Water Ski June 2018

We’re boasting two innovations in presenting this month’s content to you, both centered on our cover. We normally photograph cover boats from a helicopter, but the Malibu M235 gracing this issue’s cover was shot utilizing a drone. These days, using a drone for photography might appear to be a no-brainer, but the fact is the situation needs to be just right for a drone to make sense. The boat needs to be going slow enough so the drone can match speed with the boat so a blur-free still image can be shot. Still images are much more demanding in this regard than video. Moreover, most new boats don’t look right until they are up and running at 30 or more miles per hour. Such speed delivers a bow-up attitude, ensures…

Having learned to ski before he could even walk (at a tender six months old), Trevor Hansen has spent his life on and around the water. For 14 years he competed at the highest levels on the Pro Wakeboard Tour, but since 2015, as his riding career was winding down, he still found himself in the thick of the competition — in the driver’s seat. What’s it like going from competing on the Pro Wake-board Tour as an athlete to being the driver? I have always loved the competitive atmosphere, so it’s different not having that game-day pressure and having to go perform at my highest level on the water, but it’s pretty cool to still be part of the action by being in the boat. What’s the hardest part…

1. What does the term “chine walking” mean, and why is it a potentially dangerous handling problem at speed? A. Chine walking means the boat moves back and forth from fore to aft excessively; this can cause pitching and potentially stuff the bow into a wave. B. Chine walking means the boat rocks side to side at speed due to a variety of reasons; if left unchecked as speed rises, it can become excessive and violent enough to cause loss of control and potentially barrel-roll (capsize) the hull. C. Chine walking is when the boat walks home without engine power after a rough day at sea. D. None of the above 2. What could cause poor boat handling at high speed? A. Crossing wakes at the wrong angle, at high…

CONNELLY KATANA THE STYLE: It’s a surfer-style board that has straighter rails and deeper fins to give it more drive to allow for pumping and gaining momentum to surf in a traditional ocean-wave style. THE SHRED: The Katana is an expert-level board with sharp rails at the tail, round buoyant rails toward the nose, and a quad fin setup. The board has a blazing-fast drive and pop off the lip. THE NUMBERS: $600 for a 4-foot-7-inch or 4-foot-10-inch board; connellyskis.com CONNELLY BIG EASY THE STYLE: It’s the wakesurfing equivalent of the classic longboard, designed for cruising and doing tricks such as nose riding. THE SHRED: The Big Easy is the longest surfer that Connelly offers, with a tri-fin setup and a tapered tail design that allows for easy maneuverability. The…

Acushnet, a Coast Guard cutter involved in one of the most famous rescues in the history of the service branch, is being re-commissioned to help save the oceans. The 213-foot diver-class vessel actually got its start in World War II as the USS Shackle, a salvage and rescue ship based out of Pearl Harbor that completed 55 salvage and rescue operations in the Pacific Theater — its crew was decorated several times over for its service. After World War II, the Coast Guard re-commissioned the vessel as Acushnet, beginning its second life as a search-and-rescue cutter, as well as an ice-patrol boat monitoring icebergs, based out of Portland, Maine. Acushnet was involved in the rescue of several crewmen after two tankers split in two during a blizzard off the coast…

When I was a teenager many (many) years ago, I had a 15-foot Starcraft SS15 powered by a 60 Evinrude. I loved that boat and had many great adventures in it. One day, some buddies and I were exploring the upper Niagara River and Chippawa Creek. Chippawa Creek is on the Canadian side and meets the river about 2 miles above Horseshoe Falls. After exploring the creek and re-entering the river, we stopped to relieve ourselves. I turned off the engine, and we took care of our business. By the time we had finished, we had drifted past the warning sign on the bank of the river. The sign, in a typical Canadian manner of understatement, read “Navigation Prohibited. Dangerous Waters Ahead.” By dangerous waters, of course, it meant that…