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Lower boat wake and save fuel costs
You can reduce your boat's wake and save a lot of fuel over the season just by paying careful attention to what you are carrying: Don't order a boat with heaters, showers and sound systems. Bare bones is best.Remove rear seating Remove any items stored in the boat - things really add up quicklyKeep the bilge dry as possibleKeep the bottom scrubbed clean. A thin film of slime will sap 100-300 rpmUse a CNC cupped prop. They are more precise and the cupping adds lift.By the time I went radical with my SN196 I had removed about 500 lbs of hardware...
Using the Front Foot
Balance on the ski and a stable position are critical to slalom success. And most importantly using even weight distribution with your front and rear boots will keep the ski down and working it's best. Easier said than done, the last thing you want to do is head over the tip of the ski. So let's break things down. In the pull it's a matter of pushing on that front foot, trying to keep the gap to the handle. This move will automatically create pressure on the front of the ski without getting dangerous. In fact the posture coming from the...
Why Trick skiing is a good thing
Trick skiing is the purest form of water-skiing. There is just the skier, ski and handle with complete freedom to move in any direction with no fin. Toe tricks can help build that over-used slalom back leg as well. So there is even a re-hab component to tricks. The body can take a break because not only is line load is lower, buy you can ski in reverse position. There is nothing better on sunny and calm day on the lake to drop in a bust out a nice trick run of ski lines, body overs and wake 720's, Just...
Don't underestimate how you hold the handle
Obviously the water-ski handle is a big part of the sport. How you handle the handle in your slalom ski "style" can be a difference maker. Handle positioning might be a pro secret or skiers might not realize they're doing it. Today, most of the top pros are very specific in how the handle is positioned throughout the course. The technique is to have the handle level and gradually releasing out forward to setup a killer turn. On your offside you want the long-end of the handle end pointing into the course. For the onside you want the opposite, the handle...
Why my slalom ski feels so different in cool spring water?
Some lakes, like a shallow private competition site, don't change too much when they cool off. This is because without new fresh water, the impurities stay about the same. Other lakes "die" over the winter season and the water cleans right up, the once-alive micro organisms settling to the bottom. In these deeper, fresh or northern lakes you will see profound changes in water quality. Overall, the water becomes more viscous, which means thicker or heavier like a higher grade motor oil. The ski will not turn as a fast, and it takes more time to complete the turn. Additionally the ski rides...