dbutcher

I think the original question was "at what rope length does the handle no longer reach the buoy". That would be 11.25m or 38 off. It is just a subtraction issue. All the needed measurements are in the AWSA rule book. The turn balls are 11.5 meters (37' 8 3/4") from the center of the course. 12m or 35 off has 1/2 meter more rope than distance from center. The next shorter length is 11.25 (38 off), tow bar to handle. That is .25 meters short of the turn ball at 90 degrees. So every line shorter than -35 doesn't reach the turn ball. Everything longer than 35 off has line to spare. 32 off (13.0 meters) has 1.5 meters more rope than the distance to the buoy. And so on.

Assuming that shorter lines do cause greater travel distance, is that because the skier has to get higher on the boat to get outside the buoy? The buoys don't move - they are always the same distance apart. Does that also explain why shorter lines generate more skier speed?

I am thankful that there are clubs/people willing to host Nationals. I can only imagine how much work it is and hope that there is enough value received to justify their doing it.

@brooks, please, forgive my ignorance, but is the Senate Range a new model Senate for 2022? Or do you mean that the range of Senate models will have the new Vapor shape in 2022? Whatever the case, I want one.

If it were carburated, the accelerator pump might be bad. Does fuel injection have something similar?

I wasn't aware (and don't really care) that pros are going away from double boots. Double boots work best for me. To each his own, but I think you owe it to yourself to try it.

You must have a dislike or other objection to a full back boot. If so, I understand. But a full back boot would solve your problem. I skied with a rear toe piece for years because I preferred getting up with one leg/foot, and I cocked my back foot to one side. But I occasionally had the same problem you have, and that can cause a missed tournament pass, especially on a short lake. It doesn't take long to adjust to the change, and it was well worth it for me. With the right back plate you can angle the back foot however you want it. When I did use a rear toe piece, I made my own out of gum rubber on a Wiley plate.

I'm in M9 and have used three different skis at 30 mph and several different boat brands. There is little to no difference in how the three skis handle the wake and little difference between boats. It is just fact that the 30 mph wake is big and hard. Even on a hard edge through the wake, there is still a hard bounce to the body. If anyone figures out how to change that, I would sure like to know about it.

But only two are paying any attention. One may be nibbling on another's ear.

Question: Does a prop, any brand, suffer metal fatigue and/or performance decline just because of age and use? 27 years is a good run for a prop. Would a new identical prop perform better just because it is new?

Wait until you age into 30mph. For me it was (is) an even more difficult adjustment. Of course getting older doesn't help anything either. But, not to worry. Life is still good.

Do you need to consider the possibility that Correct Craft has a patent on the hydrogate? I don't know (or care) if it does, and I doubt that it would matter unless you go into commercial production. ????

Your gloves fit great, but is there room under them for a liner of some kind? I use two pair of cotton (I think) liners under my ski gloves. You can buy them at Tractor Supply, hardware stores, and probably Walmart. They work great as hand protectors and are very inexpensive.

654 is the prop recommended and used on most of the Ski Nautique 200's with the 5.7L engine. I doubt it is the recommended prop for the 01 Ski Nautique. I would find out what prop the boat came with when new from the factory and try that. It might have even been a 3 blade (13x13) 20 years ago. It is also possible that your problem is in the Perfect Pass. @Jody_Seal will be a great source of info on this problem.

Sell it to a wakeboarder and buy a slalom boat, older if necessary. If there were a safe fix for that hull, it seems like someone would have done it in the last 17 years. Alternatively, buy a newer boat if possible. I know you want Zero Off.

I don't know, but I suspect that there is another reason (besides battery rundown) that manufacturers spend money to put that switch in their boats. Why is that switch there if not to be used? It costs nothing and takes little time to turn it off/on. Why would you not?

@swbca I am hopeful that you will be pleasantly surprised by the tournament boats' wakes you experience tomorrow. I don't think you will feel like you are hitting a wall. There were a couple of model years in the past when Mastercraft's wakes were larger and harder than their earlier and later models. The 2004 may have been one of those years. I had a 2014 Mastercraft that had almost no wake. I've heard good things about Mastercraft's current model wake.

@swbca Have you skied the 68" behind other boats? Speed, angle, a hard edge (lean), and slightly flexible knees are needed for 30mph wake crossings. I'd be concerned about not getting enough speed with a 67", like when the water temperature changes. Over time you may find a 67" too small. I weigh 190 lbs. and ski 30mph on a 69" Senate which is quite wide. The 30mph wake is no doubt a large, irritating bump, but it rarely knocks me off edge.

My boat, a 2015, has a 5.7L engine with 9.4:1 compression ratio. My belief is that running higher than 87 octane gasoline would add no performance and would in fact be a waste of money that I could spend other ways. Am I wrong? As much as I use my boat, it could be about $500 or more per year.

It's been years; but I think I remember when ZO first came out, I used my Perfect Pass jump switch without any issues. Perhaps I don't understand your need/issue.

I'm not skiing as many tournaments as I used to, nor am I skiing as well as I used to. But I still hit the slalom course 4 times a week weather permitting.

Sounds like too much load on the steering wheel. Easy to drive straight but arm gets tired?

I am unaware of (and can't find) any existing standard for stretch. That doesn't mean there isn't one of course. There is a minimum breaking load standard of 1600 lbs for a standard rope found in Rule 8.04 - page 28 of the AWSA rule book.

The range could be established so that all ropes had some stretchiness - close to the same stretchiness.

Would skiers support a stretchiness standard established by AWSA/IWWF with a pretty tight range so that ropes would not feel so different?