markn

Gladly make a contribution to Jody and family for the course.

Be safe and hope all turns out alright.

No affiliation. Was checking out "Correctcraftfan" boats for sale and saw a 1991 Nautique converted to excaliber 343 hp and Zero-off in South Carolina. Ad claims the engine has 175 hours. Price listed is $15K obo. That older hull is still not bad for slalom, a bit of a trough at 35 off and shorter. Could be a cheap way into a ZO boat. Anyway, just thought I would pass this on to fellow ballers.

At one time we had an accu-sink located almost a mile from our house. We simply hid the fill line below the water line around a tree. We rigged up our scuba tanks for compressed air and it worked great. Good luck.

Make a trip to the ER for x-rays of another 2 or 3 broken ribs.

2004 196 recently converted to single puck....soon to have REV S.

Was given an Elite by the GOAT himself. I loved that ski. It was fast and was amazing in rough water. I remember even if you were in big trouble, if you got the ski between you and the boat, you could recover and get to the next buoy. Sorry to hear many had a hard time on it.

Have always been tough on gloves. The forefinger on my left had will wear a hole in the glove within 2 sets. Have tried several gloves and found the Tail 41's to be the go to glove but still put a hole in them. As everyone has said, the green ones just do not last. 2 pair of Connelly Claw 3.0 just arrived and these look and fit great. They even have pads on the fore and pinky finger. These are the best, most durable gloves I have ever used. I bought 2 more pair because they are on sale at Oveton's.

Have been wearing soft contacts ever since I started skiing and have been in Florida for 20 years. With respect to being prone to infections, you may just want to carry sterile saline solution and rinse your eyes after skiing. My corrected vision is -11.0, so my eyes are REALLY bad. Agree there are occasions when spray gets in your eye(s) and I find myself looking for an orange blob, but I prefer the non-google approach. Good luck.

Ed, Skip Dunlap did the complete install and flash. He is in the process of getting Rev S and will flash next time he is in the Clermont area. As you know, Skip has been in the business a LONG time. Entire process, including new single puck install, harness and flash was less than 45 minutes. Have fun at the Nautique party. Not able to make it.

The complete installation, parts and reflash was $600. Assumed some travel time and labor....seemed more than fair to me.

Disland, thanks for the clarification on availability of Version S for the 196. Plan on getting the head reflashed with the updated S version now that I know it is available.

Never really gave much thought to the 2016 conversion of ZO to one puck vs. two. My old 196 has the Rev R dual puck system and I regularly ski at Swiss behind a 2017 single puck version R. Always thought the 2017 felt "firmer" but assumed it was due to the 6.2 liter engine vs. my 5.7 liter. However, now that the new Rev S is out and only available on single puck systems, figured perhaps the pull feel may be something more than just 6.2 liter vs. 5.7 liter engines. Had the ZO head flashed and the new single puck installed. (if anyone wants/ needs a 1 year old puck from the 2 puck system..$50.00 including shipping). Took the boat out on my course with my driver to minimize variables. I have run A2+ most of the summer, but then settled back to C2. (have tried B2 several times and just hated it, but was told with the single puck, drop a letter from the dual puck.) Here are my observations: 1. Put unit in practice mode to see number of satellites acquired. Old dual puck: 7-9 Single puck: 20 + Assume this may be part of the reason for difference in feel. 2. Ran C2: 32, 32 Then dropped to B2: 32, 32 3. Ran C2: 35, 35 Then dropped to B2: 35,35 4. Ran C2: 38 Then dropped to B2 : 38 Based on all the above, the single puck pull does feel different from my old dual puck system on my boat. ( Did not try + because I was told there is no revision "S" for my old 196.) If I were to describe the pull difference it would be everything is more "compressed" that is to say all responses to skier input occur in a shorter period of time. The C setting is more aggressive than B as expected, but to me the differences between B and C are far less dramatic in the single puck system than the dual puck system. The single puck B2 felt more like the old 2 puck C2, but again, the single puck C2 was not dramatically harsh or intense. On C2 single puck, I did not feel as free from the boat as with C2 dual puck, but one could easily get used to it. Realize no matter what is done an older 196 is not going to feel exactly like a 200, but I will say going single puck gets it closer. Think I may settle in on B2, but will ski a few more sets behind my boat, then head over to Swiss for another comparison.

Have to give a recommendation for Swiss Ski School. Plenty of on-site homes for rent, most with pools, golf course, world class ski lakes and excellent coaching. They use Nautiques exclusively and coach all levels from beginner to short line. All this and still close to attractions. Enjoy your ski vacation where ever you decide to ski!

If the course is an Accu-Float, you do not need to replace the entire cable. Buoy to buoy is an individual cable. Simply lower the tension on the course, remove the faulty section and replace with a new one. The entire process takes less than 20 minutes if you do it on a calm day. Good luck.

As 38 becomes more of a "common pass" for you, it will become less "intense". You now run 35 without even thinking about it because you can run it no matter what. The more you run 38, it too will become "easier" because your confidence level will rise. Oh, and lifting weights also helps....

Thanks Wish!!

Congrats to Jeff on his second Big Dawg title. Anyone know if he was riding the Mapple t3 or on a different ski? Thanks.

My wife, now my primary training partner, has become one confident driver. Love it when we get to the end of the course on a pass I missed and I ask, "was that me or you?". She will certainly own up to being off at a buoy, but 99% of the time her response is, "was not me, I was dead on!" Guess I should quit asking and just realize if I miss a pass....it is due to poor skiing...not poor driving! She will ski with me at 6:30 A.M.....as long as I make a her a "sippy cup" of coffee. She can drive 38 or 39 and what she does at the drop zone is perfect as well and knows how to change ZO settings! No wonder I say "gear" then "love you"..........

As you have found, 34 mph feels very different from 36 mph when you free ski or get into the course. As you are 44, yes, your max speed is 34 mph. To get into ski shape, free skiing at 28 off @ 36 mph is great. When it comes time to begin "training" or preparing for tournament situations, stick with 34 mph or what ever speed you are comfortable with in the course. If you "have to slow way down" for the course, suggest you train at a speed where you make 3 consecutive passes in the course; either speeding up, or shortening the rope if at your max speed. I remember skiing 35 off at 36 mph free skiing and then I went to ski school....took me 3 days of trying to run 15 off at 30 mph one time!!

THAT is sound wisdom from Yoda himself!!

For years, to protect my hands, I would use Kevlar under wear AND palm protectors. About 3 years ago, switched to just Tail 41 gloves only. Better grip on the handle and my hands actually seem better.

The only comparison I can make is between my 2004 196 with Rev. R and three different 2017 Nautique 200's with 6.2 liter power plants which are all single puck versions, each at different sites. There can be several other variables such as driver, ski site, age/accuracy of ski ropes, lake depth, accuracy of course (surveyed vs. floating) all of which come into play. I run A2+ on my 196 to duplicate the feel of the 200's on A2. If anything, some 200's feel just slightly firmer, but I run the same buoy counts (typically 2 or 3 @39 34 mph) behind my 196 and the 200's. The difference in firmness is more than likely the difference in drivers. MWN

Jim, Yes, during the season, I still lift 3x per week to maintain strength. As far as testosterone supplement, my wife is also a doctor and would NEVER let me do that. In that I live in central Florida, I try to ski at least once per week during the cold months and run instead. I was a vegetarian for years and realized as I got older needed more protein and less carbs. My weight has not fluctuated more than about 2-3 lbs. in the last 25 years Really feel lucky to have good health. Again, because of my dad, I have exercised my whole life, weights, ran marathons, raced bicycles, triathlons, but skiing is the BEST. Hope I can do it until..... MWN #entrancegatesmatter

Ok, confession time. I am 62 years old, 6'2" and weigh 185 lbs. Damn lucky that I feel no different than when I was 40. Have worked out my whole life (trying to emulate my dad). I believe the key is to maintain muscle mass which maintains testosterone which maintains muscle mass..... As far as diet, have not eaten red meat in over 40 years..only fish and some poultry on rare occasions. Typical daily meals: breakfast is banana and 30 gram protein bar. Lunch is fruit and yogurt or cottage cheese or maybe sardines. Dinner is veggies and some type of fish. As we age, fewer carbs and more protein is required to maintain the muscle mass. In the off season, lifting free weights to gain strength and then in the season, lift to maintain that strength. (lift 3 days per week). I will ski 5 or 6 days a week running 10-14 passes into 39 @ 34 mph with a barefoot session or two for fun. Like you, my style is, shall we say, not smooth. After 5 or 6 days, it is time for a day off. I do have testosterone levels checked annually....simple spit test. A few IPA's, stouts or a couple glasses of good cabernet also helps!! Best wishes and hope you find your "formula" for less fatigue. MWN #entrancegatesmatter