BRY

A few other fun facts: FL is one of the few places on earth to have both crocodiles and alligators Alligators like doggy doors, nothing like coming home to a 7' gator in the house Crocodiles like salt and brackish water, alligators like brackish and fresh water. So we have you covered in any body of water here. Living with Alligators and Crocodiles

@MrJones Your "you didn't try to come back in so it was a quarter buoy" and "explaining how it was impossible to get a quarter at 39 not falling as the instant you stand up you are inside the buoy line" cracked me up! I was tower judging a C (center tower setup) with a Senior (I'm a Regular) and the same thing happened. The Senior gave the skier a 1/4 and I gave him a 1/2. Senior said "but he didn't make a move in." I said "that doesn't matter, it's where his front foot is, and at that line it doesn't reach the ball therefore if he's standing up he's inside the buoy line." Senior said "well, I was taught he had to make a move in." In my head, WTF! We went round for a bit and Senior ended a little pissed at me, after all Senior was a Senior. I was nice but wouldn't budge and Senior didn't like that. Not sure where this "have to make a move in" comes from, certainly not in any rule book or guide, but have heard it other places since. Seems a training video could be made in 720p (would show up well on almost any device nowadays) clearly, concisely showing how to call gates and buoys with clear, easy examples, slo-mo and graphic overlays for quadrants to show clearly what it is supposed to be. Follow with a few live action, short line tough call examples applying previous concepts. Probably wouldn't be more that 5 minutes long. Show at clinic's, available online and required watching for gaining/upgrading rating. I believe the vast majority of judges try to make the right call every time. Some easy, quick, nationally consistent training would get most everyone on the same standard and get the best we can out of everyone.

Prediction for final review notes: Conclusion The 2016 Vapor is an evolutionary design that will never prove to be too much for some skiers but magical for skiers with or without the right skill set.

Best bet is Wileys. Wiley's They have a stamp for all sorts of old HO crap.

Chet Raley is great too. Palm Beach Training Center He wants a 3 to 5 minute video (lots of skiing in 3 to 5 minutes, 8 passes easy). At $50 its a bargain.

I use a larger head screw and washer (more holding surface) and ground on one side of each till it fit. Can use a hand file but a Dremel is quicker.

Some lakes are tight just because there is no room. You are blessed with plenty of room. Being an extra 5m out over the 11.5m adds lots of safety and negligible wind change. Puts you about 16.5m (55ft) from hard stuff. When Broho was built in WA it was too narrow, people hit the beach, so much so they dug it out and made it wider. Now about 60ft or so I think. Hitting shore is memorable and you don't have to be going crazy to get there if it's only 11.5m (38ft) away. Space disapears quick at 55K and 58K. Better to be safe since you can.

I like glass to free ski on big lake open water but haven't seen a big lake all glass for years. Jet skiers and wakeboarders started getting up too early. Skiing glass till you fall off the handle was pretty cool. Glass seems to take a little adjustment for me, a bit too much stick in the course. On little private lakes with buoys I much prefer a slight ripple, ski rides better. Contrast is better too, easier to see what's where.

For me it used to be that when I had the opportunity to ski balls I would ski as much as possible whenever possible even when my body says stop. Only got to ski buoys on weekends and not always regularly. Younger then and longer lines/slower speeds so body could go much longer. Now have easy access to course so 1 set, 8-10 passes, 5 days on, 1 day off. In season sometimes do two sets but 6-8 passes there and take next day off. Seems to work really well. All good through 35 but working on 38 makes me feel it.

Give these guys a call: Broho Lake World class site right there in Graham!

Been on the red 41 Tails (size medium) for several years. Use Kevlar (size large) liners with them. No bunching, seemingly no break-in period for the Kevlar palms and they never move, not at all, without being crazy tight. Used to go through 1 pair a season but now in FL 2 pair. Palms don't wear out but everything else eventually falls apart around them. I have had very little issue with the velcro strap. Usually at end-of-life. Only once ever in a tournament (1pass, still made it) but if happend with any frequency I wouldve dumped them. Have not tried the yellow 42 Tails but am told they are different. Got a pair of the new inside-out Boa's (size medium). They feel really good and the Boa deal is crazy good. I can barely get my hand in but once in they, well, fit like a glove. They do seem short but when skiing they are not. Really like them but they do move a little, I don't like that feeling. With the Boa can tighten down till my hands are uncomfortable and still move a little. Leads to bunching in the fingers. Tried liners but not quite enough room to get them in, and they still move a little. So staying with the red 41 Tails till they are no longer available. I have a size large hand but wear mediums for skiing.

I assembled my Basta and my RGC and I am not a mechanic/shop guy. Literally a big erector set. Very simple and straight forward. Make sure to use the anti-seize and don't over torque. Borrow a buddy's torque wrench, or better yet borrow a buddy with a torque wrench. The way Basta does the hydraulic hoses theirs is super simple.

I own a 2011 5.7 and have been lucky enough to have about 20 sets behind 3 examples of the 5.3. I thought it skied great. Tried a few other settings just to see but run the same C1 as on mine. Better hole shot but once on plane felt pretty much the same, maybe slightly smoother. Very, very subtle difference. Drivers and water (3 different sites) far overshadow the difference. If I were to get a new one I would get the 5.3 or the 6.2. Have to ski a 6.2 but I really like the 6.0 200's so would be interesting. Had I been able to ski a 6.0 before getting mine I would have gone with the 6. But definitely the 5.3 over the 5.7 for hole shot and envisioned economy and resale.

I've had mine since National's and the honeymoon is still going strong.

+1 for Basta Basta Lifts I had a Basta at my lake in WA and that thing was perfect. Sold it when I moved to FL to neighbor. Really like the cantilever design, no to cables to break, and easily powered by a battery and solar panel. If it were to fail, don't see that happening, the boat flops back into the water at an angle, doesn't fall straight down. Have a couple friends with Shorestation but not as nice and lots of stuff around the boat. Cantilever hydraulic lifts are tucked nicely all under the boat. I got the same design RGC for here in Florida, was a little cheaper and cheaper shipping as from NY instead of WA. Well built frame but not nearly as well done for hydraulics. Within a year had to replace all hydraulic cables (got them warrantied) and one cylinder (not warranty but should have been). The Basta is just a cleaner, more elegant, simpler design with higher quality parts and execution. If I were to ever have to get a new one it would be a Basta in a heartbeat.

If they seem competent I will let them drive my boat (with me in it or around), just a few I will actually loan it to. No one gets to use my ski. No one. All my other stuff, sure, just let me know.....

I have 2' and 4' as my driver wants a tube so I have the Wakeye that needs one. The 2' doesn't seem to do much if anything. Rope still slaps a little around the front of the engine box/pylon area. Harmless but makes driver nervous. 4' tube seems to put all that back at the back of the engine box, works great. I have had some exiting times judging in tournaments with 2' ones with rope coming into the crew area.

But only once with a ZO boat (so far). Knocked the iPhone out of the wake eye. Didn't have the shock tube on, now 4' tube on always (wife won't drive without it). I rarely have big recoil though. As @Than_Bogan and @Texas6 said it's not slack hits but tight line overloads that do it. BTW, I never toss the handle. I always hold it until the boat takes it, particularly if there is slack. Then it doesn't get caught on things. Seen bad results when people toss it then ski/fall into/on the uncontrolled handle/line.

Another interesting article is this http://www.outsideonline.com/1921346/can-snowboarding-be-saved, from a standpoint of industry focus being narrow and not supportive of growth in older demographics.

@303Skier Sure dude, whatever

@aupatking Yes, it would be interesting to see an accurate count of water towed sport/recreational participation year to year. I don't know if one exists, anybody? I just find it interesting all the doom and gloom about snowboarding dying when it's got 7.7 million participants and holding steady well over 7 mil for the last 5 years. Not growing but not dying. @T-fromTO Easy dude, don't take a comment stolen from a T-Shirt too literally or seriously. Think you missed the point of 90% of my post. @303Skier Sure dude, whatever. @boarditup has it right, "Best advice - just ride and share the joy."

+1 InTow http://www.jlbmfg.com/ Last couple of mine spectra. Didn't think the few oz less weight would matter but it does feel better. Crossbar cheap and well executed.

Not too old, perfect time to get back in. Look at the scores for Men 5, 6 and 7 (that's to 74 so 14 more years just there). A lot of guys skiing really well in those groups (unfortunately the numbers dwindle in 8+ but still fine skiing there) Anyhow I'm on a 68 Vapor at 215 summer weight (220 now) so at the top of its weight range. Ski's very well doesn't seem to small. The Senate 69 has recommended max of 220 so unless you plan to drop 30 lbs crazy quick that's what I think you should go for. You would be way over for the 67. The Vapor/Senate are flowy skis so too small and sticking/stopping is counter productive. At full size they still will crank wicked turns when necessary.

Congrats to Will. Some tough skiing by all. Love (to watch) run-offs.

Some interesting numbers: snow sports fact sheet Hmmm, 7,676,000 participants in snowboarding 2014/2015 in US. Not dead or done by a long shot. Just not the crazy growth it had. Would be a different industry if there were 7,676,000 water skiers in the us. Disclaimer: I'm a long time skier (since before snowboarding), tried it a few times, it's for people who can't ski.