aussiemc

No Latrobe tournament this year.

Exactly the same price shock happened in Australia on release of the 2014 ProStar. The AUS dealers and MC ended up working towards reducing margins in order to maintain / increase market share. The New Txi is advertised well over $100k AUD and it's locally made.

@djycb, do you want to buy new? There are plenty of good used skis around. What sort of budget do you have? Where are you located? You could contact Connelly / Jobe watersports Australia (Wayne Briant) to see if you can demo a V. I can get you a demo on a D3.

D3 will have a contoured foot bed next on their RTP next season.

I have a 2003 MC 197, 2 years ago the engine was "renovated" to basically make it a 2011 with ZO. I now have Rev S running in it and it is as good as any of the current new boats to ski behind.

I don't have any evidence, but I suspect the way they weigh boats changed around 2011. The MC 197 was originally spec'd at 2800lbs and then all of a sudden it weighed 3300lbs. I wonder if the 200 got caught in this scenario?

@MISkier you are correct, A drone is used to test acceleration, usually 2 runs from standstill, data recorded via GPS. Maneuverability test, End course review with several drivers, Decibel readings from bank, skier feel and wake feedback (confidential, and done privately) from test subjects. I only know this because i was lucky enough to be involved in the inaugural Boat test of 2019 Ski Nautique.

Changes are happening. There is a "field test" of a Malibu engine happening currently in Australia

There is already a "Prototype" Malibu marinised response TXi in Australia being used at a ski club for testing purposes.

@Ikb I had a 2014 Grand Cherokee V6 diesel, good vehicle, towed well never had any issues with it. My 2017 BMW X5 does a slightly better job though. (photo is of Club boat, not my MC 197)

@klindy When mapping ZO from the Entrance gates and traveling towards the exit gates, as you approach, ZO beeps saying that you should be there, but you press the actual exit gate position, therefore mapping the actual course. If it is out of the tolerance length, the course won't map sucessully. Once this is done, ZO has a start point from each end. But it also has the exit gates in mind (not necessarily 259m) each time. As evidence of this, do a test, drive through the start gates at a slight angle, drive a big arc around 3 ball, and then drive back through the exit gates. You will notice several things. The boat will be on a different path, but it will still maintain the set speed. (speed priority, not timing or distance) It will start and finish timing at either gates. (not 259m) You have traveled further, but maintained speed, so the time you get at the exit gates will be slower. perhaps even out of tolerance. To me this proves that ZO is a lot more to it than just giving good times.

Just a heads up, both props are approved for either engine. The 4 Blade is the primary prop.

@Zman Video on Facebook (Kyle Eade's) shows him falling after the exit gates. Great effort though

In my experience, remapping is a great idea, but I think one of the most important things to do is occasionally delete all courses from ZO and re enter as a new course. I always do it before a tournament to ensure accuracy. It's especially important on multi lake / course sites.

@eleeski I would also start looking into what settings you are going to be allowed to use at Chile. All the settings (Hydrogate and Ballast) in the boat don't comply with current IWWF Rules. There was conditions put on what could be used at LCQ & Masters. Trying all the settings is a great idea, but if you find something that works and then can't use it, that could be a lot of wasted time.

I have skied in salt water for the last 10 seasons. I use inox grease on all screws (almost any grease will do) and re apply that every 8 weeks or so. I also wash down my gear with a hose then fill a tub with freshwater, "soak" my fin and let my binding release hang into the water as well. (obviously not at the same time), plus throw my shell, liner, gloves etc. in the tub. I have had screws stuck in the fin block and inserts in the past, no problems since implementing the above.

@ozski Its funny, because I got straight out of that boat (Hull No# 2), and 10 mins later towed a skier behind a 200 (that I haven't driven for 12 months) to a score of 4@10.25m and I wouldn't have said that it was at all behind in the driving department. The new Ski Nautique is a leap forward in tech and innovation yes, ski ability - yet to be determined.

I'm testing this weekend at Stoney Park Australia, hopefully practice sets and Driving / skiing a Tournament. Nate is also skiing in the tournament.

Great skiing, but I think the boat path may have been out of tolerance :#

I've had a boat do this on me at a tournament, We replaced screen to no avail. We found a connection (joiner / plug) in the main Zero Off harness (access behind the bow seat) had a poorly installed pin. Once we corrected this issue, all problems solved.

In the 3 event perfect pass, you had to adjust the crew weight, not sure about your system but that could explain your slow speeds.

Skiing Now!, is that the southern Hemisphere option?

@savaiusini I'm also interested in Demoing a Pro, any options in Australia?

@Horton, I do understand the Promo program. I was thinking that the boat companies would ultimately be paying for the tows, possibly administered by each National / State / Regional committee, that way each company and or committee would have data on tournament /boat use etc. Just a concept off the top of my head.

Just thinking out loud, why not eliminate "Promo Boats" have a "Tournament Tow Register" where any registered/approved boat owner is compensated for tournament tows. The owners of current year boats get a higher $ tow rebate. This hopefully would still encourage newer boats into the market place, the 1-2 year old boats would still be a saleable item, and also increase (hopefully) the available towboats for tournaments.