jdarwin

I purchased an Eagle vest in July of this year and the zipper began to separate at the bottom within a month. I waited until the conclusion of the season before contacting them about repair because the separation never progressed and the vest was still usable. I sent an e-mail and had a response within 30 minutes. I shipped the vest back to them and had it back within one week. THAT'S customer service.  Joe Darwin

"Is this the longest thread ever? " Probably - and for good reason - the Z7 is a REALLY good ski that did not have the proper fin numbers from D3 initially. They have updated their fin recommendations 3 times since June. Once we all figured out the fin, the ski came alive. Matt - I've been using CBR fins since John started making them. I found they didn't work well on Goode's (except the 9600) but found success on HO's and D3's.

Chris - I think the CBR fins work very well on D3's for light skiers - the flex seems to allow the ski to finish better. My daughter has run a CBR fin for 6 seasons - first on an X5, then an RC and now the Z7. She not too sensitive to fin setup but does notice the difference from aluminum to carbon. I run her fin basically stock - a bit shorter on length and a bit deeper.  Her fin is model 88. I have a 106 that I intend to try on my Z7. I liked it on the RC but not so much on the RCX. JTH can explain the differences between the 88 and 106 but I assume the 106 is stiffer. Skidawg's wife just went to a D3 and is running a CBR 88 also. As stated, it makes the ski more responsive for lighter skiers. I would highly recommend trying it at your current settings. You may find you can go a bit deeper due to the flex of the fin - which is not a bad thing.

jared - I've heard good things about the Quantum - skis very similar to the Goodman. Or course, D3 makes a good product as well. If your friend decides he wants the Quantum, let me know. jdarwin (at) lakesatcottonwood.com

That's great news, Marc. Look forward to coming down for Collegiate Nationals next Oct.

Given the choice, I would rather take on skidawg in a bar fight than Kim - she's one tough cookie (and bakes great cookies, too!).

Thanks Eric - she had a great time and did NOT want to leave the California sun! Great pic, John - looks like you caught her mid-sentence - quite a feat.

Tom - that's an offensive comment~!

ULM w/ 700 point lead over ASU and 800+ points over the Bammers after women give solid performance and Men's team absolutely dominate - top 4 scores, 3 into 39 and 4th 5.5 @ 38.

TW - couldn't a buoy be made of "nerf ball" material and still fall under the sizing guidelines of AWSA? The objective, as I understand it, it a material that will either submerge when hit or absorb the impact. Just a thought.

Nah, they've cleaned it up now that the President built his house there. But it's still "roller" hell - especially this year w/ all the rain - about 2 feet high. But you can't beat the convenience.

Wish I could have gone - daughter just landed w/ her team in L.A. Looking forward to some good pics (re: ULM) from Horton! I'll make certain to "alert" them regarding the man in the red golf cart.

HO 410 - I had the opportunity to sit next to a 3M national account rep at an airport several years ago. I mentioned how dual loc was being used to mount bindings to a water ski and he was shocked. He stated that it was never designed for use in a marine environment, does not have any "release" parameters in the design and furthermore it would be "crazy" to use it in any water ski application. Enough said.

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Dave "invent" the Powershells to prevent such an occurence? He states that he was inspired to create a "better" binding system due to injury. Ironic, isn't it?

NCWSA will be streaming the 2009 NCWSA Nationals LIVE on NCWSA.com Go to NCWSA.com and REGISTER for a free account, fill out your profile and then site back and watch/listen. They will have all of the information on the front page of what's going on over in California.  http://www.ncwsa.com/index.php/home-mainmenu-1/community/register They will also be twittering everything http://www.twitter.com/ncwsa

I've played w/ the fin/binding setup a bit more now that the tournament season is over. I've arrived back at stock for the bindings and 6.870 tips / 2.495 depth / .750 DFT and 7 deg wing. Basically the same as I've been running except a bit shallower. I typically like a deeper fin but the 2.495 lets the ski roll out into the preturn a bit easier and still tracks well and doesn't "slide" at the end of the turn. All in all, I'm very pleased w/ this ski.ÂÂ

I have a very cool Elite vest XL - a bit big for me - I'm 43-44 inch - large is perfect. Tried on once - never wet. Sell for cost $57 plus shipping. jdarwin (at) lakesatcottonwood.com

From last night's ESPN coverage of the ULM / Ark St. game: <object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value=" name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=" &" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>

Go w/ a large. The Gooru's expand. I wear a 46" suit and use an XL - fits fine.

Wade, back when Rob Shirley w/ MasterCraft brought Coors Light in as the title sponsor, they sold enough product over the 3-days at our stop to pay for their sponsorship! Subsequently, Anheiser Busch stepped up w/ Michelob Dry and Bud Dry as the titles in later years. One of the benefits is that the local distributor reaps benefits as well and works w/ the LOC in co-op advertising that draws people to the event. I've always thought an non-endemic sponsor was best for the sport so as not to drain the resourses of the boat / ski companies. Good luck and keep us posted.ÂÂ

Stevie - I'm 210 and the 68" felt a little big - the 67" felt a bit small so I would recommend the 67" for two reasons. 1. I think it is the right size for you. 2. If it doesn't work, that it the most popular size and resell will not be an issue.

I need to re-think who I give my t-shirts to!!

Put down me and Ward - MS can stay in the garage!

Looks like Denver and Houston for the qualifiers.  Not certain about the site in Denver, but the Houston site (Cypress Hill) has held a bunch of high-end tournaments including many Regionals. Finals to be held at Okeeheelee Park (SOS).

Scot: If you remember, we had probably 30-50 spectators at my June tournament. This was due to putting a small article in the local paper. I know its not much but w/ some promotion and some on-site infrastructure, you can get a crowd if you want one. They don't know the difference between a Class "C" and "ELR". It all looks the same.