What is the best pattern to drive when pulling a skiier?

[scb1712]

Hi all,

We've been out skiing a few times this year, and have been having pretty good success for complete newbies. Last time out we were both able to get up first time, 3 tries in a row. I am getting more comfortable manouvering outside of the wake and then back in though my wife is still having trouble with this. Hope to try dropping a ski somewhere in the future.

However - i have a question about when i'm driving and pulling a skier. Is there any specific pattern that i should drive in? I hadn't really considered this before but someone suggested that there are ways to ensure that i'm always crossing my own wake at 90 deg to make it easier for the skier? Is this the case, and if so, whats the best pattern to drive in?

Thanks!

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: What is the best pattern to drive when pulling a skiier?

Hi all,

We've been out skiing a few times this year, and have been having pretty good success for complete newbies. Last time out we were both able to get up first time, 3 tries in a row. I am getting more comfortable manouvering outside of the wake and then back in though my wife is still having trouble with this. Hope to try dropping a ski somewhere in the future.

However - i have a question about when i'm driving and pulling a skier. Is there any specific pattern that i should drive in? I hadn't really considered this before but someone suggested that there are ways to ensure that i'm always crossing my own wake at 90 deg to make it easier for the skier? Is this the case, and if so, whats the best pattern to drive in?

Thanks!

Straight. For as long as you can, preferably away from other boats and their wakes. If you make a large oval (think Nascar) around a cove/finger of the lake, your wake should have time to dissipate by the time you come back around. Even if it doesn't, you'll only have to cross it once, and it will be severely diminished by the time you reach it so that it won't matter what direction you cross it. On narrow coves, it may be more difficult, but straight lines/large ovals are the best.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: What is the best pattern to drive when pulling a skiier?

Straight line with keyhole turns at the end - basically back and forth along the same path.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: What is the best pattern to drive when pulling a skiier?

Straight line with keyhole turns at the end - basically back and forth along the same path.

That's the pattern we use when on a narrow channel or when there is a good deal of other boat traffic around. Very effective.

 

[skibrain]

Re: What is the best pattern to drive when pulling a skiier?

+2 in addition to creating minimal wake for skier to deal with, the repetitive pattern helps other boats to realize what you're up to and keep distance.

 

[scb1712]

Re: What is the best pattern to drive when pulling a skiier?

Thanks for the tips - i'll give that a try. We ski in a fairly small little lake and generally we try to stay along the shore, but have to avoid a popular beach area. That limits our run to a couple of kilometers in each direction (5-8 min) each way.

 

[sickwilly]

Re: What is the best pattern to drive when pulling a skiier?

Picture a dog bone. Go straight, make your turn a little to the right, then complete it to the left, and get back into the center of your old wake.

Unfortunately, if there are other boats in the area, sometime they want to make a big loop where they go straight along one side of the cove, make a bigger turn and then go straight on the other side of the cove. This works OK, but your skier will actually spend more time in the rollers from the wake from the boat on the other side of the cove.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: What is the best pattern to drive when pulling a skiier?

Picture a dog bone. Go straight, make your turn a little to the right, then complete it to the left, and get back into the center of your old wake.

Or left then right - depending on which direction your prop spins Always fun switching between a Malibu and a Mastercraft - they cavitate in different directions.

 

[skibrain]

Re: What is the best pattern to drive when pulling a skiier?

We're maybe a bit fanatical, but when a skier falls we maintain same boat direction, drop to no-wake speed, do a 180 turn at idle, and then throttle-up back to the skier in the boat path we just traveled. It pretty effectively avoids creating any rollers for ourselves.

How tight a turn around depends on skier ability and boat. More frequently we have the skier pull out to the side of boat and drop for a rest at each end of the lake (about a mile of skiing).

 

[sickwilly]

Re: What is the best pattern to drive when pulling a skiier?

Or left then right - depending on which direction your prop spins Always fun switching between a Malibu and a Mastercraft - they cavitate in different directions.

Interesting? I have never skied behind anything but a Nautique and a Mastercraft on an actual tournament ski lake, and every tournament I was in they all turned to the left to make the full turn. Now I did have a Malibu, but I guess by habit I already turned left.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: What is the best pattern to drive when pulling a skiier?

Interesting? I have never skied behind anything but a Nautique and a Mastercraft on an actual tournament ski lake, and every tournament I was in they all turned to the left to make the full turn. Now I did have a Malibu, but I guess by habit I already turned left.

For normal use it is probabally fine, but if you have to crank the turn really hard - the boat cavitates if you turn the wrong direction. It has to do with the rotation direction of the prop. FWIW I think it is a left turn with the Malibu, the mastercraft we used prefered right turns. I can never remember until it happens My I/O doesn't care

 

[oldjeep]

Re: What is the best pattern to drive when pulling a skiier?

We're maybe a bit fanatical, but when a skier falls we maintain same boat direction, drop to no-wake speed, do a 180 turn at idle, and then throttle-up back to the skier in the boat path we just traveled. It pretty effectively avoids creating any rollers for ourselves.

How tight a turn around depends on skier ability and boat. More frequently we have the skier pull out to the side of boat and drop for a rest at each end of the lake (about a mile of skiing).

And that is the way that we'll usually do it too, since you have to pull the rope all the way through the course before you can turn around anyways.

 

[rallyart]

Re: What is the best pattern to drive when pulling a skiier?

Mine never cavitates and is one finger turning left or right but I don't have the prop loaded the way many waterski tournament boats do.
I tend to use skibrain's pattern also but do a left turn at one end and a right turn at the other end. With the shore on the straight side I keep the area of my run free of waves. Turn out and then back around and you cross your own wake on the outside of a turn and barely notice it.