full throttle vs partial throttle take off

cannonman

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Messages
92
I'm finding that for beginner wakeboarders especially, they can learn to get up easier if I don't floor the throttle when taking off. I'm sure this could depend on the skier, boat, and engine setup. I have a Crownline 202 with the 5.0 carbed engine and a wake board tower. It has plenty of power to pull people up, but actually seems better for the skier at about 3/4 throttle for take offs. The more powerfull boats we've been towed with almost seem to pull so hard they put additional strain on your body. Any thoughts?
 

ihearth2o

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 18, 2014
Messages
187
Only time I go full WOT is with skiers, especially slalom. Boarders can pop up with much less torque.
 

oldjeep

Admiral
Joined
May 17, 2010
Messages
6,455
I use almost no throttle to pull boarders up, close to full for a slalom skier.
 

rallyart

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Jun 7, 2008
Messages
1,175
My youngest daughter started wakeboarding at 5 on her brothers 130 board. "Hit it" meant putting the boat in gear and she was up. I usually don't go full throttle and I 'roll' into the throttle when I put on the power pulling anything. They'll be on the board quickly but it takes another second for them to be travelling fast enough to stand. Wakeboarding definitely takes less throttle than a slalom skier.
 

theBrownskull

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 23, 2012
Messages
625
I ease the throttle for a wakeboarder and more throttle for a skier. It seems to be the same for inboards and v-drives but they have way better take off. Like the boat in "oldjeeps" signature.
 

Lake Lizzard

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 3, 2012
Messages
107
I would agree with the above. I use a progressive throttle response. Tighten the line up and make sure the skier is adjusted correctly, they say go, and then add throttle in a progressive manner until they are up and the correct speed has been reached. It is different for different skiers and weights of skiers. It is much easier on the hands this way. It will depend on your boat. A direct drive boat will typically have more pulling power than a I/O. Some underpowered I/O boats will require full throttle to get people up as they climb out of the water more slowly.
 
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