dbutcher

I have never skied on a wide ride at any speed, nor have I read the above mentioned discussion. But I'm not at all sure that a wide ride would be your perfect option at 32mph. I do ski on a 69" Senate Pro at 30 mph, and it is about 1/4" wider than a 69 1/2" Vapor. At 30 mph I find the wake crossing less pleasant. The wider the ski the more on edge one must be at slow speeds. Of course we should be on a hard edge at wake crossing on any ski (IMHO), especially at slow speeds.

@LoopSki Lube the new impeller generously with slippery, liquid soap. Since it got stuck, pull it out and examine it closely for damage. Then lube it again, rotate it in the proper direction, and gently push it in.

The Nationals boat draw is out (USAWS web site).

@disland That is funny! Thank you. I'm still chuckling.

@aupatking Perhaps they are thinking about potential liability if the "guard" did not work as a user thought it should have and allowed an injury to occur that the user thinks should have been prevented. Or made an injury worse. We live in a litigious society. The next question is "should the handle manufacturer warn of the danger". Head through the handle is a danger that is not open and obvious to an inexperienced skier, but it is well known to those of us who have gone out the front a few times. So, should the handle manufacturer warn? Would failure to warn create liability? Perhaps handle manufacturers should warn of danger and offer to supply a guard. It's a bucket of worms. The initial answer depends upon what particular judge/jury you get. Who knows what happens on appeal? If slalom skiers could remember, during a forward fall, to hang on to the handle with one or both hands until the boat pulls it away, there would be fewer through the handle injuries. That is easier said than done. Slalom skiing can be a dangerous activity. So is walking across a busy street. Life is full of risks. We have to accept some risk if we want to enjoy life.

Why bother? I've never seen one that was accurate anyway. Most are 8-10 degrees off even when working.

I'm not sure they have dual settings for the Senate. You could call Radar for confirmation. I have a 2019 69" Senate Pro and started with the settings on the website. The only change I made was moving the fin forward, ie increasing distance from tail. That works fine for me. Trial and error is probably your solution - unless Radar has some advice. Radar has good people that will help you if at all possible.

I seem to remember Prostars having a lever shut-off valve on the bilge floor (inside the boat) right above the water pickup which is on the bottom outside of the hull. Did that get accidentally closed somehow?

Rainex didn't work for me on ski glasses. It is great on windshields. My ski lenses were always plastic (for safety reasons). Maybe that is why Rainex didn't work. When you do get prescription ski glasses, have an optician drill a hole in each lens (out of your line of vision) so that you can tie the lenses to the frame with dental floss. If you take a face plant without the lenses being tied in, the lenses can come out and be lost. They don't float.

I used to wear prescription goggles while skiing. I never found any that did not fog. Preventative sprays did not work for me. I finally gave up and ski without any. I'm nearsighted, but can see well enough far enough to pick up the next buoy. If you find some that don't fog, please post about them or send me a private message. Thanks in advance. My guess is that the more air space you have between your face (eyes) and the lenses, the less fogging you might experience. Some times, if you have enough time between get up and pull out for the gate shot, turning your head to the side allows moving air to get on both sides of the lenses and clears them.

I would ask Radar. They have some great people at the Radar factory. Subject to that, I'd go 69". I am a course skier, 195 lbs, and 6'2". I ski on a 69" 2019 Senate Pro, but only at 30 mph (M9 max speed). A couple years ago I had a 67" Senate. I prefer the larger ski perhaps because of the slow boat speed. It turns just fine and develops more speed easier than the 67 I had.

I use the black 41 Tails, size XXL. They do seem a little larger than the red 41 Tails XXL. It doesn't matter to me. I wear two pairs of liners inside each glove for hand protection. If you get a pair that feel a little large, just try a liner inside. They will snug up and give your hands more protection. The 41 Tails grip, any color I've used, have a grip second to none. If I'm not mistaken, they have some Kevlar in them.

I'm not sure, but I think Southern Waters is just south of Forsyth, Georgia not too far from Interstate 75.

I have a 2015 5.7L 200 which is a great boat. It gets to 36 mph with room to spare on a 1900' lake. If you are on a short lake, make sure you have the right propeller. Some 200 owners changed the factory prop (Acme 654 on the 5.7L if memory serves me) to an Acme 422 to get better fuel economy. That's fine except on short lakes. The 422 has a weaker hole shot and takes a little longer to get to speed. I know of a 2010 5.7L 200 that is strong with the Acme 422. It does not have cats. Whether "no cats" is the reason it is strong or whether it is just an unusually strong engine I don't know. I changed my 2015 from dual pucks to single puck Version S and really cannot tell any difference. The 6.0 is definitely better if you are a jumper or pull jumpers.

Nationals bids were due today. Does anyone know who bid?

Chubb through Global Insurance Agency. 2015 SN 200 $500k liability endorsed for tournament use if necessary, hull coverage, pretty much full coverage. Just paid my 2020 annual premium of $303. 2019 was $296.

@thager At 34 mph?

I only got to listen to the first several minutes (I will finish it at some point), but this podcast really held my interest. I remember a lot of the historical events they start out talking about. Very cool!

@BoMo I sent you a private message.

There are a few on Ski-it-Again. I don't know if they are what you want, but it's worth a look.

There are some out there. I know because I have two 68.5" 6.0's. But, the only way anyone could get them away from me is at gunpoint or with a dynamite blast.

@lpskier As a M9 (older than dirt) skier, I feel discriminated against. Just kidding.

I'm not going to read the policy either - if it is even available to AWSA members - but there is an Insurance Resources pick on USAWS&WS' website that has an "Insurance Mythbusters" subsection that is only two pages long. It may answer many of your questions.

I like the idea of "no boat judge" as long as weight in the boat is allowed as necessary to make the towboat ride level. Buoy calling can be done accurately by judges on shore while maintaining social distancing, and so can boat path monitoring. Colored rope sections would be helpful so that accidental (or otherwise) failure to shorten the line would be noticed from shore. Jump and Trick will have to be handled differently. A driver cannot handle everything alone in those events.

Is engine rotation an issue?