Zman

@Bh0pp Maybe you could include a wood dowel across the top that could have a ski length sheet of sunbrella attached to it, then a loop in the other end of the sunbrella with another dowel slipped into it to act as a weight to hold sunbrella down on whichever side of the bench the sun is shining from?

Ouch! Who held his beer?

@Than_Bogan Hmmm... Maybe living in Massachusetts and that tunnel you can't always get through to get to your course? Move south young man! Plus, you are a pretty accomplished skier.

@rikamurf That really sux that someone did that to you, especially if you had paid a deposit. I learned that lesson with my very first boat. Owner and I had made an agreement, then he told me it was no longer for sale. Another buyer came by, presumably offered more. Gotta make a deposit. Although, these days, that can be risky too. If you buy from any ballers, or most sellers on skititagain, this should never happen. If it does, they should be called out. My goodness, you were on your way to pick up the boat, and the owner bailed on you. Clearly a person of no moral character.

Being less than 5'8", with a wing span several inches less than my height, this topic depresses me. :neutral: People like Regina and @twhisper inspire me, and give me hope! Another pretty amazing amateur skier that is impressive while being short is @richfoster getting well into 39 when he is clicking.

Response! Definitely do not buy the other without taking a ski ride behind it first. I think then you will agree. Ski them both if you can.

@3mustskiteer When I tore my ACL 5 years ago, one option my Doctor gave me was to ski in a knee brace to see if I could "adapt" to life with no ACL in my right knee (front leg). My knee was quite sloppy, so I declined on that option. Instead, I did about 6 weeks of "pre-hab" to strengthen my leg with much the same exercises I would do post surgery. I had the ACL hamstring graft surgery mid-October. Starting the following April I got back in the course wearing a DonJoy Defiance knee brace as a precaution. And, since I could hardly tell I was wearing it while skiing, I skied with the brace until early September. Then, put it away for good. I believe the CTI brace is fairly similar, or at least the one I looked at 5 years ago. I also had MCL strain, or partial tear, but it was largely healed by the time I had the ACL surgery, 2 months post injury. I had no intention of skiing before my ACL surgery. Especially after reading in a thread on here, "you don't need your ACL to ski, you need your ACL if you crash". The ACL is the strongest of the 4 major knee ligaments; the other 3 would be at great risk should you crash with no ACL. Food for thought. You might be wiser to focus on pre-surgery rehab. Come back strong next spring.

What @Chad_Scott and others said about Babe's. I keep a bottle of seat soap in the boat for quick clean ups. And, go over all the vinyl a couple times a year with the seat saver. Also, I bought a used car that had heal marks on the plastic trim on the two front doors. Nothing was working to clean it up and remove the marks. I grabbed the Babes Seat Soap, and the marks came off fairly easy. Good stuff.

I had a Supra Rider (the Supra Beast with an open bow) in the mid-80s that had a swivel passenger seat, and driver's seat. Yea, we skied a lot, but we also did plenty of river cruising too. Refreshments included.

I hope they can put Saturday's Lake 2 video back up again. In it, @FreddyKrueger talked about 2 key points he stresses while coaching his two boys. If I remember correctly, one was keeping hands/handle low and close for good connection. I think the other was creating good cross course speed. He also pointed out that a number of skiers were struggling because they had their butts staying behind them, especially creating issues into and out of the turns. I know I did not paraphrase what Freddy said very well, so I sure hope he can chime in and repeat those key points that he focuses on with his two boys. I am sure that would benefit aspiring slalom skiers with learning proper technique, and those like me trying to make fundamental corrections.

A lot of good discussion here, and sharing of people's experiences and various helmets to address their concerns. Nothing I can add. I think everyone has to weigh their personal situation, the risks - then consider the options available and information available to address the risks they feel they face when skiing or wake boarding. But, what really impresses are the measures many have taken to continue to participate in this fun, challenging and very addictive sport. Kudos to all of you! Ski well, stay safe!

@Horton Agree. Tough break for Andy Hickson, too. :smiley: Tough break for all who missed openers, or scored well under their average. Been there.

Don't disagree with some of the discussions above. But, in the end, I am glad that ultimately the correct call was made. I would not want a medal on a bad call. Secondly, no one would want to lose a medal on a bad call. As inside the ball that the ski was, why didn't any of the judges call for a video review? What does it take to prompt a quick review in such an important tournament? Is there protocol for this? Honest questions from someone who has not memorized the rule book.

Better.

The 2016 Txi is a great ski boat. Great power, great wakes, and lots of room. And, Clay's boat looks great and well set up.

@JackQ I will be interested in the suggestions you get. I have a Hewitt canopy sitting on top of my CraftLander lift that has been in year round service since early 2013. I am beginning to see the threads fail at a few seems, just on the gable ends. No tears yet. So, I am thinking of just having these small seems restitched for now. Oh, and congrats on a great showing at the Nationals again! And, a runoff with the legend!

Would this same data be available using some of the OBD II Scanners on the market?

@Jody_Seal So, at what level of shrinkage do you not ski?

@thager I always use soap, a couple sprays of diluted soap, to make it easy to slide my feet in (and, help save wear on the liner). Never had any issues with the rubber. I also keep the top laces a bit loose, especially on the back boot. Not sure that helps save the rubber, but I like knowing my feet will come out if needed. Lower laces are snug with the BOA.

I did a pair using the Intuition instructions. Worked fine. But, I liked the liners better, somewhat, before heat molding. Last pair, no heat molding. This was with the Vapor Carbitex. If you haven't already, you may just want to put in a few sets first. If you decide to use heat, +1 for what @ColeGiacopuzzi said.

+1 Voltaren

@Horton You should have given @brooks a bottle of bourbon. At least a Woodford Reserve.

@Chad_Scott The Snake Pit?

Not that I worry too much about water temps in south Bama, but I checked the onboard water temperature gauge in my Malibu Txi against a pool thermometer and they were within 1 degree. So long as I check the temp before things get really warm under the engine box. After that, the air and water readouts will climb a bit.

Awesome job TWBS, and Jay Bennett and crew!