wakesurf rope, what do you use

[stewart]

We used a Straightline wake handle and rope, until Wakegirl broke ours

[WakeGirl]

[Brad B]

Must be a good story there

[WakeGirl]

Not really, he's just and I'm &

[trace]

i don't use the handle anymore. my leg went thru a handle during a fall. the handle went all the way up by my nether regions and flipped me over underwater. a female friend had one rip thru her armpit after a fall, leaving a HUGE bruise.

i made a surf rope similar to ones i've seen in some catalogs by cutting the handle tube off of an old braided handle. this was one of those with the really think braided section in front of the handle, and we just hold on to that part. a few people complain about it, but i don't care. i only let people use a regular handle if they absolutely can't hold on to the braid.

[SacRiverRat]

If you keep the handle in your hand, you can toss it clear when you fall - should be a rule for all that use handles...

[trace]

we always do, but stuff happens. i'm pretty sure i always did, maybe didn't that time. in the case of my friend, she tossed the handle but it came back around behind her as she fell, and was then pulled thru her armpit. she was lucky getting a huge bruise; it could've broken a rib.

nothing boat related is totally safe, but i see using regular handles for surfing as an unnecessary risk. plus, you get a forearm workout while gripping the braid! =)

Edited July 29, 2005 by trace

[Brad B]

One word

Deck starts

OK 2 words

[trace]

those are fun. who all can do deck starts and stops? i have an easier time with the stops when the wake is smaller. it's a big drop sometimes coming back in.

there's a good point here too - deck starts are prob way more dangerous than the handles. BUT, deck starts/stops, since they are cool & impressive, are a necessary/justified risk. :D

[trace]

sorry for the hijack...

but also, can anyone do a deck start completely rope-free? we can get started with a rope, and then paddle in on funshapes & longboards, but that's the closest i've seen to a rope-free start.

anyone seen Step Into Liquid where they surf the oil tanker wakes?

now back to your regularly scheduled thread...

[Ronnie]

We can do deck starts and stops totally without a rope IF the wake is not too big. If it's maxed out then we have never been able to recover once off the platform. On the big wake the platform is under water and hard to get the nose of the board back up on top of the wave.

[stewart]

Ditto what Ronnie said.