Its only taken 14 years!!

[inthedirtagain]

We decided to celebrate my boy's birthday by going out to the lake this weekend. We just picked up this boat about one month ago, so we are definitely still learning. A friend of ours asked to come along and brought his wake skate and kneeboards. One is compression, the other is old-school (which we bought from him!). After following his instructions unsuccessfully, my family decided to do things their own way.........................and it worked!!! My wife got up on her first pull, then my 9yo son. Neither of them have ever done anything like this before. My son was doing 180's by the end of his first day! This got my 12yo daughter pissed, because she tried all day yesterday following the advice of our friend with no luck. She was soooooo moody, it wasn't funny. After pleading with her all day, she finally got up the courage to try again, but using my wife's advice this time. She was able to get up first pull today, and took several trips around our small lake.

I didn't have any luck with boards or skis today, but at 6'3/240lbs, I'm also maxing out the capabilities of my 45yo boat and outboard. I used to ski and wakeboard behind my mom's 15ft tri-hull and 85hp o/b in highschool, but that was about 18yrs and 3 chins ago. Our season is coming to a close, so next year I will be slimmer and we'll have a better boat to play with. This old Starcraft alum is fun for now, but if it can't pull me out, it's got to go. After 14yrs, I've finally found a hobby the whole family can enjoy!

 

[cannonman]

Re: Its only taken 14 years!!

Congratulations! You sound alot like us a few years ago. We now have a 20' Crownline with a 5.0 I/O and love it. The kids are grown now but still like to go with mom and dad when they can. Sometimes it's just my wife and I and that's fun also. It's a great way to enjoy being together and it's good for the kids to have something to work at. Enjoy!!

 

[inthedirtagain]

Re: Its only taken 14 years!!

What made the trip special for me was that this is the first time in the history of our 14yr marriage that my wife has actually asked to go out and do some kind of outdoor activity together as a family. It has always been at my prodding and suggestion. In the past, I guilted her into going out. I've tried tent camping, trailer camping, dirt bikes, ATV's, bicycles, Geocaching, and other outdoor games with no luck. I can't tell you how much $$$ I've spent trying to get her to have fun with us outside. She's into this boating thing and wants to upgrade our boat and all equipment for next summer. The bug has definitely bitten her, and I couldn't be more happy!

I need to find a source for kid-sized skis, knee, and wake boards. Everything I've seen locally is all sized for adults. Anyone know where I can find this stuff and not spend a fortune? I've got several tubes and ropes for all types of towables, so I'm good in that department.

 

[mmcconn2]

Re: Its only taken 14 years!!

Try overtons.com or barts.com they both have a wide variety of ski equipment and reasonable prices

 

[Samvq1]

Re: Its only taken 14 years!!

A lot of the big box sporting goods stores are clearing out the summer inventory. They don't always have a good selection of skis but you should be able to pick up tow ropes and other accessories pretty cheap.

 

[geneseo1911]

Re: Its only taken 14 years!!

Good story. That's my plan for the boat as well....something the whole family can do together. My daughter is only 3, but she already loves going on the boat and going swimming.

I'm just a little bigger than the OP, and am trying to learn to ski, too. I've tried the wakeboard as well, but haven't had much luck. I'm hoping that once I master the skis, the board will be easier. So the question is....what's your super awesome trick that got everyone up so easily?

 

[inthedirtagain]

Re: Its only taken 14 years!!

oh believe me, it wasn't my trick.........I failed miserably! Everytime I'd get near top, my legs would split wide open and I'd go down. Boat has enough power to get me up, but I don't have enough power in my legs to keep them together.

With the kids, I found that pulling them just at planing speed was key to them keeping balance while getting strapped onto the kneeboard. Pull too hard and their arms can't hold on or they are fighting to get into position. Pull too soft and they can't maintain balance when the board is still partially submerged. Since they are all different sizes, the kids and my wife each have different planing speeds. Once they are on top of the water and ready to go, I can increase speeds a little more. For my 9yo son: 8mph to plane, 14mph for wake jumping and 180's. For my 12yo daughter: 10mph to plane, 16mph towing (no tricks for her yet). For my 5'7"/140lb wife: 12mph to plane, 18-20mph wake jumping.

You also have to remember that I'm doing this with a 45yo boat that takes on water. As the day progresses, the boat is weighted more and more, changing the wake and the amount of water that I'm pushing to plane the boat. The o/b is getting tired, too, so a more modern boat with less hours would probably give different performance characteristics.