h2odawg79

@Brady, Thx Man! I got real busy, then out of State, then back and totally swamped from being gone... I need a break and some serious time out on the water!!! =-D

What exactly is Weight? I always hear people taking about "Losing Wgt" with no referance to their actual objective... Weight can be readily gained or lost in the form of Water, Muscle, Fat and from within the Bowel tract... I always ask: Whats your objective? To look good in clothes? (High school reunion, Wedding) To look good on the Beach? To perform better? To feel better?

@tfriess, No putty! I would simply scrape (Lightly) the unsightly degraded materials in the joint area to give it a more uniform appearance. But, no putty or caulk will hold up in continuous water... As far as sanding goes, Mine was really Bad and I used my Belt Sander lightly with #80 grit. I would only sand if neccessary and at that, only enough to clean up the frayed or splintery areas. You do not want it TOO Smooth.. Good Luck!

Just wanted to make one more point is the Visualization process. The remarkable (to me) thing about "Pavlov's Dog" is not so much in the Salivation, but the fact that Digestive enzymes begin to secrete and accompany the salivation. BEFORE THERE IS ANY ACTUAL FOOD PRESENT TO DIGEST! (talk about the power of the Mind!) Why is this important? B/c in a similar way, Neuro tests have been run on World Class Athletes (Sprinters) who while doing strong Visualization, and found that they send the same Neural Musclar signals to all the Muscles recruited to Sprint while simply sitting in a chair! Sending the same Firing signals to the receptors, w/o actually being on the track or moving any body parts! THIS is the other 1/2 of why Visualization is Paramount in "Changing your ingrained Auto response factor". Also; w/o the Buoys in your prior Visualization Process, your image was not clear enough or not real enough. But more then anything, it lacked the Key element of your conscience trigger mechanism. Similar to practicing your Par 3 "Over the Water Shot" w/o Visualizing the Water and the feelings that accompany the sight of the Water... Good Luck!

Visualization! To re-program an auto response factor, I believe one must have an absolute Clear and concise mental picture of the correct version and then rehearse it over and over as absolutely Vivid as one can See. (i.e. at night in Bed, on the lunch hr., etc...) When the Mental video picture is rolling, it can become so Real that one can actually not only "See" but often "Hear" and/or "Smell" things that coincide with the actual event! As in Golf, many w/e warriors tend to consistantly "Slice" the ball off the Tee, or they consistantly tend to hit the Ball into the water on the Par 3... Before one can ever begin to overcome those shortcomings they Must absolutely be able to "See" the Ball flying straight down the fairway and landing in right where it should. They need to be able to see the Ball confidently clearing the water and landing in the middle of the Green. The next step is truly Believing in the Vision. Like the Buoy's, it is not enough to do it all correctly @ the Driving Range. One must See it and Believe it whole Heartedly, w/o question and w/o hesitation... You know the proper Turn and how to do it. Now, "see" (really see it) the Buoy in your visualization process while off the water and then also begin to "see" (really see it) the Buoy while on the water Shadowing or free skiing. Along with a solid visual, you could also create a "New Trigger" mechanism coming into the Buoy. It could be a word, or phrase, a physical act like exhaling, or whatever works for you... Just like Golf and the Water Hazards, the Buoy is just a thing and it's only our good or bad programming that give the thing any power. Exceptional Visualization is one of the biggest factors that separate the Real Play makers (Michael Jordon, Manning, Tiger...) from all the other good Athletes... ummmm, Tigers visualization process seperated him from all the other players, his Wife and Butt Load of $$$!

and he's LFF like me too!

@thager, IDK? -I just want 'em! eew, Shiney!

@thager, I'm with ya. If I could I'd have these Baby's! Oh, H_ _ _ _ ya!

I wish we could all easily check/verify our Flex #'s... (with some kind of "Industry Standard" and repeatable process) BUT, if we could Ajust the flex! OMG... -can you image all the Absolute Kaos that would cause on these boards for "Set Up #'s" !!! Hey, anyone got any #'s for a 67" _ _ _ _ _ Ski, I just added 75.025 Grams of flex to compensate for the warmer water. Should I also move my Bindings fwd with this adjustment? or should I should I just take out some length? -maybe I should just Buy a new Ski! =-D

Ya, I did it via U.S. Mail for the "Non-Resident" fee. Which was only slightly more then the Resident. But, a heck of a lot cheaper then Cali. I would bet that you could surely do it online these days... Good Luck!

@HamWallace, Hendersonville, well, or until I get a solid opp. in a more Sunny Southern or Western region!

@StevenHaines, @mwetskier, That's an idea! In fact, I had my Flat registered in Ariz. before moving here. (Saved a bunch of $$$ on registration) Ariz. will register a Cali boat with a "Non-Resident" Registration. It costs a little more then the AZ resident fee. Just not sure if this would fly in Cali @ DMV later on to avoid the Non-Op. issue. But, then again My Boat and 100's of others are Cali Boats w/AZ tags... -which begs the question; why register it in Cali at all???

@scotchipman, don't be silly, that would make about as much sense as ALL of the Ski manufacturers having Tuning Guides with "factory" #'s that could help to optimize the Ski! Especially in the hands of a short liner @ 36mph or a long liner @ 30mph, cold water, etc.... But, Personally I thoroughly enjoy the great opportunity created by all of this on SKI-IT-AGAIN! ;-}

Cali has a Cert. of Non Operation form and one for Off-Road (non-Highway use) AND one called: "A Planned Non-Operation Certificate," which allows the owner of the vehicle to store the vehicle while allowing the Tags to expire. This however, limits the vehicle to storage and cannot be driven, Towed, Parked or Transported on any State rd. Cali has a 1 time transport/Tow permit for moving a vehicle w/out of date tags to transport or Tow the vehicle on State Roads from one specific location to another. @rodltg2, did you check with the always helpful and curtious DMV on the conditions for the use of a Cert. of Non-OP? I know it has to be filled out and signed by the Owner or Owners that Owned it during the duration of Non-Operation. If that is a no go, did you check with your local DMV Zoo Keeper, to tally up the #'$ for you. Do you still have to make appt's @ the DMV? -or wait ALL DAY?

rodltg2, That's really a great question. They (Cali) can sure show unsportsman like conduct on Motor Vehicles for such an infraction... I grew up there and am casually thinking of going back. It's the stuff like you are posting that makes it a little bit scary though!! I've been livin' in the 80's here in TN. much less regulated STUFF!!! Although the State of TN. wanted to freakin' Tax me on the Value of my V-Drive FlatBottom when I moved here and wanted to register it!!! -Actually they did Tax me on it. (I declared the value though!!!) dbl wink! ;-} Freaking Bureaucrats...

I think with most Pro photo shoots the Skier is @ a very comfortable length. i.e. -32 this provides great opportunity for Good Shots and does not push the skier any where near their limits. Creating smooth and controlled lines. I believe this concept would be ideal for the GoPro Rope idea as well. This would achieve better results and reduce the chance of scrappy, herky jerky passes that could promote the opportunity for serious slack hits and launches of Scud Missle Handles. I think this Camera angle might be best if used as an alternative angle in a Very Cool edited Video! (Key words: Alternative Angle)

How about using a 3/4" PVC "T" Run the rope through the top (Horizontal) of the "T" Glue a 3/4" threaded pipe fitting adapter into the bottom of the (Vertical) "T" and attach a 6" (Metal) Pipe Nipple for a Counter wgt. (the longer the better for stability) Mount a GOPRO to the top side of the (Horizontal) "T" above the Rope. May need to add 2 Bushings to the inside of the Cross (Horiz.) section, around the Rope to improve stability and greatly reduce the "Swing effect"...

With all the remarks on here about "Getting Oil on their Ski's," I have to ask; did someone post some where that this was a problem???? If this was ever a prob. for someone then they did not do something right in the process or they used a very sub-par product. Most typical Mistakes: They didn't allow the Teak to DRY OUT Fully (after cleaning or being on the Lake) before applying the Teak Oil, or they did not wipe off the excess Teak Oil within an Hr. after each coat, or they tried to apply Teak Oil to a Platform that was not cleaned properly and/or had an existing finish (surface sealer, Clear Coat) on it, or they did not allow the last coat to dry before use... (12hrs) Done properly, with a Good Teak Oil (WATCO) there will be NO Oil transferring onto Anything!

@MattP, @Waternut, IMHO, both points are valid. But in context, I have to agree with Matt. These guys are able body young men looking to optimize their Performance. They are Not 2 sedentary old men couped up in a convalescent Hospital in need of rounds of Ensure and they are not stuck in the middle of Afghanistan or on an icy Glacier trying to survive. I believe Matt is saying; (and I agree 100%) if you are not dedicated enough to at least make the attempt to eat right in the 1st place, then SAVE YOUR $$$, b/c your Heart is not in it and you are wasting your Time, Energy and Money. -whats the next attempted short cut? Steriods? HGH? Supplements are EXPENSIVE and they are a secondary line of Nutrition. I don't think a lack of discipline or fortitude constitutes the acceptable abuse of Achohol, Drugs, cigarettes or Supplements...

@ral, SHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! There ya go, lettin' the Cat outta the bag again now they'll all be doin it...

@FrankS, @tfriess, For the Younger Guys, (I was once a “Younger Guy”!) If there is ONE THING that I would do different when it comes to SKIING if I could; I would have NEVER, EVER gotten all stupid into BodyBuilding. Gaining 75lbs. and a Ton of Strength was fun, (even fooled ourselves into believing that all the Chicks dug us! NOT!!!) But, in doing this, I pretty much through away most of my God given “Athleticism.” I was once Built a lot like Nate Smith and could move so easily and fluidly. My Athleticism was incredible. Needless to say, my Skiing was literally effortless. Unfortunately I let Foolish Pride and ego take me in a direction that I somehow felt would take me to a better place in Life. It was a fun Journey at times and I’ve got some good memories. But, had I known that I’d want to be a good skier later in Life, I would have NEVER subjected myself to so much Physically, Mentally and Financially. –for what, some Memories? Stay Clean, Eat Clean and Live Clean. -Life will reward you. If you Really want to be someone in this Life, then go all in and Be Yourself, being the Very Best You possible. This is very challenging, (peer pres. Never ends) but, it is far more unique (Real) and Rewarding then any Show Time shallow imitation will ever be… I say all that b/c I started BodyBuilding and lost my Athleticism by Total accident. I was only trying to gain enough muscle to fight Light Heavy wgt. (b/c I wasn’t Man enough to stay a little guy -Middle wgt) and it somehow all took off from there…. Good Luck! (On & Off the Water...)

@Brady, FOUND IT!!! =D Seems like the "Teak Guard" works identical to Teak Oil. Both will last all season and can be recoated w/o sanding. The site does say: "If you don't mind rough wood, then great! Just apply TeakGuard to keep the mold and mildew from growing on the wood. If you prefer a smooth surface, then you might want to sand your teak" My Platform had been totally abused by Miami Sun/Brakish water. -And I do Mind Rough wood! =)So, it had to be cleaned thoroughly, brushed A LOT and Sanded in the beginning. Otherwise, it would have become a very Rough, grainy and stringy looking finished deck... It also says: "How is TeakGuard different from teak oil? Nearly all teak oil products turn black or gray within a month or two. When they go bad, you'll have to start the entire process over again, cleaning the teak and coating it. After this happens 3 or 4 times a season, you'll wish you had never heard of teak". IDK about that statement, I have been using the WATCO Brand from Lowes and it has NEVER turned Blk or Grey or done anything but Look freakin' Awesome! -with No Maint during the Season... 1 Qt. of Teak Oil is around $10.00 and I assure you, does Not get on the Ski's or anything else. (Unless it is used and applied improperly!) Read and follow the instructions, it's super easy!

@Brady, Thx but, I did not see the dern "Insert" button below image???

@AB, I hate it when that happens in public! =D ask your Doctor if you are Healthy enough for "Ski Position"

@Todd, On a side note for comparison; I have a Trakker as well, and my PlaySport Z5 was not compatible. (Massive vibration and Freeze ups.) But more importantly, for me, the Trakker cannot even compare to the "On/Off," put away, switch Boats and Camera's! capability of the EZ CAM. I need to be able to switch out Fast/Easy. This feature alone will equate to 2-3 times MORE Vid footage for me this Season. (do we still call it "Footage"!?!?)