A little help

[pmoomba]

I've been a rec skiier for 20 some odd years, just a couple times a year thing on vacation, mostly 2 skis just because that's what everybody did. We did some slalom but pretty casual with nobody else to really feed off of to get better. Now that I've got a boat and can get out a lot more often I'm learning a lot about the world of slalom and really want to improve my skiing. I'm around 30-32mph now and not near the course yet, but would like to get into it after I feel like my fundamentals are better.

The last couple weekends I've been working on being aggressive through the wakes so I feel confident instead of letting up before them. I feel like I've got a decent handle on that now and am ready to work on some other things. I took some video and can clearly see a few obvious problems; I have a few things I want to clean up before posting one for further help.

I did pick up a new ski though (Connelly V); I'll try it for the first time this weekend. I'm upgrading from an older comp freeride. I had a couple questions though to make sure I'm on the right track.

I'm around 6'4" ,185lbs or so. The comp freeride I was on was a 69, I ordered a 67 V. My weight seemed somewhat between sizes on the various charts I looked at. I saw a couple recos that if you were between sizes, try the smaller size. I'm assuming the 67 is going to be about right for me at ~32 mph? I might try 34 for open water at some point but don't see myself ever going faster.

I was planning on taking the wing off before even getting it on the water based on most opinions I can find online and my current ability. I don't have a ton of slack problems at the moment (no wing on current ski) and any slack I do get is probably just technique, so I want to clean that up instead of having the wing covering up issues. Good idea?

I was at 30 mph/22 off, mostly because I was comfortable at 30mph from before, and the wake seemed a little easier to get through at 22 off on my OBV. I'm planning at trying 32/15 off this weekend and probably targeting that as somewhere to stay while I clean up my technique. Is this a pretty good target?

Anyone know what the tow point difference is between a normal DD and a v-drive? Roughly 5-6 feet? If it's that much would it be better to just stick to 22 and be a little shorter than a normal 15 off, or start with 15 off and end up a little longer than normal?

[iwaterskihard]

Can you post your video? From everything you've stated my assumption (for what it's worth) is that technique is your biggest hurdle?

No matter what speed you're skiing at as you shorten the line you are going to increase your speed on your ski; simple laws of physics.
My suggestion is get your line length back to 15 off and rather than attack a nice hard deep cut and forcing slack in your line try to focus on not getting outside as far anbd work on keeping your arms straight at the end of your cut and your shoulders facing towards the boat.

As you get better with this you should find you can be more aggressive in your cuts and crossing the wake because you will have a better and more balanced body position coming into the wake.

Personally I would leave the fins on the ski. You're not skiing aggressively enough to notice the difference in my opinion. As you get better you will want to increase your boat speed I would think to a minimum of 34 mph for your hieght and size. As you get your aggression and speed up you will start to notice the fins work.

Good luck! :d

[maxpower220]

I suggest that you get a video or 2 on skiing, go to a school, or try to find a book. Body position is key and if you don't know where you should be, you don't know if you are right or wrong.

If you got the ski new, keep it the way it came. If it was used, check the manufacturer website for "stock" setup and set your ski that way. The wing does a little in stock settings, but what it does will help you setting up for your turn.

If your everyday ski boat is a V-drive, just use the 15' off length and don't worry about the difference. If you plan on switching up on a few DD boats, then it may matter a little more.

Good luck and WARNING, the course is very addictive!

[skiyaker]

Good luck and WARNING, the course is very addictive!

oh man ain't that the truth. I've been skiing mostly behind direct drives at the course this year- but I'll still use my boat if nobody else shows up at our club. In terms of how many off- well distance from the boat to the buoy remains the same whether you're skiing a direct drive vs V drive and that's the length that matters in terms of making buoys- so if you're new to the course my rec is to start at 15 off if you're skiing the course. If you're out it open water then ski whatever length you think is fun. The main difference between skiing a DD or VD through the course (besides the wake size) is timing the entrance gate- I try to reference the ski pylon instead of the bow of the boat or the driver when making my cut for the gates- but then again I don't shed a tear if I miss the gate.

Whatever you do don't shy away from the course just because you're afraid you're not good enough. Find one that has the "novice" buoys and ski away- because it's fun. 2 years ago I skied the course for the first time- I didn't even know which side to start on! What part of the country are you in? Many states have clinics through USA waterski that can get you on the course to try it out.

[pmoomba]

I'm out in PA. I'm not aware of anything out this way but once I feel like I've made a bit of progress maybe I'll look into some video training. I think I still have a lot I can correct myself, it's just kind of slow going since I get out once a week at best, for 2 sets, 3 if I'm lucky. I'll have to see if I can befriend some of the other skiers at our club and maybe sneak in another day a week with them.

This weekend was a little bad, we had a prop incident and by the time we got it changed, we lost our 3rd/4th and just scrounged up someone to get a short set or two in and didn't get any video. I felt a little better on the new ski and felt like I had made a few corrections in body position from the last time out but can't really verify yet. I should get out at least once this weekend, twice if I'm lucky which would be a treat.

My body position just needs some work/time and I don't think I'm carrying my outward direction into the turns, or just not edge changing properly. I don't feel like I can make those nice swinging turns, at all. Particularly a problem on the off-side but I'm not doing it on the on-side either. Maybe it's just a confidence thing of not wanting to lay out and take a fall. I hope to get some video this week.

[pmoomba]

Got a few yesterday. Not as much improvement as I would have hoped but better than none. I found some good videos on body position and have been working to try to emulate them; I'm just losing it on the water, either to old muscle memory or a little hesitation at the wakes, etc. I'm mostly doing some pullouts or crossing with bad position so they're pretty bad videos :)

I could speak a lot on what problems I already know I have, but I think I just need help with a little direction on how to get from where I am to where I know I want to be. Look up any 15 off/30mph video for an intermediate skier and that's my short term goal. I know I just need more time on the water, but since it's at a bit of a premium I'm just not sure what to focus on to make the best use of it. I feel like I read and watch a ton of stuff all week, then get out on the water and just end up doing the same things.

I hope to at least keep up with once a week until mid-August, when I'll have a week vacation and plan get out a bit every day if the weather is good. By the end of the season I'd like to at least be close to making a 28 or 30mph pass, I'm just not sure what the best way to get there is.

http://www.youtube.com/user/06OBV

[pmoomba]

For example, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pHlk1kSyO8 doesn't seem that far out of reach. Still hardly perfect, but I think a pretty reasonable place to think I can get to. I'm just not sure how to get there.

[moombabound]

The good news is you have tremendous upside, and that begins when you take one hand off the handle to allow the ski to continue on it's outward path in the pre-turn.
Lots more can be said about technique in that regard, but give it a shot and report back.
Your form looks great for a guy that's really just getting into it.
Keep it at 15 off. You'll notice the wakes are less unsettling back there vs 22.
Regarding your 30-32 mph speed, Connelly describes the V as a "34 mph ski", so I'd gather it would perform as designed, at speeds close to that, so 32 might be best vs 30.
My buddy justed picked one up and really likes it.
(Make sure you're using a baseball grip, in your case, right hand palm facing up. I couldn't tell from the video).

[BensonWdby]

Open water skiing at 32 might be a good idea. But if you get in a course I would dial it back to 28. When learning the course it is important to have some success. If you always just get 3 or 4 you are not really helping yourself.

When I started working with a coach I was running 28 off at 34 open water as my rough water runs and shorter in calm water. But when I went in for some training I was quite humbled and they put me back at 15 off at 28 to break all of my bad habits. It has been a struggle but I feel it has helped.

If you want on-line video coaching - try this site - it is free to join, but the coaching will probably cost.

http://new.yourskilog.com/

I think if you google some of the pro skiers you may find that they also have their own web sites and may offer video coaching for a fee.

I am far from considering myself a good skiier, but if you are looking at videos you can try this:
http://bensonwdby.home.comcast.net/~bensonwdby/pylon_swivel/Tracker_15_34.mp4

This is from very early this year. Two weeks after this I ran my first ever 22 off pass through the course. The video was shot using a prototype pylon mount (http://bensonwdby.home.comcast.net/~bensonwdby/pylon_swivel/Pylon_Swivel_Tracking_Camera_Mount.htm).

If you watch this - think as much about what I could do better as well as if there is anything you can learn - this type of analysis will help you understand the mechanics of the sport. Then spend time visualizing yourself doingn it 'right'.

One thing - Start your pullout from outside the whitewater.

Have fun -
Dave

[skiyaker]

pmoomba you and I have a lot of similar thoughts about the slalom course- this year it seems like I'll get "stuck" for a while and not get any better, then have a breakthrough from a small change in my technique and make a huge leap then stay there and so forth. Like you I've often had a list of many things to work on then when I get into the course I would get flustered by the buoys.

The biggest leaps I've made this year have come when I've decided to focus on one or maximum 2 things with my technique at a time until I get it where I want- the biggest of which was tying the rope to the basketball post and working on keeping my shoulders square to the boat coming across the wake. Now I'm working on keeping the handle low and chest high because I noticed from video that I was letting the handle get high and that was pulling my upper body forward and causing me to break at the waist. Around balls 2,4, 6 I've started shouting to myself "LOW!" But I agree with you that you'll be able to have success with just a few small changes. The guy I ski with makes 28 off with many flaws in his technique.

Do you have a wakeplate on your boat? I ask because I think you can get your wake a little flatter than in the video if you do. I've found with mine that if I put it all the way down it drops the bulbous part of the bow in the water and actually makes the wake bigger- so I ski with mine adjusted enough to make the bow rise just a little out of the water but not much.

To quote Dave HAVE FUN!!

[pmoomba]

Thanks for the input guys. Those were at 32mph, and I'll probably stick with 32mph for open water. I actually gave the course a shot for the heck of it at 28mph the other day. After giving my wife instruction for the first pass, she ran to the right of the boat guides and thought I missed all the buoys because I wasn't skiing straight through the boat guides. The second was much better from her side; I made the gates but that was about it. More practice needed for sure :)

Thanks for the tip about the wake. I have the plate all the way down and haven't really messed with it. I'll try to adjust it and see if I can get it a little better which I think would help.

I'm working on trying to do make the 1 handed turn more often, I'm not sure if I'm releasing too late, or if my wake crossing is screwing up the angle, but it seems like I'm being pulled flat and down course before I think I need to let go. I'm left with the full pull of the boat heading mostly down the river instead of casting out, so going to 1 arm is sketchy. I'm getting there though.

[BensonWdby]

Looks like you might be skiing on a river? I have not spent much time on rivers. But beware - upstream vs. downstream can be quite different from what I hear....

As far as amking the gates - don't even bother at this point in time. Try to be early on the gate so you can get out to 1 ball.

[skiyaker]

fyi this is what my wake is like at 30 mph- this last trip I found it more skiable and fun at 22 off.

[pmoomba]

Thanks. Yeah I have done 22 off before and that seemed a little better. For giggles I tried 28 off briefly while I was on vacation and the bump seemed a bit worse there so I didn't stick with it. I didn't try any shorter yet, but I'm curious if any of the shorter lengths are really easy to get through just for the sake of practicing and working on better rhythm/turns/etc. I'll give them a shot next time I get out.

[BensonWdby]

In the course - shorter is not easier - unless you go slower. The exception to that is if you ski longline (75ft) - the 15 off pass at 36 is easier than the long line pass at 36. (Although I have never made either myself, this is what I have been told). I recenlty started skiing 22 off at 30 and find it is actually comaprable to 15 off - for me - based on my style (or lack thereof). But IMHO if the wake is causing you problems you may not be ready for shorter rope. I barely notice the wake at any length - not to say it does not influence my skiing, but I feel I can hold enough of an edge that it is not an issue.

[skiyaker]

But IMHO if the wake is causing you problems you may not be ready for shorter rope. I barely notice the wake at any length - not to say it does not influence my skiing, but I feel I can hold enough of an edge that it is not an issue.

Dave when I ski behind the response that's true- I'm not worried bout the wake- but behind my boat I doubt you would barely notice it at 15 off. Now that I'm used to DDs it's quite a bump and with my bad ankles it takes a toll. I used my boat for a week in open water at Norris lake and had a great time at 22 off just swingin' back and forth. 9 times out of 10 there's a slalom boat available when I ski the course but yesterday there were no slalom boats out at the club so I skied behind mine- first at 15 off then at 22 off (my first time attempting 22 off) and I can tell you I may never ski 15 off behind my boat again- either in open water or at the course. Again though I'm basing this entirely on the fun I have- not whether my ability really reflects that I should ski that length. Nasty wind yesterday so I'll be anxious to try it again in better conditions.

Now guys I've been saying all summer that the goal is to stay healthy, have fun, and build up into september. September is beautiful- the weather gets a little crisper, the crowds dwindle, and by this point in the season we should be in great shape. So Team Moomba let's start collecting our thoughts, clearing our schedules, and get ready to ski hard in September!

[Inliner]

There is a definite difference between my OB and my friend's MC. The OB has a trough down the middle while the MC has no wake to speak of. I have a friend with a Malibu that the wake is so flat I have to be careful to make sure I start the pre-turn at the right time because I don't feel the crossing of the second wake. Took a nasty hit from shutting down too late and passing the point of no return WAY too fast from releasing the edge too late. Boat went straight and ski was going too fast to turn, I went flying and put the bruise from hades on my foot when I came flying out of the binding.

[pmoomba]

For you guys in DDs, what's your practical adult and/or kid limit before you start having to use the tower or rear tow point instead of the pylon?. If you're above that limit for the day, do you just do some casual skiing off the rear eye or kick people to shore and go out during lunch with just a driver/observer? What's a reasonable amount of gear you can bring out with you?

My usage after having the boat for two seasons is a little different than I originally anticipated. I really only want to slalom, and think I could deal with 'worse' cabin design and storage better than I would have thought originally. Initially I thought was interested in wakeboarding a little more too, but anybody who would board with us (myself included) would probably be fine with the Outback wake (with or without ballast) since it'd mostly be beginners aside from one guy who'd probably still be fine. I'd prefer the DD slalom wake, and to get into the course at some point soon; maybe next season if I don't give it a real shot this year.

My main hesitation is that we occasionally do a bigger family outing (say 4 adults 3-4 kids) instead of just me grabbing a person or two to go ski. It is pretty easy to dock and shuffle gear or people if we really need, since most of our time is on a small river instead of all day on the lake affairs. Most people in our club have even smaller DDs (older mastercrafts/american skiiers) and that's what they seem to do. I think if I can convince the wife that those outings still won't be an issue, and find an Outback reasonably close to a trade in of my OBV I'd be in business.

She of course is rolling her eyes when she catches me browsing on onlyinboards/ski-it-again and doesn't understand the differences. I need to get her psyched on it somehow :)

[c.rix]

haha I have been thinking about trading for a dd but not sure I can do it losing all the space and trying to get into wakeboarding a little again after 2 years of not touching a board I forgot its kinda fun and I'm thinking of getting a brace for my bad knee full knee surgery


1 thing that I wanted to ask some of you obv owners is on my off side I am having a problem committing though the wakes I puss out and slow over it what are some ways to break this problem? coming over on my strong side is now problem I can fly through looking like a pro then my off side hit the wake and its like a rookie :D

[skiyaker]

hey they used to make a boat for guys like us on the fence- the mobius LS but I guess there weren't enough of us opening the wallet for one. crix I found this drill kind of helpful for wake crossings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZWLmQtmVK0

[Mikey]

PMoomba. Practical number is 2. Driver ,spotter and skier.Actually 3. Practically speaking 2 can sit in spotters seat or any extras go up front in Open bow.If you must.!!
I Never ski off the tower. I believe the strain might be too much and i don't want the rope pulling UP anyways, I have NEVER used the back hook. I bought this boat to ski behind and Wife and kids understand the purpose of this boat. I'm Picky/fussy and whenever possible Lighten the load to get the best SKI possible. This may sound selfish,but if need be i wait till the load in boat is correct or pass on skiing at the time.

When pulling wakeboarders or surfing though it is a totally different scenario and MORE is Better.
The JOYS and Pains of owning a DD.

[BensonWdby]

I would NEVER ski off the tower. I think if you ask the tower or boat manufactures they would tel you nt to as well. Even if the boat could handle the stress of a slalom skier I can only imagine how mushy it would feel. Most serious slalom skiers can detect the difference in the springiness of the rope (how much they stretch under load). I can only imagine how much the boat would lean toward the skier as they load the rope.

I have never skied of the back hook, but I would think it could hold structurally. But it might be a little more difficult to drive straight.

There is a reason that DD make the best slalom boats. With the motor in the middle, pylon in front, and tracking fins below, you are going to get the best straight pull.

As far as number of bodies - I think the most I would go out with is 6 adults as long as they are all or nominal weight. I put two inthe open bow of my 99 Mobius DD. The problem with bodies in the the bow is proper weight distrubiton to get an even wake and obstructing the visibility of the driver.

One other factor is boat speed. At slow speeds - say under 32 - the wake will probably noticably increase in size as you add bodies. I find that at 34 and above the wake size increase is tolerable.

[deerfield]

For you guys in DDs, what's your practical adult and/or kid limit before you start having to use the tower or rear tow point instead of the pylon?. If you're above that limit for the day, do you just do some casual skiing off the rear eye or kick people to shore and go out during lunch with just a driver/observer? What's a reasonable amount of gear you can bring out with you?

pmoomba - Max number of bodies in my Outback, including driver, is five: 2 in bow, 2 in spotter seat, and driver. Any more bodies and we either wakeboard or tube. When pulling a wakeboarder, think I have had as many as eight in my Outback. Crowded, but everybody has fun. When pulling tubes, same thing if the tow point is from the ring on the stern. If from the slalom pylon in center boat, then it's back to max of five including driver. The tubes take a ton of space, so if not in use we leave them on someone's pier. Just no way to keep them in the boat and out of the way when skiing or wakeboarding. I have racks on both sides of the tower, so nice place to store skis and wakeboards to keep the floor space uncluttered. Plenty of room under the dash and rear deck for life jackets, towels, and other stuff. Outback with ballast and tower does a fine job for beginner and intermediate boarders. I bought it for me and I'm a skier. It's a huge step up from the Nautique it replaced. - Deerfield

[moombabound]

1 thing that I wanted to ask some of you obv owners is on my off side I am having a problem committing though the wakes I puss out and slow over it what are some ways to break this problem? coming over on my strong side is now problem I can fly through looking like a pro then my off side hit the wake and its like a rookie :D

Big difference for me as well. Maybe it's cronic for all skiers, given the awkward twisting of the body to the backside required.
Couple of things I've heard to help (from qualified people - citation included):
1. Place 60% of your weight on the front foot on the offside pull - (Maple - I think).
2. Pull more with the leading arm [arm closest to the wake in the direction of travel] - (the one ski lesson I took)

Point 1 takes courage I find.
One thing is for sure; keep the rope at 15 off, no shorter (just while concentrating on improving). Took me a long time to realize this, due to DD envy I suppose, but now after having skied tons behind a couple of Malibu DD's, I finally realized that the OBV wake at 15 off is equal to, or more forgiving than the DD's. That is because the pylon is positioned (say 6 feet) back from where it is on the DD, so you are skiing on the back side of the hump. It's different than the DD wake, in that there are two smaller humps (wider wake) vs the more solid DD wake. I skied all the way up to 35 off the other day, and unlike a DD which is finally flat at 35, with the OBV wake I was still on the hump @ 35.

[pmoomba]

Just for what it's worth I wasn't talking about skiing off the tower. I meant move to activities for kids, or something the tower is for, like wakeboarding instead if the number of people increase. The rear eye maybe, but just to get a casual set in if we were full for the day, or to use the eye to pull beginners getting up on two skis if the boat is full. Mostly I was just talking through options, but realistically I'd probably only slalom when the number of people was right. Thanks for all the input though; I need to actually find a few DDs to ski behind to get a real comparison before really moving forward with anything.

[zegm]

Just for what it's worth I wasn't talking about skiing off the tower. I meant move to activities for kids, or something the tower is for, like wakeboarding instead if the number of people increase. The rear eye maybe, but just to get a casual set in if we were full for the day, or to use the eye to pull beginners getting up on two skis if the boat is full. Mostly I was just talking through options, but realistically I'd probably only slalom when the number of people was right. Thanks for all the input though; I need to actually find a few DDs to ski behind to get a real comparison before really moving forward with anything.

We have a 2008 Mobius LS. We do ski on the slalom course and above 27mph the wake is not bad and it gets better the faster you go. As far as loading with people it depends on what we are going to do that day. If we are going to the slalom course then usually it is just the four of us in the family. The driver and the 2 observers sit in front of the pylon. However, we also bought the boat with the jump seat that is designed to go between the front seats, but we have it installed facing backwards behind the drivers seat and it is out of the way of the rope when on the pylon so we can take 4 people in the boat before we even think of having someone sit in the bow. If we take more people then this then we usually are not going down the course and are going to free ski. In that case we could take potentially up to 4 more people but usually this doesn't happen for a total of 8 if we are using the pylon. Pulling from the tower: we have pulled little kids on pairs skis from the tower without any concerns, they can't pull harder than a adult wakeboarder. We pull all wakeboards and kneeboards from the tower. I have never attached a rope to the rear hook. Storage: we have a Z cargo top so this helps greatly but currently in the boat right now is a surfboard, 2 kneeboards, 4 slalom skis and all the ropes, jackets and stuff. The only thing you will see is the surfboard which sits up on edge laying against the side of the boat behind the driver (The rear jump seat locks it in place nicely). With our ballast tank being a hard tank under the rear seat we do not have bags anywhere and would venture to say that we probably have more storage room than most LSV owners as the rear gull wing storage is huge. We first went to look at an Outback but after sitting in the LS we fell in love with it. Yes the seating arrangement is different from a VD but the amout of floor space is huge. Remember the rear seat goes from one side of the boat to the other and I (6'2") can lay down on it and take a nice nap. The space between the motor and the side is also abundant and you don't have to turn sideways to walk past it like my old MC. The front seat doesn't have a side seat connecting to it so you can easily seat 2 people facing towards the back without them have to "touch legs". Unless you have actually seen and sat in an LS it will be difficult to really understand that it is a roomy DD. :)
PS We often fill the rear tank and surf too!

[wolfeman131]

WHAT IS THIS?!?!?!

A zegm post. . . .

Oh my, will we see one from Sled sometime soon?

[iwaterskihard]

As I have stated before I'm partial to DD boats and own one. We only use the tower for kid activities and kneeboarding. I find it helpful with beginners (kids & youths) after moving them from the boom to the back of the boat for their first couple of deep water starts. After that it's pylon all the way. My boat came with t he tower but if it wouldn't have I certainly wouldn't have ordered one to put on it! I prefer the true look of tournament boats. Tower advantage = storage and that's it for me!
I have skied behind many different boats and until I quit skiing it will be DD for me forever. My Outback has a wake that I find almost non existent and I love skiing behind it even with 4 - 6 people in the boat.
As for offside turns yes keep your shoulders square to the boat but here's my 2 points that should help you improve on your offside turns:

1) Remember to keep your arms straight through the load. It's natural to want to pull against the load but you end up pulling yourself forward and therefore off balance.

2) Once you've entered your offside turn try to concentrate on pushing the inside of your waist or pelvis forward. This will make it harder for you to lean forward as you cut and will leave you in a better body position coming out of the cut thus preparing you or putting your body into a better position to accept the line load from the boat and the whip back across to your strong side.

Hope this helps you some? And I agree with the point someone made earlier - damn I hope we have a good September so we can ski later this year as our summer was terrible up here weather wise!

[BensonWdby]

I agree all around. Tower is nice place to hang speakers and do pullups and help get into the dirver seat from behind... oh .. and wakeboarding if you are so inclined..

[c.rix]

thanks for the advice guys I am going to work on it this weekend open water hmm maybe try the course if its still there

[zegm]

WHAT IS THIS?!?!?!

A zegm post. . . .

Oh my, will we see one from Sled sometime soon?

Well if I see a DD issue then I feel I must help out the owners of the dying breed of the "real ski boat"! :)
Otherwise VD owners will try to say "yep, I can do 36mph with 28 off behind my XLV" when honestly even the LS does NOT have the best slalom course wake. It gets better the faster you go but.........
My son was pulled down the course by the father of the 11 year old National Champion behind his Ski Natique last week and now he is asking us why we sold our 1995 MasterCraft. He wishes that we kept both boats. I then launched into a long discussion about replacing rotten wooden stringers! :)
Note: This year on Dear Point Lake Panama City Florida we have not seen a SINGLE VD boat. Only DDs! Must be that sign we put up! :)

[wolfeman131]

Well if I see a DD issue then I feel I must help out the owners of the dying breed of the "real ski boat"!

That's what we like to see!

[moombabound]

Note: This year on Dear Point Lake Panama City Florida we have not seen a SINGLE VD boat. Only DDs! Must be that sign we put up! :)

Can't tell you how much that suprises me. How many boats total? Two? (Joking). On our lake there are a grand total of two DD's and they are old. Versus about a dozen V's.

[Mikey]

I have to agree. Most Inboard boats around here are Vdrives for sure. Just the Hardcore ,usually older Skiers staying true to there roots ,that run DD's. We are a ''SPECIAL'' Breed it seems. LONG LIVE DD"S!!!!!.

[zegm]

Can't tell you how much that suprises me. How many boats total? Two? (Joking). On our lake there are a grand total of two DD's and they are old. Versus about a dozen V's.

Hardcore DDs!!!
We are experiencing tropical storm Lee this weekend. Yet this morning we get up early and take advantage of a lull in the storm. Thinking we will have the slalom course to ourselves image our surprise when we find out we are the 4th DD skiboat onsite at our 2 slalom courses. So yes we had to wait our turn but we get in a couple of good sets.
No sign of ANY fishing boats at ALL.
No sign of ANY VD pleasure boats at ALL.

Yep DD owners are the real HARDCORE watersport boaters!!!! :)

And keep in mind to live in Florida you have to have at least one boat in the yard but most have at least 2! :)

[Ed G]

"keep in mind to live in Florida you have to have at least one boat in the yard"

not in my Florida neighborhhood.

Thank god for home owner's associations who create designated RV storage areas

[zegm]

"keep in mind to live in Florida you have to have at least one boat in the yard"

not in my Florida neighborhhood.

Thank god for home owner's associations who create designated RV storage areas

Thank God that we have no such bureaucracy (meddling) in my neighborhood or everyone would have to tear down their boat lifts and docks.

[Ed G]

Love our HOA!

They do a fantastic job of keeping the place from looking like the typical Florida redneck neighborhoods.

Our HOA provides a huge covered dock, two long concrete boat ramps and boat slips.

There is even a large park right above the ramps (sand volley ball, picnic tables, grills, camping area, etc) with an asphalt circular drive to allow vehicles to easily turn around and back down a ramp.

The subdivision was designed and built on the largest lake of the Clermont chain specifically with boaters in mind and everything is well maintained.

Unfortunately these days... the boat ramps end in sand.

[jmvotto]

Hardcore DDs!!!
We are experiencing tropical storm Lee this weekend. Yet this morning we get up early and take advantage of a lull in the storm. Thinking we will have the slalom course to ourselves image our surprise when we find out we are the 4th DD skiboat onsite at our 2 slalom courses. So yes we had to wait our turn but we get in a couple of good sets.
No sign of ANY fishing boats at ALL.
No sign of ANY VD pleasure boats at ALL.


Yep DD owners are the real HARDCORE watersport boaters!!!! :)

And keep in mind to live in Florida you have to have at least one boat in the yard but most have at least 2! :)

yep i ski with a couple dd owners and they go just about all year long, dry suits and icicles.

nice to hear from you Z

[zegm]

yep i ski with a couple dd owners and they go just about all year long, dry suits and icicles.

nice to hear from you Z

Ok yesterday we just look out the back window and see serious whitecaps on the lake. Needless to say we didn't ski yesterday!:(

[pmoomba]

My river has been trashed for one reason or another since the weekend before Irene so I haven't gotten much in at the end of the season, but looking to hit it hard next year. I talked the wife info me sneaking out for a weekend at Coble Ski School in April or May. I'm looking forward to getting some real time in and some instruction to get me on the right track. That should give me a good reason to stay in shape over the winter so I'm not gassed after the first set or two.

[skiyaker]

My river has been trashed for one reason or another since the weekend before Irene so I haven't gotten much in at the end of the season, but looking to hit it hard next year. I talked the wife info me sneaking out for a weekend at Coble Ski School in April or May. I'm looking forward to getting some real time in and some instruction to get me on the right track. That should give me a good reason to stay in shape over the winter so I'm not gassed after the first set or two.

I'm in so much better shape than I was 2 years ago before I started skiing, and a big part of it is the motivation to work out in the wintertime. I usually put on the Edged In Water DVD while I'm working out. When my wife gets on my case about being addicted to skiing I tell her at least I'm addicted to something that builds me up physically and mentally! Nevertheless- when I went to the swiss ski school last Feb I was still gassed after a set!