skiinxs

@mwetskier I bet there are not a lot of 1/2's at that lake. I'm thinking if get around the ball you better get back to the wake for the full credit before the next set of gates:)

I agree with all of the above pointing to the raw water impeller. Whether it has lost vanes, is worn out, or the hub is spinning, or other issues with the raw water pump, your symptoms point to that. The water pickup on a 196 will ram enough water to keep it pretty cool while running at speed, even if the impeller is pretty much toast. That fact that it heats up when you slow down and reving the engine with the boat not moving doesn't help is consistent with this theory.

I'm still finishing my surgery rehab running passes on jumpers, so I can't personally comment on slalom feel, but I have had no complaints from anyone running shortline yet. All have said it "feels good". Driving I do notice a big improvement in the way the system settles in at low speeds (trick and those running really slow passes in a collegiate tournament.). There is absolutely no overspeed bounce while the system settles in no matter how clumsy you are at hammering it up to speed. I am sure kids who slalom starting at 15.5 will appreciate this, especially on short setup lakes. Boat - '16 Nautique 200 with 6.2.

I have never had an issue, but as you can see from the photos I also have a touchless cover that also protects the boat under a very large roof on a covered dock. We had a small tornado come through last spring about a hundred feet from my dock. Lots of hail damage to roofs on house, dock, metal building, 18 broken windows, totaled car from hail, but no damage to boat or touchless cover. Wind does not seem to be an issue. It really takes a lot of side force to even move the boat an inch while it is hanging, I can't imagine it ever swinging much.

and one more with the boat down...

Only one photo showed up, here is another.

If you have or can build the structure to support a cable lift, since you have a Nautique, the option for a cable lift is probably your best option. If you can float the boat to the dock, it will work. Here is an example of a cable lift. Also, here a couple photos of one in use.

That was absolutely the best webcast I have ever seen and wish I had time yesterday to watch all of it. Really great shots from the drone as well. Those responsible should put on a clinic on how to do it right!

I like what @eddie_roberts_jr has to say. I don't buy the excuse, especially when purchasing high end, very expensive skis, that there is no time to set them up correctly (according to factory spec). "Just get them close with a fixture and let the customer sort them out." I would also think that would be very detrimental to a demo program, as those skis may not be purchased due to a sub-optimal setup. The assumption that all skiers have a set of calipers, and are capable of using them correctly is probably a poor assumption.

Gym workouts with weight training and elliptical for cardio. When you think you are in shape, you find out every year (why do I forget this every year) that you aren't even close. When I start skiing I try to run slow passes on the course on jumpers for a couple weeks before getting the slalom out. Seems to help. For me, if I can finally get on the slalom for a couple weeks with no injuries life is good. The older you get, the harder that is to do!

I am not a fan of the annual replacement ritual of the dual lock. Lots of finger blisters, swearing, not a lot of fun to be around when I have to do this! Every time I keep repeating to myself "there has got to be a better way"!

I wouldn't mind giving it a shot. Dave Instagram #skiinxs

I would MUCH rather my driver drive and not look in the mirror at all. Easy enough to put a video tracking system on the pylon and review the pass afterwards, which will be much better if the driver concentrates on driving!

Glass for me, love the sounds!

It is hard to tell for sure from the photos, but it looks like the spindle may be a bolt-on. If that is the case, not the end of the world if you have to replace it.

You might be ok. The surfaces that the bearings contact do not appear to be ridged, my guess is the bearings didn't spin on the spindle surfaces. If you get new bearings and they seem to fit properly that part may be ok. How does the surface that the grease seal rides on feel. If it is too rough it will eat up new grease seals. If it is a little rough but not diminished in diameter you may be able to polish up with some emery cloth.

@oldjeep I don't think so. Mine was a late boat that year, most of the other promos were probably built many weeks earlier. I believe that the low cost money for daddy to buy the wakeboard boats for the kids had dried up, many of the dealers with large stocks of v-drives were going bankrupt, and there were no orders.

I have always had great experiences with them both with online ordering and in-person visits. A couple years ago I was in O-Town picking up a boat. I stopped in to get a jump binding overlay and mentioned that I had a project to install it in the hotel that night. They said "do you have the binding with you"? I did and they said bring it in and we will change it for you. Only took them about 20 minutes, about a third the time it takes me for a job I really dislike. They didn't charge a dime extra to replace the overlay on the binding for me. Customer for life now!

I can still remember being on a plant tour the Monday after a big layoff when the recession hit a few years ago. At that time nine out of ten boats on the line were direct drives. Let's hope the boat companies don't forget who carries them through the tough times.

I think a good measure is also "most consistent over the years". Some builders always, consistently put out very good boats. There are others that have some really good years, some so-so years, and some really bad years.

Wrong speed input?

@epnault Love the colors, great looking boat!

I would expect it to be considerably better than a 6.0, which is considerably better than a 5.7.

@darwin I may have some video saved from the tournament DVR on my PC up at the lake. I will take a look this weekend. Do you have a server I could FTP to if I find some? (Too big to email) It would be the four channel video showing boat camera, both gate cameras and end course.

@ntx I think you will be very happy with the 5.3. PM your phone number to me if you want a little more in-depth results of my testing.