blakeyates

On 6/18/2023 at 9:56 AM, lpskier said:

We can build a boat that knows how fast it is going within 1/100 th mph and knows within 2 cm of where it is in the course, but engineers still can’t build a fuel gage for a ski boat that is worth a damn. 

💥 

On 8/16/2023 at 3:24 PM, rwskier said:

Spring Mountain Ski Ranch has a tournament Sept 23 & 24th. You are about 1 1/2 hours from Scottsdale. I will be there all week long and could pull you a set or two. Russell

@rwskier Thanks for the invite. When I mentioned this to my wife, I got a dirty look; since we only have the one day to sight see, it appears that I won't be sightseeing your slalom course. Thanks for your generosity though. 

I'll be in Scottsdale, AZ from Sept 20 - 23rd.  I have a Free Day on Friday with no obligations and would like to ski a set or two if possible.  Any ballers who ski there or that know who I could inquire with?  I'm 67 and ski tournaments in GA.

@ETskier , thanks for your input. I plan to post them on SIA (for a friend). There are also templates for making base plates & extra plates that were made in a machine shop. 

A friend of mine is an "ex-disabled" tournament skier.  He ski'd on the Reflex units only a hand-ful of times.  They were bought back in the 90's from Swiss Ski School.  What are they worth?

@Justinspaff, HO has many choices.  I was going to say the Syndicate or Carbon Omni but based on your demo, it sounds like you're looking for something different than the Omni.  I believe you are on the right track with the Omega Max.

What is the status of this year's Ga State Championship?  It's still not posted at USAWS and I see two officials that are signed up at TN State.

On 3/22/2023 at 8:02 AM, MitchellM said:

I'll be the first to admit that I know very little about boats and I don't want to start a brand war.  I'm truly curious why I can buy a new Malibu TXI for $88K and a new Mastercraft Prostar is $120k.

I'm just a recreational skier learning the course with my family.  I've driven both boats (mostly an old malibu) and skied behind both brands.  I'm just trying to wrap my head around why the Prostar would be over $30k more.  What value am I getting for that price differential?

I actually don't mind spending the money if I am getting value.  I'm looking for a boat with an open bow so these two along with the Nautique 200 are in the mix.

I'm prejudice but I'd go with the Nautique 200; hands down, especially if your in it for the long haul.  Nautiques are all I've ever owned and I've driven and ski'd behind them all.

@Gloersen, that's good stuff.  I'm considering S-P at my sight and we don't have tournaments here.

Consider the Nautique 206. I'm not sure what year that quit making this boat but it may be back around 2004-2008?

Congrats Sean on this Big Victory. I know Mom & Dad are proud but with all the early years of training with Keith at LK38, I bet he & Karen feel very good about where you're at right now. Shout out to them, your Mom & Dad; and of course your will to succeed at this great Sport. Keep it up; we're pulling for you.

@oneski, I will not be there this year but I hope you ski well. It'll be good to catch up with you sometime.

No, you need the Syndicate Omni or you could pay a little less and get the Carbon Omni but not the HO Omni. You could fit it with a Front Animal Boot and a Venom rear and you'll be rocking. If you want a toe plate on the back, HO has two to choose from; one of which is adjustable. I use the RTP on the back.

A very good choice would be the HO Syndicate Omni or Carbon Omni; Carbon version is less expensive. My skiing partner is 67 years old and ski's with a front prosthetic (below the knee) and he got back to running the course after a 15 year lay-off and he loves the Carbon Omni. It's wider, stable, but turns very good. I began my season 2 years ago on it and I liked it to the point that I had a hard time coming off of it to go to my higher end ski.

Just ordered "My 1st ever" BOS T-shirt.

@Horton that is a very good post. thanks.

@75Tique , I love that story.......... and the video. Thanks for sharing.

@Horton, I am in Griffin; probably an hour +. I have a 8 buoy here at my house.

Just stay stacked............. That is LaPoint.

I've had a 2014 in the past with a 5.7 and it worked fine with the boom. The only time we had spray hitting us was on the deep water starts when the boat is at low speed during its time that it takes for the boat to plane off; just turn your head a bit and you're fine. Unless you weigh 210 or more, I would try getting the boat speed down to about 37-38 mph. I weigh 197-200 and I can go as slow as 36 but 37-38 is the sweet spot.

@skierjp, I was thinking the same thing. The majority of skiers make an above average income and they look for ways to get things super cheap. The bad news is when the system doesn't work right, they wonder why? If we're going to use this technology let's do it right. If we can't afford it, then status quo will continue.

@dave2ball , I understand regarding USAWS but they still need to contribute to a solution. The solution(s) involve the LOC, USAWS, the boat mfg'er, the dealer, & the Promo Rep; not necessarily in that order.

As a Promo Rep, I like most of the calculations from @jayski except for the lower Nautique calculation. Forget about how the rep gets the boat or how much he pays for it. Assuming your other calculations are good (and I think they probably are), put the Nautique price/hr in there with the others similarly or same. Pay the mileage, allow the free entry fee for the Promo rep; in many cases the promo rep may be an official, thus you can comp the room (this should be done anyway), and see how this goes. For now, remove the Regionals & Nationals from this scenario.

Note: A flat rate per boat/tournament may be OK if there is >1 boat and boat usage is even to a degree. If I bring a boat, I don't want to be the only boat pulling the event. If I am the only boat, the hourly rate would need to apply. Last, let's see what solutions or incentives that USAWS may come up with.

@Fletchch, I have both a used 2019 For Sale, and a Brand New 2020 For Sale if you're interested. The 2020 is on Ski-it-Again. I'm in GA; PM me if you have questions.

@Clydesdale , the newer 200's don't have ski lockers thus the floor space is much wider. I think that began in 2018 but that may be above your budget?