Fisrt Set with MPD / Pro Ski Coach Water Ski Forum

area 41 · #1 Fri, Sep 28, 2007 12:07 PM

I finally got to try my new MPD yesterday after skiing a Monza with fogmans for three seasons. I also switched to powershell 4's. I know it's not the smartest thing to change boots and ski at once but I didn't have the chance to do this exactly as I would have liked and I thought that maybe going from one double hardshell to another wouldn't be too tough.

I'm rff and ski at 34. I set the powershells at 28 5/8". I don't have my notes in front of me but I pretty sure out of the box the fin was 2.515, 6.835(goode jaws) and .750 (head of caliper) wing 8 blade down. Now, the moment of truth comes. I got up ok but almost fell going around the turn island. It felt kinda like I was riding a ski that was 2" wide. I don't know but maybe it was a difference in edge control between the two boot systems. After a few trips up and down the lake, I carefully tried the course. Not so bad behind the boat and around 1. I get to two and turn it trying to stay countered and balanced. Whoa! It bites like crazy. I had to immediately stand up or it may have circled back around the buoy. I try two more passes. Exact same thing. So, I'm back to the dock. I move the fin back .035 and try again. This time it feels better from the start. I got a good turn in and it started feeling really fast behind the boat. Coming around one was pretty nice also. But at 2 it still bit way too hard. I was able to almost complete the turn this time but there was no way I could ride it out to hookup.

I don't know a lot about tuning but I guess I'll try moving the fin back some more today. Can anybody give me some advice?

Overall, the ski feels like it has potential. It was like a rocket behind the boat! I just wish I could have gotten use to the powershells with my monza. I think they have a lot more forward flexibility even if they didn't have the rear heel lift. It would have been nice to know how much that is playing into the situation.

area 41 · #2 Sun, Sep 30, 2007 1:17 AM

I have experimented much more with fin and bindings. The majority of the problem has turned out to be the bindings. Specifically the liners. When I heat molded them they became so thin that I could hardly buckle the shells down tight enough to keep my heels from sliding up and down. I switched to the liners I had in my fogmans which have an overlap instead of a tongue...so there is more bulk in the shell which felt a lot better. And just to make the setup feel more like the fogman I removed the rear heel lift device and bolted straight to the main plate. Now I am have put the fin back to the out of the box settings and have had much more success. I ran several 28's and a 32 headwind. I couldn't do much with it in the tailwind but the biting I was feeling in the beginning had to be a result of the linings letting me get too much weight on the front.

ChrisRossi · #3 Fri, Oct 5, 2007 4:04 AM

Area 41
I'm guessing you have a 66? I think you could run the fin a little shallower. If you want to try something different than what you are riding try these:

Bindings -same- 28 5/8
2.505
6.841
0.758
8 degrees

Chris

area 41 · #4 Fri, Oct 5, 2007 9:21 PM

Chris, yep it's a 66. In the week or so that I have been on it, things have been really up and down with the ski. I have moved fin, moved bindings, in short I have been chasing it all over the place. For my last set, I just put fin back to the out of the box settings. A friend watched me and helped me stay countered and only turn the ski with my lower body. I instantly had success!!. It felt great! Let me tell you it was shocking the way it got back to the wakes with so much speed. I have never felt a ski maintain that much speed through the turn. Do you think this ski is just really sensitive to proper body position? More so than others?
Thanks for your time here,
LIndsay