gregy

Finally figured out the problem with the 197. It had approximately 400 hrs. The distributor had a worn drive gear. The distributor housing was plastic, think that had something to with it (housing flexing). It now has an aluminum housing distributor.

@6balls I ski with different friends as well and used to just use same handle but changing to the bent handle has made such a huge difference that now I only use my handle. I take a rope with me just in case some doesn't want to change handles on their rope. Honestly I'm still suprised at the difference it made as far as pain relief in my elbows. Both were hurting, my left, Palm down was the worst.

@ilivetoski you should consider a Texas school. Weather's really nice. I ski at the same private lake as University of Texas. They have a newer mastercraft, they're out there using it fairly often. A&M and Texas state both ski on private lakes as well. Scholasticly UT and A&M are among the best in the country, Texas State is pretty good as well. I'm pretty sure you could start on those teams. I skied on UTs team, we got 5th one year at nationals - like to see them get back to that level again.

I'm surprised that someone has not come up with a rotational release like the snow skies have. I thought Reflex might but I have never seen any up close. The top pro skiers seem like they really don't have many bad wipeout type crashes. Myself, it's much more common, at least once a month, so maybe I need my "safety belt" on. Went from a EP comp with adjustable binding / rtp in '84 to double bindings, think it was a HO mach 1. Been using them since.

Because of @horton s review I got a 13" US gear bent radius handle. 1" OD with upgraded grip. My elbows were really hurting early in the summer. Within a few weeks of getting the handle my pain was gone. Wish I had gone to a bent handle sooner. After about 3 passes I was used to it. The other cool things about the handle: 1) Even if I don't grab the handle quit right it doesn't kill my pass. 2) No more blisters in the side of my fingers. I used to have to use tape to prevent it and still didn't work all the time.

Wow, I was looking at the podium picture for Diablo. All 4 finalist were using RTPs. I knew Nate, Tgas, I guess Mapple had some influence on CP. Will Asher must of went back. Must be something to it? What's the advantages to Rear toe piece. I knew a really good skier who said he liked to move is foot around. I been using a rear boot since I was 19, can't even remember it.

I remembered seeing this on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Q0vcRdUgNg&feature=relmfu

my t-factor D3 boots came with a reinforcement plate. I think you could make a plate out of aluminum the would cover the back part of the binding plate and use all three holes.

@inboardfix same place I buy my trunks at sales briefs made by Polarmax. They're call AYG 365 performance 4 way stretch. The ones I got are tight boxers. They are comfortable enough and dry out quickly. http://shop.polarmax.com/products/category/9784.0.1.1.1000236.76743.1000239.0.0?pkey=bd7419ce7fc323657381e126fbc2f7de&ckey=1000236.76743.1000239.0.0

Might look at Paddling gloves. Like these: http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2441

Lot of good stuff here. I didn't even think about the boat driving. Great idea @deke. I read those articles and learned a few things. Thanks to those that have contributed, lets keep this thread going!

@marcusbrown Thanks, I watched that video and started practicing what he was saying. Then I got in my slalom stance and tried it. It actually feels very natural. You put some torque on the outside of your feet and the hips just come forward. Forces you to put weight on both feet also. I'll try some free skiing see if I can get it to translate.

@than_bogan that's what I was thinking. Was I missing something there, I didn't know? I'm thinking body position as I'm skiing through the course, I never actively think about any what muscles or what it takes to be in that position. When I was younger and doing a lot weight lifting I trained myself to isolate the muscles I wanted to work with a particular exercise, took a while. Maybe its something similar to that.

Sounds like a good idea to me. You know what they say about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome.

Thanks @jfw432 and @rich. Being stacked / leverage position is something that can be seen. Its an easy concept to grasp (although, not so easy to do all the time). Engaging the core was a little more abstract. I figured they're others wondering the same thing. I always thought it was something that naturally happen when you are in a leverage position being pulled by the boat.

@keownfilms, When you look at them there they do look very similar! Jeff sure comes out of the turn a lot harder, almost looks like stops at times. Jeff's got to be one of the best scramblers ever though.

I wanting to see some reviews of the larger N1 as well. I thinking if Regina is skiing on a smaller N1, at 6'2" 185 34mph the larger ski might work well. Hopefully we can get some reviews soon.

I might have to try hanging from ceiling. My friends and coworkers already think I'm crazy. When every I stand around, I'm in my slalom stance practicing balancing weight on both feet. @ToddL you have any thoughts on this?

@jfw432 thanks for the response. I can see what your saying and the few times I tried wall climbing I was surprised at how sore my abs were later. I've also read on here to keep your glutes tight. So are we supposed consciously try to keep our glutes and abs tight as we ski through the course?

@estrom I was thinking Jeff's and Nate's gates at the Shortest lines look similar were they both use two hands and reach forward with a slight bend at the waist and then turn and ski they're hips into the handle. Other than that not much in common other than neither of them looks like they have a heavy muscular build.

@skijay, I don't feel like I'm getting pulled out of position. I do pull after the second wake at times. What if feels like to me is whatever angle I have coming out of the turn is the angle I keep across the wake. When I let the ski come around and get the proper angle my edge change naturally happens behind the boat, I don't really feel like I have to do anything to make it happen. @blueski I never made an effort to look at the tip of the ski. However, last week the passes just seem really easy, I remember thinking to myself as I round the ball that I don't usually see ski in front as much.

@skoot1123 and @Razorskier1. Great feeling, I'm still very much in the learning phase but if I'm not getting the ski around seems like no matter how hard I pull I just ski right at the ball. When its working like skoot says its easy plus you just keep setting yourself up down the course were there all easy. There's days I fight to get through 15off and other I'm getting into 28off. For me being patient and letting the ski come around seems to be the main difference. Next step for me is making sure when I hook up with the handle I'm in a stacked position. I need to take some videos, but sometimes I'm getting pulled over and brake at the waist. I've notice a lot of the pros are really on top of their ski in a stacked position coming into the turn. I'm thinking I'm may be reaching forward (braking at the waist) at times a little coming into the turns which transfer into a poor pulling position.

You can straight up ask the guy if its been used in saltwater, see what he says. I had a boat that had been used in saltwater. The engine had some rust, but the trailer was really rusted. Had to strip it down repaint. Springs and spring eye bolts were just about rusted to nothing. So take a look at the trailer.

I have a business where we do lots of shipping. Everytime we've had something damaged UPS blames it on us, says we didn't package properly. They have a independent company that handles the claims, I think they must have some incentives to denign claims. I quit getting the insurance cause it took more time fight the claim than was worth to me. We now use USPS most of the time and have been happy with them.

The Gt40 is a Ford 5.8 liter (351 windsor). 5.7 is gm 350. The ford 5.8 were know for good low end torque. The 5.7 gm is a throttle body injection (tbi). The tbi is a very simple fuel injection, about simple as there is - its basically an electronic carburetor. I ski behind a 94 MC 205 with the 5.7 tbi, its a bigger boat than that 196 and seems to fine. The Malibu is a 5.7 gm vortec. I think in 98 it 320hp. It has the vortec heads and direct port fuel injection. There's 8 injectors, one on each intake port for the cylinders (vs 2 injectors for all 8 cylinders on tbi). All that said. They're all good engines.