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Anyone ever wakekite or pull a parachute behind your boat?


barefootboy

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Always thinking of new ways to have fun. Saw some videos of WAKEKITING. Anyone ever tried this? Was looking at parachutes on ebay. Can get decent chutes for $250. Heckuva lot less than wakesurfer I just bought...lol. Not looking to go 400ft in the air or anything like that!  Just ride a few feet off the water

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Guy at our local lake broke his leg bad wake kiting. I think one of the lines broke and sent him straight to the water from about 20' up going 20+ mph. We didn't see the accident but saw the madness of them getting him into the docks. Looks fun but no thanks. 

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I've wakekited before.  However, it was behind a ski boat with minimal wake and I could get more air off our wakeboard boat without a kite lol.  Also never got to try behind our boat.  It is very hard as you have to time the kite for your jump as well.  The one I rode had like a socket/ball connection on each side of the handle for the kite.  It was pretty annoying as any shaking of the handle would release the kite.  There were a lot of things to focus on and I personally didn't get any higher.  You do "float" more though, so more air time.  It was fun, but not sure something I would purchase.  I think the one I tried was about $1,000 but that was probably 5 years ago.  They wanted to sell it to me this past summer but I passed on it.

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I towed a parasail many times. You don't need much power. My 2002 VLX with the standard 320 HP Monsoon had no issues. Still have the chute but to old to use now. The hardest part about using a parasail is finding a suitable launch area. You need somewhere dead into the wind with at least 75' of clear space before getting to the water.

Edited by Sailvi767
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I had a parasail chute that I pulled with a outboard. Insurance would not cover but we did it anyway with a liability release form. You need 2 experienced assistants on the beach to assist in inflating the chute and running along until it inflates, they need to let go at the same time so the chute doesn't go sideways. Also everybody wants to follow you and you need a chase boat to keep the lookers at a safe distance. We flew Roth a 500' line. We could slow down so the rider could walk on water. Stopping and turning around takes a crew to manage the rope and getting the chute back in the boat works best wile a closed bow boat. We towed with a custom bridle to the transom tie downs with a pulley to keep the rope tension equall side to side. I would not use the tower or center pylon as they are not designed for the up direction of rope tension. We have parasailed behind an El Camino on the salt flats, but this is not recommended☠️⛑

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Just now, Bozboat said:

(I have no explanation on why this worked, I can only tell you that truth is often stranger than fiction)  

Great story boz!  Truth being stranger than fiction is what makes this life worth living.

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A friend of ours has one that I have been able to try and like others have said, while hang-time is longer, timing is incredibly hard and not much higher than normal.  One thing is for sure, your arms get more tired as the handle is almost above your head from the kite.  Would I purchase one now that I have ridden one, not likely.

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We kited back in the late 60's with some guys from Australia.  900 ft of towrope with a hang glider like kite with a seat connected to the towrope.  You started on skis and landed on them after you (trick) released the rope to glide back to the shore.  They went as high as 600 ft.  My brother and I, 50 to 100.  We were behind a Crosby (Hydrodyne) with twin I-6 Mercs. They camped at the same  lakefront campground as us for 2 days, then we never saw them again.

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Wake kited a few times behind a friends Tige.  It was pretty fun, did it on Lake Norman NC.  It is pretty hard though and VERY exhausting (and I'm in decent shape), you are basically hanging from the handle the whole time.  It is not like a surf kite where you can support your body weight with a harness.  We did catch some good air though and it was a great workout.

 

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6 hours ago, barefootboy said:

Thanks for all the input! Really enjoyed these stories also. good stuff. Not sure what I'll do moving forward. Always looking for additional ways to have fun!

For the money on one, I would try one of those new hydrofoil surfboards...

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