WBLskier

Love my current boat. Wife wants a sun platform and I like to upgrade every few years rather than fix things like upholstery (have a couple skins that could use replacing) and dont have perfect pass. Current boat has been completely bullet proof though and is in awesome shape so hesitant to change again.

Come to think of it I think it was an RLX that I didn't love (walk through) but only skied it once so I probably just sucked that day (like most days).

but do you guys think they would ski as well as what I have? Just don't want it to be worse. Thanks for the input.

I have a 98 Malibu Echelon and I am considering upgrading my boat by five or so years. I'm thinking about an early 2000 response (maybe '03 to '05). I've skied behind an LXI of that era and I don't remember being very impressed by the wakes. Can anyone comment on the wakes, driveability, etc. of say an '03 response (not LXI) vs. the 98 Echelon (or 98 Response)? I assume the LXI has a different hull than the closed bow standard response. Does anyone know when the hulls changed? Does anyone know what the first year response is that could have zero off added to it? Thanks in advance.

Google the boat lift helper.

Do they cover the sandy parts or just hard surfaces? Anyone tried anti fouling paint or anything on lift and dock legs to keep them off?

Zebra mussels were discovered in our lake last week (White Bear Lake). It was probably only a matter of time, and we'll never know where it came from, but I would bet it didn't come from someone living on the lake since everyone I know doesn't take their boat anywhere else. It is a big public lake, so anyone can use it, but the efforts to prevent it were pretty minimal, so it is really frustrating. In any case, it sounds like we're beyond prevention and into control. I've lived on the lake for 30 years, and I'm wondering what we should expect now. Is there anything that can be done on a small scale on and around our dock/lift/boat to keep them from taking over? Any input would be appreciated.

I'd say look for a used one over the winter or buy a new cable and build your own PVC, particularly if you are planning to leave it in place again. In that case you could just bolt the PVC together and it would be really cheap.

All of the above...and one of the very few sports where it is reasonable to expect to be better at age 45 than 35.

You can buy a Velcro in the back neoprene face mask for downhill skiing that combined with a regular old winter hat works great. Add a pair of ski goggles and you're golden...but might get made fun of a bit. Bring a dry hat and pair of winter gloves for the boat and mid 30's air is almost tolerable.

I have my 8 year old girl on an older 65 inch HO. My niece is the same age and on a similar ski. Both seem to work well. Both now running the full course at 15.5 and working at 17.4.

We've gone to skipping dropping a ski for almost all kids. They seem to do best with both feet in and get up almost like a wakeboard (let the ski drift to the left a bit for lff) as they come out of the water. We've gotten probably 10 kids up this way in the last two years and none of them had much success at dropping prior to that. No starter rope has been necessary. Peer pressure goes a long way too...if they see another kid do I they just do it too. So fun. Enjoy and good luck.

Looking at options for a new ski for my daughter...will probabaly wait until next year, and I'm wondering what the differences are between a 63" Radar Lyric and the 63" total awesomeness. Is the flex pattern that different? Any other differences? They look like the same width/shape generally but with a different graphic. Thanks.

It will be my 8 year old daughter's first tournament this weekend and my first one in fourteen years (Center City MN). Wondering if anyone has any tips mostly given that it will be my daughter's first tournament and I want it to be a good experience for her...coupled with the fact that I haven't skied in one since before hand-timing days (I'm not expecting much out of me). Do you still bring your own handle; Anything fun to do for my 8 year old when she isn't skiing; Anything in particular we should bring with us besides gear; How early do we need to arrive; Anything else that might be helpful? Thanks!

My just 8 year old is begging me to ski a tournament so I am going to try to get her signed up for the MN state tourney in a week and a half. I may be too late to get her into this one, but I don't recall what all I need to do...sign up as an AWSA member first then sign up for the tourney? What is the format for novice skiers? I seem to recall a post on here about some tournaments giving new skiers 2 sets, but I don't really remember. I haven't skied a tournament for 13 years but I can't very well let her do it alone. I turned 35 in April, so does that make me Mens 2 still...mostly concerned that I still have to ski 36 which I rarely do anymore. Do you know when running orders are released? Thanks.

Any thoughts on a slalom ski for an 8 year old girl? She made it through the course for the first time yesterday (skipped the entry gate) and she is sking on my old HO VTR 65". Not sure if that is a good size or not given that she is skiing at about 20mph. Thoughts? I reall don't want to spend a lot on a ski for her at this point but I guess i don't even know what she should have. Also, if anyone has input on technique for her to deal with the large wake at that slow speed it would be appreciated. She gets through it fine but it definitely slows her down and throws off her rhythm. Thanks.

I am on a 66 strada and I ski primarily at 34mph into 35 off. I had my front strada binding (w/ rtp) set a little forward of stock and liked how the ski felt. After reading these comments I tried moving it to stock. I skied it for a couple months including teh better part of a week at Cory Pickos that way. Cory told me I was on the back of my ski and suggested I move it forward to where it was. Immediately felt better again. I could definitely have form issues that are causing me to be on the back of the ski, but I ski better with it slightly forward of stock. I feel like if i was doing something totally wrong form-wise they would have had me work on that rather than move the bindings, but who knows I guess. Has anyone else had this experience with bindings a bit forward and skiing better?

I have a small silver dollar sized hole in the backrest vinyl of the backseat of my 1998 Malibu Echelon. I either need to get it repaired or just order a new skin for the whole seat. I can get the skin for $185. I haven't priced out getting it repaired, but I have to think it is close to that or more. Has anyone installed that skin, and how difficult is it? I think it is pulled tight and stapled on the back, but i don't really recall. I'm not sure if I would need to hire a professional to install the skin anyway. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Has anyone tried the Sun Dolphin Seaquest 10' paddleboard from Walmart? Looks like it would fit what I need and has a drink holder (which I expect I could find a use for in the summer). Other than being a bit heavy it looks like it would work fine and the price is right.

SoCal Skier--the lifetime boards look super durable but heavy, short and wide. Are they really slow or hard to paddle given the extra 3" or so of width compared to most boards? I just need them to tool around the lake, so a little slower is fine, but if they are a dog to paddle compared to lighter, narrower and longer boards I might not like it as much. Thanks.

old jeep---how do you like the inflatable in general? the Tower is incredibly rigid...saw it at the boat show a couple weeks ago. It was supported on both ends (unsupported in the middle) and I was standing on the middle of it..no noticeable flex.

I'm looking to buy a new paddleboard with durability and budget as the primary concerns. I know there are a ton of good boards out there but I don't want to spend much and I don't want to have to worry about the kids damaging it. I'm looking at the Greco Ark (mostly foam) and the Tower Adventurer (inflatable). Each is under $500. Does anyone have any experience with these or suggestions for something else that might fit the bill? Thanks.

Cory's is awesome.

There is a little loop at the top but not Velcro. I'm not sure what it is for though.

I just fit in mine but it is really tight. Hoping that won't make it more likely to unzip in a crash as some have commented. Any thoughts?