454 Big Block yea or neh?

Ah - let me not create a false impression! :) No buoys on the lake. Just free-skiing. 

MrMcD wrote: I think the current ski record for the course is 41.5 off but maybe I am out of date.

Hi all. Forgive me if this isn't the right place to ask but after searching I couldn't find answers anywhere else. Please feel free to redirect me. Anyone know how is the slalom wake in a Ski Nautique with the Python? (Say, perhaps, a '99 Ski Nautique that I've seen for sale.) I saw comments earlier about the wake in a V-drive but haven't found anything about the direct drive. I'm coming from a 2001 Sport Nautique and I've found that wake okay but not great (at various line lengths). From what I've read the Ski Nautique will be better for slalom but I'm wondering if the bigger motor negates the improvement in going from Sport hull to Ski (TSC) hull. Frank

LS3 is a very nice engine but everything would need to be purchased for that swap.  Exhaust, Water Pump adapters, Motor Mounts, Computer Harness, Marine conversion.   Might make sense if you find a boat with that engine set up parting out so it comes complete.  I think the 454 Horsepower and Torque band is at least 1,000 RPM lower than the LS3 so it would need to be propped to match the new set up.  No argument about the quality of those engines.  I just built a 6.2L a couple months ago.  They are a sweet engine package and pull like a big dog all the way to 6,000 RPM.

Diesel?

Feel bad for the owner of the boat but consider yourself lucky on this one.

LongLakeWI wrote: There was a loud thud/thump like you hit a log or something.  The engine lost all power and wouldn’t run or restart.  There was a fair amount of oil & water in the bilge.

Sorry, I assumed when maybe an explanation was needed.  Long Line in Water Skiing is standard 75 ft rope.  Barefooters sometimes use 100’ but waterskiers use 75’.   15’ off is the first take off length to shorten the 75’ foot rope.  Deeper refers to very short lengths,  So 22 off, 28 off etc, I think the current ski record for the course is 41.5 off but maybe I am out of date.   If you are making the course at 15 off and go deeper you are jumping to 22 off, I think is the next jump shorter.  As a recreational skier I never made it past 28 off 6 balls at 36 MPH so that leaves me in the non competitive group.  The older Nautique had better wakes the shorter the rope was.  The barefoot Nautique was designed for strong pull at faster speeds with footers but has a no so good ski wake.  As your skiing improves in the ski course you shorten the rope to increase the difficulty.

Too bad, yes hopefully the damper.
Boat's better for wakesports.
Was behind one at a barefoot endurance tournament, at 36 mph wanted to get back into the wake, but gave up, needed a stepladder. It looked knee high.

just like my 1967 SS396 Chevelle!

Don’t know for sure, the owner thought maybe crankshaft broke after initial inspection today. I’m the furthest thing from a mechanic, but the owner certainly knows his stuff.  It was a sad day for a fine boat & machine. 

It blew up??? Like, drop a valve? Spin a bearing? Blown head gasket?

The No Wood Stringer note is important.  Stringers can rot out and that repair can take months of hard work, pretty much makes a boat worth about 25% value compared to a solid stringer boat.  There are many old boats with wood stringers that are perfectly OK but there are many also out there with rotted stringers.  Do some homework on this one.

That's so true Skier. I made a point to keep my previous Sport as light as I could when I went out to "ski". Ballast empty, half a tank, and nothing in the rear trunk. That worked pretty well.