PurdueSkier

@Waternut‌ interesting idea.

 

I think I am leaning towards treated boards and see if I can get another 10 years. The other factor is this is at a weekend house that gets used about every other weekend for 4 or 5 months then only occasionally the rest of the year. Not something I am walking on everyday.

 

Thanks for all The input.

@kstateskier‌ nope, not at all. I leave them on there when I trailer the boat as well. The hangers have a rubber coating on them that protects the skis and the bungees pull down over the skis very tight. Never had an issue.

@eleeski‌ you have trex that is submerged. No swelling ?

Great comments so far thank you. Keep them coming

@LeonL‌ it is rotten. We tried a similar product that got us another year or two but it has to go now.

We have a permanent pier on a public lake in Indiana that is in need of new decking. The structure itself is all steel and is in good shape, but the treated wood deck is shot. I am looking for some advice on the best material to use for replacement. Treated wood is the cheapest option, but composites such as Trex or similar as well as solid PVC and others are out there also. The water level is pretty constant and the pier sits about 2 feet off the water. On busy weekends, it does get hit pretty good with waves splashing up from under it. I am concerned with how well some of the composites will hold up to the constant water without the ability to dry as quickly as they wood on a deck. If water can get in, it probably will, and then how will it hold up (warping, mildew, etc). Any suggestions? Some of the solid PVC materials look pretty good, but are about 4 times the price. The last treated wood decking lasted 11 years.

I have a 94 Echelon with very little storage space. About 2 years ago I made a DIY ski rack for the driver side gunnel. It is nowhere as nice as the new Prostars, but does the trick for me. It holds 2 skis and is removable without tools. I dont have any pictures with skis on it, but here is one of the rack. I used a removable garage storage/organizer hanger system that I cut down. Using the existing hardware that holds the side panel into the boat, I attached carpeted 2x3 boards vertically, then cut short pieces of track for the storage system and screwed them into the boards. I cut down the hangers to the proper length then they just clip onto the track (removable). I added some small bungees that can stretch over the skis and hook around the hanger for added security. The bottom ski sits bindings down and the top ski sits bindings up. Newer boats may be able to do something a little different to allow the skis to sit on edge or inside the gunnel, but since my boat is smaller this worked best.

@Glock‌ what year is your X7?

Tons of good stuff on ski it again. You do get what you pay for. It might be hard to find a good quality/condition ski under $400 with bindings but there are plenty sub $500 skis blank.

@cacman Sent you a PM

@crashman‌ I actually drove by your site while on 69 yesterday and saw your boat. Didn't see a course in yet but maybe I missed it. I skied 2 weeks ago with only a cold weather top. It was a little cold. Our course isn't in yet either.

I live in Indiana and did mine over the winter. There was no sun.

@Lieutenant Dan Yep, that's basically it. Couple things I learned.

 

I used a hand steamer like the "shark-garment-care-steamer". It worked really well to heat up and stretch the skins. You have to use something to heat them up, or you will never get the corners to come out right. I bought an upholstery pneumatic stapler and S.S. staples. It was well worth it. When doing the entire boat, there are a ton of staples. The staplers that are made for upholstery are narrower and longer where the staples come out, so they can get into tighter spaces. Not a big deal for most of the seats, but helpful on some. The biggest thing I didnt know was that most of the skins (at least on my boat) have a "tab" in the middle. The foam is usually in two pieces and the tab goes between them and folds under one. So you have to pull half of the foam off, line everything up, put the tab in place, staple it down, put the foam back on, the pull the corners down, flip the seat over, and stretch and staple. Some of the big pieces were a two or three person job. Engine cover was interesting, but turned out great. Good luck. I am really glad I did mine.

@"Steven Haines"‌ pic above is same material I got from Chee as well. It is very thick a very good quality. I did the upholstery myself. Pretty straight forward. Get a good hand steamer.

Chee is awesome. I redid all of my skins a few years ago. They showed up exactly like he said maybe even better.

Thanks. I already have talked with Russell and considering that boat as well. Just looking for additional input.

I am sure this has been discussed before but can't find it. I am looking at purchasing a boat with the plan to repower and ad ZO. I have the info on the repower but The question is what other issues or concerns should I have with a 2500 hour boat? Boat is a 2002 197.

@GOODESkier‌ thanks. I think this is s good topic and wanted to better understand everyone's responses.

When talking about early late and same time please be specific about skier location relative to gates not relative to when the boat goes through the gates. If you pull out when the boat passes The pre-gates every time you are doing so 10 feet closer to the gates at 38 than you are at 28. Same for turn in.

@klindy Thank you. Yes error on my part. I corrected it above. Question is still the same, just more room to work with.

A question for the experienced skiers and math experts:

 

The slalom gates are 2.5m about 8.2 feet apart. So if you were to stay behind the boat and ride through the middle of the course, you would have about 4 feet on each side between the gates. As you pull through the gates at an angle, the effective width narrows. Many comments above mention "playing it safe and going through the middle of the gates" as opposed to hugging the right hand gate ball. For the skiers who can run the harder passes, with the angle they generate behind the boat; at 38, 39 and 41 what is the effective width between the gates? What is the difference between playing it safe and hugging the right gate ball? Is it 2', 12" or even less? I understand it is a tough math question because of the actual arc through the gates, and not a straight line.

Sorry guys, couldn't find any build pictures and the boat is in storage for another few weeks at least, so no new pictures. What I did was really simple and probably have only $80 in material. I used the Rubbermaid FastTrack system. The hooks are about $10 each and are removable. I bought one section of track and cut out 4 small 3" long pieces to use. Just wide enough for a single hook. Here is a quick sketch of what I did. Between this and the picture above, it should make sense. PM me if you want more information. The bungees probably aren't needed, but I leave my ski on the rack when I trailer the boat, so I use them.

@doospx. I will see what I can dig up today. Did it a few years ago when I had all the interior out putting on new skins.

No drilling. My side panels have long bolts on them that extends through the lip on the gunnel of the boat. I just drilled holes in the 2x3 and used the same bolts. I will look for another picture of the install. Definitely did not drill into the boat. Yes. I used the track soiI could make the hangers removable. Just cut them down.

I built one for my 94 malibu a few years ago. It has worked great. It is nothing as nice as the MC's but it works well for my boat and was much cheaper. My design is removable. I used 2"x3" lumber, wrapped in carpet, and bolted to the back of the side panel (using the existing side panel bolts). Then I bought track mounted removable garage organizers/hangers. I cut the track into 3" long pieces to mount to the 2x3. I had to cut down the length of the forks on the hangers to work. I added small bungees above each hanger so that I can secure the skis. I spaced mine so the top ski is binding up (does not extend above the side of the boat) and bottom ski is binding down. Works great. I can un-clip the hangers and remove when not in use.