Bdecker

For a warm water install in deeper water, don't underestimate the challenge of reliably raising and lowering your anchors. I was fortunate enough to have an experienced veteran and heck of a great guy to help. Without the winch float he built with a prism mount there is no chance we would get it right. If you can stand it will be much easier to get the location right.

I did a warm water install last year with a local surveyor. It wasn't easy or cheap, but it can be done. Plan on a full day for sure.

@ral - still a couple weeks out. I've got only 1 easy set in so far this season due to weather. My ARC hasn't arrived yet.

I'm a huge fan of Sunstream lifts. We have one that has been in the lake since 97 with zero issues. I bought another one used on Craigslist for our ski pond a few years back. They are pretty pricey new, but if you can find a decent used one my experience is they last forever.

@sftiis - I skied both and went with the H2 as I felt it gave me a little more space before the buoy. I have an ARC coming so I can give you a comparison there too, but that'll be at least a month.

Great looking boat! I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of our Carbon Pro. Ice out should happen this week!

X5d is a great tow vehicle. Wish it was big enough for our crew. But based on what your friend needs I think an x5d, gl350, or Q7 tdi would be an upgrade for towing with no compromises elsewhere.

Excited to get our 2016. It will be a long winter of waiting....

Pond is a little weedy but not terribly milky. Just called dealer and it turns out they didn't do cap/rotor in their "tune-up". Thinking I'll start there and fuel filter, then move yo compression test. We've been running 93 all summer, so I doubt it is fuel- manual for this engine (L96) says 89- the "hammerhead" gets 91

Pond is a little weedy but not terribly milky. Just called dealer and it turns out they didn't do cap/rotor in their "tune-up". Thinking I'll start there and fuel filter, then move to compression test. We've been running 93 all summer, so I doubt it is fuel- manual for this engine (L96) says 89- the "hammerhead" gets 91

Our 2011 Malibu LXI seems to have lost a little this season. It is still pretty good, but some passes it just seems a little slower out of the hole. Runs nice and smooth at speed, but with our short site the lack of holeshot is becoming noticeable- just did plugs, wires, etc... Any other ideas? It's a 6.0l with 650 +/- hours. Running 89-93 octane

I am about to do a new course install and have a surveyor lined up- but I am wondering if I should get everything "close" via GPS first then make adjustments when he arrives. Has anyone used GPS for a new install? I'm thinking this will make survey day less hectic if there is a reasonable way to translate the course dimensions to GPS points.

I highly recommend this upgrade. We hit a rock with our ZO Malibu during a clinic yesterday, so the 05 MC197TT was pulled into emergency duty. I finished up the install on the ramp.... Skied great right out of the box. Wish I had done this sooner.

Thanks for all the responses. The order is in, anxious to get it installed. We can do back to back comparisons with our ZO lxi until it gets time to winterize.

Ok, so I understand surging is an issue. I have plenty of setup space and am reasonably confident that I can get it dialed in. My understanding after reading a ton of threads is that DBW boats like mine are perhaps better "candidates" for the upgrade? My real question is how much of the "menu, menu, down arrow, add 10, etc" will I have to do from the water? Simplicity for the driver is my primary motivation, but if I go stargazer obviously zbox will happen too.

Thanks nam1975, I have classic and have used it for years. Very consistent if you have a driver that knows how to get it right. ++kx and it almost feels like ZO, but I want to be done with magnets and trying to talk driver through times to look for, +/- for wind etc. I can get it dialed in at my normal site with drivers that understand the system, as long as once it is dialed in it is good to go.

Apologies for resurrecting and old thread, but I am considering this upgrade and have a couple questions. Most of my more serious skiing takes place on a shared ZO club boat, so my 05 197 TT gets public lake duty but we have a course and a wide range of skiers. My dad likes to drive and my primary concern is ease of use. Once I get it dialed in will it be ZO easy to operate or do we still need skier weight, crew weight, +/- adjust for wind, etc? Will it get close to ZO consistency?

I think I was 14 when my parents took delivery of our 89. Of course it was the signature teal and raspberry color combo because, well it was 1989! I ran that boat constantly from my 16th birthday. Unbelievable ski boat at the time. Finally sold her in 06 after picking up a 197 promo in 05. Unfortunately, at that point her wood was starting to be an issue. I miss that sound but I'm not sure our neighbors do.

Global Marine is my choice for both my personal and our club boat- they were the only ones I could get to $1M. Most umbrella policies have questionable language with respect to slalom course use, which is why I went with the max limits. It is about $400/ year each for an 11 BU and 05 197.

I have a friend with the same foot drop condition and would agree the FM quattros would likely work well. Specifically because you can put the liner on, then slip the foot into the ski which should make it much easier to get going. The downside is that it is a bit heavy, but I have been on them for at least 4 years and am happy with their release and durability. I am on the single plate but you can order them with a split plate too. Next step for me is the FM eSeries which are in the mail now. If I like them I might have a LFF Quattro set available in a US 10...

Also check the fittings, they can leak if not tight. Mine was leaking where I spliced the feed line 40' under...

Club boat is a 2011 LXi, my personal boat is an 05 197, so I have one foot in each camp from a speed control perspective. I thought about Z-box for the MC, but it is a significant upgrade as I'm still running the single display etc.. This boat gets primarily public lake buoys now so the upgrade is less likely now that the club boat is at the "good" ski site.

I am a fan of the Sole insoles. Tried superfeet and couldn't get them to work. I've run Soles for several years and they seem to hold up fine. I actually tried them as a last ditch effort to avoid expensive custom insoles. Now I wear them in just about every pair of shoes I own, and even buy their flips for the summer. I didn't have success with them in my snow ski boots, but in my hardshells they are great. www.yoursole.com

Congrats on the new job. My parents have been in Venice for 10+ years and I'm come to the conclusion that the only option is to drive to McCormick's. Nice spot to ski. If you find something closer let me know!

@Skoot1123, sorry to hear about your shoulder. I drilled mine in a snow ski crash in early February, PT diagnosed it as an impingement. It took me a good month of rest and PT treatments to get it to the point where I can start doing strengthening exercises again. I'm actually glad we're still frozen around here because it probably needs another month. Good luck, don't try to push it to much too soon, I definitely did that early and had to back off.