markn

As a whole, I think the wake board/wake surf crowd have to be the most inconsiderate boaters on the water. Huge wakes, excessively loud, vulgar music and complete disregard for property owners or other boaters.

"top 1% on a waterski or barefooting"? I might buy it if he prefaced it with "in his age group or on his lake", but look at all the AWSA skiers who get into short line and more than likely barefoot and probably numerous more who are not members of AWSA. Heck, I am almost 66, still barefoot long line and get into 39 off at 34 mph on a good day , but NO WAY would I claim to be in the top 1%. There are tons of better skiers and footers. Still looking for that "good stock mutual fund" that he claims generates 10% per year too!!

Drew Ross, Kris/Jennifer Lapoint or Dailland Thibaut.

That was an incredible episode. Becky is truly a Master of her craft and never stops working to improve. It is true, she makes the 3-4 hour drive from West Palm to Swiss just to practice driving with different skiers. Amazing driver and a very classy lady.

First, welcome to the direct drive world of boats. You made an excellent choice. 1. I am a Nautique guy, but it sounds like the pump is emptying the bilge or the ballast tanks. 2. The torque you are feeling is the boat set up for improved tracking in the ski course..it is intentional. 3. Not certain on that one. 4. Your boat is equipped with Zero Off speed control. In "practice mode" you can adjust speed in .1 mph increments. In "tournament mode" the speeds are preset at tournament speed settings 30, 32, 34, 36 (slower speeds also)

Combi skis are meant to be stable....and go in a straight line. In addition, your Senate design is light years ahead of any combi ski used for slalom. An inexperienced skier might be ok on the combi initially for slalom having never used a high end ski, but we have older high-end slalom skis for our family and friends. Love the fact my nephew LOVES the Mapple T-1 he uses when he visits. Still a darn good ski! No way will you be able to enjoy a combi ski after a Senate. Get on your Senate and just go easy. Best wishes for a rapid recovery.

Learning an entirely new skill set and progressing from "novice" to "well accomplished" in any endeavor is very rewarding. Have been down several rabbit holes (and still in many) over the years. An equally long journey was HPDE. Had a Porsche and a guy suggested I go to the track. OMG was I lost....not a clue. Best advice for advancing in a new endeavor is to join a good club of that activity and search out friendly people experienced with it. I was a total wally in the green group and took a while to gain confidence and further develop a deep interest. (thanks to all the patient instructors who helped me along the way) Almost bailed, but with Chin Track Days and Porsche Club of America, worked my way up to instructor for both clubs. Found one of the most rewarding aspects of becoming more accomplished is helping the newbies gain confidence and improve their skills....just like skiing. After I obtained a full blown dedicated track car, I think the sport is more expensive than skiing! Whatever your new endeavor, hope you have a fun and rewarding journey...and thanks for BOS..you are the master!

While doing some free skiing at age 35, a fraternity brother asked if I ever "shortened the rope"? (We were skiing behind our new Four Winns 180 Horizon I/O that I thought was the coolest thing on the water) Why would you do that?? He told me about "ESPN Hot Summer Nights" and it changed the trajectory of my life. After watching one ESPN episode, my wife and I bought a course and a Ski Nautique. Went to my first tournament, the Indiana State and took second place in novice. They asked for my handle at the dock....deer in the head-lights..no idea I was to bring my handle. Also got a re-ride...no idea what that was but figured I got to ski again..so cool. Became obsessed with the sport despite not having a clue what I was doing...grip it and rip it. Set a goal I wanted to ski at Nationals. Did everything I could to ski as much as I could...just loved it. We even moved to Florida as skiing became our obsession. Still the best sport on the planet.

E6000 adhesive.

Just FYI, the Nautique from 2004-2009 was not the 200, but the 196. 200 came out in 2010. 206 and 210 models were available .

Best wishes for a complete and rapid recovery.

Congrats on checking off a bucket list item...great wife!! Ski schools recognize each skier is of a different skill set and physical conditioning, so relax and let the coach lead the way. Assume you will be taking your own gear: gloves, ski, handle. If not, the school will have gear for you. Focus on what the coach is teaching rather than trying to run 8 or more passes per set...quality over quantity. Have your wife video the session so you can reference the instruction later at practice. As far as tipping, 20% of total would certainly be generous. It is certainly appreciated but not mandatory. How much you want to tip certainly is dependent upon the experience you had....kind of like in a restaurant. Have a blast and good luck.

If accufloat is still available, that is the course I would suggest. The course cable is in sections...buoy to buoy. If one section is damaged, only need to replace that one section rather than the entire main line. We did have an accu- sink course for several years on a public course. Tied the fill line to a cypress tree and used scuba tanks to fill it. Worked great for several years with very little maintenance. Hope it all works out for you.

Agreed it can be a hassle with course maintenance. Have had our courses for 20 years on my lake. Have found using 50 lb. Zip ties to hold buoy to the line works exceedingly well in preventing course damage. The buoy tears away with no PVC damage...more buoys, but that saves course repairs. Yes, bubba on a jet ski or some idiot wake board boat runs over the course, but keeping the buoy lines 6 feet long helps as well.

I went through the permitting process for a course in both Indiana and Florida. The process for Florida was actually more difficult and time consuming. Despite the time and effort involved, with respect to a course, think is is better to "ask for permission" and obtain a permit that complies with your local laws than to "apologize" after just putting one in. Just FYI, if it is an Army Corps lake, they own the lake bed and are not fond of 22 anchors on their property (at least in Indiana) hence we had to use an accu-float with only 2 anchors. Good luck.

Had the same issue with my 2004. Thankfully able to have a new PCM 80 installed by Skip Dunlap. Seem to recall Jody S. indicating there is a 6 week wait for a replacement tranny. Replacement parts for the series 40 trannies are next to impossible to find. If you repair with used parts, it may not last. More expensive but certainly more reliable is to replace with the series 80. Good luck.

These policies sound as fluid as those of the CDC, WHO and Fauci! Ready, fire, aim!!!!

Still a member until midnight so I can still post and still with @The_MS as I was at the beginning of this thread way back in April. They have had plenty of time to correct the situation.....crickets. To USAWS I say, thanks for the memories and bye-bye......

@lpskier I worked my ass off over several years and was coached by drivers who have pulled records to get my senior drivers rating. I gave it up a while ago, but simply wanting to "get in the seat" does not replace the skill set acquired over several years. You seem to think those who have contributed to the sport over numerous years can be easily replaced. A 3-event driver such as Jody Seal has a skill set very few drivers can match. They are a talented, select and sought after group. If you have not driven R tournaments or pulled a pro into 41, I suggest you don't dismiss those who have so easily.

Been in Florida 22 years. The sun can rapidly fade gel-coat. I am a fan of waterline covers rather than touchless "drop down". A neighbor down the street had a drop down...big storm (not even a hurricane) took it out and a few others around the lake have also been damaged by strong winds. Granted, our lake is 2500 acers so we can get some heavy winds. Save some money and potential damage and just buy a waterline cover.

Have to agree. Been using Syndicate equipment for about 3 years (Skis and ropes) and the customer service is second to none. Outstanding products, service and support. Thanks to all at H.O. Syndicate.

@dave2ball you and me both!! New series 80 tranny in old 196 and running great. Gotta love central Florida. Above average daily highs expected to continue.

@Jack_Haase The only other option I can offer is over in Ft. Lauderdale. Before Eden, when I visited my parents on Marco, I would go to Butterfly lake AKA Mcginnis Ski School. A bit of a drive, but a good ski site.

Best option is Eden Ski lake. Website is still up and phone number is 239-223-5333. Not certain if they are still open, but phone is taking messages.

Just saw a 2001 with 700 hours for $20K on SIA. Think the insurance payoff is too low. Conversely, for the cost of ZO conversion, where can you get a great slalom ZO tug with 0 hours on a new engine for less than $20K? I had a new engine installed in my 2004 196 in 2016. The engine now has 650 hours on it and runs great. Just this month I spent $4500 for a new series 80 tranny installed (along with a bunch of other maintenance items.) I think it is totally with it. The bubble butt or the TSC2 196 boats are fantastic slalom boats. And your bubble butt is a better barefoot boat too! Even if you get $15-18K for the Nautique, if you can find a newer boat, you will spend at least another $30-50K for a newer boat....to go 34 or 36 mph with ZO. I do not think you gain $30-50K worth of additional performance with the newer boats. Best wishes for a positive outcome. Sorry your boat was stolen in the first place.