GroovyGrant

If you're using a floating course, those smaller buoys might provide a more even level of floatation when paired with turn buoys that are a third filled with water. The big spongex are a little too much flotation and take some adjustment.

My 01 Sunsetter LXI. (Photo courtesy of @Sethro) (Also, secretly hoping @kpickett doesn't find that 197 he's looking for until I can afford to add his 190 to my armada...)

I never met Andy, and maybe never would have. Still, this news saddened my family, deeply. One of my proudest moments as a parent was about a year ago when I found out that my son and daughter's favorite "movie" is "Skiing with Andy Mapple". I didn't know they had even seen that video, but I find out they watch it all the time. The photo is of them skiing this summer on their O'Brien skis that would have been from Andy's O'Brien days.

What @MISkier said. Especially the EZ Slalom part. Very well built course, EZ to maintain, and can put the whole thing in or take it out in an hour once you learn how. If you can find anyone in your parts that is launching a course for the season offer to help them put it in and you'll learn everything you need to know.

Anybody else have experience with noodles for buoys? On a floating course? Might be the ticket on public water. Guessing you would need a sub-buoy to keep the course floating.

A couple of ideas for water filling: 1. When doing a whole course worth, use a weed sprayer with an electric demand pump--like one you set on back of an ATV with battery terminal clips. Make your needle assembly by putting a basketball needle into an air nozzle (like you would use with an air compressor to blow dust around your shop). Get a male thread brass barb fitting and hose clamp into the sprayer line. Screw a female air chuck onto that to hook your nozzle/needle to. You can half-fill each ball in seconds with this. Keep a second air nozzle with just a rubber tip (no needle) on it for filling the boat guides with air or water if you use the ling ones that have a bigger port/no needle orifice. These go really fast like that. 2. For maintenance and replacements, boatside, get a 1 or 2 gallon pump sprayer-- the kind with a hose and wand. Cut the wand off the hose and clamp in the barb/chuck/nozzle fitting per above. Dip your sprayer in the lake to get your water, pump it up, and fill a ball in little more time than with the electric pump. Then, to finish filling with air, just turn your sprayer upside down so the internal dip tube is out of the water and all you get is air. You can also use without water for fast air filling, if that's all you need. That way, us public-water skiers can just keep a box of flat balls in the boat so the ski locker isn't jammed with enough inflated balls to get us through a weekend of wallies. Can't post a picture of my setup today, as it's in the trunk of the 'Bu in the slip but I'll try to remember to do it this weekend.

@I5boi‌ I should have put that in. It's twcues@gci.net

I emailed TW over the weekend and got a reply on Monday. $60 for the latest version. Might want to strike while the iron is hot on reaching him.

That seems like exactly what I need to keep an eye on my boat in a marina slip. Wonder if it will work via the marina's public wifi?

@Camiflo if you're still looking for bindings, check into a set of Radar Vectors. They are available in small sizes. They are absolutely the most comfortable binding on the planet and will release better than the Stradas. They are not a closed toe hybrid like the Strada and the foot feel/control isn't quite as firm as Strada, but it's plenty good for skiers at our level. I just switched back to Vectors from Strada for increased safety as I'm trying to learn the course and prone to some big crashes.

Congrats! All the Ballers know you cried a little when you held her the first time but we won't tell!

Check out Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO on GoogleEarth. They have an awesome drag boat lake that might be good for a pro level (or any level, for that matter) ski tournament in the midwest. The site is a little remote but has awesome facilities. It's about 2 hours from Kansas City or 1 hour from Springfield, MO. I have no real idea where/who to start with on suggesting this idea to someone so I thought I'd throw it out to the Ballers for input. I do have some connections in dirt racing (the main use of this facility) in this area that could get me to the right people with Lucas, but wouldn't know where to start on the waterski side to determine if a tournament would ever fly at this location. Ideas and thoughts appreciated.

@Intheday‌ it may be just me, but when I see a post that says Warman I pay more attention than if it says women. That place is freakin awesome!

My father in law is looking at buying one of these. Anybody know how it skis? It's a v-drive so I'm concerned about the wake. It will only be used for recreational skiing. Mostly free ski, some in the course.

+1 on diluted Eagle 1 sprayed on the wet boat. Did it all of last year after reading about it here. May never need a full scrub/wax again. I do put some vinegar in my mixture to get off the hard water that seems to dry on the transom and around the letters while I'm out. The mix leaves just enough wax for a fresh wax look and feel but not enough to get streaky or need buffing. I keep mixture in a garden sprayer at the dock--takes about 10 seconds to completely rinse the boat and then a few minutes to wipe down.

Looking for a recommendation on a mini tower for my Sunsetter LXi for having a permanent mounting for a bimini top. Am interested in the lowest possible profile since it will probably never see a wakeboard rope. Anybody know of a good one that doesn't look so huge like a regular tower--or any other "fixed" mounting system for a bimini top that allows you to fold up the bimini but not have it laying across the windshield/bow opening when not in use?

If you can find a Malibu Sunsetter LXi, I'd give it a serious look. You mention you have a family and this is a great family boat with an awesome wake. It's almost 22' long and 6 or 8 inches wider than the Response so it has tons of room inside but has an awesome wake. The wake is way better than a MC 190 and if you run the boat low on fuel (1/4 tank or less) the wake gets downright awesome.

I'm so close to an OTF at any given second that I don't need the added benefit of white caps coming over the tip of the ski to ensure a spectacular crash!

Does anyone have an FAE setup they want to sell? For an 01 SS LXI? I'm intrigued by them and considering trying one. Would definitely try it if I came across a deal on a used one.

In response to some of the comments above I changed my bookmark to start at the home page. I guess I just didn't realize how often new content was being added there. Knowing that now, I'll check it out much more often.

@Horton‌ --off-topic, but I dig the links in your signature line--and I'm sure the sponsors do too. Good idea. And, yes, I agree that skiing conditions should be modified to be completely laboratory-like so I can just read a book about how to run a perfect pass and then use my intellect to go do it with no need for talent or experience.

@PurdueSkier‌ I'd love to see some more pix, too! I so need to build one of those. Also, if you can post a pic or two of the boat I'd love to see those. I like seeing older boats that are immaculate and I'm betting that one is. It helps keeps the temptation down for dumb ideas like needing a new boat and reminds me it's worth it to keep being anal about taking care of my '01.

@Waternut‌, I promise you I can't justify a $120 rope at MY skiing level, but I bought one anyway (actually Christmas gift from my wife) and I think it's worth every penny. For one, due to my poor skiing and all the slack hits I take, I think the much heavier and better built Masterline will last me multiples longer than some of the less expensive ropes; secondly, and again probably due to my errors, I was concerned about the braiding in one of the sections of my knotless mainline and I asked Masterline if I needed to worry about it--they said no, because we're going to mail you a new section, no questions asked! Masterline truly is knotless and is the way to go if you ask me. It is the easiest rope to keep untangled I've ever had and built like a tank.

Hookers!??? Where'r the hookers? Decaff, for sure! Horton's undying denial of anything funny in that interview was one of the funniest things about it. Now, he's been outed and this kid's dream has been ruined. Feel like I just found out Santa Clause isn't real. (Might want to be careful about letting your six year old see that part, too.)

You might test to see if the oxidation isn't just water build up. Last spring I was cleaning some spots on my boat with CLR (the household lime remover; was recommended on Malibu Crew) to remove water deposits and noticed it was making the non-deposit areas look great, too. Ended up cleaning the whole hull with CLR. Made the 12 year old boat look brand new! So, I deduce that the whole boat had a film of hard water build up on it (that could be mistaken for oxidation if there is enough of it). I couldn't believe how much better it looked--and I had always wiped down every use, etc. Now, I do like Wish and do a spray and wipe each time with some wax except I cut mine with distilled water and vinegar just to help cut any hard water that dried before I got back to the dock. This method maintains a fresh-waxed look, feel, and water-beading. It doesn't really take any longer than just a dry wipe down if you keep your wax mixture at the ready in a one gallon garden sprayer. Using this method, I doubt I'll have to do the full clean down with CLR more than once every several years. As for the vinyl, I really like the 303 brand products. They're made for marine vinyl. They have a cleaner product and a protectant. I use those and the vinyl keeps that supple feel without the greasiness. About once a year for the cleaner and 2-3 times per year with the protectant. I bet Wish is right about that sunpad, but you might try the 303 on it before you peel it off. I've had that black rubber oxidation smearing from the windshield gaskets and the 303 seemed to stop that. Good luck with all!