try to decide

[San Diego State River Rat]

I'm trying to decide on what ski to get. I have read the monza vs. System 8 thread it seemed to make senice at first but the more i read the more screwed up i was getting on my thoughts. What i'm looking for is a good ski that will allow me to really grow as a course skier. So to give a little back ground, i have open water skied of my hole life till i came to sdsu and joined their ski team and now i'm trying to become a course skier. I'm running on a 68 VTX (ya i know it's a little old but it can still out ski me), i'm running 15 off at 30 mph but starting to get much better in the course. Any input would be nice. I have really thought about the Monza but we ski in Mission Bay which i would be afraid that the Monza is to hot a ski for salt water.

[88 PS190]

Salt water is denser and the ski should ride higher.

But what you should really be keeing in on is matching the ski to your speed and weight. a 68 at 30 mph I'm guessing from that you'd be about 180 pounds roughly. if you are lighter then you might consider moving over to a 66 in your new ski. Particularly if you do choose to move into a ski that has a bit more body to it.

From the skis I've tried and enjoyed I can really recommend the D3 products, the Nomad, or X5 are great.

There was a ski test of recreational skis and it makes the syncro (obrien) look very good.

For the monza/system 8 shape. I've tried it and couldn't ski calmly on the ski. I do not know why but I got very twitchy in my body movements.

As far as your VTX assuming it works for your weight range, I would probably stick with it and get your speed up, because that will be the final determinate on what length ski you will go for. As in if you keep going 30 and buy a new 66 ski, it might be too little surface, but if you start running 34 and had bought another 68 you might have wished you bought a 66.

[shepherd]

I wouldn't put too much stock in that Monza vs. System 8 thread. I wrote it :rolleyes: . Seriously, I'm still not sure whether the Monza was the best choice but I've been enjoying it a lot and have been making some personal bests in the course with it. But my experience is that it's a very finicky ski, very sensitive to fin adjustments, and it hates rough water. It truly is a high performance ski. Sometimes I feel like it's trying to kill me. :o

I'd love to re-do that Monza vs. System 8 test again, now that I have more experience under my belt and skiing at a little higher level.

[shepherd]

From the skis I've tried and enjoyed I can really recommend the D3 products, the Nomad, or X5 are great.

There was a ski test of recreational skis and it makes the syncro (obrien) look very good.

For the monza/system 8 shape. I've tried it and couldn't ski calmly on the ski. I do not know why but I got very twitchy in my body movements.

As far as your VTX assuming it works for your weight range, I would probably stick with it and get your speed up, because that will be the final determinate on what length ski you will go for. As in if you keep going 30 and buy a new 66 ski, it might be too little surface, but if you start running 34 and had bought another 68 you might have wished you bought a 66.

I agree with all said here. The Monza won't let me ski "calmly." On the other hand, it is incredibly fast and very exciting to ride (not sure if that's a good thing). I tried a D3 last month and found it to be very stable and predictable, even in rough water. But for some reason it kept dumping me on my onside turns :confused:, no matter what I tried. I'm not familiar with the VTX, but you might want to stick with it for a while until you improve more in the course, like 88PS190 says...

[San Diego State River Rat]

well i don't think that a 66 would work since i'm 205, i think that the ski would probly sink on me.lol.

[H20skeefreek]

You really need to be on a larger ski. I'm 195lbs, and I know that anything smaller than my 69" sixam wouldn't work for me. I'm struggling at 34mph, at 36mph, I may go to a 68" ski. You may want a 70" ski, but the only one I know of is the Obrien World Team.

[Brent]

I'd go for the 69" Sixam 2 point,it is slightly wider but a great course ski . I see people skiing from 26mph 15off through 34mph 35off on them & the ski looks great through all of it, 6 or 7 people at my club are on them with no complaints . I've been on a 69" Sixam 1 point(I'm 220LB) since mid June & loving it, switched from a 69.5 2005 Monza & do not regret the move at all. My Buoy count has remained about the same ,mid 35off 34mph, I just get there more often. The Monza is one sensitive finicky ski.

[San Diego State River Rat]

Well after this weekend i have decided what i'm geting, i tried some of the skis of the lake that i was at and i went up another pass, and ran it with ease so i'm pretty sure that i'm going with a system 8. but i wanted so say thanks to all you guys for imput.

[88 PS190]

there are charts but a 68" seems short for 200+ particularly at 30 mph.

I hit in at 160. and ride a 66", but even then below 30 mph the ski will start to sink through the turn and I really get slowed down by that.

[San Diego State River Rat]

well i'm on a 68 right now and able to run my passes with out sniking and the HO VTX is a much heavier ski then what i would be getting, because i open at 26 and as long as i'm staying on my edge and pulling hard to genrate my speed i don't really snik. Now from this last weekend I have steped up my speed by 2 and i don't tink it will be long before i will be runing in 34 so at that point i think a 68 will work. But if i'm way off in my thought let me know.

[shepherd]

well i'm on a 68 right now and able to run my passes with out sniking and the HO VTX is a much heavier ski then what i would be getting, because i open at 26 and as long as i'm staying on my edge and pulling hard to genrate my speed i don't really snik. Now from this last weekend I have steped up my speed by 2 and i don't tink it will be long before i will be runing in 34 so at that point i think a 68 will work. But if i'm way off in my thought let me know.


I think you're heading in the right direction. As the boat speed increases, the skiing will get easier! ;)

[rodltg2]

and when the line length gets shorter