wake boarding without a tower

[nightvision]

Hi all,<br />I'm just curious to know if one can use a wake board like water skis. Let say one does not have a tower and just hook it up to the boat eye for water skiing. Can the person still wakebaord and jump over the wake with the asumption that they will not be doing any air tricks.<br /><br />It seems that the wakeboard setup is similar to snow boarding and my kids will be more incline to transion over to snowboarding then skis. It guess it's way more cool then skiing as they would say. For a beginner who never ski behind a boat before, would it be easier to start with a wakeboard or skis. <br /><br />I'm just trying to find ways to keep the kids active and give some fun. Thanks.

 

[QC]

Re: wake boarding without a tower

Yes, you can absolutely wakeboard, get air, jump wakes etc. from a standard low ski eye. The benefits of a tower are that the pull is up instead of down, and that the pull point is forward of the engine/weight center. My experience with wakeboards are that they are easier to get someone up on (power) than a slaom ski. So you can throw out the forward benefit thing and it simply becomes easier for a rider to get more air if he/her is pulling on a rope goiing up. My .02.

 

[sangerwaker]

Re: wake boarding without a tower

You'll have no problems using the tow eye. An experienced wkeboarder may not like the downward pull, but for a beginner it will be fine. The boarder will not be able to get as much air time as using a tower or extended pylon, but will still be able to jump the wake. One hint will be to experiment with rope length to find the optimum place to board on the wake. A shorter rope will put you at a place where the wake is narrower, making it easier to jump across.

 

[tommays]

Re: wake boarding without a tower

twin skis are much easyer to learn on and get a feel for the rope and how to stand up straight<br /><br />the wake board requires a LOT more balance and most people start with the board sideways and turn it forward as they get on top of the water<br /><br /><br />which is not really that hard BUT not the best way to start learning watersking<br /><br />tommays<br /><br />

 

[vipzach]

Re: wake boarding without a tower

They are right, you can get up fine using the ski eye on your boat. It is easier to getup on two ski's than a wakeboard.<br />I personally can't get up with the board turned sideways, I point the board up like a salom ski and can get up. It is definately diiferent than ski's though and will take several tries getting up. They are alot of fun though after afew spills. GOOD LUCK!

 

[sangerwaker]

Re: wake boarding without a tower

I have always told people I teach "If you don't fall, you're not learning anything". Spills are part of the learning process. Just learn HOW to fall. That's the key to not getting hurt.

 

[bossee]

Re: wake boarding without a tower

No problem wakeboarding without a tower or pylon.<br />I started wakeboarding that way. I have now a pylon however and with that You get a pull upwards and that is a plus. I use a Big Air Pylon, the universal pylon. It is easy to mount and should fit most boats.<br />You can check it out at bigairpylons.com

 

[nightvision]

Re: wake boarding without a tower

Hi all,<br />Thanks for the comments. I'll give it a try with the wakeboard. Can you give me some instruction on how fast to push the boat for a beginner to say up? Any instructions would be appreciated.

 

[WSUDERMAN]

Re: wake boarding without a tower

Your speed should be between 15-18. <br />To get up the boat pull should be a role-on, not a "hit it" like skiing. In the water the boarder should be facing the boat with the board horizontal with the rope over the top. To get up i tell them "its like you are sitting on the floor, with your feet against a step and you reach out, grab someones hand(the rope) and they (the boat) will pull you up." Once they are up transfer their weight back to the rear foot and the board will straighten out.<br />Also, a 50 ft rope can make this a bit easier.<br /><br />Here is another method...<br /><br /> http://waterski.about.com/od/beginnerwakeboardingtips/ht/wakedeep_starts.htm <br /><br />Good luck, its addicting...<br />wes

 

[murphini]

Re: wake boarding without a tower

I too have same issue, 14 and 11 year olds. Santa brought wakeboards. I also bought a MonsterTower and will be installing over the next week or so. http://www.monstertower.com <br /><br />Tower will hopefully make it easier to get up for them on ski's also--and get the boards off the floor.<br /><br />I'll post with updates after getting the board on.

 

[lakelivin]

Re: wake boarding without a tower

IMHO, biggest downside to tow eye instead of tower for beginners is if they catch the front of the board on the water. The low pull can contribute to some pretty harsh faceplants. No time to 'fall right'.<br /><br />But it's probably a bigger issue for advanced beginners/ intermediates who are learning things like crossing over to switchstance position...<br /><br />p.s. I always thought twin skis were much easier to learn than a wakeboard, but have had several of my nephews tell me they found wakeboard much easier. Must have to do with the frequency that todays youth skateboard or snowboard...