well as long as whatever you're towing is on plane and not lagging behind in the water and can manoevre around comfortably then you know you are going fast enough .......
i try to watch the wake and go as slow as i can before the wake starts to crumble, gotta keep the wake clean. after that, if the rider wants to go faster, they can tell me with hand signals.
on a hydroslide/kneeboard you can go slower - how slow is a question for the rider. Whatever they are comforatable with is the best speed. Remember the faster you go the worse it hurts when you fall. Start slow and increase the speed as your skill improves. I would say you can pull most tricks wake to wake at around 20-21 mph. You say your boat doesn't plane until 20mph doesn't sound right. If you are using the spedo on the boat it may be wrong - GPS is the best measure of speed for sure.
actualy i was just seein if my boat could pull a kneeboard because i no from other sources it wont pull a wake board.................... so i guess my new question is............
HOW FAST DO U NEED TO GO TO KNEEBOARD IF ALL I WANT TO DO IS GET PULLED............NO TRICKS???????
to get pulled only, you just need to go forward, so someone in a canoe can also pull you forward ...... there is no correct speed, depending on your weight is depending on how fast you need to get pulled .....
the size of the board and the amount of weight on top of it are going to determine the speed you'll need. it should be easier to pull a kneeboarder though. the board is usually bigger and take-offs don't require as much pull...usually.
we use to kneeboard behind a 25hp in high school, if my brain cells are remembering what they are supposed to.
i would say 5-10 mph. We use to hydroslide and ride a surfboard behind a 9.9 hp on a ganoe looking thing when I was 15. I don't think it would break 10 mph while towing.
Weight does not matter - skill level is way more important. Ride at a speed you are comforatable with to begin. If you feel like you are bogging down then speed up - if you slide out too much or can't get an edge to bite then slow down. Once you get the feel for turning and jumping then speed it up. Most guy will ride between 21-23 mph. Remember the faster you go the worse it hurts when you fall.
Only one way to find out for sure! I would guess you could. The fewer people in the boat the better the chance. However, If you do not have a mirror you will need a 3rd person in the boat to be legal. Start out lying on the with your elbows between you and the board. Once up on plane pop up onto your knees and have fun. With a bigger boat you may be able to start-out up on your knees.
some states require a 3rd person even if you have a mirror and I think some even require a skier down flag or something like that. I know florida and Georgia law is 2ppl (a driver and skier only) with a mirror or 3 ppl (driver, passenger and skier) without a mirror - no flag required. The fines are relatively cheap and unless you are missing other required gear such as horn/whistle, flares, lifejacket or registeration they probably will not ticket you.
Used Hydroslides are generally easy to find on e-bay or garage sales. Just ask around and you can probably find someone that will let you use thiers. I would personally look for a very old used surfboard. If it has 3 fins and no open dings it will work. For me riding a surfboard is way more fun than a hydroslide and you do not have to go much faster.
