6balls

Holy nuts after that one ball????

In real-time you probably score it as the ski likely smears around the ball even though the tip hit it pretty hard and, as noted, by rule it would be a zero. The buoy also may have "displaced" his ski significantly.

Head to head finals are pretty fun

2 sets 4 days per week no problem--we had one July where the weather gods were with us and we skied 28 days.

Yes gotta have a windshield. Also would need to sit in one and get a feel for driver ergonomics. Tilt helm(hopefully), throttle position etc. Would prefer a rear facing observer seat that you could lift to get to storage. In the J it looks to be just all open under there for stuff to come back and whack your toes. Could move that rear seat forward a bit and create an upholstered sunpad over a storage compartment at the rear. That rear gel corner is gonna be exposed to dock tie ups etc cuz the rub-rail is narrower than the gel. Looks cool but the rail isn't protecting anything back there. My old Centurion Falcon Barefoot that I posted about above had none of those issues. Great enclosed bow storage behind the rear facing observers seat, a real tourney boat windshield and ski mirror, tilt helm, nice ergonomics from seat to throttle and wheel. Rear u-shaped seat also had storage behind it. Rub rail was useful protection front to rear. The Flightcraft's and Sangers were great, too. Swim platforms and rope guide over motor. Center mount pylon with fins underneath. I think over 20 years later it could be done better than these J's which remind me more of Switzers, Checkmates, Hydrostreams. Ron just find yourself a used and pristine Malibu-Flightcraft Outboard--no wood, great build, better ski/driving and barefoot boat than this new J--and probably lots cheaper.

Get the best condition, best cared for, big 3 you can find at your budget line and don't look back. Showroom condition with a big discount and will last a lifetime. This Bu in question sounds nice.

You can be "too outbound" in your thinking. As above comment about following handle path--you need to stay with the path to keep tension and elbows pinned on the vest. Early in my skiing days I was all about outbound trajectory but that forced an abrupt change from handle control and leverage to none just giving it up because my trajectory demanded it (even though my uninformed head at the time thought that it was helping me "get wide and early" and allowing me to put on the brakes after my much to long and large pull).

Elbows pinned to the vest, two hands, open chest, funny front boot, maintaining momentum outbound, and a position I never achieve off the second wake that lots of skiers better than me do.

@ufoDzinerBad ass!

Yeah easy to winterize the nautique. Kind of dreaded impeller and the oil change--but very do-able. My big outboard I did nothing--didn't winterize but it lived in heated storage.

He Ron at the dealer website that you mentioned. Yeah it's no direct drive, but if you are skiing longer lines/slower speeds a barefoot outboard with tracking fins in the bomb. No wake so learning proper stack is so much easier. When I was a kid we had a barefoot Centurion and I was thru 32 off before ever seeing an inboard so I never dealt with a wake of any sort. No dreaded 22 off hump. Coaching later in my life and seeing skiers ramp off the 22 wake I was like damn--how do I coach that? Sure proper form blah blah it can be done but it still kinda sucks. I have proper form doesn't mean I want to hit a VW beetle at centerline. Bottom line great for the recreational or non-tourney slalom skier even if they want to run some buoys. While the J-craft is cool, I'd take my '91 Centurion Falcon if built to todays standards as just as good...and better. A real tourney inboard with an outboard stuck on it--so layout, dash, windshield, center mount pylon, dual swim platforms, a rubrail that doesn't compromise the gelcoat at the rear of the boat, tourney style rear facing passenger seat with wrap around seating in the rear. That thing was a great family ski/barefoot boat. My nephew is living it up in it as we speak sold it to him a few years ago.

Isn't there a vid of Andy around 4 likely a fall right there the vid cuts out so likely a 3.5 score? Was part of his Mapple skis website when he was selling skis if I remember correctly.

Ron they have a used 2020 with a 225. You buy that thing I'll drive up there and pull you. Might even break out my barefoot suit!

Wicked!

@lpskier I get ya and fully respect your position. We may agree to disagree and that is ok. My tourney set would be 28, 32, 35, hope to run 38 and get a piece of 39. I can jump in the water pretty soon and do that again and probably would rather do that than get stale. When I ski with a ski buddy in practice and we ski 2 sets each isn't that what happens back to back in pretty short order? It actually makes the tourney skiing more like practice skiing near as I can tell for those that decline the T/B. Neither system is perfect and I know there are problems pros/cons with T/B and no T/B. I like the option. All good.

@lpskier in my best season I ran 11/12 -35 passes in tourneys. I was running -38 fifteen to twenty percent of the time in practice. I needed as many quality looks as I could get at -38 in a 6 round tourney weekend to have a shot out the end gates at -38...that was the goal and I hit it with a 2.5 at-39. How others chose to run their day by turn n burn or not was their own choice given the conditions. They had the same option I did, and could choose to use it or not. I respect you though for not being a fan. In the tournament in question for me more skiers were able to run in a day by having a turn and burn where you had to go back to your last made pass. In the fall sunlight is a limiting factor in a day of skiing. My bro Jim ripped -38 into that glare round 3 multiple times--was fun to watch from the judges tower--he always was just a bit better than me.

The other issue at the tourney mentioned above was that if you did full 3rd round, the sun glare was tough in the direction of what would be my -38. Diamond like glare off the boat spray out of 1 toward 2 all which was in the shade. My pupils just could not react fast enough to see 2 ball at the pass that I wanted most and is my most challenging. So with that my better chance of running 38 if I missed it in round 2 was to get another shot at it in good visual conditions on the turn and burn.

Agree with @The_MS. If the best in the world generational talent who has run 200 41's in competition and my guess is easily doubles or triples that if practice total is added hasn't run it---it's not going to happen. It's physics here folks--the line is too short. If I'm him I don't even take shots at it except in a tourney--just be magic at 41 and win 95% of the time.

Jodi had us going around zero ball at -35.

One of the T/B we went to you had to go back to last pass made in order to save time for the tournament. I would miss 38 if I was going to miss something, and thus would go back out at -35 for that tourney. Bro Jim would never T/B that tourney cuz he was there to ski and wanted all the passes he could get thus would run his full 3rd round. I kinda liked getting done early, grabbing a beer and hitting the judges tower.

I wouldn't hit that shit at ski speeds that's for sure. In a low boat like the Gekko you are going to have trouble even at proper angle/low speeds and good on the throttle/steering--most ski boats it's tough but tougher in that Gekko

Dunno man. It may be that some would pay more for something they don't have to fix up. When I look I'm the buyer looking for that depreciated diamond out there. Good luck on the sale I'm sure it skis great.

Wheels and pull it. No brainer. You have a gradual shore there so piece of cake. You will kick yourself if you leave that in and watch the power of ice just mangle it.

...and I need a new hoodie!