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@ScarletArrow was this utopia/Glassy waters?

I have a connelly. I question the durability as it has several dents and cracks. In its defense, we were involved in a tornado on a houseboat trip on norris a couple years back which started some of the damage. I used epoxy resin to fix dents and holes from that adventure, but other cracks have appeared, since. Kids use it so who knows. My friends have surf tec and they seem far more durable.

I use "girl math" to justify cost. Because I by previous years models of skis, I show her a listed retail and was is actually paid. "Honey I SAVED $800!!"

You are getting great advice from everyone and sometimes it takes a little trial and error. I We use the boom first. If the kids are really young we just drag them without trying to ski. They will often drag with one of my little kids. This gets them used to being out in the lake, the noise of the engine, water in their face, etc. Once comfortable, then we use the skis on the boom. They have the trainer bar attached in most situations. Sometimes with a swimming dragging adult depending on the kid. Once up, I will vary speed to get them used to the instability of the slow speeds they will experience coming out of the water behind the boat. A couple runs to gain confidence and we put them behind the boat. Like @TNh2oskier skier suggested a high tow point such as a tower or fly high can help. I also use a Boys1/Girls1 rope at 28 or 32 off. This provides less sag in the rope for these little kids. As they gain confidence we move them back and take the bar away. We will also go back to the boom when we first pull the bar for confidence. We also recommend keeping parents/siblings out of the boat. If they must be there, put them were the kid can't see them and the parents/siblings are not to speak. We also use the moving human ballast technique, especially when teaching little barefooters. For a 4 year old, the ski skimmer is a great confidence builder. There are lots of approaches but above all else keep it fun!!!!

I have found that for kids (especially the very young) that may be nervous about being in the water, letting them drag slow on the boom is a good way to get them used to moving across the water and floating in the lake waiting for the boat to pick them up. This takes fear out of the equation when learning to ski. There are tons of schools of though when teaching skiing but the boom is an incredible tool. I have also found that having a friend teach the first time limits tears in the young kids. They tend to listen better to teachers, coaches, friends, etc than their owner parents.

I have had good luck so far with Lakeside. http://www.lakesidelift.com/

If you are looking for an alternative to malibu. I have a '03 Nautique 206. There are newer models of 206s out there up to 2009. We slalom (beginners to -35 off), barefoot, kneeboard and wakeboard. I had a "plug and play" custom sac plumbed for the area of the backseat for board sports. I also plumbed a semi-permanent one under the floor up front. I use a extended pylon with skylon wakeboard rack when wakeboarding and have an adjustable boom clamp for barefooting and "learn to ski" clinics. I also like that I can make the wake small for kids wakeboarding. They can work on being aggressive to the wake and work on fundamentals. So, it's not perfect for any of the disciplines but very good for everything. Good surfing would be a challenge but if you are looking for a good surf boat, you will sacrifice skiing and footing. Frankly, there are enough people getting sucked into surfing, you will probably find plenty of friends to drag you surfing. As for room, there is a walk thru open bow and getting a jump seat is a nice addition for extra seating that can be removed. We went with this model because of the versatility in a 20 ft nautique (brand loyalty here) for our growing family. I would assume similar modifications could be made to a MC 209

Cure for winter boredom

@Mitzysman Price for the neighborhood is appropriate. Top notch school district (not just because my better half is a speech/path for it) and very unique neighborhood culture. Total throwback. People will move into an old house just to be a part of it. @mmosley The cold is the fun part. Fall and spring the tubers disappear and winter is pond hockey time.

Here is a lakefront house on my lake for sale. It is a private access lake with a slalom course. We have a loosely organized ski club. We do battle some surfers and tubers, but no jet skis allowed. Great school district. http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Aurora-OH/35141928_zpid/16847_rid/41.334565,-81.381853,41.327822,-81.395801_rect/16_zm/1_fr/ Would love a Baller to move in

Why buy one, when you can have two at twice the price?

The perfect level of ridiculous. Order it up!!

dealerinquiry@aurorachemical.com is the contact email. I will also send him the link to this page.

One of the guys I ski with is a chemist and developed a boat bottom cleaner. We ski on a VERY murky lake which makes keeping the boats clean a challenge. Here is the site if you are looking to try something new. http://www.aurorachemical.com/buy-hc-1.html

My '03 Nautique 206 does it all. I do not have a tower but have a wakeboard rack for my extended pylon. It slaloms well in the course (soft wake but a little bigger than 196) or open water, and with a little weight has a solid wake for wakeboarding. This last year, I plumbed two reversible pumps. One to fill a belly sac under the floor and a much larger one that was custom made for the rear step/backseat. This creates a "juicy" wake for the higher end wakeboarders. It holds two families pretty easy, but I do need to get a jump seat. It also barefoots well.

Using a loose fitting neoprene heater (Mine are from World Barefoot Center) shirt under a custom shaped comp vest like @GOODEskier suggested may provide the comfort and enough buoyancy. If the structure of your ribs makes you more prone to injury, it's also an extra layer of protection. Although, if you are down south, it could get pretty warm.

My Tuesday mourning setup Thanks Andy

When I was around 13 years old (late 80s), I had a celebrity sighting (at least a celebrity in our world). I saw Andy at the Henry Ford museum in Michigan. I think he was surprised to be recognized outside of the backdrop of waterskiing. Nothing but gracious and good to my brother and I. Skied in a few other clinics with him since, but that meeting sticks out in my head. Gonna ride the old Sixam tomorrow.

I have stradas. Tight on the bottom and loose on the top. No issues with releasing OTF.

I'm 210 pounds on a 68" strada and ran 15 off at 24.9 mph last summer. This was to illustrate to my wife (118 pounds) that she can go that slow or slower when working on the course.

We still have a plywood disc. Great toy for our 5 family vacation to Lake Norris. I won't pull a tube behind my boat so the kids (big and small) love it.

We do around 150 a year. Our slalom guys rotate boats, but we also use our boat for other events such as barefooting, wake/kneeboarding, booze cruise, etc (BUT NO TUBING). Plus we add hours putting out of our cove to get to the course.

There is one in a cove at near big creek and one by twin cove marina, but it will take a tank of gas to get there and they are poorly maintained

We are taking our yearly vacation to Norris Lake in TN. We have five families with some youngsters who have developed interest in the course. Any chance anyone will be down there that week with a portable course. I can help with set up, removal, buoys, cash, liquor, etc. Our rental will be around Sharps Chapel. Thanks

My list is short MN, OH, PA, IN, MI, MN, TN, FL, AZ, NV however AZ and NV were covered in one free ski set on the Colorado River Between Hoover Dam and Lake Mohave. No course, but the scenery was unreal.