Do ski rope handles float?

[durdy]

I bought an Airhead rope earlier this summer. On the label it said "floating handle". The handle sunk about 3 feet under the surface - buoyed only by the line itself. The rope had some sort of plastic tubing around the rope near the handle supposedly as an aid for deep water slalom starts. I wanted the handle to float for everyone's visibility and figured either something was wrong with this one or the extra rope cladding made it heavy. I exchanged it for a different Airhead model. Model #2 also said "floating handle". It sinks even deeper.

I can easily exchange this one too but want to know whether or not inexpensive ($30-40) ski rope handles normally sink. Odd that Airhead specifically says floating handle when these things clearly don't.

 

[Uraijit]

Re: Do ski rope handles float?

If it says it floats, and it doesn't, then it's not working as advertised.

My rope is a cheaper model, and I noticed right away that it doesn't float. Next rope I buy, I'm going to make SURE it has a nice cushy handle that FLOATS!

 

[Hit It]

Re: Do ski rope handles float?

Most ski ropes handles that I have ever used float, except the one I most recently purchased. Seems kinda dumb to make a handle that doesn't float - go figure. You can get a little foam float that slips around the rope up to the where the rope splits for the handle so that it floats it. I bought one for about $2-3. Cheaper than a new rope.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Do ski rope handles float?

Ours floats about 2 foot under the surface !!!! Airhead as well.

 

[cmcpherson]

Re: Do ski rope handles float?

Ski rope handles that don't float, who ever heard of such a thing? What a huge PITA!!!! Quality ropes and handles are the only way to go, especially with ski/wakeboard ropes. I can't believe ANYONE would put up with this!!!

 

[WizeOne]

Re: Do ski rope handles float?

I once had a rope who's handles did not float. I cut them off and tossed them. Saved the rope for general purposes and went out a got one that did.

Nothing worse than having the handles drag a foot below the water. Neither the skier or the boat driver can see them.

 

[durdy]

Re: Do ski rope handles float?

Thanks all. I'll conclude that it's reasonable to expect a handle to float, especially if the label says it does.

The good folks at Airhead/Kwik Tek claim their handles should float as advertised and offered to RMA my second rope. It's more convenient for me to exchange it locally so I'll do it that way.

Previous to talking to them I was going to exchange for a different brand rope assuming a 2/2 sink rate would be a good indicator the 3rd will sink too. Now based on their conviction I've been extremely unlucky to have used two bad specimens, I'll go through the exchange and see how the 3rd rope fares just for fun.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: Do ski rope handles float?

Depends on quality. Usually the good handles sink. And incidentally it's not unheard of for a competition slalom handle to cost $70+. And that doesn't even include the rope! And yes, when you spend that much for a handle, I can pretty well guarantee you it will sink.

I've had at least 15 ropes/handles over the years. In my experience the handles of the cheapo deparment store setups often float (1 piece ropes, plastic handles with foam grips), but most of the higher quality ropes I've bought usually do NOT have floating handles (8+ section ropes, aluminum core handles, hard rubber grips, etc). As stated already, the ropes always do float, so the handles can only sink so far.

If you get onto the more serious waterski forums and ask for a good floating handle and they will tell you there's no such thing...that a floating handle is too weak to handle the forces exerted in a competition slalom run. And I did once have a floating handle that broke right in half on a hard cut...that was a cheapy rope anyway and I didn't get hurt, but I started buying better quality after that incident. But for recreational skiing, I'm sure a floating rope handle would hold up fine for many years.

Frankly I have never seen a sinking handle be an actual problem. When the boat idles forward, the handle comes back to the top, so it's always at the surface when circling the downed skiier anyway to bring them the rope, and all can see it fine. But when the boat stops, yes the handle sinks. But it's always easy to find...just look at the end of the rope! One end has a boat attached to it, and the other end has the handle!

All that said, if your Airhead rope specifically advertises and states "floating handle", the dang thing better float! I'd be irritated too if that were a feature I cared about when I bought the rope!

 

[Uraijit]

Re: Do ski rope handles float?

I have a "Stearns Deluxe" rope, that doesn't come up to the surface while the boat is moving. The rope itself floats pretty well, so it's possible to find the rope most of the time, but if the water is particularly muddy, it sometimes takes a couple of trips around the skier/boarder for them to be able to find it.

Somebody mentioned a "float" to put on the rope. If anybody knows a good cheap source for such things, I'd be interested in trying one out.

 

[cmcpherson]

Re: Do ski rope handles float?

Here you go, it does not get much cheaper than this:

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/pro...c=Plastic_Float&str=float&merchID=1008&r=view

 

[Hit It]

Re: Do ski rope handles float?

Uraijit, it looks like you're in Utah too. I just bought mine at Boater's Outlet in SLC, seems like it was about $3. I would bet that most boater's supply stores would have them.

 

[BMOLCHANY]

Re: Do ski rope handles float?

Most that I have had experience do at the surface or near it. The problem usually occurs when someone puts a larger than normal handle on the line and it can not float it.

 

[DaveM]

Re: Do ski rope handles float?

The handle does not float on the rope I use. This is not a problem as the handle never sitting out in open water. It is either in my hand, dragging behind the boat or being pulled back into the boat. The cheap ones do float, however.

 

[electricjohn]

Re: Do ski rope handles float?

The handles and line with the plastic heat shrink on them do not usually float. Especially after water gets inside the plastic. The heat shrink is there to prevent rope burns.