NateSmith43

Unfortunate but it happens. Chad was the very first person to call me and to apologize with his driving and how disgusted he felt about the whole thing. As I'm sure any other Open skier would agree, this does not change any thought or trust I have with Chad's driving. The last 7 world records have been pulled by him as well as approved. It was a long day, it was dark, and he had pulled a ton of skiers. It happens. On to the next tournament!

Can't give you an exact number but somewhere I have kept track of all the drivers I have run 41 behind. The number is somewhere around 30 or 35 different drivers....

@Deanoski I have always and still use A2 behind every boat and every engine set up everywhere I go in the world. I did play around with letters with the new boat but didn't notice a change.

Thanks guys. @Drago that would make set number 3 behind the ZO setup. Just picked that boat up off the line at Nautique mid week before the tournament.

Not here to argue or fight. Just help the understanding of what is going on. There was never a goal to change the pull of ZO from my understanding. But with a hardware change that is something no body can control is creating an unwanted change by everyone. There are several people and skiers/promo boats of ALL brands that have been testing this over the summer and giving feedback. All boats with a ZO system are capable of being current. New puck and update. Not sure about the $800 though. Seems high. We will see. BUT with all that being said. The end goal is to have the same pull as it has been for the last several years. So change may not be an issue for the ones not wanting to upgrade to the new puck. I don't like change much either and was a bit scared in the beginning but I have had pretty good success behind the new system in the last few tournaments so it's hard to argue it being worse. In regards to "a bump we will get over" this is all being a bit over blown I think. By reading all this it makes it sound like the manufactures are trying to take advantage of skiers and stick them for every penny but that is not the case. Change forced upon us with short notice. I give credit to the ones working night and day to try and make it the same. It's not easy. I've seen the inner workings and all I can say is wow. More to it than most think.

@Dirt this was my third set behind this boat and set up.

@bishop8950 thanks for clearing that up. One thing that I left out. This new puck is compatible with all current ZO systems. You do not need to purchase a new boat to start using this as it is rolled out in the next year. New motors are a different story. But again that is not a change everyone wanted to make but when you have no more supply of old engines rolling in you have to start using the latest technology which are the Gen 5 direct injection motors. Thanks @GregDavis . 25 this month

@rockdog Definitely agree with you about prices and change equalling a price increase. Unfortunately making those kind of decisions are above my pay grade....... As far as the annoyance of making adjustments i can understand that as well. It is different for me as well but I have gotten some more time with the new system over the last week and it has been feeling better and better every day. I know there are a handful of guys trying to improve it every day. As I have been in on some of these conversations I can definitely say it is not as easy as it sounds to make the boat do what you want it to do.

This is a first for me commenting on something but what the heck. I ski with most of you guys anyways. Most people (including myself) typically are scared of change. Something that all of us have gotten so accustomed over the last 8 years is suddenly changing. But that is how the world works. To improve you can't be afraid of change. What most don't know is the reasoning behind the change. This is a change all across the board. Not just for one or two boat companies. What we all have been used to over the last several years is no longer available anymore. There are many great reasons behind the switch. More reliable, less failures, more accurate, and made in house and not purchased from Garmin. Those are all huge positives. What the tough part now is trying to get the same feeling behind the boat that we have been used to. This is all can be done with software changes and not hardware. So I applaud the companies that have chosen to start production with this new ECI single puck on their boat (You may know now why some chose not to make the switch this year.) Now when you purchase a boat you have the latest hardware that can be updated to the most recent changes all with a simple file update to the ZO instead of having the old pucks on your new boat knowing that you have hardware of the past that is no longer in existence. Here are my first experiences with the new engines and the new single ECI puck. Masters 2015 - scores in to 41 off at Robin lake which is a very tough place to ski. US Open 2015 - Highest prelim cut in the history of the sport. Needed 4@41 to be safe. Okeeheelee Oct. 31st - I ran just inside 1 ball @43Off behind the 6.2 and behind the 5.3 i started at 39 off and came back and got 5@41. I feel pretty content with the way that I have skied with it in the 3 tournaments I have gotten the chance to ski. Is it different? Yes. It is. We got used to Perfect Pass from the hand driving days. We got used to Zero Off from the Perfect Pass days. Somehow I think this is that same bump in the road that we will all get over. The good news is that any changes made to this day forward are a simple software fix and is easily uploaded to your boat. In my honest opinion I do not believe that the engines are to blame in any way. It's just the latest technology with very similar HP ratings as last years motors. The boats are still turning the same RPM's with the same exact props. The single puck is a big jump and change for sure. I would be lying if I said I can not feel a difference. For those of you who think I am just speaking on behalf of Nautique then you don't know me well enough to know that I will speak the honest truth about how something feels. Good or bad. As for the complaining @jrs , Are skiers EVER completely satisfied and happy?? I know I certainly have nothing to complain about being a part of the largest and most winning ski team in the industry. Hope some of this info helps clear up a little bit of this. Things will get better. Remember one of the main guys who was behind all this is no longer with us anymore. It is a huge step to take and huge shoes to fill to take that spot and continue on what was started with this whole puck change. There are a lot of people working together to figure things out. I wouldn't be too scared of the change you guys...... Nate Smith