Ski rope broke while wearing the wet suit

[bowman316]

I went water skiing yesterday, wearing a full 7 mm wetsuit, and the first run, everything went fine. but on the second run, the boat had trouble pulling me up, and i fell before i got up.
the on the next attempt, the boat was struggling to pull me up, and the line snapped right at the buoy, right after it connects to the boat.
at first i thought i ripped off the transom of the boat, cuz i didn't see it, cuz of the wake.

you think the wetsuit weight had that much or an affect. i guess the wetsuit got heavier after the first run, and i got wetter.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Ski rope broke while wearing the wet suit

I'm not entirely sure what your question is. As for the wet suit having an effect, it should be indicernable as far as the weight/drag is concerned. Th rope broke because it was worn or cheap. If you tear the transom off of the boat, you have bigger issues than the wetsuit.

 

[arks]

Re: Ski rope broke while wearing the wet suit

Could the wetsuit create significantly more drag thru the water than skin?
I don't think it has anything to do with weight.
Most likely your towline was just getting old.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Ski rope broke while wearing the wet suit

Don't see the wet suit contributing to the boat not being able to pull you up.

Sounds like the rope was old and you were tired , but nice try blaming the wet suit.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Ski rope broke while wearing the wet suit

yea, the tow rope came with the boat when i bought it 3 years ago. It is the thinnest rope on the boat. It is that synthetic rope. It has broken before, in the middle, and I just tied it back together.

Is there any way to make the rope shorter, and then make it longer again, when I want to ski farther back? like do they sell ropes that have two handles on them or something like that?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Ski rope broke while wearing the wet suit

The wetsuit should actually help since it make you more buoyant. How much do you weigh?

 

[funk6294]

Re: Ski rope broke while wearing the wet suit

Is there any way to make the rope shorter, and then make it longer again, when I want to ski farther back? like do they sell ropes that have two handles on them or something like that?

Just tie it closer to the back of the boat....

 

[bowman316]

Re: Ski rope broke while wearing the wet suit

i wiegh about 190. and when i was up, it seemed like my skis were shooting up more of a wake than before.

how could i tie the rope to the boat and keep the steel cables hooked onto the transom? i don't have a ski tower.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Ski rope broke while wearing the wet suit

You can buy slalom ropes that are segmented or have loops woven in at different lengths. Standard rope starts off at 75ft and shortens to 34ft in 8 sections. Each section is color coded for easy identification.

I'm assuming you have a ski harness that attaches to the two transom eyes, so just attach the colored loop of your choice to that harness.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Ski rope broke while wearing the wet suit

Don't see the wet suit contributing to the boat not being able to pull you up.

Sounds like the rope was old and you were tired , but nice try blaming the wet suit.

lol,
Yea, first time skiing since last september. I forgot how tiring it can get. I only rode for about a half mile or so, before letting go.

 

[boat1010]

Re: Ski rope broke while wearing the wet suit

Wet suits do make it harder to get up. I thought it would be just the opposite but not so. I had on my wet suit and had a heck of a time getting up. So I took it off and had no problems. Not sure if it is the drag or the weight, but know it makes it quite a bit harder to get up.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Ski rope broke while wearing the wet suit

Like was suggested, buy a true slolam rope which is segmented to allow for shorter lengths. If your boat has decent power, the wet suit should be a non-issue. It's about keeping good form during deep water starts . . . if you lose your tuck or try to stand up too early, the drag on the boat is worse and it'll drag you longer.

 

[New2me]

Re: Ski rope broke while wearing the wet suit

If you store your rope where gas fumes can get to it its going to weakin it .There are ropes on the market that have little to no give,it helps getting up and so if you fall its not a bungie cord and will not fly back at the boat. I think there made out of spectra I used one wake boarding,There nice but take some getting use to.

 

[kyle f]

Re: Ski rope broke while wearing the wet suit

If you store your rope where gas fumes can get to it its going to weakin it .There are ropes on the market that have little to no give,it helps getting up and so if you fall its not a bungie cord and will not fly back at the boat. I think there made out of spectra I used one wake boarding,There nice but take some getting use to.

Spectra ropes, or other non stretch ropes are wakeboard and kneeboard specific. They have no bungee effect because you dont want to cut hard, stretch the rope, realease into the air and have it pull you off axis.

However, for cutting on skis, the bungee effect really helps the old shoulders.

 

[Bcrowe]

Re: Ski rope broke while wearing the wet suit

Regardless of the type of rope you buy I would highly suggest replacing yours..if it has broken twice already it is well overdue for replacement. Ski ropes like anything else are a "you get what you pay for Item". I personnally dont buy the most expensive competetion ropes I just buy a good quality midldle of the road rope and replace it every couple of years. Good luck.

 

[Triton II]

Re: Ski rope broke while wearing the wet suit

Wearing a wetsuit causes more drag, especially if it's not a tight fit. So, if you don't get straight up and bury yourself in the water, the power needed to overcome drag is exponential, i.e double the drag = four times the power to overcome it. As others have said, get a new rope, preferably a sectioned one with loops so you can vary the length, but also, be aware of the extra drag you can potentially create by wearing a suit.