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I haven't seen a DD boat at the Salt Lake boat show in years. When I've asked, the answer has usually been that they bring the boats that they sell a lot of. While the DD boats move quickly, they don't move a lot - at least not in our market. I did get one response this year that the DD boat had sold just before the show. Other than that, there were some smaller V-drive boats, but nothing slalom specific. This is also a year-round problem in that it is hard to test drive a DD boat since most are custom ordered and the new owners don't want other people to play with their new toy before they do. So, we pay big money for a boat based solely on recommendations, not actual experience.

I figured that I was a little late - okay, a lot late - but I've just lacked the discipline to get myself up and exercising in the morning regularly. I hope that I survive this experience and it motivates me to get back on a regular exercise plan until I can get out to my lake regularly. I also appreciate the advice on wrapping the palms. I'll give that a try. I am usually in colder, fresh water so my hands are typically okay, but I understand that warmer salt water tends to increase skin tears.

I have five days to transform from winter couch potato to water skiing shape for a clinic I'm attending on a vacation. I konw that I won't be at PB level, but what recommendations do you have so that I will at least be able to walk and use my arms after the clinic? I'd rather hurt now than then.

My plan was to have a regular exercise regimen in place through the winter to not put the weight on in the first place, but since I failed miserably at that, I'm now working on being very aware of what and how much I eat, and finding every opportunity that I can to exercise and burn more calories. I'm hoping that will pay off at least by mid-summer. I wish that I had a magic potion that would do the trick, but this has been the only thing that has worked for me.

I'm glad the interviews were helpful, @escmanaze

My lake was frozen over except for the pumps around the docks when I was out there last week. This week has been warm, but we're going to drop again next week. Waiting for the water to thaw before I break out the drysuit. I'm going to ski in Cancun later this month just to get some time on the water.

And, this is coming from a 40-something skier, who considers himself not quite to middle age yet.

I had a couple of interviews with Radar and HO for www.weekendwaterskier.com talking about the skis they recommend for various skiers. Look for episode 5 with Chris Rossi from Radar, episode 6 with Marcus Brown from HO, and the upcoming episode 9 with Chris Sullivan, product manager for Radar. From those interviews, and with the information that you've said, I would say that the Radar Theory or the HO Triumph would probably fit well for you. I ride a Radar Theory at a similar level of proficiency. It's been a great ski for me for a few years.

@ral, sorry for the repeat comment. I got an error on the first two and didn't know they'd posted.

I was reading comments about how the gate impacts novice skiers. However, in a Grassroots tournament, I understand that the gates are optional for novices. Really, the gates only start to count for higher skill levels, and that is when I think the skiers should be more ready to ski them. I don't think that we change the entire course just because of one tournament. I can think of plenty of times when I wished a football field (American) had been either a yard longer or shorter to cause my favorite team to win. However, I wouldn't change the field just for one game. The same seems to apply here.

Weekend Water Skier Podcast talks about Malibu's new TXI and the changes they made for long-line skiers in 2013. Also, a great source for custom mooring lines for your boat. Listen or subscribe in iTunes: http://itun.es/i6Jr3b5 What vanity purchases have you made for your boat?

I'm not as advanced as some, running in the 30 - 32 MPH range; but a couple of years ago, Bob LaPoint told me to take the wing off my ski. He told me that I didn't need the extra deceleration from the wing. It's worked well for me. And here I thought that little piece of extra metal was critical for my advancing.

Weekend Water Skier has a new episode out featuring nautique Boats and FlyBoard. It released on 2 March, and as of today, 4 March, iTunes hasn't grabbed it yet. Get it before the public and learn about how you can feel like a comic book hero or villain on the water. http://www.weekendwaterskier.com/?p=140

Thanks, @MarcusBrown, for the correction. I'll work to get @Drago credit for his efforts.

Thanks, Scot.