dbutcher

It could be that a previous owner had that Acme 422 prop re-sized or re-pitched. That should be easy to check before spending a lot of money. It might even be worth a phone call to ask the person from whom you bought the boat if he/she knows if the prop has been modified or if he/she had your problem.

The old stand alone AWSA web site was better than what we must use today. Can we go back to the old site without any expense?

My 2015 Ram-Lin trailer fenders are bolted. Brackets are welded to the front and back of each fender, and the brackets are bolted on to the trailer - two bolts in front and two in back. They appear easily removable.

Sorry. I don't have a pair of ski glasses anymore. If I did, I wouldn't know how to attach a picture to this post. It's pretty simple really, or I couldn't do it. You start with athletic glasses - soft, fairly flexible plastic frames. Have hardened prescription lenses installed and have a small hole drilled in the lenses close to the outside of the lens close to the frame. Tie the lenses in with dental floss or any strong, small diameter thread. Put a float on the elastic band that goes from the rear of the frame (near your ear) around the back of your head and fastened to the frame near your other ear.

Re: My Like on the above post: I didn't mean that I liked that Billy died. I just meant that I appreciated Mike's post. Billy was a fine, fine man in every way. He was a better driver than Zero Off or Perfect Pass. I skied behind him many times.

I don't have any suggestions - only questions. Why are ski boats required to be multi-port fuel injected inboards? I understand the inboard and other requirements, but why no carbureted inboards? Boat age? Pollution? What about direct injection engines? DI is supposed to be more efficient and less polluting.

You can prevent losing ski glasses by using an elastic band from the glasses frame around the back of your head to the other side of the frame and securing a float to the band. I never lost a pair, but I have knocked lenses out of the frame via OTF face plant. I stopped that by having the optician drill a hole in the lenses and tying the lenses to the frame with dental floss.

I stopped using prescription glasses while skiing because the lenses fogged up too easily and too often. It is not as bad in the summer, but fogging still happened occasionally in spite of treating the lenses with anti-fog spray. I guess if my vision were so poor that I couldn't see buoys soon enough, I'd still use glasses. Water droplets on the lenses did not bother me, but with fogged lenses you can't see anything.

I just finished measuring my 2015 200 and 2015 Ram-Lin trailer. My measurements are similar to but a little different from DavidN's assuming my conversions of his metric measurements are correct. Length: 25' 3 1/2 " with platform and normal tongue position. Without platform: 23' 8 1/4". Without platform and with tongue folded: 21' 1 1/2". That is the shortest possible length. It should be noted that with the platform removed the longest part of the boat/trailer combination is the Hydrogate (the slide) on the back of the boat. The exhaust flap is within 1/4", but the Hydrogate sticks out the furthest. Width: tire outside to tire outside 8' 6 1/2". The guide poles on the trailer make the unit 10" wider so maximum width is 9' 4 1/2". If guide poles were removed, it would be the tire to tire measurement that matters. Height: 6' 1/2" to the top of the mirror bracket on the windshield. Removing the mirror and bracket would lower the height a couple inches. Lowering the trailer tongue could lower it another inch or two. My trailer tires are 225/75 by 15". Because I performed these measurements without assistance, there is very small chance they could be off a little bit. But I don't think so.

I have a 2015 200 sitting on a trailer. I can measure it tomorrow. I presume you want measurements including the trailer. If so, I suppose the measurements could vary depending on the brand and type of trailer. I have a Ramlin trailer with a folding tongue. I will fold it for the measurements. The tires are 15 inch I believe, but I'll check tomorrow. Tire size would affect height. The trailer weight on its registration (license plate registration) is listed at 1040 lbs. I don't know how accurate that is, but it is all I have to go by. My guess is that it is close. My trailer looks similar but not identical to DavidN's above. I presume you will remove the platform and secure it inside the boat so the platform will not be included in my measurements.

@Bruce_Butterfield I bet you'd do it for $100, maybe less. Of course, I'm not paying.

Rule 10.06 F. Opting Up is well written and self explanatory. For example: If you run -15 successfully, opt up to -28 staying at the same speed, then miss somewhere in the -28 pass, you will score as if you were at -22 when you missed (as if you had not opted up). If you run -28 successfully, you get credit for -22 and all of -28. The opt up is no longer a factor.

@swbca: Is the wake softer at 30 mph than at 36? Maybe a little. Is the wake bigger at 30 mph than at 36? Yes, but don't worry/stress about it. You will forget all about it before the first tournament. The 22 off bump is probably the rooster tail. You do not have to ski 22 off if you don't want to. The opt up rule (which did not exist in 1985) allows skipping line lengths (at your own risk score wise). So if you decide you want to start at -15 instead of -28, after running -15 successfully, you can shorten to -28. If you then miss -28, you will score as if it had been -22.

Look at the FAQ/Tips near the top of the rankings list under National Rankings Settings. Basically it deals with how the penalty is applied when less than three tournament scores exist. There can be situations when using only one score even though more scores are available results in a smaller penalty. The purpose is to penalize the skier the least when options exist - as I understand it.

@swbca For a better idea of what M9 competition may be like in 2021 and for your 2021 target, take a look at the current M9 National Rankings list on AWSA's website.

Occasionally there is a home for sale at Princeton Lakes. There are two fine ones right now that I know of. Princeton Lakes are close to Plano but an hour or more from DFW airport depending on traffic. Princeton Lakes are 40 minutes from Plano, but probably less than 20 miles.

@dave2ball @skierjp: In anticipation of promo boat shortages, I had my personal boat insurance for 2020 endorsed to provide coverage while being used in USAWS sanctioned event. I already had $500k liability coverage (I believe everyone should have that much or more anyway), and the endorsement did not cost one penny in additional premium. I had to request this endorsement by letter to the company, and I am not completely satisfied with the way the endorsement is written. But, I do believe that it provides coverage while my boat is being used in an USAWS sanctioned tournament. My boat hasn't yet been used in a tournament, but I will keep the extra coverage in 2021.

Isn't there a piston stroke or two without oil pressure on startup? Does that matter, i.e. is there sufficient oil residual on cylinder walls and/or moving parts to prevent wear? In slalom tournaments, the wait time on the ends is short - leave the engine running.

I'm not familiar with the Graves Amendment. Is it state specific or federal? The rental company would probably get sued for more than vicarious liability, i.e. for its own alleged independent negligence/potential liability. There could be insurance coverage issues too. The renter who towed a trailer would be in violation of the rental contract - possibly not a permissive user for insurance purposes. I claim no expertise - I just see many problems if a renter violates the rental contract and has an accident.

Lettering facing either way is fine, but it is a lot of work and time to restring. There is a skier in Oklahoma who does re-stringing for a reasonable price. He does a lot of it and is very good at it. But by the time you pay freight both ways, I'd buy a new one. The reduced grippiness will be improved by rotating 180 degrees, but some of it is age of the rubber (my opinion). Your handle in its current state looks like it has one more season left in it. Rough it up with some sandpaper and try it. Otherwise buy a new one.

My guess is that the reason car rental companies forbid or limit trailer towing with any of their rental units is liability insurance (or self insurance). If a renter hooks a trailer that may or may not be in good shape or may or may not be attached correctly to the company's unit, and the trailer is involved in an accident, the rental company's liability insurance or self insurance is involved - fairly or unfairly. The rental company's dollars are at risk. It's unfortunate for a renter who wants to tow a trailer, but it makes sense from the rental company's point of view.

@Stevie Boy No need to be sorry. There is nothing wrong with disagreeing, and I have no plans to even try to shout you down. For me though, not keeping a load on the line past the second wake at the slow speed of 30mph causes me to be narrow at the buoy. Terry Winter may be able to change edges at exactly the same place at any speed, but I cannot. Of course, I am not and never will be in the same league (or even ball park) as Terry Winter or Will Asher.

A couple more things to consider when slowing to 30mph: Granted, it is harder to develop speed at 30mph, but you don't need as much speed because the boat is not going away from you as quickly as it did at higher speeds. It is not harder to get wide on the buoys because you can lean away from the boat longer, and the longer lean allows you to maintain enough speed around the buoy so you don't sink. You don't have to decelerate as much to turn because you never got warp speed to begin with. Everything happens a little more slowly at 30 than at faster speeds. It probably is more work, i.e. almost continuous physical exertion on the body; but your body does not have to endure the quick changes in load and speed. Perhaps the maximum load on the body is less, but it lasts longer before each buoy.

You don't want a gas spring that is super strong. I have a 2015 closed bow 200, and the observer seat works great except when trailering. When I hit a bump, the seat will fly up. I solve that by keeping a 3 lb weight (wrapped in a soft cloth) on the seat when trailering.

I am almost always the only one at the starting dock with an old fashioned, Coast Guard approved vest. But guess what, I am old and don't care what anybody else thinks. The old style vest floats me better and keeps my head out of the water when I shorten the line or fall. Yes, the comp vest is comfortable - I have tried a couple of them - but for me they are not as good. They are not really comfortable when you have to hold your nose up to breathe. My old fashioned CGA vest is more protective of the ribs (my opinion) and is not restrictive or a hindrance to me in any way. For icing on my cake, it costs about a third of what a comp vest costs.