Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

Teaching kids to ski.....


Bill_AirJunky

Recommended Posts

I looked at getting one of these last year but didn't pull the trigger. Does anyone actually have one?

Is Muffy someone I should know from watching kid's shows?

Link to comment

Just a guess, but I imagine Mike is the inventor, or co-inventor. He's also credited with being involved with the invention of the AirChair, the kneeboard, Pure 'Vert ballast system, the Air Sling, Power Tower, and a bazillion other watersport toys. The guy's been involved in professional waterskiing for like 60 yrs.

http://www.mikemurphyentinc.com/

Link to comment

Yea, I hear ya.

About 10 yrs ago I wrote a story about Murph & the history of the sit down hydrofoil (SkySki/AirChair). I spent a good weekend with him, listening to his stories (and 3rd grade jokes), looking over his pictures, etc. The guy has taught more people to ski, ride, wakeboard & barefoot than we could count, probably tens of thousands of people. He's taught me how to do several tricks, how to hold the handle so you don't get blisters, and who knows how many other things. As I recall he's been teaching waterskiing since he was 14 yrs old as a summer camp counselor at Lake Arrowhead (CA)...... he's in his early 70s now. Besides teaching & inventing, he has also been one of the longest running show skiers ever & has performed all over the world. He started companies like SkySki, AirChair, Hydroslide & numerous others and works with many other manufacturers regularly, (HO & Ronix in particular as he's buds with Herb). He's an ex-champ kneeboarder, hydrofoiler, hot dog skier & barefooter. Ever see a guy do a front flip or a tic toc (360) on a slalom ski??? He won the Catalina Ski Race several times in the 1960s & 70s (50+ mile endurance speed skiing race on the Pacific Ocean). And recently towed his great grandson in the Catalina race on a 3 seater JetSki.... in his 70s!

He comes up with some crazy inventions all the time. And is always scribbling notes on napkins & sending them to his patent attorney...... then pops off with some goofy perverted joke like a jr high school kid. Occasionally the patents take off (I think that Pure'Vert system is on several boat brands now, including Calabria, MC & a new one to be announced). This one may or may not be one that is successful. But after watching the video I thought I'd share it with anyone who might be thinking about getting their young kids out behind the boat.

Link to comment

I actually picked one of these up for my girls, 2 and 5, over the winter. Haven't used it yet due to the water being too cold for them. We have the ski trainer board that is inside the tube, but what we found is that if you didn't hit the right speed right off the bat the ski would tip and send my oldest tumbling through the wake wash, causing her to be scared of going again for a while. This product makes the board more stable and will hopefully get them used to being out by themselves behind the boat. At this age it's more about making them comfortable than it is teaching them any skills.

Link to comment

I looked at getting one of these last year but didn't pull the trigger. Does anyone actually have one?

Is Muffy someone I should know from watching kid's shows?

We picked one up last year. My 2 yr old son rode it alot and loved it. I pulled him around the yard several times before taking it to the water to get him used to it, and he didn;t have any problems. It kept him interested all summer, and he didn;t really get wet, so he could participate even on cooler mornings when we were out. I hope to retire it this year in favor of the "normal" trainer ski without the flotation, but we'll see how that goes.

Link to comment

We picked one up last year. My 2 yr old son rode it alot and loved it. I pulled him around the yard several times before taking it to the water to get him used to it, and he didn;t have any problems. It kept him interested all summer, and he didn;t really get wet, so he could participate even on cooler mornings when we were out. I hope to retire it this year in favor of the "normal" trainer ski without the flotation, but we'll see how that goes.

How was the stablility of it? My kids are already bored on the boat, so I'm hoping this gets them more involved where they start to love it

Link to comment

How was the stablility of it? My kids are already bored on the boat, so I'm hoping this gets them more involved where they start to love it

Same reason we wanted it. I find it very stable. My son stops paying attention after awhile, and lets go of the handle, looks around, etc, and he's not been even close to capsizing. We pull about 5-6 mph. He's been bugging me to bring it every time this spring that we've gone out, so it seems to have worked.

Link to comment

I just went to the Overton's site to look at it again. It's got 34 reviews, with nobody giving it less than the max 5 stars. That's pretty amazing. And free shipping at Overtons right now.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...