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Wakeboarding behind a Skier


Levi900RR

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Hey All,

I have a 93 Euro F3 Skier and I would say I am a little more than a beginner wakeboarder. I feel really comfortable on the board and I clear the wake 80% of the time. I can do some grabs and I can do a 180 (not wake to wake). My question is: I dont have ANY ballast in my boat (for now) and it seems like I really have to hit the wake HARD to make it across. The jump is more of a low, long jump. I really dont get much height. Ballast realistically isnt in my budget for this year so, should I focus on smaller jumps, Perfecting my 180's (both sides, passing the handle ect...) Or should I be able to start trying 360's and or back rolls with a stock Skier wake.

Im sure there are people out there who can tantrum off a stock skier wake, but remember I am an intermediate wakeboarder at best.

Thanks

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Since your wake is small you're going to be working harder to get air. That will help you in the long run because you'll have the right technique down. When you do get a bigger wake you'll be flying high! I'm a beginner as well, and I recently started using less ballast. I was clearing the larger wake, but my technique was off. The smaller wake forces me to get as much pop as I can to clear it. I know alot of inverts can be done off a smaller wake. I used to see a guy on the lake all the time doing inverts behind a bass boat!

You can always invite a lot of friends for some added weight if you don't wanna buy sacs.

Hope this helps!

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Any tips on getting that pop? I know its like using the force...

I can clear the wake but I have to hit it hard, I think I need to focus on riding up the wake rather than hitting it so hard and blowing right through it.

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Any tips on getting that pop? I know its like using the force...

I can clear the wake but I have to hit it hard, I think I need to focus on riding up the wake rather than hitting it so hard and blowing right through it.

Levi

What line length are you riding at?

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Any tips on getting that pop? I know its like using the force...

I can clear the wake but I have to hit it hard, I think I need to focus on riding up the wake rather than hitting it so hard and blowing right through it.

I'm no expert so this is like the blind leading the blind! But, here it goes anyways. You really have to work on bending your knees as you edge in and then straightening them out right before hitting the wake to get that extra pressure. You wanna stay on your edge all the way through the top of the wake. Don't flatten off right before you hit it. When I was riding behind a larger wake I was flattening off AND not straightening my legs out, but I was making it across so I didn't know I was doing anything wrong. The smaller wake makes me work for it.

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55 I think

That and one more length shorter is the best spot we have found as well.

Like Matt mentioned above, good speed into the wake, on edge to the crest, and stand tall.

W2W is a big milestone on learning and while it sounds like you have some spins in it just takes time on the water.

We run K9 and kid ballast and it gives a little better ramp but you'll have no trouble goin W2W soon.

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martinarcher

Good advice. I ride at 60-65 feet with 1k of ballast in the boat. I learned W2W jumps at 55.

We have plenty of wake to land backrolls. Skill on the other hand....Whistling.gif well I'll ride away from one sometime this summer. Biggrin.gif

Great advice on approachign the wake. That's where it all at. Here's my W2W checklist....

1. Cut away form the boat.

2. Pause and flatboard for about 2 seconds. This allows the boat to pull away a bit and help load the line during your approach.

3. Begin the progressive edge and hold it all the way to the wake. This means you want to start edging as you approach the wake, but continue to increase the amount of edge your using as you come into the wake. Remian in a "seated" position with the rope at your lead hip as you come in.

4. As you come in to the wake, stand tall. I videoed myself last year and that was the biggest thing I was doing to loose height for W2W jumps. I thought I was keeping my legs nice and straight and well, the video showed I was pussing out and bending my knees a bit as I hit the ramp. Doh.gif You loose a ton of pop with any leg bend at all.

We ride at 19-21 MPH depending on rider preference. If you can clear the wake at 18-19 with no ballast you've got it figured out. If your clearing it low and fast at 21-22, you need to get a bit more pop for tricks.

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That and one more length shorter is the best spot we have found as well.

Like Matt mentioned above, good speed into the wake, on edge to the crest, and stand tall.

W2W is a big milestone on learning and while it sounds like you have some spins in it just takes time on the water.

We run K9 and kid ballast and it gives a little better ramp but you'll have no trouble goin W2W soon.

My Line doesn't have a loop for a shorter length... Should I just tie one in?

If so how much shorter should I make it?

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Good advice. I ride at 60-65 feet with 1k of ballast in the boat. I learned W2W jumps at 55.

We have plenty of wake to land backrolls. Skill on the other hand....Whistling.gif well I'll ride away from one sometime this summer. Biggrin.gif

Great advice on approachign the wake. That's where it all at. Here's my W2W checklist....

1. Cut away form the boat.

2. Pause and flatboard for about 2 seconds. This allows the boat to pull away a bit and help load the line during your approach.

3. Begin the progressive edge and hold it all the way to the wake. This means you want to start edging as you approach the wake, but continue to increase the amount of edge your using as you come into the wake. Remian in a "seated" position with the rope at your lead hip as you come in.

4. As you come in to the wake, stand tall. I videoed myself last year and that was the biggest thing I was doing to loose height for W2W jumps. I thought I was keeping my legs nice and straight and well, the video showed I was pussing out and bending my knees a bit as I hit the ramp. Doh.gif You loose a ton of pop with any leg bend at all.

We ride at 19-21 MPH depending on rider preference. If you can clear the wake at 18-19 with no ballast you've got it figured out. If your clearing it low and fast at 21-22, you need to get a bit more pop for tricks.

I feel like I am clearing the wake about 80% of the time about 19 MPH. But I feel like I am not getting the height that I need to try anything... I may bring my flip cam out next time to check myself, great idea.

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No need to tie a loop in your line, just make a 'U' by doubling the line at the appropriate spot, wrap that 270 degrees around your pylon, go under the line leading to the handle and then hook it over the pylon. Hope you can visualize what I'm trying to describe.

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No need to tie a loop in your line, just make a 'U' by doubling the line at the appropriate spot, wrap that 270 degrees around your pylon, go under the line leading to the handle and then hook it over the pylon. Hope you can visualize what I'm trying to describe.

I just read that 4 times and drew it on paper and still cant see it... LOL

Got a pic?

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I feel like I am clearing the wake about 80% of the time about 19 MPH. But I feel like I am not getting the height that I need to try anything... I may bring my flip cam out next time to check myself, great idea.

:plus1: That's a great idea. It's what helped me find out what I was doing wrong. I just compared my approaches and jumps with those of the pro riders and I learned a lot. You really don't realize you're screwing up when your on the water cause everything happens too fast.

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"Detention 2012" is a great wakeboarding video by Shaun Murray that helped me a lot. That's also where I learned that trick to shorten a line. Here are some pictures that I just took. Pretend that the ski rope is your wakeboarding line and that the doorknob is your pylon.

http://picasaweb.google.com/CochranePhotography/20100709HowToShortenARope#

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My Line doesn't have a loop for a shorter length... Should I just tie one in?

If so how much shorter should I make it?

The shorter line just makes the wake a little narrower and may help getting you all the way across as you are dialing in your 'pop' and form.

Cochrane's technique on the line loop is spot on. My no stretch has 20 off and 23 off line loops.... I think.

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"Detention 2012" is a great wakeboarding video by Shaun Murray that helped me a lot. That's also where I learned that trick to shorten a line. Here are some pictures that I just took. Pretend that the ski rope is your wakeboarding line and that the doorknob is your pylon.

http://picasaweb.google.com/CochranePhotography/20100709HowToShortenARope#

A Picture is worth 1000 words. Thank you, I'm gonna try this tonight! :thumbup:

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Honestly, I understand what they are saying about shortening the rope for a narrower wake. I am not saying they are wrong, my advice is this though. Lengthen the rope to 60 or even 65 and speed up to 20.5 to 21.5 mph. The long rope will allow you to cut out more, giving you more time to set that edge and gain the speed you need. They are right you need to hold that edge up the wake. However, I would not worry about your knees as much. The wake and board do the work, it isn't about you jumping. You may want to press down a little harder as you hit the wake. If you are clearing the wake 80% of the time, I honestly believe you know how to do it but just need to gain more speed, so a longer line and going a little faster may help you out a lot.

I learned to wakeboard behind a direct drive ski boat. First off do you have a tower? Monster makes a good tower that is inexpensive. If you want ballast, you don't need to buy anything, just use what you have laying around. If you have weights from an old bench press, use that, or empty gas canisters filled with water. Fill up the gas tank before you wakeboard. You can always find tricks to adding more weight to create a wake without spending more money.

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Honestly, I understand what they are saying about shortening the rope for a narrower wake. I am not saying they are wrong, my advice is this though. Lengthen the rope to 60 or even 65 and speed up to 20.5 to 21.5 mph. The long rope will allow you to cut out more, giving you more time to set that edge and gain the speed you need. They are right you need to hold that edge up the wake. However, I would not worry about your knees as much. The wake and board do the work, it isn't about you jumping. You may want to press down a little harder as you hit the wake. If you are clearing the wake 80% of the time, I honestly believe you know how to do it but just need to gain more speed, so a longer line and going a little faster may help you out a lot.

I learned to wakeboard behind a direct drive ski boat. First off do you have a tower? Monster makes a good tower that is inexpensive. If you want ballast, you don't need to buy anything, just use what you have laying around. If you have weights from an old bench press, use that, or empty gas canisters filled with water. Fill up the gas tank before you wakeboard. You can always find tricks to adding more weight to create a wake without spending more money.

I feel like I can clear the wake a lot easier if I do speed up, even at 55'. But It seems like I go long and low, rather than getting that pop and getting some height. I think I just need to keep working at it. There really is no secret to it.

I have an extended pylot so I'm getting that high tow point.

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I feel like I can clear the wake a lot easier if I do speed up, even at 55'. But It seems like I go long and low, rather than getting that pop and getting some height. I think I just need to keep working at it. There really is no secret to it.

I have an extended pylot so I'm getting that high tow point.

Speeding up is the other way to get the wake to narrow a bit. With our boats it is tough to get a precise speed reading without a GPS (helps a lot if you havent invested yet).

Like Wakeboy said, I also prefer to ride a little faster but small ramp and lots of speed does not equal more height under your board. For more height you will need a larger ramp.

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Speeding up is the other way to get the wake to narrow a bit. With our boats it is tough to get a precise speed reading without a GPS (helps a lot if you havent invested yet).

Like Wakeboy said, I also prefer to ride a little faster but small ramp and lots of speed does not equal more height under your board. For more height you will need a larger ramp.

I think my plan for the rest of this year is to shorten up the rope a bit and work on my form. Then grab some ballast for next year, and hopefully try some inverts!!

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I think my plan for the rest of this year is to shorten up the rope a bit and work on my form. Then grab some ballast for next year, and hopefully try some inverts!!

And by then you'll have your helmet all broke in!!! :thumbup:

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And by then you'll have your helmet all broke in!!! :thumbup:

Oh its broke in... Does anyone know off the top of their heads how long a wake helmet is good for? I know with Motorcycles they say you should replace every 5 years or so.

I got mine the year after I cracked my Skull which was 04 so mine is probably at that 5 year mark...

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Oh its broke in... Does anyone know off the top of their heads how long a wake helmet is good for? I know with Motorcycles they say you should replace every 5 years or so.

I got mine the year after I cracked my Skull which was 04 so mine is probably at that 5 year mark...

I know I'll probably get maulled by the saftey police on this but I wouldn't worry too much about it. A motorcycle helmet is a lot more important and I would be replacing that as told. But for a wakeboard helmet I'd imagine even if it was overdue and you smashed it on the water or with your wakeboard, etc, it may crack but its not going to slice open like a banana. It will still protect you enough that you'll be getting out of the water. THEN I would replace it. Until than I probably wouldn't worry about it until you want a new one or it's falling apart in your hand. Heck I've had my snowboard helmet for ~8 years and it's still taking the beatings with pride.

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Who wears a helmet? :Tease3:

I've seriously never seen anyone around here with one on unless their grinding rails.

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Who wears a helmet? :Tease3:

I've seriously never seen anyone around here with one on unless their grinding rails.

I crashed in 04, caught a toe edge and the board swung up and hit me in the back/side of the head. Crushed my Skull in onto my brain, I got 3 Titanium Plates screwed to my skull and 40 staples to hold my scalp together. It took me 2 weeks to get full motion back in my left arm, and I still can't feel a portion of my tricept.

I wear a helmet.

**Take it easy on me about my Avitar, it was way before the accident and I was way dumber when I was 20**

Edited by Levi900RR
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