Goode PowerVest Video - 12 passes

Horton

The above video is almost 9 minutes long / 2 rides / 12 passes of me skiing at 28 off. These are my first two 34 mph rides since surgery. I cannot think of anything less interesting. The skiing itself is not super technical. Some of the passes felt good and some are really crap.

What is impressive is that I was not freaking exhausted afterwards. I did not hurt the next day. The PowerVest unquestionably makes a huge difference. It does not impede my skiing and is letting me get back up to speed after a year off the water.

Gear Used
Goode PowerVest
Wakeye xt-One
Camaro MODETEC SKIN MONO
Reflex Boot w/ R Style
Radar 2015 “Blue” Vapor (get one on sale at www.perfski.com )

Chef23

@Horton.
Good to see you on the ski again and back up to full boat speed. Do you feel any restriction when you stretch in the turns? Have you custom molded it?

Bulldog

Another question would be "do you feel the benefits of the power vest justify the cost?" It is expensive but sometimes you do actually get what you pay for.

EFW

Nice wake

skidawg

Very bummed there was no yard sale!!

bigtex2011

Haha @skidawg .. maybe he can tighten the straps and make T-rex arms

Horton

@Bulldog that is a hard question to answer. Let me answer in two ways

1) Is a $1,400 - $2,000 ski worth it? Is a $75,000 boat worth it? It depends on your goals and budget.

2) For a healthy 20 year old - NO. For a 60 + year skier with lots of broken parts - YES. For everyone in between it is a sliding scale so MAYBE. Would you pay for a piece of gear that lets you ski a more?

Bulldog

@Horton good post. It would be priceless in that case.

disland

Just being able to ski more passes makes this interesting. I went windsurfing a few days ago in 25 mph winds and 5ft surf and you wouldnt even consider trying to do that without a harness. Without a harness your arms and grip would last about 5 minutes and you would be done for the day

Texas6

@Horton, where would you say you are feeling the most relief on your body? As a sufferer of chronic elbow tendinitis during the ski months, I have wondered about it. Would you say it's more helpful on the arms than the lower back, or both?

Horton

@Texas6 the way I have it set the most impact is arms, shoulders and upper back (I think)

Horton

@Chef23

I feel no restriction at all reaching at the ball. I was worried about that but no.

I have not molded it. Since it is a review I try to keep things stock. I like the vest the way it is. Not sure that I need to mold it.

buoyboy1

John - Do you think the straps will put wear and tear on a drysuit or wetsuit over time?

Jordan

@Horton ...I think that since the vest is designed to be molded...such that molded is indeed stock as it was intended to be used...why not mold it up and report on the difference?

Horton

@Jordan partly because I an up to my ass in things to do. Are there actually instructions from Goode about the heat molding?

SkiJay

@buoyboy1 I used the PowerVest for three years and about a thousand sets, three quarters of which were with neoprene tops or wetsuits. None of the neoprene showed any signs of wear. The straps feed through sheaths that feed the straps under your arms to protect your lats, and in the process your neoprene.

@Jordan @Horton I don't think Goode intends for the backplate to be custom molded and there are no official instructions. Molding can lead to cracks and failures of the plate. That said, I did lots of experimenting with molding. It made the vest marginally more comfortable and a little less prosthetic looking, but molding didn't seem to impact the performance one way or the other.



This remold gave it a narrower waste, a slight outward flair along the bottom edge, and a better form-fitting shape over the shoulders. I used a heat gun and patience on this one. Using the oven works too, but that's a two person operation, and less precise because the plastic cools and hardens so fast. It's also worth noting that the vest wasn't designed with easy plate removal in mind and the whole process can be a bit of a chore.

rodltg2

I would love to get one if those .however I've spent a lot $$$ on waterskiing this year. New ski lake home , new water ski , and new boat. i'm surprisedmy non-skiing wife hasn't killed me yet !

Milford

Heat molding the plate certainly makes it more comfortable. I don't think it causes any weakening of the material. I have had non heat molded plates crack as well as heat molded crack. Reinforcing the material just under the area that the strap runs through certainly helps. Or you could go with the option I did last year, which is make a custom molded plate out of carbon fiber. Made a cast of my back with plaster of paris and then used that as a mold to to lay up the carbon and vacuum bagged it. End result is a much stronger (bulletproof) custom fit back plate that you barely notice when wearing.

JAG

as a chronic low back pain sufferer, can you say that the vest relieves some of that pressure? It seems after my 1st pass in the course, I can feel my back tightening up, grip getting weak.

thanks,

RPG

Horton

@rpg low back? I think so but am unsure. I know it is definitely taking a lot of load out of my arms shoulders and upper back

@Milford ?

Jordan

john...do you think that you will stick with the powervest for the long run...or just until you gain confidence in your arm?

Horton

@Jordan I am not sure. The one thing I do not like about the vest is that I am not getting very much exercise when I ski.

My back is killing me because I have started seeing a trainer and she is an evil witch so I am going to be super happy to use the vest today. When I think I am going to ski for maybe 4 days in a row I will for sure wear the vest. When I first shorten to 35 or 38 and may take some hits I will wear the vest.

On the other hand... I think may go back to my normal vest when I am only getting one ride for the day so I can build some muscle.

So really I am not sure how much or how little I will use it going forward. I am sure it works. I am sure it is magic if you need to protect your arms, shoulders and back. There is no question that the vest protects you from taking hits. I am sure it lets you ski a LOT more per day.

Milford

@rpg - yes it does protect the lower back and will eliminate that tightening up feeling. As long as you are in a stacked position, you are receiving some benefit. How much depends on how tight you run your straps. I try to run my straps as loose as possible, as it helps get free in the edge change coming into the buoy. If you break at the waist during the turn, let go. In those situations the vest does not protect the lower back. Having had 2 lower back surgeries, with a 3rd probably in my future, I have decided to use it all the time and not mess around. It really is a great option for those who need it.

@horton - Build muscle in the gym. Much more controlled environment. Use that muscle while skiing. Also, if you can ski without the vest, I believe you will ski better, so the goal should be to use it to heal and then when you feel 85-90%, lose it.

Anyone planning on going on an off season, week long ski vacation to Costa Rica or Mexico would benefit greatly, as you will be able to ski every day and not be so sore that you can't move.

Horton

I skied without it today just to see the difference. Wow! skiing is a lot of work.

sailworks

Milford and Skijay - you guys obviously have a lot of experience with PV!
As advocate for PV and several year user - I can make a couple of comments that might be of interest to those exploring the vest re molding and plate breakage:
1. I've found that molding works well re better (more comfortable) fit, and agree no difference in performance, and no difference in "breakability". I use oven at 250, always have plenty of to time to slip the plate back into vest, put on the vest over wet suit, wrap w 6 inch ace - done!
2. The plate can and will break (after enough ups) - always along the axis of strap (see pic), and did repeatedly until I found solution as follows: take a piece of a broken plate (until you do this, you may have several), warm til soft, cut (easy with scissors) a piece roughly 3x4 inches, and while still warm, lay it on back of working (intact) plate in axis of strap from slot to edge of plate, and use packing tape to hold it there (glue / epoxy will not work). This patch is completely stable and has completely eliminated this recurring problem!
3. I don't have a pic of the reinforcing "taped patch", but you can kinda see it here in pic of mod using eyebolts to replace gizmo that PV comes with.



If you are at a point in life where you love to ski but want to protect hands, elbows, biceps, epicondylitis, shoulders and back - PV rocks!

disland

@saiworks why packing tape vs ducktape?

sailworks

@disland
I suspect duck tape will hold the reinforing "patch" , but the packing tape (unlike duck tape) is low friction with respect to strap. I place it to hold the reinforcement, but also to make the strap slide smoothly at edge of back plate (where the strap tends to wear over time). The bending forces where the plate fails (see pic) are high, packing tape will not stretch under these loads. Besides, packing tape weighs nothing, and doesn't hold water. You don't need all the tape that shows in picture, but packing tape is really stiff and and I thought it might add stiffness to the molded part of the plate. Not sure about that, but cost nothing to try:)
I think the eyebolts provide much less friction than stock set up!

Milford

Prior to making a carbon fiber plate, I was reinforcing the pvc plate with additional material and attaching with stainless steel screws with countersunk threaded nuts. Not sure what they are actually called, but here is a few pics of what I did to keep the plate from cracking.

Garn

Where did you get your carbon plate Jeff @Milford?

Milford

@garn - got it at Walmart. Same isle as the tampons....

Garn

LOLOLOL!!!