Conference vicki::boats

    Linda,
      Welcome to the wonderful world of boating.  :^)
    The "pole" your refering to is normally called a pylon and is not
    really required for recreational skiing.  The theory behind it is to
    put the "pull" in front of the engine.  This helps the boats tracking
    capability if you have a strong slalom skier.
      What I would suggest is to get a "harness". This is a cable (or rope)
    with clips at each end and attaches to both stern eyes.  There is a
    pulley with a float that slides along the cable and you attach the ski
    rope to this. This will enable the skier to be behind the boat rather
    than trying to pull the boat off course.  These are relatively cheap,
    10-15 dollars and also helps to keep the rope away from the prop, due
    to the float arrangment.
       As far as water toys- A tube, by all means, go for it.
       A ski board- Try before you buy, because they are not cheap and can
    be very frustrating to get up on.  One should be proficient on a slalom
    ski before trying these (Just my opinion-your mileage may vary)
    
    Have fun
    Doug 

Hi Linda...

   Another "Welcome" from yet another BOATS notes reader.  I agree with
everything Doug suggested.  In addition, you can find the "pylon" that Doug
referred to in most decent water toys catalogs.  Let me know if you'd like to
check out a few and I'll be glad to send you copies of a couple of catalogs that
lure in the paychecks of many folks in this file!  :-)

...Roger...

re                     <<< Note 783.0 by LJOHUB::LBELLIVEAU >>>

	"TUBES" ???   We have two of the  "Ski Biscuits"  

	"Why two ?"     'cos they're about twenty times as much fun as 
			one.


	BUT !    Tubing is one of those activities that is dumb and 
dangerous when done by others - but a BLAST when we do it, explanation 
and misc thoughts follow:

	The boat is driven at about 20 MPH;  this typically throws up 
the worst wake possible, which really ticks off people who are trying 
to do any serious skiing, or who just don't want to be rocked right 
now, either in their boats, at their docks, or (WORST !) as they're 
trying to get their boat on/off their trailer.

	The boat driver causes the tube to cross the wake by running S 
courses, or 8 courses if you want to give the tuber some BUMPS !;  
this makes the boat's course very unpredictable to other boaters and 
increases their sense of the risk that is being taken.

	Until the driver has a lot of practice its difficult to flip
course for the tuber AND pay enough attention to other boats - errr, 
add all the right words about maturity, sobrietry, etc.  Driving for 
tubers is more difficult (& different) than driving for skiers - more 
dangerous too.

SUMMARY:	Keep WELL AWAY from everyone else - and concentrate.

	R

    Thanx everyone!  Only 123 days until Memorial Day Weekend!
    
    I can hardly wait!
    
    Linda

    Why wait until Memorial Day?  I plan to be out long before then!
    

    
    RE: the last couple...
    
    I agree, the season is already a couple months old by Memorial
    Day.  Last year we launched on March 24th.
    
    Rick

    Hi Linda,
    
        You've already recieved some good info from the other folks, but I
    thought I would add a few bits of info...
    
    1) Ski Pole:  Nice but not necessary, I skied for 18 years before
       using one.  It definitely provides a better pull (i.e., less slack
       during slalom cuts and less side to side pull on the boat), but buy
       the best you can afford...there can be a lot force exerted on the
       pole, so you want a strong pole and solid mounting.  I think you'd
       be best to go the harness route for now.
    
    2) Tubes:  I pull four at once (pretty wild ride).  Observations are,
        a) Buy the O'BRIEN Brand with the fabric bottoms...they pull much 
           more easily than the open center tubes, and are generally more
           stable.
    
        b) Watch out for the WHIP!  as you turn the boat, the tube will
           whip to the outside of the turn - lots of fun, but it can almost
           reach double the speed of the boat (keep it under 25).  
    
        c) Start out easy on the turns...I've recieved concussions from
           slalom skiing (my own fault) but tubing can be even more violent
           for the unsuspecting or novice rider.
    
    Finally, if you feel that the boat struggles with waterskiing or
    tubing, don't fret, just write back....a boat relies heavily on the 
    proper propeller to perform it's best.  If you really get into water
    skiing, you may want to change props for a faster start, etc...
    
    Best of Luck!
    

    Re: -1:  Just a minor nit;  Slack line has to do with body position,
    not how the rope is attached to the boat...
    
    Note on...
    
    Doug

    RE: Body Position.  Your correct Doug (although ski angle plays a big
    part).  However, a harness does cause a little slack for an identical
    body/ski position.  The whole idea behind the pylon is to give the
    skier a better pull (i.e., more solid) than a harness which, because of
    its attachment points, allows you to pull the boat slightly off course,
    which creates a moment of slack before the boat realigns itself.  Your
    right...it's a minor nit, but I definitely noticed the difference when
    switching to a pylon after years of skiing with a harness.  Same
    problem occurs when you ski behind a tournament inboard after skiing 
    behind a lighter, outboard powered boat.  You really have to adjust
    your style for the different pull.  By the way, do you know if there
    is a water skiing notes file????
    
    Thanks,
    
    Peter
    

    O.K.-in that sense, yup-the harness will give the rope more spring
    which could lead to more slack.
    re: A waterskiing notesfile- This is it!
    
    Doug