BlueSki

@robscholl-OF, I hope grandpa does not end up having to live in a retirement home, because they are going to put him in the home they saw on 60 Minutes.

Than et al. have great points, especially about starting wide so that you can get wide. The other thing to consider is your body position through the turn. @ShaneH pointed out your body position through the gates. Look at how that problem is exacerbated by the time you get to 1 ball and watch the path of your right shoulder going into and around 1 ball. There is little counter rotation so that the problem that @ShaneH points out only gets worse and not corrected, leaving you short on leverage and ultimately short on angle. I personally find myself skiing one pass technically very well and then cutting the rope and everything flys out the window, the technique goes to hell in a handbasket. I have to remind myself, that yes, technique becomes more important with a shorter rope. Sometimes it takes a less than gentle reminder from someone in the boat, but then, the next pass becomes much easier.

Having your driver take a straighter boat path would not hurt either. It looks like your driver ran over the left exit gate and swerved a bit on you too. Perhaps he is watching the mirror more than the boat guides.

I spent one day this weekend driving a '12 and the next driving a '13. @Andy, there is no question as to whether or not the boat is in gear, the pullback into neutral has a stiffer hurdle than the '12. I quickly adjusted to the throttle in the '13, I tended to hold it slightly differently... loved driving them both.

@ScarlettArrow, unfortunately they do not have my size.

+1 for the O'neill top @AB showed. It works very well and is extremely comfortable. That is what a few of us in our club use until the drysuits need to come out.

Did those of you trying out Reflex now have them sitting in a box all summer? I have had my Reflex on order for a month and the shop is still waiting on Reflex to get them all of the parts needed for assembly.

Is there any specific thoughts that some of you use to maintain the stacked position, leaning hard, through the wakes? I think most are thinking pushing with the legs, maintaining trailing arm pressure, or just pure effort. I would like to hear more ideas. To @Skoot1123's point, coming out of the turn well is a known essential, but whether it is a bad turn or just a beginner learning the course, many go from stacked to pulled up by the time they hit the wakes.

One might think that I should hire the female interpreter to serve as an intermediary between me and my wife, but then I would be trying to communicate to two women, and I suck at communicating to only one... So that won't work.

So I tried the sled thing with the spouse, that did not click. What did click was having a female interpreter between me and the Mrs. When the other female told her that she could lean more and that she would not fall as long as she held on to the handle, something clicked. I about fell out of the damn boat the next time she crossed the wake. She went from standing up as she got to the wakes, to skiing like Horton running 26 behind the new Mastercraft. Who'da thunk it? Now she needs to figure out what to do with the angle, speed, and width.

I will have to try this with the Mrs. My wife is in the exact same position. She can go around 1/3/5 and just inches inside of 2/4/6. It has to be a combination of mental hurdle and the pull. I will try the "sledding" approach with her tomorrow.

The wind is in his hair regardless.

How tall is Neveu? That windshield looks like it would have the wind in your hair. In the 197 I feel like I am in a cockpit. I wonder if this one is lower.

Good points, but my son wanted to keep skiing and going on the hunt with the spouse on board would likely have limited marital bliss. I remember the jet ski, so a hunt down in the future would be fun.

How is the TXI wake for the kids/wife at slow speeds and 15 off? I think the last Bu I was behind was an LXI.

I was just on vacation and a middle-aged jet skier started to jump the wake while my nine-year old was slaloming. We stopped but he buzzed out before we could chat. I wish I had a flare gun on board.

@KcSwerver, that was my concern too. @ShaneH, it must have just gotten to the point of saturation and condensation. The straps were very tight, but the strap rides near the rub rail towards the bac half of the boat. 75 mph winds and rain are likely enough to allow for seepage.

I had my Nautique factory cover on my boat (200 cb) when I towed through a torrential downpour and generally wet conditions. When the trip was over, everything on the sides on the engine cover was wet and stuff under the closed bow was soaked too. The cover does fine in the rain when the boat is stationary, but it does not completely repel the water. I am not sure if the water came up under the sides due to the highway speed winds or seeped through the material. The water under the closed bow either seeped through the cover and drained through the slide-down lift ring or swirled around and seeped under the seat. I suspect the former. I would be afraid that Camp Dry or other waterproof sprays would eliminate the breathability. Seems like SN and MC use the same materials... I welcome your thoughts. The vents could also be the cause.

Try slicing the callous off (when dry) with a knife. A Buck knife may be a bit much, but a small Swiss Army knife works well.

Steven Seagal must have delivered a roundhouse kick at the base of the ramp. If Chuck Norris had delivered the kick, he would have flown for a new world record.

Congratulations, it is good to see success at Mother Miami!!!

Concur, with @auskier and @6balls, definitely get it checked out.

I almost did not click on this link because of the ankle sprain I had many and again several years ago, and yes, I had the same problem. The first sprain had the tendon sliding out from the ankle bone. It would click out or ride on the ankle bone. Then I really tore the hell out of the ligaments about 6 years later. That resulted in the surgery that should have happened the first time. After a winter surgery and PT, I was skiing that spring, but the surgery would have sidelined me for most of the season. I was on crutches and then in a walking cast for at least 6 weeks. The combination of the surgery and PT had me better than ever. Good luck.

@eleeski, almost, so the kid is still useful with the boat and will soon be running the tractor. He also takes care of the dog's landmines. The groans are intensifying on the latter job, but any whining lowers the pay rate.

@AB, that would be a great feature, self-cleaning so that you could just sit back and watch the crap flush away. Of course, self-cleaning boats would alleviate a key benefit of having teenage kids. Thankfully the grass cannot cut itself, so kids are still useful for something.