tru-jack

another thought, not totally related, but if the tournaments were fun I would make a bigger effort to attend and my wife and kids would also enjoy it.  I do think the fall tourney that Joe puts on at cottonwood looks like a blast and I wish I could make a big road trip to attend, in fact, I'm hoping to make a weekend getaway and attend the ballers bash, with most of my energy going towards the socializing and bash part of the tournament but also hoping to learn and improve my skiing from some of the experts this site is fortunate enough to have.

I agree with most points, and I fall into the late 30 early 40 year old that has bought a ski boat and enjoys skiing with friends and getting my young family into the sport.  I am fortunate to live on a lake with my own boat.  Our lakes are large, one is over 30 miles long, so they are not private water.  Myself and about 10 other tournament boats with 2 or 3 in each manage to wake up by 6:30 or so and ski every sat and sun early before the lake gets busy and most evenings with some traffic, but it's life on public water.  We maintain 4 courses so we have pretty good options to deal with weather.  Only one of the guys in our club skis tournaments and is loosing interest because he often wins and loses at the same event. (only one in M3 at most tournaments).  Myself and ski partners all ski 2 or 3 sets depending on conditions, get home enjoy breakfast with the family, take my wife and kids for a ski, then lunch, then off to a party cove/island so the kids swim and play and I enjoy the scenery and socialize, then bbq for dinner, and do it all over again the next day.  For my wife and kids (3 & 5) driving to a tournament to watch me ski for 10 minutes, then hang around for hours to do it again, is simply not nearly as fun as our day together.  I am hoping to ski a tournament or two next summer, but with the young family it has yet to work out, and I struggle with paying $100 to ski twice and take all day, when I can ski that much and be home by 8am with a whole day to enjoy.  We're in Ontario, so our summers are only about 4-5 months long, so every minute counts.  I do think the sport of course skiing is very healthy in our area as it's amazing to see that many people skiing weekend mornings and weekday evenings on public water.

+1 on wt-50, we all use this suit in canada in 50degree water.  almost a dry suit and not restricting at all. 

bobuna, I'm in Orillia and we have several skis in our club you can try out if you're ever in our part of the Province.  I know we have a prophesy, z7 and a1 in your size that you could try.  (most guys ski Connely in our club, I think it's due to a really good rep that make a big effort with demos and great service)  Plan on next summer coming up for a ski and try something out.  Other options are McClintocks in Camebridge, they'll have radar and HO some member (Geordie, I think) imports d3's that I demoed last year.  Also summerski in Newmarket will have ho and radar and reflex bindings for demo, and finally bush's ski school in Bala always has connely and ho, so you could look into any of these as options as well.  as for import duty, Darren Wiley gets skis to me for about $65 which includes duty etc.... so it's not too bad.  Also got a d3 this summer directly from Paul at d3 for about $70 with duty and shipping incl. so it's not bad at all.  I agree it's nice to get from local proshop, but if you can ship for half the price, it's hard not to.  And as you mentioned, local proshops don't carry many options.  the local 'source for sports' shop in Orillia is owned by an avid skier so he often has a nice selection of demos etc... as well.  keep in touch and good luck.

Jeff Hunter 41 years old, civil engineering manager at city hall, 2 young girls that started to ski at 2 and 3 but haven't been too interested lately, however are in the boat for several sets a week and really enjoy it.  Live in Orillia, Ontario on Lake Couchiching with 07 response lxi with SG in the boathouse that skis every sat and sun am on one of the 4 courses we have access to nice and early before the rest of the boating population wakes up.  Usually home by 9 for family breakfast, kids and wife ski, then lunch, then to a sand bar at an island to swim, play and party with hundreds of others, bbq, bed and do it again.  (typical weekend)  We have run the Victoria Point Ski Club for over 35 years, my Dad and Uncle were founding members.  We maintain the courses, and schedule a pontoon boat every tuesday to hang out on, and have 2 ski boats pulling through our courses. (our main club courses are very near one another in a secluded bay.)  Usually get out monday, wednesday and friday evenings if possible so we get a lot of skiing for a short summer, on very public water.  Took a few years off to build a house and get the family going, but now back at it full swing.  Still play competitive hockey and mountain bike in free time, and have my wife now skiing quite well for someone who just started, she's almost got the course at 30mph on her first real season, so obviously she's the athelete, former national water polo player among other sports, so it's only time before she really improves.  We really enjoy our time skiing and in the boat, and feel it will only improve as the kids get a bit older, they're only 3 and 5, and already love it!  Plan on skiing my first tournament next summer in Ottawa and am interested in the Ballers Bash, as it sounds like  ... well a Bash!  Run 28 about 90% of the time so 32 can't be too far away, but best to date is 5 at 32 and it's usually 2 or 3.  Also hope to get some coaching during our family florida vacation this season.  Really enjoy the site, especially nice to see very good skiers that have not forgotten to have fun and enjoy the sport and themselves, something that I have only solved 2 of the 3 but will continue to strive to improve on the skiing and will always practice the have fun and enjoy the sport and myself aspect.  thanks for a great site Horton.

Just reading my post and would like to add, that skiing is not dead in our neck of the woods, as almost every evening and early weekend morning, there are about 3 to 5 ski boats waiting to take turns through the courses, most know each other, with the odd new face, but it's pretty amazing to see this participation at 7am on weekends..

than, I was on the same page, I will not let the 3 and 5 year old girls see this one... they would carry on for hours about it and it aint happening.  nice boat though.. 

 nice driving? is the rudder shaved nicely?  I have an 07 lxi promo and it's shaved pretty good and is easy to drive nice and straight.

coffee may be good and the deserts in Austria are great so is Zipfer beer, trust me it's good stuff.  The Austrian cuisine isn't the best, we alpine skied glaciers (Stubai and Hintertux) in May for our honeymoon and believe it or not most fine restaurants all carry "boiled rump" as a main dish.  If you're looking to score wifey points, get her to Salsberg and take her out for a Sacher Torte, oh I think they may have a Sacher hotel in Vienna as well that will serve this dessert, although not the original location it's a total rip off, but good and totally perfect to impress your wife.  I remember riding the subway to the town square in Vienna just hanging out and there was a begger with totally swelled up ankles with the premium begging spot in front of some massive famous church, she was raking it in.  Well my old guy disease kicked in one morning and I was up super early and went downtown for something to do and watched this perfectly healthy women walk behind the church and proceeded to stuff her nylons with plastic bags to swell up her ankles and wear a heavily padded jacket with built in humpback and a few other items, them hobble her way back to her premium begging spot.  That was in 2005, so if you get taken downtown to look at the famous churches and you will, let me know if she's still there, it's an image I won't forget.  Oh ya, one more the white spanish horses in some castle will also impress her. 

 I think Stubai has year round skiing and it's great, gotta get up to the Tyrol region to the city of Innsbruck, very nice place

Hey you can buy beer at all newspaper stands and most sell airplane bottles of jagermeister... enjoy your trip.

Wow, now I feel like going, maybe a nice ski trip this winter.  Have fun.

I'd love to get my hands on that garbage.  let's think, benches, shooter skis, and I would panel the inside of my boathouse with skis...

My wife has a wake vest with the built in pocket.  I think it's a liquid force.  I think it's a great idea.  When learnig to really rip moguls in the winter nothing was better at relaxing and clearing your mind than an old walkman with the tunes cranked. 

thanks Shane, so yours clicked as well?  ok, i'll try what you did and sand it a bit because the clicking just didn't seem right to me.  I don't think the rear screws click.  next question, how did you sand something that small?

thanks

ok I got one of us drunk, didn't seem to help. 

 I must have the older thinner plate because when I put the 'threaded neck washer' which by the way isn't threaded and the white bushing underneith it and tighten I have a bit of play because the top portion or neck of the washer is too long/tall and I have play between the lock washer and plate and neck washer.  I just inserted some bushings onto the top of the neck washer to take up this play, but I'm not sure it's correct but at least it wont have the play which is annoying.  Maybe that's it, or perhaps I should source a thicker plate or shorter neck washers.  I did get all the hardware from Radar so I'm sure this is the correct hardware.  thanks all. 

thanks Dave, it shows the mounting screw, lock washer and threaded neck washer.  what about the little white plastic bushings? anyone know where they're supposed to go.  also where to get replacement laces? thanks

I know the info is here somewhere, but I can't seem to find it with searching.  Does anyone have the illustration as how to mount the plate, I'm looking for the placement of bushing etc... thanks a lot.  I know it in the package that it came in but the wife has long tossed that in the garbage.  thanks

shaneh, I have a wedge on my boat but it's currently not on the boat as we lost a pin.  I have replaced but haven't got around to re-installing, but it's closer to 10-15 lbs not 80-100.  I'm guessing by memory on the 10-15 but its not that heavy as my 2 year old can easily pick it up.  I don't notice the difference with it on or off either.  It's much lighter than the difference from .25 to full tank of fuel as I recall the tank is about 40us gallons.  I don't even notice the fuel difference though.

agreed, my lxi has a 41 gallon tank, and I can't tell if it's full or not, but toss in my ex-pro linebacker father in law and you kinda notice, It's about 300 extra lbs in the seat beside my already non svelt 200lb ski partners and we have some serious crew weight, even still not much of a difference. My problem exists entirely between my ears... couldn't stop laughing during pullout from one of our boat crew referring to his wife as the "handbrake"...for me at least giggling like a school girl is much more distracting than a few extra lbs...

thager, agreed. but don't forget he also repalced the rear floor board with a carbon one and almost saved 20lbs... less than a .25 tank of gas or a small post ski cooler in total weight difference.

yes.  one other thing when you're making the adjustments Ed suggested, you do it at the end after pulling a skier, not without a skier.

Not yet but we will. Just skied tonight in 72f water not bad. We have had a very nice summer with water in low 80s but anything 70 and up is ideal to us. We usually start and finish every season in the 50s. We had a great time at trophy lakes a few years ago when Seth was there and they had very basic cabins on site with nightly road trips to local bars. We have access to condos in both ft myers and Naples any good schools near either of those cities? Thanks

anyone ever go to bennets?

jimbrake, that is what I'm referring to, not the race suits, you know the nice pink/teal and purple with gold accent built in belt at the lower rib f^G Bags, not fart bags.  Our ski show does a nice comedy routine with an 80's desente one piece fa&bag and french accent looking for a ski as they ski on some old K2's : 

insert fake french accent: "I'm looking to ski apres big breakfast, complete 2 eggs.. side by each, 2 bacon.. parallel and a pair of toast, now je ski" then off the dock on K2's ... good for a laugh but the K2s and rear entry salomons don't float so well.

A lot of guys in our club use the aquasphere wt-50 as it's very thin and better for cold water than a drysuit.  We fill up with hot shower water then ski while hot.  I will say, they don't look 'cool' they certainly don't look as silly as the white suit in the Dave G. photo.  That thing reminds me of the old one piece alpine ski suits, that have been nicknamed "fa& bags" .

thanks guys, maybe I'll look to rent a small house or condo for a week in the area. anyone have a lead or place to search for rentals? thanks

some of our group went to Seth's when he was at trophy a couple of years ago, just wondering if it's warm enough in November?

Drew is an option, but he's pretty $$..

Myself and a few friends from our club are talking about a ski school trip sometime in November.  We're in Ontario Canada, and are looking for a nice cap to the season (typically ends mid-october) and due to work etc... have figured November is the time for us to go.  I guess we need to get far enough south for warmer weather so were looking for suggestions that offer the following:

warm water (70 and up preferred) Not sure if this limits us to FLA or not?  Maybe Charleston SC?

on site or nearby accomodations, nothing fancy or $ as it's just a guys trip.

something other than backwoods ski lake, ie. we can head into local town to entertain ourselves in bars etc...

good conditions with decent coaches. (I'm working on my 32 pass, but some will be cleaning up their 38 and working on 39.5 pass)

thanks guys

Thanks horton. At 41 I often forget How old I am, plus I don't like to admit it but I'm old school by most standards.