BCM

When I drove classic a lot I would plan on hitting the up arrow to override the magnet pickup when it would pickup out of course. Once you override it goes back to normal searching until you either pickup a magnet or get another false positive. I would try another smart timer if you can get your hands on one to test, I have had them do some funny things in past.

Check and double check your baseline calibration. I found that if my baseline was off no amount of ball setting adjustments would make it right. Also, double check the inverted/regular tach mode. I ran inverted prior to upgrading to the newer software. Worked great before, but not after. I wound up going to regular tach mode and it nearly eliminated the surging. One issue I have had is people driving it like the old PP, mine settles in really quickly. The old setup had to be feathered, on a shorter setup drivers are trying to feather it and coming in slow as they are not engaging until at or just after the 55's. Once I asked them to drive like they drive ZO some of the surging was reduced. I would recommend skiing behind a ZO boat (if you can) before you mess with the zbox values. I thought mine must be low because it didn't sound like ZO, turns out the ZO boats I am used to are really loud and mine is quit, at the factory setting my zbox is giving a much harder pull than the ZO boats I have been skiing behind, it doesn't sound like it, but everyone who skis behind it agrees. I had great luck snapping some pictures of bouy times and settings and sending them to PP, they were able to help me get things dialed in pretty well.

I ran interlock over the inserts for many years without filling them. Keep in mind once you fill them you can't un-fill them. I was on Powershells for nearly 12 years. I would make sure they are flush with the top of the ski and if they aren't, either file/cut them down to flush or tape around them, but I would not mess with filling them.

I have had several blow outs including the tow vehicle and a 15,000lb trailer. I will subject my boat to a slightly bumpy ride to prevent a blow out any day of the week. Fleet mechanics and tire guys have always told me, to best prevent a blow out, run the tire at the pressure stamped on the side wall. Under-inflated tires cause heat build up, heat build up causes blowouts. The pressure indicated on the sticker of my pickup is 80psi, the max pressure on the tires is 60psi, the current tires are rated to a higher weight than the stock tires.

I used to keep my boat covered in a temporary carport and I skied year round in a rather wet climate. Moisture in my boat when stored was a major concern. I put two Golden Rods in the engine compartment and a cheap oscillating fan in the back of the boat. If I forgot to plug in the fan for a week or so I would have a bit of mildew, with the fan I had very few issues, even parking the boat after towing home in the rain with weeks of near 100% humidity.

I use a Bad Elf connected to iPhone/iPad for resource mapping. I haven't tried using it with the Wakeye app. It essentially takes over your phones location service with greater precision. It is still roughly +/-10ft for point data collection. It is a handy little tool with great battery life, I can get a few work days out of a single charge.

I have been searching for a diesel transfer tank and stumbled upon ATI, apparently they are able to built 50-state DOT legal gas refueling tanks

I don't use anything on my waterskis, I check the screw every couple sets. I run inserts on my snow skis, allows me to swap between alpine and telemark bindings quickly. On those screws I use Vibra-Tite. I have not had screws back out and have had good luck with inserts. I have pulled two inserts out while backing out screws but it was due to an epoxy issue with the insert. I couldn't get the proper epoxy and was itching to ski on new sticks and bought some other stuff from the local hardware store.

@dave2ball - I don't ski a lot of tournaments and rarely venture out of my local area. But, in the past few years I have seen more non-ML ropes than ML ropes at tournaments (mostly In-Tow). Not good, bad, or otherwise, just an observation.

@Horton - what kind of pre-emergent are you spraying? If it is a non-aquatic variety I wouldn't be surprised if the chemical is being diluted at the soil surface and leached out of the sub-soil when you re-fill the lake. Often the aquatic herbicides are a bit more expensive, but, they are formulated to work in water. Most non-aquatic herbicides break down or dilute with water to the point they are not effective. My organization sprays a lot of pre-emergent (roughly 15,000 acres worth a year), in dry areas we get about 3 years out of it, in our rainier areas, we are happy to see two years of effective weed control. The key to using less chemical is using the proper chemical in the proper location with the proper method (follow the label). The UC system has a pretty good Ag Extension service, you might try reaching out to them for guidance. They are professional consultants that your tax dollars pay for. They may have a non-chemical solution. There are a lot of factors that go into choosing the right chemical and/or right formulation for a given species. As a research scientist who works with herbicide effectiveness (I stay on land for work) I can not stress enough the importance of a local, licensed, professional.

I hike through the woods for a living. Other than waterskiing I ride mountain and road bikes, do the occasional bike tour, snow ski (alpine, tele, bc), ride motorcycles (mx/enduro and dual sport), and I run almost every day.

My normal game plan when it gets cold is to put on the drysuit and keep skiing. Several years ago I slowed down and was not happy with the results. The last few years I have kept my speed and starting rope length consistent and skied. In winter I general spend more time on my longer line lengths and only occasionally work on my hardest pass, but I don't slow down. I did in the past and wasn't happy with the results.

When it gets real cold I will climb on the swim step after my second or third pass and warm my feet/hands with the hot water shower, then ski again. If you have to wait for rollers, get out of the water and get some warm water on your hands/feet. Showers are relatively cheap and easy to install.

Skied for 4 years during my undergrad. Bounced on and off academic probation, but always had good standing for nationals/all-stars. Skiing kept me in school when I wanted to drop out. It gave me a reason to get my grades back up. As my grades improved I found a passion for my career path. My grades continued to improve. Due to my improving grades and experiences I gained traveling the country and hosting tournaments (without school financial support) I received a fully funded graduate position to pursue my master of science. My desire to ski lead me further into my career which lead to my pursuing a PhD. Upon completion of my PhD I landed a great job and moved to a couple miles from a great 3-event site. Long story short, I was a piece of garbage when I joined the ski team, on the verge of dropping out of school. Skiing helped me turn myself around and go from potential college drop out to a full blown doctor.

Skiing makes me happy. I can have a rough day at work, go take a ski ride and be happy. I don't know why it makes me happy. I don't care, it works, don't mess it up. When I am grumpy (which happens now and again) my wife tells me one of two things:. Typical conversation Either: Wife: "You're grumpy, go ski" Me: "Ok, BYE!" OR Wife: "You're grumpy, go ski" Me: "Nobody is around to drive, that's why I'm grumpy" Wife: "Go ride your bike" Me: "Ok, BYE!"

@ToddF - I haven't ridden Thrillium but have been riding Cold Creek and some of the longer Tarbell loops as well as some of the Mt. St. Helens and Siouxon Creek loops.

The PNW has some of the best mountain biking in the country (I have ridden over a dozen states including every major mountain range), great dirt, great trials, and many have near year round access. There are some pretty nice ski sites around as well. I am 3 miles from the lake and 30 minutes from some amazing trails. I did notice a handful of ski sites along I-70 in western CO while on a bike trip this summer. Having mountain biked all over the US I would have to suggest figuring out what kind of mountain biking you like to do, each region has its own flavor and some don't like what other regions have to offer. If you like open, fast, and flowy, you may struggle in Pisgah, NC. If you like wet, rocky, rooty, technical stuff, the central coast of CA might not be for you. Check out www.trailforks.com best trail network website around, great app too.

I have one sitting in my garage. I was very nervous about it kicking on at the right temp. I tested it and it always worked, but I was always nervous. I left it in my boat for a winter with a wireless thermometer that was tied to a display in my bedroom (I wake up worrying about stupid little things). My boat was in a tarp carport deal (full sides but just canvas/tarp, no insulation) and we were down into the low 20's a bit, the engine compartment never got below about 38*. My heater core is under my bow, I put a second Golden Rod heating deal up there. All in all, I think it worked well, but I worry about things. I also didn't have a great place to mount it, I placed it on top of my engine and then had to prop the cover open a few inches, not ideal. It worked but I was always nervous. I wound up replacing all of my drain plugs (block, exhaust manifold, water pump elbow, etc.) with 1/4 turn valves. I still use heaters to fight moisture and for extra piece of mind. But, in the winter when I lift the boat I open the valves (takes 30 seconds) and let them drain while I wipe the boat down, then close them back up. Don't forget to close them, you would be surprised how much water your water pump can push... I also blow out the heater core by pulling one hose and blowing the water through and out one of my valves.

Great mountain biking in SW Washington and Central OR. I use www.trailforks.com for trail info. I'm a big fan of the Cold Creek area of the Yacolt Burn State Forest outside Battle Ground, WA as well as Phil's Trailhead area outside Bend, OR. My general route from SW WA to Reno takes me through Bend to Klamath Falls then toward Susanville and Reno.

I'm on an older version of the Super Shell, I'm not sure how you would rotate the boot without drilling some new holes in the plate. My first set on my Reflex (coming from Goode hardshell) resulted in failing to get up a few times and 6 passes to run my opener. Similar results for ski partner who switched. The good news is that after a few sets it came together and I couldn't be happier today.

I have been contemplating the same question. I think I could save some money with DIY but not sure if it enough to make the trouble worth it. I looked around some RV parts stores and found just about everything you need. I need to get on it pretty soon as winter is coming.

I made the switch from Powershells to Reflex a few years ago. I struggled at first. I wound up moving my front boot back a hole or two from factory (Powershells were mounted at factory location) for a few weeks then moved it back forward. Moving the binding back helped with whatever the new setup was causing and then as I became comfortable with the new boot I was able to move things back forward. It was a difficult few weeks and there was some buyer's remorse. After I figured out the boot, I couldn't be happier. I feel safer in the new setup and believe it has helped my skiing.

Take a look at this site from Texas A&M Ag Extension. I would imagine Ohio State has something similar, I am a huge advocate for utilizing your ag extension service. If I were in your shoes with my background (heavy in botany and biology) I would get an applicator license and apply the herbicide myself. You could at least avoid labor costs. In our area, ag labor prices are skyrocketing.

I am thrilled to see this gaining some traction. In my several cross country moves I have relied upon the USAWS club listing and contacts when I have moved and have not had good luck making contacts, I think this should be a huge step in the right direction. I have a few thoughts regarding listings, mostly regarding making people feel comfortable. For those of us who are entrenched in the ski scene we want to see the nice dock, smooth water, jump ramp (at least I do), and someone ripping -39. However, I wonder if some of the people who we are trying to recruit might be slightly intimidated by some of those types of photos. I think those are great, but adding some kid or novice photos and/or photos of people laughing on the dock or sitting around a bonfire might help make them feel comfortable. I think Far West at Nacimiento has done a fantastic job with their photo page (http://fwwsc.com/pictures--videos.html) I also noticed some jargon in a couple of the listings (e.g. TSC1 and PP). We know what those mean but your average recreational skier may not, for me I would likely write something along the lines of "Come ski behind a '98 Ski Nautique equiped with GPS speed control (Star Gazer)". I will be talking with our lake owners about getting on the list, I'm in a similar situation as @klindy. I am planning on scoping out the public water situation and maybe offering pulls there then move to the private site.

I just installed a swing away hitch, weld on kit was about $75 from etrailer plus some flexible brake hose. You will have to paint the area after it is welded. I believe you need about 6" of clean tubing between the pivot point and the nearest junction (bow catch, spare tire, jack, etc.). This put my pivot an inch or two in front of my bow. I rebuilt my bow catch as well giving me a little more room. I was able to remove almost 18" from the front of my trailer. I will rebuild my trailer long before I start cutting holes in doors and walls, but I'm a better welder than carpenter.