nzcabbage

First set of the sesson last Wednesday night (New Zealand), water 16c so shorts and a neo top only.......my body hurts, but I will be going back for more once this spring storm clears - skiing 2-4 times a week till end of April!

Hey @mbabiash‌......I am no super skier, just another bloke that spent last season down here working on much the same pass you have posted. I am lucky enough to have had some coaching from some great skiers and find my efforts being refocused on the gates.......gates, gates, gates just ring in my ears. So, here is what I see in your video from the pullout to 1 ball. If this helps you get around 1 ball so that when you come back on it you feel your shin or thigh clip it, you have a great head start to your pass. On your initial pull out you load the boat so much that you can hear the engine increase RPM to recover speed (I assume the Malibu you are behind has Zero Off). This boat speed recovery continues to happen during your glide and could be contributing to you being dragged in as @Wish‌ mentioned, so try pulling out earlier, softer and longer so you are invisable to ZO, then in your glide, stand tall on your front foot, rotate your hips and shoulders to 11 o'clock.....keeps you square and gliding down course. Your turn in is harsh so you end up loading early, so by the time you get to behind the boat the load is so great you start to get seperated. What I have been told (and it worked for me) is roll in gently with the goal to generate as much angle as you can through the gate. As the angle builds, so will the load and you accelerate through the gates gradually instead of like a F15 of the deck of a aircraft carrier from before the whitewater line. I hope this makes sense and gives you a great start to your pass.......keen for yours and anyone elses feedback.

Waiting waiting waiting for them to arrive down here in NZ..........

Cambridge, New Zealand

Mine is ordered and arrives in NZ hopefully around October.........bring back Summer Down Under :-)

Winter down here in NZ....the Ball of Spray forum is as close as I get to a ski for the next 4 months.. :-( ......here is our current weather forecast.......Rain, Hail or Snow and todays high was 11c near Hamilton.

Easy.......use a spanner to hold back the tensioner pulley (rotate it to the right), remove the belt. Water pump has 3 triangle holes in it that allow you to reach the 3 bolts with a socket and short extension. Undo them (they dont come all the way out as an O Ring is on the inside of each), as you pull the pulley and front housing off, rotate the pulley clockwise so the impeller comes out with it. Change the O Rings on the bolts you just loosened, put the new impeller in the pump body ensuring the fins are swept back in the right direction for the direction of rotation (I put a small layer of vasaline inside the pump body to keep the rubber lubed till it gets water on first startup), replace the O Ring (I put a couple of small spots of vasaline in the grove to hold it whilst you position it), realign the bolt holes (from memory they are slightly offset to fit only oneway) and evenly tighten the 3 bolts. Check the belt for wear and damage and if ok replace. Whole job usually takes me 15-20 minutes. I always check for water flow on first startup through the weed trap bowl and for any leaks around the housing I just removed. Go ski and enjoy.........our water down here is now geting darn cold! :-(

Lake Karapiro Back Water NZ, 6.30am this morning......water now at 23c and heading to the back water the other morning from the club.

Sorry Northern Hemisphere Ballers.......but just picture this.........6.30am down here in NZ at Lake Karapiro Ski Club Course, water just over 20c, air around 11c, slight mist on the mirror smooth water, club SN200 and great friends to share it with.........my day has started just fine. Even better I have today off and we are now off fishing.........

Take off the distributor cap and you will most likley find a crusty growth on the contacts inside. Used to happen to our last club boat of the same year. Give them a clean and all will be good. If the corrosion is too bad, replace the cap with a new one.

@skikolb.......not a nice injury man. Spent 10 days in a cast while the Docs decided if I had a Lisfranc after some of the old white Obrien Bio uppers tore off the soles of the binding in a crash. Now have 2013 Strada bindings and love them.......I do not pull the top lace super tight - always ensure the cord has residual stretch available for a release. So far only pulled a heel out in a tumble.

Oh well us Kiwis (New Zealanders) are still proud of our Team NZ despite the result! Funny thing is .......... who designed the Oracle boat - Kiwis, who built the Oracle boat - Kiwis, who wrote the software that flew the Oracle boat on the foils - a Kiwi, Who did Larry fly to in from Down Under a couple of weeks ago to redesign the foils on Oracle - Several Kiwis. Worst part of the whole loss is the skipper was an Aussie (Australian) as we are fierce sports competitors!

Thank you all for giving up your warm water for us Kiwis! Summer Down Under in NZ is heading our way for the team at Karapiro Water Ski Club!..........cant wait.

Yee Ha........just saw the first bud burst today on trees Down Under in New Zealand........bring it on!

Get on a plane and come ski at Karapiro - water has warmed up to near 20c, so we will dumping the neo top any day and it will be boardies only.......and a ski........Rock on summer in NZ!

@estrom, I had a 08 Sixam SS.

Oh Yeah - Happy Birthday to ME (and xmas said the wife) a "Carbon Carrot" (Strada) is mine.....even better, it's Friday night, a long weekend with Monday a public holiday............pity the spring weather is just crap with high winds and rain :-(...............can't wait till it moves on!

Well Northern Hemisphere Ballers, yesterday was my first set of the season in "Down Under NZ" wearing boardies and neo top. Water was 15c and air was the same, so not real warm, but with a brand new SN200 in our club shed, a good friend soon to ZO his Mali and a new "Carbon Carrot" (aka 2013 Strada) on the way, here's hoping for a ripper season and a new PB! You have all provided may hours of reading every day over our winter, which has just built the anticipation and excitement of another ski season............and for that we say Thank You!

Nice reporting @billbarton and @markchilcutt.........it's ordered and sunnies are at the ready

So come on you Northern Hemisphere Ballers - has anyone ridden one yet? As if waiting for summer to turn up down here in NZ is not hard enough, I am still waiting for one of you guys to buy one and tell us about it!

@slalomboy96..........and can't wait to have a turn on it as well.......and watch some good OTF's in the mirror......... I think we will need a GoPro this season ...........and rock on summer "Down Under"

@webbdawg99 Yep - it can do that.......it kept me quiet for hours..........

@jayski and @toddl you made mention of needing data to map performance........has anyone seen this Document from an Applied Science students Thesis last year? http://dspace.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10214/2878/Biomechanical%20Performance%20Factors%20of%20Slalom%20Water%20Skiing%20R1.pdf?sequence=3

"WOW.......those bits we put on my ski's from that F/A-18 Hornet over the fence really work!"

Brent - we are a club only with no accomodation, but nearer the time contact me through the club website and we can put you intouch with local accommodation and other ski clubs around NZ.