down, it's still quite a wake to cross. Just wonder if there's something that could be adjusted.