dbutcher

A friend of mine desperately needs a ZO speed control puck, Version S single puck system, three event, for a Nautique 200. It takes 6 weeks to get one from Zero Off. Six weeks will damage a good portion of the season for 15 skiers in North Texas. Does anyone have one they can let go of?

I bought three new S-lines - a least stretch, a medium stretch, and a most stretch. All three measured on the short side before use. A couple of lengths of the line with the most stretch were out of tolerance short before use. After use, all lines and all loops measure in tolerance. I expected that the softest line would stretch the most with use, and it did . The medium stretch and the least stretch lines stretched less. All brands stretch some with the first several uses in my experience. My S-lines are all now in tolerance and have a good feel when skiing. I cannot discern a difference between the least stretch S-line and a standard Masterline. The medium stretch feels like Masterline's optimized line to me. Don't rely on me or anyone else when selecting a rope. You should experience them yourself. The S-lines are a great value to me.

https://www.teamusa.org/usa-water-ski/three-event-water-skiing

I am 78 years old and may soon be approaching "time to retire". I am only an assistant judge (don't judge much or want to), but I am a senior driver. If someone I know and respect told me that my driving skills have declined to the extent that I am hurting skiers, I would be disappointed for sure but not angry. I hope that I will recognize that myself without having to be told. I know how important good ski performance is to me and likewise is to other skiers. I would never want to hurt anyone's performance. I would like to think that I would be appreciative if I were accurately informed that my performance as a driver has declined too much to continue. I believe most potential retirees would feel this way. So maybe it isn't such a tough a problem, at least in drivers.

Towbars flex a little even when tight. Does that matter?

On the last link @MattP listed above there is a pick for clinics. You can also get to it starting on USWS&WS' home page and selecting AWSA. You might have to play with it a while, but it really is not hard to find. Currently there are no clinics listed.

Multiple owners usually means multiple users (drivers) and more use of the boat (more hours on the hour meter). This almost has to result in more liability exposure and more physical damage exposure to the insurance carrier. There likely would be less control over who drives the boat. It might even mean that the boat isn't maintained or cared for as well as a single owner boat. It should be no surprise that insurance carriers are NOT jumping up and down to insure multiple owner boats and no surprise if carriers want lots more premium to take on the additional risks. Multiple owner ski boats may make sense for skiers but not necessarily for insurers. Insurers likely are forced to treat them as commercial insurance risks. Hence the higher premiums. Not disclosing multiple owners in order to get lower priced insurance might be considered a misrepresentation. Would that jeopardize coverage in case of an accident/claim? It could. I claim no expertise, but this is food for thought.

Is there any way to lubricate it?

I don't know, but always take your gear.

I stayed on the same ski until my maximum speed went down to 30mph. At that point I went from a 68" Vapor to a 69" Senate. Haven't used a wing for years.

@skiinxs, thank you. As you suggest, I really don't need to rev in neutral. In fact my neutral switch hasn't worked for some time. I was anticipating that I would have additional trouble; but it's good to know that that is not necessarily so. Thanks again.

I have a 2015 SN 200 on which the neutral switch does not work, ie I cannot rev the engine in neutral. I have no other problem. Should I be anticipating a problem like Bruce_Butterfield and jmoski had/have? What part(s) should I be ordering - the entire throttle/shift assembly or just the neutral switch itself? Your advice will be appreciated.

I think I saw some of the tournament pulled by a 200. The Ski Nautique pulled the rest. If that is correct, I'm curious as to why that was done and whether the skiers had a preference.

I've been using Wiley rubber boots for 30-40 years and have had every imaginable kind of fall. I've never had an ankle injury. I probably just jinxed myself.

I think it's important that the boat be up to speed and settled before the slalom skier pulls out to the left in preparation for turning to the gates. If you don't have an easy way to measure, drive your boat to a comfortable starting place and accelerate as if you were pulling up a skier. When your boat reaches max speed (likely 36) and settles in, note where you are. The future 55m buoys should be just ahead of that spot. This is just my opinion. Others may have better ideas.

Thanks Drago. I haven't done one in a while, but my memory is that a 12" insert shortens the rope by 1".

I am not a TC and had never even thought about loosening a knot to shorten a rope. I would have to learn how to do that. Inserting a piece of rope is quick, easy, and effective. My question is does the insertion cause wear on the rope from the inside. There must be a reason that TC's loosen the knot to adjust. What is that reason?

Jeff, your ideas make sense to me. You can bring that rope into tolerance by inserting a short piece (or pieces) of scrap rope with a fid inside the S line at the appropriate place(s)? Do you recommend that? Does leaving a rope (any rope) under tension for 2 hours stretch a rope more than tournament use? Rope load in tournament or practice slalom skiing is more intense but brief and intermittent.

Don't let ropes get in your head. Ski with as many different ones as you can so you are ready for anything. Make up your mind that you can ski well with any rope - because you can.

If I recall correctly when I aged into 32 mph, I stayed on my 34 mph ski (68" Mapple and 68" Vapor at various times). When I graduated to 30 mph, I went to the stiffest 69" Radar Senate. It worked well for me until recently, but my performance deterioration has nothing to do with the ski I'm on. No doubt the Senate is wider and doesn't negotiate the wake as well, but it enables one to get a little more speed (which is not as easy at 30 mph) and gives more support in the turn. It turns just fine. Turns don't have to be lightning quick at 30 mph. Just my opinion.

I don't have a dog in this fight, but many companies ask for only the last four digits of your social security number to identify you. Would giving out only the last four be sufficient for the background check vendor and/or acceptable to those AWSA members needing the background check?

Is it wise or unwise to hang on to the handle during/after a fall until the boat pulls it out of your hand - with or without a handle guard?

So sad. Great guy. Awesome slalom skier.

It took me two hours. It was something I really did not want to do; but oddly enough after I finished, I felt a sense of accomplishment.

@Vernon Reeve I sent you a private message.