Bdecker

@jercrane - you have the 6L so that is super easy to drain. I’d just drain it at the end of each weekend.

Here is a pic of the tumacs on the 197- Bimini folded back. There are more poles but this works great for light rain or less. My teak platform has never looked so good in September.

Tumacs! Call Skip Dunlap at 863-605-0340. I put one on my 05 197 this year. Works awesome, goes on easy. It is not sunbrella but sheds water way better than the original. $495 and Skip assured me that if I thought it wasn’t worth the cost he’d take it back.

I’ve been fortunate enough to ski and drive one regularly this season, both in tournaments and practice. Always happy with the way it skis and drives.

@BuoyChaser - hands off my fin! Just 4 sets on it so far but I like what I’m feeling.

I haven’t tried mine yet but based on feedback from ski partners from this am I have already ordered another one for my son.. too bad he doesn’t weigh enough to trip the safety switch on the John Deere- I sure like the idea of making him mow the lawn first.

I have been reasonably consistent with my shoulder sphere on the right side since 2017 Nationals. I fully dislocated it in 2016, doing some cuff and labrum damage. After multiple opinions, I opted to rehab conservatively with PT only. Adding this device has definitely helped! My PT has me doing some band work too, but the shoulder sphere is extremely effective. Skiing as well now as I ever have.

Skied one today! Felt really nice although it was the first really windy set I’ve had in a while. I’m on a 2018 now and not sure if I could tell the difference blindfolded. Fins were not exact to the 1000th (but within 5/1000th), so it felt a little quicker but not really sure if that was due to a minor fin difference.

@jercrane - My concern with training faster is you might not getting the width and angle that you’ll need in the course. I’d try to be really conscious of finishing each of my turns and generating angle. It is really hard to maintain that discipline without the buoys, and the extra speed will compound that problem.

Funny @dshock, my oldest son did the exact same progression. Actually just eclipsed a practice PB set on the 59” elite last year in the past couple of weeks on the 63” Vapor. Lots of people told me the Elite was too small but as I already had it, we used it and he skied really well on it up through 34mph. The Vapor turns awesome for him and is much more consistent than the Elite was (and less terrifying to watch). My younger boy is not as aggressive, so I think he’ll be on @Chef23’s ski which I bought for my niece and nephew years ago. Wider is definitely better the Elite was definitely too small until we got to 26 or 28 mph.

@ntx- I think my friend bought the Orlando boat you are referring to. Similar color scheme but it was a 6L. Skied great until he sold it in early 17 and started doing the promo thing.

I ski a ‘14 with 6L 409 regularly and love the pull. Minor nitpick on the ‘14 is the throttle lever operation is a bit awkward and stiff. Great boat and pull. Can’t see how another 41 HP would hurt.

@jercrane - this project sounds awesome. No other current site in the state has been purpose built that I am aware of. You can be certain if a boat can be seen or heard someone is likely to say something. Better to have it covered upfront, I have a call into a friend with a long history in Concord for advice and direction. Can’t wait to ski there!

@Tdub - can’t comment on why your vest doesn’t fit but I have taken a couple nasty rib shots lately that I am convinced left no mark or lasting pain due to my Stokes EVO. Really nice impact protection.

Good luck! I'd start calling dealers near the coast. My 05 trailer was totaled (empty thankfully) years ago and I ended up getting a 2009 from a boat headed to salt water. Wasn't cheap but pretty close to the cost of fixing the old one.

@Justin - we had a sport 200 onsite for the past several years. 34 mph, -28 and in with a good driver it was ok. The people that complained most about it started slower and longer than 32/ -28. The owner could run -38 behind it, but eventually sold it for a 200 DD. We no longer have to race to the site to ensure we ski on one of the direct drives. For what it is worth, both Sport 200’s I know of locally were sold because the owners found the compromise too great.

Saving $5 buoy won’t pay for the first PT appointment when you wreck hitting the cheap ones. No buoy is totally safe, but having hit our Wallys and skied away I believe they are safer if they are under-inflated as designed. We swap them out every year or so, and rotate the old ones on the gates if we run low.

Sweet looking boat but even sweeter looking spot! Where is it located?

I have considered the Stem Cell thing. Local Ortho friend keeps telling me that if it really worked he’d be first in line. If it truly worked the cost would be a non-issue, it’s just a big bet to place on something that may not produce results. Unfortunately, with the shoulder, surgical success can be limited as well from what I have heard.

@Killer - I’ve been using this one since last spring. https://www.shockdoctor.com/ultra-shoulder-support-with-stability-control

Sorry to hear @chris55. I did mine right shoulder back in September ‘16. Didn’t ski again until the following spring. It was painful as we had a very mild fall that year and my ski partners pushed it for well over a month. Saw (3) docs, all agreed on conservative treatment (no surgery). I have a small labrum tear and a partial rotator cuff tear. Lots of PT and daily shoulder exercises. I also wear a stabilizer brace when I ski, probably more for piece of mind but it doesn’t seem to restrict me. Lots of “bro” and “mansier” comments on the dock, but I’m back to where I left off or better. Definitely gets sore at times, but I’m pretty happy that the pain is manageable and functionally it seems decent. Good luck with recovery!

What a tragedy. Thoughts and prayers with everyone out there. Skiing at Kodiak was a highlight of our trip to Colorado last summer.

Lots of sockets and wrenches, plenty of sunglasses, expensive ear plugs, cheap ear plugs, cuff to a FM hard shell, a gopro with some great footage for sure. Finally, some pec tendon, a little rotator cuff and labrum, several degrees of ankle mobility, and about a dozen eardrums.

Strange question, but do any ballers in New England have a cable based portable they’d be willing to loan out for a couple days? I’m trying to revive a permitted site in NH on a public lake that was set out by a basic land surveyor years ago. It’s way off and basically useless, but there are some kids and adults on the lake that have expressed an interest, so I’ve been trying to get it fixed up. My intention is to use a portable as a template to get things skiable, then have a TC come to dial things in. If you’ve got something laying around in the garage or basement, I promise to take fantastic care of it.

@jercrane - both Sunstreams at our site were used so we’re into them for $4k or less each. But I’m not at all surprised by the number you were quoted. I have both the 4,000 lb and the 6,000. Both work fine but the 6000 would be worth the upgrade if prices are close.