EricKelley

I used bubble buoys, bought powerful led waterproof flashlights. I zip tied noodles around the shaft of the flashlights to float them. Then I used strings to tie them so that they would float with the lens right in the ring of the bubble buoy. This worked great. Our pregates were almost clear in color and I just tied the flashlights with floats to the subbouy about 18" below water surface. If you don't use the bubble buoy try to use the thinnest most clear buoy you can find. I think you will be alright there. I experimented a lot and no way around it, you need powerful good quality flashlights. I spent a lot on them. $42 x 14 plus a lot of batteries. The best flashlights are more expensive than these. Glowsticks did not even come close to satisfying me.

Great idea John, now what speed can I ski at. Oh I guess I can figure that out later.

This boat is set up great. It was set up by Dennis Kelly to be one of their premier towboats. It has the 6 litre engine and has a lot of power. The boat was well taken care of by the ski team. If you are looking for a Malibu this is a homerun.

Bruce, I would get 4 to make sure. The stuff is very thin and thats why it takes a low volume.

My prediction is that you will have too much lift and drag with that set up. A much easier way to add transom lift is to add some hook to the trailing edge of the bottom at the transom. You can easily experiment with how much by adding strips of tape. It doesn't take much to accomplish this goal. I like experiments though, good luck. That's a sweet looking wing.

Even as a slalom skier you want to hit that! Jumps are too much work, they cut way down on slalom time.

@"Mateo Vargas" It is Rochelle Red Interlux perfection. Jamestown Marine Distributors are a good source. @Bruce_Butterfield This paint is great roll on. There are 2 coats which is plenty. The paint is really thin and somewhat translucent. I did not use a primer but I did use an angle grinder and got all the old paint and wax off for sure! There was gel coat left on the old Mastercraft surface. This stuff sticks like crazy and is very tough. A roller will give a really smooth finish and it dries very rapidly. Only problem I had is that I did the final coat near dusk and had quite a few bugs get stuck. This suff will stick like crazy but will not fill in defects like gel coat. I used marine tex between panels which works pretty well. If I was doing it today I would use West Systems Epoxy and chopped strand mat.

Interlux Perfection, 3 Quarts

The new generations of engines have knock sensors which detect "pinging" or predetonation before we can here it and adjust ignition timing to compensate for it. There is a limit to how much retarding the timing can do to help. If your manual recommends the higher octane, you are taking a chance running the lower octane and probably decreasing valvetrain life. @bigskieridaho your engine runs right on the edge of safety with the 89. Manufacturers realize that some times you get some crappy gas. What happens if you have 89 in the tank and get some crappy 89 that is 87 or less, then you are below 89 and at risk. The hotter the temperature the more likely predetonation will occur. How confident are you in your fuel? If you fill up often and know you have good quality fuel your ok. I don't seem to trust a lot of things today.

Higher octane fuels allow engines with higher compression to operate without predetonation. As the fuel/air charge is compressed before the spark plug lights, higher compression engines can be damaged if the explosion occurs before top dead center. Lower octane fuels will combust at a lower compression than higher octane fuels. You should run the octane your manufacturer recommends, higher won't hurt but will not make more power. Just a waste of money in general. Octane rating of most fuels will go down with age, If you are going to store the boat for a long time maybe not a bad thing to put higher octane in.

Just last night I dropped mine off the platform and it started sinking. Jumped in and got it just in time. Flotation would help. Nice product. Light, strong easy to use and will fit underneath my neo sleeve.

Sportsinsurance about 2500/yr. Required waiver. Seems to be pretty good. One Lake with jump.

Which boat? Hmm

To me a strong boat throttles when you load it, then it is off when you are not. Weak boats to me feel like they are always on me because they are trying to play catch up when I want to be free of the boat. The boat you skied behind may have been weak.(or calibrated too weak in response to speed drop)

Had the 67.25 Rev 6 out at the lake today. I bought the ski for my son who is about 180 lbs. and is a 38' off 36 mph skier. I mounted his Reflex R style set up and he instantly did what he had been doing on his Razor. He did not make 38 on it but said it was just a matter of tweaking his gate set up. I was driving and was not able to watch all that carefully, but the ski seemed to ride level at 36, it turned well on the onside, offside turn not as well(think will add some length tonight) The ski was not querky. He was able to ski without creating quite as much load out of the buoy. All in all he really felt comfortable on the ski. He is going to ride it this weekend in Seattle at the collegiate allstars after only being on it one set so far. I mounted my Reflex R Style set up on it and gave it a swing. I am on a very stiff 67 9900 that I love. I have tried a Radar, XTT, XTM, Nano Twist etc... and my 9900 and its back up are my go to skis. I am pretty consistent at 38 and can get down course at 39. I got up on the ski and on the pull out I noticed the tip a little higher than I thought it ought to be. My onside felt good, but the offside not so much. The speed was not as fast as my 9900. After making several 32's, it was obvious that the skier who does not load right at the buoy is rewarded with with more swing at the next buoy. The ski had no bad habits. I would have to do some tuning to get the tip down slightly. Possibly binding forward or more length. I am going to have to look at the rocker on the ski as it seemed to feel like it had more rocker. I am 205 lbs. and hard on the boat. I think if I was going to order one now, I might try the 68.

Never with slalom only. Most of time with jumpers. $80. Sky caps and a $20 dollar tip can get you through.

Just got one for my son. We will give it a go on Sunday. I will report back soon...

Sure message me your address!

I need to send you some good Kentucky bourbon. It will make you forget about that scotch.

303 I feel for you, but if you do not commit to fixing all the issues with the engine, you will not have a reliable engine. Water in the engine and oil causes a cascade of damages that really requires a full rebuild. I believe you are looking for a temporary fix, and that's alright, if you understand that it is a temporary fix. You can pull the heads and if they are the culprit, it will be very obvious. To do head gaskets right the deck needs to be resurfaced, which means that the block needs to be disassembled. There are quite a few things that you can do pulling the heads that will grenade the engine so if you have a buddy that is experienced with this, have them look over your shoulder. As far as value of the boat, see if you can find a good takeout engine. I think as far as enjoying your boat this would be your best cheapest option without spending too much on it. Good luck.

Back to the future. We used those back in the late 80's/early 90's. I have a PTM edge now. That thing worked better than the PTM but the looks not so much.

My preference is the 2 footer. I have never had a handle in the boat with one. Not saying that it could not happen.

Danita knows I'm not too smart. Why don't you put your sticks back on and show everyone how not to jump. The way I'd figure it we would be battling for the 5th jump slot in KY if we can get the cruises creek crew flying at the regionals.

Seems like a good fit. Two companies that make quality products.