BRY

@jhughes I don't like either/or approaches. Either lots of reps longer/slower never faster/shorter OR pound the wall? I have seen guys run a pass forever, trying to get it perfect before moving on, and all they seem to do is become one of the best skiers ever at that pass, same pass, year after year. I have also seen guys just go out and bang away at their toughest pass but never seem to get through it, same pass, year after year. I believe a mix is best, with a purpose. Do your usual 15/32, 15/34, 22/34, but each one back to back. Then a crack or two at -28, and back to 22/34 to finish. But work on just one thing, say handle in all the way out till the boat takes it, or not pulling till the boat pulls you. Perhaps drop the speed on -28 to 33mph but no more, timing and feel too different otherwise. Perhaps get a rope with a -25 loop (and a -30 loop for when you need that one). Keep a book. Record every set, how it went, what was good. Judge success on accomplishing your goal that pass, like keeping handle in. Review before you ski so you have a focus from the first start on what you want from the set. Once you have identified your keys do a set or two of multiple15/34 or 22/34 running them all and doing your keys, doesn't have to be perfect, just running them. Then probe your limit, learn, write it down, adjust, go again. The buoys will come. You say "So, was this morning satisfying? Not really. Educational? I think so." You learned something you didn't know. That should be satisfying. Take what you learned, apply to the next set, go from there.

I owned a 91 190 (first real ski boat), great wake, sporty and easy to drive (but it needs to be driven), any headwind and spray at 32off. IMHO all the MC's since have been disappointing (relative to the other boats) till the 2014. Skied a 97-99 Nautique (not sure which year it was) for a couple years at a lake I rented time on. Great boat, tracks much better than the MC (doesn't need to be driven as much), no spray issues. Wife thought wake better on 91-94 MC (slow speeds, LL) but that Nautique still good, she would happily ski either (she never liked the MC 197). At 34/36 line off I thought them similar but generally got a better ride with the Nautique because the driver didn't need to be as good. I'd still be happy for a ride behind either but given the choice between these two would go with the Nautique.

I loved watching those. Always annoyed at how many and long the commercials were, wanted more skiing! Really liked when they would do the side by side replays of the head to head's. Thought Grimdich did a good job commentating, explaining so non-skiers understood but enough content to keep skiers happy. Was best when they had Camile on though.

I like the extra storage, better "real" seating and swamp resistance of the closed bow for a ski boat. Open bow inboards have dinky, shallow bow area's (center engine pushes seating/driver/windshield forward). People up there block drivers view and its real easy to toss them out. Seem to recall Mastercraft got sued and lost when a girl fell out of the front and the boat ran her over. I also like to buy my boat for me, not the next guy, or I would go used. Never had issues selling the closed bow, good demand as "hard to find". So yea, you guys get blue open bows if going new. Need to keep the demand for mine up...

My 68 is set at 6.896, 2.458, 0.735 wing at 9, front boot at 30 9/16. It's way better than I am now, very good both sides, tip down and drives back in with power. Ran my first 38 on it and a few times since (practice). Now just need to pull my head out and put together a good tournament round. This ski will work with OK with wack numbers but is crazy good with the right ones (for you). The "official" numbers seem to vary by source and vary fairly regularly. Don't be afraid to play around with the settings a bit, it won't bite. But as you get closer to the right ones the performance goes way up and it gets even easier to ski.

Didn't know who she was so a quick Google, she can ski better than most of us, has run 38 quite a few times in international tournaments and was on the French U-21 team. Great vid here, looks like at Chet's, only through 35 but sooo easy for her Now just get that ski out of there...

My feet aren't that big but I am a 9.5 or 10 foot and I use an 8 boot with the Reflex thin liner molded. Carryover from my snow skiing (36yrs of it), I always go with the smallest shell I can get in and the buckles are just to keep it closed. I want the boot to be my foot, not on my foot, and excess liner is just extraneous "give", loss of precision and slop in the steering. More compfy too as I don't have to compress anything for a proper fit. I would think with a 13 foot going down only one shell to a 12 shouldn't be a problem. Mold the Reflex thin liner and use some thin plastic outside the shell but under the buckles to keep the liner from coming out too much while molding. I cut a kitchen chopping mat to fit. I had PowerShells before and no way could I get the Goode liners in my reflex boot, too thick. Whichever liner you use, make sure to mold it or your fit won't be right.

@cragginshred‌ Follow this chart as exactly as you can to start: Matt Rini's Fin Settings (Updated as of 3/1/14): Size: Depth DFT Length Boot Setting 63.5": 2.475, .745, 6.875 front boot @ 28 1/2 wing @‌ 9 65": 2.475, .745, 6.880 front boot @ 28 3/4 wing @ 9 66": 2.445, .745, 6.954 front boot @ 29 1/4 wing @ 9 67": 2.450, .750, 6.960 front boot @ 30 1/4 wing @ 9 68": 2.450, .750, 6.960 front boot @ 30 3/4 wing @‌ 9 MEASURE your front binding placement, don't go by the holes. If you can't get to the exact number for binding above get as close as you can. IMHO you should start here as no one on the net will have your settings for you, everyone is a bit different. Take a couple sets then play around. The good thing (and bad) is the Vapor will work very well with wack settings, but it is phenomenal when dialed in. Record everything so you know the what's, where's and results. And measure your bindings for placement!

When I get a new ski I set it to stock with my calipers. They will measure different than someone else's calipers. That's just the baseline to start with. After that it is all relative movements I am concerned about, not the absolute measurement. For instance if I measure depth at 1:00 at the dock, I measure and move the couple thousandth's. If I measure at 5:00 after the ski has been inside with A/C for a couple hours it will measure different. But I still believe it will be the couple thousandth's different than what it would have been without the change. So the performance characteristic change will remain (though .002 seems to be subtle to me, it's there). With the slot I can repeat measurements at that time very well. Getting it to be where I want after tightening the block though can make me crazy.

As many have posted above its really what the water surface is. If its white capping inside the 55 I won't go out on my ski. With white caps I find the ski wont rotate properly in the turn and will do crazy pitches and stops due to "holes". White caps typically form between 12 to 15 MPH but ski lakes are so small the caps often don't come up with quartering or cross. 15 is a lot more than most people think, a solid 15 blows chairs and anything else light not tied down away. But 15 is great for double trap on my cat...

30.5. 68" 6.892 2.452 0.729 slot Wing 9 over 82 water, 8.5 under 82 Been rocking with these for a few months now. The 3/1 settings are quite different from those a couple months ago. Moving target? Loving the ski though.

@cragginshred As long as you are out around the ball line you are good (all there is @38). I think most people pull out way too hard, it takes less effort to get out there than you think. Smooth and progressive pressure is the most important, that can turn a potentially hosed gate into some thing you can work with. Some of my keys: Front foot: 100% front foot from getting out of the water till at least pointed at the gates No more than 10% effort first 10% of move out but be sure to steer the ski out Keep hips square down course the entire time standing tall Bring handle in against body and vertical when coming up over ski (near the end of the pull out, handle straight up and down keeps elbows in and other good things) Never go flat, stand on outside edge (even if lightly) until actually turning to gates (no glide really, stay out till you turn) I don't think of these all at once but worked on each till all became natural. Gates are like learning a trick. Do it again and again and again and.....

I like the 6.0L boats better, they seem less "peaky" and the pull is smoother. Don't think I would say softer (definitely not harder), but smoother and solid. Think its due to typically lower RPM and "bigger" prop, harder to pull them off so they don't hammer to get back on.

I would say go with the Senate Graphite (since money is not a problem). That ski is very forgiving and stable yet will also rip turns, handle speed and create space before the ball. I'm well over 200 and no problem getting up on a 68 Vapor and Senate has more surface. As you are tall (more leverage, power) and on the heavy end of this ski the Graphite is the one. Won't stick like softer skis, is snappier and you have the size and weight for it (little guys have no idea). Better yet, get one at Perf Ski n Sport in Orlando and take a lesson with Rini, or LaPoints, or Cox, or... lots of great Pro's right there. They will dial it in for you and get you on the right path with your new ride. And if it doesn't work (highly unlikely) Perf Ski will hook you up with the ski that will.

Interesting how different things work for different people. As with @Goodeskier, I pull out at the same point with the same intensity for each rope length and I go typically about 8 ft before the gate. But I do feel I can start/initiate too early at 35 and 38. Too early and I end up without enough angle through the gates, pointed at the ball. For sure at 38 you have to create space, ski out and up on an arc to the ball. I expect to run 35 but have only run 38 a few times, definitely more to learn. What feels later and slower for the turn-in works better for me. Very curious to see what @chrisrossi has to say on the subject.

+1 for Performance Ski & Surf in Orlando. Got my Vapor there, they will do you right. For West Coast Wiley's will set it up for you also. I would recommend stock settings first, but if they don't seem to work for you try the alt settings from Horton's review. Stock settings blew for me, but the Rini/Horton settings rock. I tweaked a few thousand's from there and now nothing more ski could do for me at this point, pilot is the limiting factor.

@smanski There kind of is an gate for jump already, the lower left and lower right of the ramp. Miss those by much and the penalty is much higher than just getting a zero!

@Chef23 Much of my post was to put out a different perspective. If I were someone who had never been to a tournament, like I think many lurkers on this board are, I would be put off from tournaments. My impression would be all tournaments chop a lot of skiers gates and many, if not most skiers get lengthy waits for reviews. This is simply not the case if for no other reason than very few non-R tournaments use video. As you say "frequently one of the towers has a view of the entrance and one has one of the exit gates. That may be enough." With the boat judge I believe for class C that is enough, two towers and boat judges. No video expense, delays or hassle. That is both the knock and advantage to class C. Scores may be inflated a little, but if judges are doing their best then I think it averages out. It really is an issue that affects pretty much only class R tournaments. From a previous thread there were "14 no continuations and 4 missed gates out of 590 pulls at Nationals". Even if @Mattp missed a few, not a whole lot of chopping going on. Safety wise I just don't see an argument at all on the entrance gates. Exit gates maybe, but I haven't seen a clearly stated argument yet. Is it safety, inconsistency with the rest of the course, something else?

+1 for @Detrick for the write ups, articles and commentary. A nice view into the events and I hope they keep coming. And congrats on great skiing at the Aus Open and Moomba!

@Skoot1123 Go to a tournament! Preferably AWSA but INT will do. GO! You will have a great time, learn a lot, meet some more addicts. BTW, the vast majority of tournaments are class C with two shore judges and a boat judge with majority rule. Video not required in class C and most do not even have it. All this uproar about video reviews and so forth really applies to class R (record) tournaments. Class R's are approximately 20% of AWSA tournaments. Go to a nice local C, have a great time, and don't worry about this crap, won't apply. But still try to got through the center of the gates.... @Chef23 Sorry man, but no, boat judge is not the only one who gets a real good look at the gates. Boat judge has the worst view, too flat. A judge in a properly placed tower or with a properly placed camera really does have the best view, slight angle looking down on the gates. I have spent many hours in said towers, the view is really, really good. Judges don't pull gates, at least I've never seen it. Skiers miss gates and judges just call what happened. The difficulty is in the way the rule is written. When the skier is over the ball and are the over half, less than half yada yada. I believe the clarification to the rule that benefit of the doubt goes to the skier will help. But if you are on the gate ball when you go through the gates... I think Moomba is a great tournament, and I believe the organizers do the best that can be done to make it great and fair for all. They have a lot of experience in doing so. But the Yarra is a junk site. Funky inruns, debris floating with the current, rollers and so forth. It does introduce a luck factor. Similar to bad conditions in snow ski racing, sometimes conditions take the favorites down. But it puts the tournament in the heart of a major metropolitan city. They wouldn't have hundereds of thousands of spectators if it was at a perfect site 10 miles out of the city. Trade offs but not worth changing the sport (removing or significantly altering gates) for one tournament. Gordon may or may not have something there on the safety issue. I've only met him a couple times and he doesn't know me from the thousands of skiers he's met. But I think he is very motivated due the terrible tragedy that happened at his site. But I think better clarity found and more study should be done before changes made.

This streaming is something else. Travers was just coming under the bridge on his opener and a Victoria Secret ad came on. Missed seeing his pass but still got a show.

Its a little less than 2 hrs from Naples to Chet Raley's place in Boca Raton. http://www.pbtcenter.com 90% of the drive is on the straightest, flattest highway you will ever see. HWY 75 is a straight shot across the state right there. If Chet looks full, just call Sherry. Usually she can work you in with cancellations. Great site and one of the best coaches ever.

@wish They don't quite sound like frogs... http://crocodilian.com/cnhc/croccomm.html Saw one once sunning by a drainage when visiting a couple years ago. Since I've moved to FL (10 months) I have yet to see one. No credible story from neighbors on the lake ever seeing one on our lake either. Apparently they don't like speed boat (ie skiing) traffic as it messes with their receptors. But... on the news there was a story of one that had about a dozen dog collars in its gut and another one in someone's house when they got home, came in through doggie door. Overall gators are a much over rated threat. Now the snakes...

There's definitely people around doing it. A rough count looks like 48 total ran 38 at Nationals. Having just moved to FL last year the Southern Regionals was an eye opener to me, in M4 alone 9 guys ran 38 (1 of those into 41) and the following 7 all got into 38. At Okeeheelee on 7/20 8 skiers ran the 11.28 pass, 4 of them did it both rounds. Following day on 2/21 18 skiers ran it, 9 both rounds. Record tourny's both days, camera's watching and recording everything. That's just the little corner of the world I'm in.

What model ski and length? 2.478 depth seems a little shallow and 0.898 DFT seems way forward for near stock settings. Would expect DFT to be more of a mid 0.7xx