Help noob pick watersports...in here--->

[Plasma George]

In the sig, Maxum with a 120hp outboard. I bought a 2 hook harness w/ pulley and 60' rope from Overton's. We had a blast tubing my 8 year old, neighbors 12yo, and 2 Dad's.
BUT, We're wanting more.

TUBING-Will remain great fun for the under 10yos for a few more years, but the older group wants more air and more challenging fun, more painful wipeouts.
What's next ?

KNEE BOARDING-Is this next logical step to master and learn ? Can small kids get up quick on a knee board, or is that more for older kids ? My neighbor said he did it and it's painful on the knees, and skip it.

SKIING-I do have a pair of adult water skis that would be simple quick and cheap to try. But like snow boarding and rip sticking (that all of us are doing) nobody seems to be skiing these days, so I'm not jumping into skiing, and I don't have kids skis.

WAKEBOARDING-Looks like I would need a kids board and an adult board ($$$$) and storing on the boat, not in a locker, like all the others mentioned.

The big question, What can I do with my current rig ?-
Am I right in saying I can do all of the above except wakeboarding ? This is my 2nd boat in less than a year, so if a wake tower is a must, that my be the next boat, with more Hp. Expecially if most of the passengers are under 10yo (both my kids), and probably to young for wakeboarding....the boat suddenly becomes for my friends, not for my family.

 

[convergent]

Re: Help noob pick watersports...in here--->

I wouldn't say that no one is skiing anymore. On the lake that we frequent, there are a lot of people skiing.. probably a bit more wakeboarding because its the latest "fad", but more skiing than kneeboarding. I was interested in your thread because I'm just getting back into boating after away for many years and just bought a boat too... just picked up some skis about a week ago and have been teaching my kids. There's no reason why you can do all of the above with your boat. From what I've seen and read, a beginner wakeboarder will be happy behind any boat. Its when they get to the point of wanting to do tricks and stuff that they need the tower, ballast, etc. I am thinking of picking up a wakeboard and let my kids give it a go. I have no idea which one I'd buy though, so I'm interested in any suggestions you get.

When we were boating more years ago, I tried kneeboarding and could never do it, but our kids seemed to enjoy it. They've added a hook to the front of the kneeboard that you can stick your handle in while getting planed off and positioned on the kneeboard which makes it a lot easier, so we'll be trying that. Its definitely easier for the smaller kids but you need smooth water. Not a lot of ability to absorb bumps and stuff with just your knees.

If you can get a copy of it, O'brien has a really great DVD that comes with their skis and boards which goes through the technique for every different kind of board/ski... how to start, how to ride, etc. My kids enjoyed watching that and it really helped them. I got my two youngest up on skis on the first try.

 

[skibrain]

Re: Help noob pick watersports...in here--->

You absolutely do not need a tower on your boat to go wake boarding. Just like you don't need a direct drive inboard to go water skiing.

We have collected all types of water sports gear over the years. Except for tubes, most of it has been purchased used.

The kids have been tubing through the years and still like that. Get a pair of flat (no doughnut hole) tubes and pull two tubes at a time for bumping and more action/social fun-factor as the kids get older.

Buy a 30-$50 kneeboard. Try it and if you abandon that in a few years, resell it or give it away. I like it but my 50 yr old knees will not tolerate it. My kids preferred it and had quick success with it in the jr. high years, then moved to skiing.

Try them all. If you latch onto an activity you REALLY like, you can improve your gear or your maybe your kids will get to the point of wanting to spend their own $$ on their OWN specific gear.

 

[convergent]

Re: Help noob pick watersports...in here--->

One other comment... I have 4 kids and they don't all like the same watersports. My son loves to ski after just a week of it. His sister hates it and loves to tube. The only challenge is hauling all the toys in the boat.

 

[shaneb0422]

Re: Help noob pick watersports...in here--->

That boat will be fine to start wakeboarding, or just about any other water activity you would like to get into.
Me (22 yrs old) and my friends love wakeboarding. But my dad (50) is stuck on skiing. I also like some kneeboarding too, and with the hooks these days it's easier than ever.
My little brothers are trying to get into wakeboarding, it's a little tougher for them as I grew up skateboarding and snowboarding so it kind of comes natural(er) to me.
Tubes never go out of style as long as you have the right ones. The hardest part about tubing is the amount of space they take up in the boat.
Like said before, a round tube, like an Airhead Slice is a lot of fun if you get a couple in the water and there are some others out there that are a blast.

 

[Plasma George]

Re: Help noob pick watersports...in here--->

Excellent replies, thanks fellas.

Keep them coming, I love reading about other guys experiences with the younger kids, etc.

How do you get 2 tubers going ?....I have the 60' line from Overtons, I assume it's a "Y" type connect that goes on that ?

 

[breastman569]

Re: Help noob pick watersports...in here--->

you can always add another hook to the back for second line i have pulled three skiers using the two tiedown hooks for the trailer. as far a wakeboarding goes your kids will have no problem being pulled up and out with your boat, now you on the other hand without really knowing what you are doing a lack of hp is not really the best for trying to learn on, not saying that you can't do it beacuse once you figure out how to get up, you can get up behind anything. as far as kids gear goes for wakeboarding always check craigslist or you can go with lower end boards from Big5 or places like that you dont have to throw down on Hyperlites and Liquid Forces right away.

 

[skibrain]

Re: Help noob pick watersports...in here--->

For multiple tubes, separate lines for each tube. Make sure the line lengths are the same. One line on each transom tie-down, or connect both lines to a central tow point. If we are tubing we pull multiples 90% of the time.

Here is an unintended rider transfer from black tube to green. Tubes bumped together and my son rolled completely onto the green. Followed by hysterical laughing.

(tubing disclaimer: these are in-shape HS aged kids asking for quite a bit of "action." And even here we are 15-20 mph max. Starting out, keep the speed down. And let the rider/s know you never want to pull them faster or on a wilder ride than what they signed up for)

or multiple skiers...

or multiple plywood saucers...

or 4 hp fun pulling an old wind surfer behind the Grumman

 

[skibrain]

Re: Help noob pick watersports...in here--->

As someone else said, hauling the gear, especially tubes, can be a challenge. When at the family cabin this is not a problem as we are skiing off a private dock and the extra people and gear are not in the boat. At the local public-access lake it is a bit more of a challenge because our boat wouldn't hold more than a few people and some skis. We would pile our stuff on-shore where we could come back and pick it up as needed. (I'm a pretty trusting type, but it also helps having a bunch of used gear that we didn't pay that much for in the first place).

Who says you can't get a lot of stuff in a 16' boat?

When we go to the lake, our order of activities:
Skiing first - When everyone is fresh, no tubing until everyone gives it a shot.
Kneeboarding next
Then tubing - a low, to no-skill sport.

Aren't these threads just so much more interesting with photos?

 

[convergent]

Re: Help noob pick watersports...in here--->

I had to come back and update this thread as we've expanded our watersports over the last week. We bought an Obrien wakeboard on sale at Dicks for $199, regular $299. It is rated at 115-205 pound riders, which covers all of my family of 6. My daughters boyfriend had no problem on it and he's 240, although I think he'd do better with a longer one. The point being, we have a fish and ski boat, and a harness from the transom eyes and two of the four in the boat got up and loved wakeboarding in a few minutes time. The other two gave up after a while and went back to skiing. My son learned to kick one and slalom a little. Then me... mr. old fart... jumped in and was skiing on one after a few minutes after 15 years of no skiing. We spent 8 hours at the lake the day after the 4th and had a blast.

The challenge, as has been said, is keeping all the stuff in the boat. I use the big booster ball for pulling tubes, and when I got it I invested in a fast inflater. I keep it in storage in the back and just connect it to the trolling motor battery and we can inflate or deflate our towables in just a couple of minutes. This is a lot easier than trying to haul them around inflated. The combo skis fit in the floor locker and the wakeboard can lay in the floor in the back. So we can get around with all the toys.

I'm sure we'll have a kneeboard shortly... its just a matter of time before that one makes it on the list.

I can say that i can see where wakeboarding can get expensive because the boards and bindings get pricey and they are kind of geared toward the size and ability of the wakeboarder, but I don't think you have to spend a fortune to get started.