Serious question, no snickering: waterskis mounted up alpine...

**GrizzlyFD** · 10-26-2007, 05:31 PM

Seems like a lot of reverse sidecut...maybe it's just me

Yea pine tar em up, if they have wood bases. Are they solid wood throughout? What's the weight?

**GapersGoHome** · 10-26-2007, 05:34 PM

solid wood, except for the topsheet.

weight = not as heavy as you would think.

**Jer** · 10-26-2007, 06:15 PM

Definetly pine tar 'em, channel and all. Use long screws on the bindings. Those graphics are beyond cool. This is the greatest thread I've seen in awhile.

**Chemical Ali' The Wax Master** · 10-26-2007, 06:24 PM

edges would be a waste of time. if you take those fuckers on anything other than deep powder, I don't think it will help you much. maybe a foot of edge at most, to stop.

**SuperGaper** · 10-26-2007, 06:40 PM

Try getting in touch with Mike Paris at Igneous, he skied around on some 4-5 years ago, I think it was the inspiration for the Snow Doobie (Unity Hiatt Pro Model).
I mounted a pair of Unitys last year, -4cm from true center fwiw.

**davep** · 10-26-2007, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by GapersGoHome

So the general opinion is that I should go for it?

Hell yes

Mount: Compare to praxis, spats, 'toons, and original waterski mount. Somewhere in there.

Find some old demos so you can move them around

Could these be the poor man's spats?

Um no, they will almost certainly suck, but should be a really fun suck.

**Mach Looney** · 10-26-2007, 06:50 PM

Since the surface area is so heavily concentrated at the front of the ski, you're going to have to mount these pretty far forward so the tail doesn't sink too much. I would take the mounting position on a spat, roughly calculate the surface area percentage that is in front of the mounting point, then mount on a point on your water skis that would have roughly the same percentage of surface area in front. You should be able to calculate the surface area with just a few measurements. No need to be exact, but it might be interesting what you find out.

Of course, this doesn't take into account the shape of your airfoil -- I mean amount of reverse camber, so maybe you should find the ski in GapersGoHome's list with the camber most similar to your water skis to do your comparison. Or maybe I'm crazy.

**Rasputin** · 10-26-2007, 06:57 PM

Originally Posted by AsheanMT

Will the bases hold wax?

It would be odd if they didn't, waxing skis originated long before ptex was invented. Once he sands off the clear coat they'll soak it up like a presidental candate sucks up campaign donations.

**stuckathuntermtn** · 10-26-2007, 07:04 PM

-5 to -7 from center.

**cantunamunch** · 10-26-2007, 07:06 PM

Why sand off the clear coat?

What's he gonna do, ski them on groomers to actually need wax?

They're waterskis fer cryin' out loud. Hence-> bases water repellent not shellacced with bug juice.

Fukk it, mount and ride.

**addict** · 10-26-2007, 07:06 PM

Originally Posted by GapersGoHome

Double skis... this makes sense... I guess I could always move 'em back if needed...

I have this weird feeling that they'll hold up to a couple of mounts....

**cantunamunch** · 10-26-2007, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by Mach Looney

Since the surface area is so heavily concentrated at the front of the ski, you're going to have to mount these pretty far forward so the tail doesn't sink too much. I would take the mounting position on a spat, roughly calculate the surface area percentage that is in front of the mounting point, then mount on a point on your water skis that would have roughly the same percentage of surface area in front. You should be able to calculate the surface area with just a few measurements. No need to be exact, but it might be interesting what you find out.

Of course, this doesn't take into account the shape of your airfoil -- I mean amount of reverse camber, so maybe you should find the ski in GapersGoHome's list with the camber most similar to your water skis to do your comparison. Or maybe I'm crazy.

Or maybe just find the balance point/line since they are pretty stinking flat.

**Jer** · 10-26-2007, 07:09 PM

You should find a nice deep flat field somewhere and get someone to tow you around on a sled.

**cantunamunch** · 10-26-2007, 07:10 PM

Originally Posted by Jer

You should find a nice deep flat field somewhere and get someone to tow you around on a sled.

Ski Kansas!

**Jer** · 10-26-2007, 08:09 PM

There'd be absolutely no competition for first tracks.

**blarin** · 10-26-2007, 08:25 PM

dood.... i totaly dig that convex sidecut... you could warp some bend into them, get a weight to stick out to the side, and pull some sweet reverse carve action!

**highflyingpilot** · 10-26-2007, 08:36 PM

TR please

**sfotex** · 10-26-2007, 10:22 PM

Originally Posted by GapersGoHome

Is that pine tar? Should I try that?

Check this out:
http://www.woodenskis.com/wood_waxing.htm

**trainnvain** · 10-26-2007, 10:48 PM

Wait 30 minutes after eating before you use these.

BLOOD SWEAT STEEL · 10-26-2007, 11:02 PM

Awesomeness.

Make sure you use some beater Salomon bindings first to make sure the holes are solid, then after a few days switch them to a burlier something-or-other with the same bolt pattern. Be a shame to lose a good heel or toepiece in deep powder on your first run. Either that or t-nuts.

**GapersGoHome** · 10-27-2007, 12:48 AM

Sweet. I'm doing it, then...

Here's the plan: I'll mount 'em with some old 900s demos (no way I'd use those 185s, BSS (those rock, btw, thanks for the gnarly ninja style)).

I'll go for a mount point using some sort of mathematical equation radness of surface area and balance points and chord centers and width and so on and so on... solve for x, basically.

I'll put one or two feet of edge on each side... probably more like one... that was a great idea - thanks, Wax Master.

I think I'll go with the cheater wax to start, to see if it's even feasible. Get a couple of runs on them, move the bindings forward or back... get nice n' centered. If indeed they do rock, I'll do the full pine tar bit - just to get a bit of 'ole school stoke.

There will be pics:
...of the new edges.
...of the mounting.
...of bending brakes for a 172mm waist.

...of the first-day carnage.
...of the pine tar application.
...of the wood waxing.

Thanks for the stoke, guys! There will be a full TR at some point in the winter.

**Rasputin** · 10-27-2007, 01:35 AM

Originally Posted by cantunamunch

Why sand off the clear coat?

What's he gonna do, ski them on groomers to actually need wax?

They're waterskis fer cryin' out loud. Hence-> bases water repellent not shellacced with bug juice.

Fukk it, mount and ride.

Well I suppose I was thinking of letting wax soak into the pores of the wood, then running over it with a buffing wheel on a drill. Wax will slide better than shellac on Sierra cement I'd bet, and especially on spring slop.

**leroy jenkins** · 10-27-2007, 01:50 AM

I have thought about this too. If it weren't for the fact that I don't think I'd be too fond of such a dramatic pintail, I might have traked a pair of water skis down.

I would mount pretty far forwards, but I'd mount with demos so you can fine tune it.

I would not worry about the bases or edges at all. Are you really ever going to bring these out if theres anything but pow? The existing wood base will probably be more durable than anything else you come up with. Besides, they might totally suck, and do you really want to put that much effort into something you might ski for an hour tops? Even if they do rock, you might realize that some slightly different water skis would work better, and end up never skiing these ones again.

Oh, and a TR of you skiing these would be way cooler than a TR of you mounting them.

Good luck, I hope they're awesome.

**GapersGoHome** · 10-27-2007, 02:39 AM

leroy.... I WILL be skiing these, and there will most definitely be a TR. I'll have Jim S or Corky or El Chup man the video camera...

**mmmthmtskier** · 10-27-2007, 08:51 AM

We want you skiing in a total old school wool suit set-up for this TR. Loved the link to the wooden ski/pine tar site(And I thought regular wax had a lingering odor...

)