MISkier

I'm not a good judge on the market. A few Response closed bow of similar vintage are on Ski-It-Again in the mid-to-upper 20s. Given its excellent condition and assuming it is mechanically sound (drives/skis well), maybe something in the 20K to 25K range would be appropriate. Check to see if the PerfectPass is StarGazer (and maybe even Z-box). I didn't see a GPS puck in the pictures, though.

The letter in the Date of Manufacture is the month (B= February) and the number is the last number of the year. The model year in the example would be 2006.

I have a 2009. Drives great and skis very well - I have video of 34/-22 through 34/-32 if you want to see the wake. But, my boat does not have the bow rails and it has Zero Off (the boat in the pictures has PerfectPass). I am questioning the year of your boat as well, due to those differences. Plus, I had thought it would have the catalytic converters as well and the picture does not look like they are present. Check the hull identification number. It will tell the month and year it was made.

Your score at Regionals has no adverse impact on your Nationals qualifications as long as you attend Regionals and achieve skiing position. The QFY-RPR indicator shows you are qualified for Nationals pending that Regional participation. The OK qualifier shows how you qualified. I think your qualification occurred because your high score at some point exceeded the level 8 cutoff average for your division, although the current level 8 cutoff average for your division is higher than your scores. The 86 you received tonight (I was also there and saw it from shore) was great skiing.

@scoke, I could be wrong, but he seems to be in the 5' 10' to 5' 11" neighborhood, from my recollection standing next to him on the dock.

@Wish, And, he trains in Michigan's abbreviated season.

If I recall correctly, this should tie the Midwest Tournament Record for M3, which predates ZO and Sure-Path. Awesome skiing! Edited: One thing I forgot: his opener was -38.

I don’t think they are users on BOS, but it was incredibly awesome of the owners of Hidden Lake to host the event. It is an absolutely amazing site. Great conditions and we saw some new faces from the public lake scene running passes there.

Here is the rule. Basically, the qualifying tournaments for your National Ranking average are any class C or above (including Regional Championships or other E,L,R sanctioned tournaments). A skier may also qualify for Nationals after the Cut Off Date by increasing his Ranking List Average above the Level 8 Cut Off Average for his respective event and division between the Cut Off Date and Nationals; or by attaining a score equal to or greater than the Level 8 Cut Off Average for his respective event and division at the Regional Tournament or at any class C or above event between the Cut-Off Date and the first day of Nationals or by being ranked Level 8 at any point between the Cut-Off Date and the first day of Nationals. I believe you also receive qualification for a podium finish at this year's Regionals or a podium finish at the prior Nationals. The top five non-elite-qualified skiers in each age division or overall at the current year’s Regionals or previous year’s Nationals shall qualify for Nationals. If you are not qualified now, you basically need to raise your average or get at least one score above the level 8 cutoff score. Then, you must attend a Regionals and achieve skiing position to be able to attend Nationals. You also could attend Regionals (assuming you qualify for that, but didn't have a level 8 average or score) and achieve a podium finish or score above the level 8 cutoff to qualify for Nationals. There is one other way that you could achieve a level 8 average without increasing your own scores. If your current average is close to level 8 and the scores of your division suddenly lower the level 8 cutoff score before the first day of Nationals such that your average exceeds it, you would qualify. Of course, this would depend on a sudden influx of novice skiers posting scores that reduce the level 8 cutoff average score. And, you would still have had to attend Regionals and achieve skiing position.

@Drago, that is possible, as I know they did change the behavior of the plus setting (supposedly to be like "Trick mode") in Rev S. I have not seen the chart on Rev S and it may have eliminated or altered the additional gate speed. The current Driver Clinic materials do not have the newer chart and still just cover Rev R.

@Drago, the ZO plus setting will give you a hot gate speed and let you pull it down into one ball. Regular ZO has a .8% above set speed factor for the gate. The plus setting has a 1.6% above set speed for the gate, essentially doubling the amount over actual that ZO will bring you into the gate. It's true that the plus setting also does a lot of other things to the responsiveness of ZO at every buoy as well, but it does affect the gate in the manner you mentioned.

There is one tomorrow and one on 6/16. The link below will download a PDF of the officials clinic calendar. https://www.teamusa.org/-/media/USA_Waterski/Resources/For-Officials/OfficialsClinics.pdf?la=en&hash=C7576C2EF573DC5A8E974C10290CD4A3B74BE4C2

Yes, the performances and history of the team are certainly mysterious. Who would have thought a college which attracted pro skiers (and/or talented skiers nearing pro level) with offers of scholarships, facilities, equipment, funding, and year round training conditions would produce skiers who would then return to the pro circuit and achieve high placement?

@dammeyer11 might have the answer on their windblock.

@HMan66, I think one of the hurdles to progressing is finding the correct replacement behavior. Often, we will look at our videos and see something we are doing and think (or are told) "Don't do that". While that is technically the solution, I think it may be more difficult to adopt if you do not actively introduce the replacement behavior as something other than trying to resist not doing something. I think the key is to ask what you should be doing instead and, many times, what you should have been doing well before you saw the issue. Sometimes, the problem manifests itself in something you did or didn't do before the point in time you noticed the problem.

Goode is having a Demo Day on June 17, 2023 at Tivoli Gardens in Gaines, Michigan. Martin Kolman will be there with the Goode line of skis.

I thought that the 6.2L was an aluminum block and needed closed cooling for that reason.

How did it get winter freeze damage to the engine with a closed cooling system? Are the closed cooling systems running some version of coolant/antifreeze with a higher freeze point than automotive (which I thought was typically -34F to -50F)? Or, were there some excessively cold days out there that exceeded that protection level?

@ROBOT, I also had a membership at a second club that was a $500 per year fee and $40 per set arrangement. I didn't join that one this year, as my ski partner at that location moved away and my personal schedule is too busy this year to actively use two clubs. They have a 2023 Prostar on the lift, which I would prefer over the 200, but maybe I'll get back there in the future. This is a picture of that second club (older pic with the 2017 Prostar on the lift):

@ROBOT, the prices I see for parcels near our club (that are large enough to build a lake) run between $7,500 and $10,000 per acre.

@Mastercrafter, we have the same terms as well. 2023 Nautique 200. All fuel, etc. included. Unlimited skiing. Less than $3000.

@rockdog, I guess I was comparing it to an engine swap.

Excalibur engine can be converted to ZO with minimal effort, but is not a plug and play.

A few data points from the Michigan Ranking List: In 2011 (my first year in M4), there were 31 skiers on the list and the level 8 cutoff score was 94.17. The Midwest Region had 130 M4 skiers. In 2020 (my last year in M4), there were 16 skiers on the list and the level 8 cutoff score was 92.00. The Midwest Region had 78 skiers. In case one may be thinking that the pandemic influenced these numbers, the 2019 numbers were very similar. Today, there are 10 skiers on the list in M4 and the level 8 cutoff score is 91.89. The Midwest Region has 57 skiers. This age group (and M5) is the bread and butter of participation - with enough money and some time to participate. I'm sure USA Water Ski has the analysis of these and all divisions already available. I would think it would show similar trends.

Decline in accessibility and affordability is what is shrinking participation in slalom. It's too hard to get a course permit. Not allowing older boats with other speed control systems also increased the expense to participate in tournaments. Equipment has become more expensive, too, although I would say that is less of barrier to participation and more of a barrier to accessing the latest technological advances in that area. There are some other governance issues that make it more complicated to participate and officiate, but I think many would overcome those should they develop the passion/obsession for the sport on their own public lakes with ready access to courses, jumps, and reasonable conditions. The advent of jet skis and surfboats is not helping, either. I don't think we necessarily need new rules, just less barriers.