Glock

Pondering a new tug, coming off of a 2004 197. I have been looking at several boats over this past summer trying to find the right one. Considering a malibu LX or 196 with ZO as they seem to be in the price range, and dreaming about a sub 30K txi or 200.

 

I have never skied behind an LX. Can someone lend some advice on the wakes and drivability of the LX vs some of the others.

 

Lastly, am I dreaming thinking I might find a sub 30K txi or 200 open bow?

Just saw on the Nautique website and the Facebook page that they are announcing a "game changer" on 7/17. Let the speculation begin. New tournament ski boat perhaps?

Could anyone tell me if a 2007 or 2008 Response LX is upgradable to ZO? I know it can be done on the 2007 and 2008 LXI, so I would assume the same for the LX.

That opens up a second can of worms. I just sold my 2004 Mastercraft X7 and am wondering if I would be happier with an LX or LXI. I really wish I could swing a TXI. If anyone knows of a TXI for 30K-ish, let me know. I'll drive across the country for it.

Ever thought about Portland, Oregon? Theoretically you can ski here 12 months a year. I ski 8-9 months a year depending on the year. Pretty good snow skiing out here to, except this year. Hunting and fishing is world class. Big cities are close and a pretty good selection of ski lakes/clubs up and down the i5 corridor. Oh, and the ocean is an hour away. I'm from Michigan and absolutely love it out here.

Two questions here.

 

1). Coming from a mastercraft197/x7, how big of a difference is there between the Response TXI and Response LXI. I know the wake is supposed to be better and the sight lines improved, but is it worth the extra $?

 

2). What should a 2012 Response TXI with ~1000 hours with a nice trailer be worth?

 

I'm looking for a zero off boat, or upgradable boat, preferably with an open bow with a hard spending limit of 30K.

I read some advise today from Ben Favret at waterskimag.com. He advocates for a training program in which you train 1mph faster than your actual speed. As I am preparing for a season of big improvements, I was wondering how many of you use this advice? Is this helpful? I finished last year with a pb of 5 at 32off, 34mph, but pretty inconsistent at 28. Hope to get fairly consistent at 32 this summer.

@schafer, that site is outside of Portland, OR.

Got out for my first couple sets of the season at a new club I'm skiing at. Lots of rust to polish off, but super excited to be skiing at a great site. Hoping to improve a lot this year.

 

What boat are you looking to move up to?

Bruce, if you don't mind me asking, what was the cost of that conversion?

I agree @skoot1123. @liquid d did a great job with his boat. That thing must be sweet.

Sounds like the 196 is the hands down winner, no surprise really. I love the idea of zo conversion on one of these boats. That's about a 10k conversion?

@PurdueSkier its a 2004

I'm considering a debt reduction program and getting rid of my Mastercraft X7 and picking up a less expensive boat that I can pay cash for. Looking at a 93-94 Prostar 190 or 97-99 Nautique 196 in the 12k range. What are your thoughts when comparing these two boats? I know they both ski well, but would be interested in hearing your opinions.

I love watching your videos, please post more.

It could happen.

 

http://waterskimag.com/files/2012/08/Screen-shot-2012-09-14-at-5.27.32-PM.png

Man he makes that look easy.

Chris,

As what I would describe as an intermediate course skier, running 28 25% of the time, when do you start worrying about fin adjustments? I really don't know much about fin adjustments and have kept it at stock minus the wing for the last couple of years. Will this improve my skiing. Is there a guide to what adjustments to make for specific skiing characteristics?

I agree that diet is the biggest key. It is the one thing that I can really work on since it doesn't take much extra time. I am very limited time wise right now with a very busy work schedule, MBA classes, 2.5 yr old son and a daughter on the way. If I can find 30 minutes to bust out a workout and watch the diet, I can do this.

I am officially joining the BOS Biggest Loser Challenge. I am 35, 6'3" and weighing in at a beefy 217lbs. I saw this thread in January and haven't been ready to commit to a program. I am ready for a life change now. I really want to improve my skiing this year and hopefully progress from rarely skiing through 28 to knocking down 32 regularly. I am actually going to post pictures of myself to start and every couple of weeks to keep me honest. I need you guys to hold me accountable, since my wife is pregnant and temps me with cookies and ice cream several times a week. My plan is to really watch my food intake and do the new T25 program followed by P90X. Should be lean and mean and ready to knock down some buoys by June.

I was thinking about you guys last week when the cold blast came through.

 

Great picture JP. I am headed to Whitefish with the family for the week of Christmas. We'll see how my 2.5 year old likes skiing, hopefully more than he likes the water at the moment. I pray it is a little warmer than the weather you guys had last week.

Got any pictures?

What if you proposed to your company that you want to get your MBA or Masters degree full time, but remain engaged with the company during that time working on side projects, etc. When she is done, you will be done and you can move back and not just get the same job you had but maybe get a better one.

I thought that was a bit high. We saw a really nice 2007 nautique 206 with zero off a few weeks ago for 29k but it sold the day before I called on it. We'll keep looking. He's not in a big hurry as we still have my 2004 x7 to ski behind.

 

@ryguy. A new lxi for 34k in 2005. A new txi in 2013 for 65k. I wish I could double the prices on the products I sell in eight years and get away with it.

Thanks for all the advice. Does 29k seem like alot for a 2004 lxi with 360 hours in really nice shape? My buddy's limit is 30K and I'm telling him that he can probably get a Zero Off boat for that much if he looks around. That leads me to open another can of worms, if you had 30k and wanted a zero off boat with open bow, what would you get?