Boom for kids/beginners?

[uk_exile]

boom is great for teaching

as we knew we won't need one for long (only needed it or our two kids) we just got a used windsurfer mast for free, a bit of rope & duct tape & off we went

worked ok, not great but only got used for a couple of days. flexed downwards quite lot but still gave the support needed to help the kids.

probably too flexible for adults though

[gonorth]

uk_exile, don't be fooled about not needing your boom for long. Your kids will like to do play things with it and they will have friends that will need training in your longer term future too.

Well, I had my first newbie to train with the boom. This girl is reasonably athletic and coordinated which helped and has done some snowboarding but wanted to learn wakeboarding. First attempt directly on the boom she had too much weight on her front foot and buried the board. Second attempt she was up. After doing that twice she used the EZ-Footer (very short line handle) and with like 4 runs with that she only failed to get up once. Then later that day, second attempt on the long line and she is doing fine at starting now as long as she remembers to keep weight on her trailing foot. She cannot do an outside to inside wake crossing yet (wedge up) but she will catch on. Net, she knew instantly she could do it based on how fast she accomplished learning a few basics on the boom and was all smiles.

[Killer]

I'm with gonorth - the boom isn't something you use 2 times. If you only use it to teach kids to water ski than maybe you don't need it.

It troubles me that you used what was probably a fiberglass sailboard mast for your kids to hang on to. Not only can they get fibreglass slivers that are impossible to find!!! You mentioned the flexability and duct tape.... you have to be joking me!!! you have a boat worth how much and you cant spend 400 dollars on a real boom? you're better off teaching them from behind the boat dude!

[WakeGirl]

We're on our 3rd boom--each specific to the individual boat we owned at the time. All were from BI. We get most kids up on the first try. It really gives them a great experience from the get go. We have a LSV and the angle is probably 5 degrees forward--no big deal. We have both the boom extension and the kids handle on the end to get them out of the side wash. The model specifically designed for a V Drive is a Quad V Deluxe. Get the height adjuster as well. see below.

I highly recommend booms and BI.

Roger,

Out of curiosity, how do you deal with the clamp & the retractable pylon? I've wondered about that, if it's easy to put on & take off, or if you just leave it on?

[uk_exile]

That was long before we had the bu and it worked fine. My budget was far far more restricted then and it was only for my two kids. I didn't want to spend NZ$1000 on a boom that we'd only use a few times. Boat wasn't worth much more than that ! Had duct tape around the end where hands where and the windsurf mast base was bolted to the pole. Safety wasn't an issue.

[bobofthenorth]

I'm probably plowing old ground here but the boom is the single best expense we have made after the boat. It's not a question of whether or not it is possible to learn behind the boat or even how long it takes either way, although I don't believe there is really any contest. The clincher for us is that the learning is "good" learning - they learn quickly without getting hurt and you can easily coach them for immediate improvement. We get them up on the boom and quickly move to the short line. At that point you can work on body position and get them used to small turns. After 2 or 3 starts on the short line they are ready for a shortened line on the tower and then full line. We have had kids who have never fallen, don't know what it means to have a bad start and are slaloming after 5 or 6 starts.

Being able to talk to them as they learn so they never get bad habits is the biggest advantage of the boom, IMHO

[gonorth]

Wow, these booms are amazing. Being relatively new to having a boom, like 5 weeks now I am really seeing how awsome this thing is for training newbies. Here is a perfect example of what everyone here has been saying. My neighbors 15 year old son had tried slolom a few times behind their boat and face planted both times. He was not going to ever try it again, even with a $100 bribe from dad. I tried coaxing him to try it with me. (better boat, better driver, or at least I think so). He would not do it. This is no sissy kid either, he plays hockey a lot and any hockey player certainly has what it takes to work thru a mistake or two on skis.

Saturday I shamed him into trying. I simply said he was going with and he was going to learn to slolom tonight on the boom. Dad says that $100 bribe still applied but it had to be longline. Well, first time, up on 2 using the boom, quickly droped one and skied all the way back around to the droped ski. Second time on the boom and he was up on 1. Third time, tried to get up on one from the 5' line, did not work. Fourth time up on 2 using a 5' line off the boom, droped one and skied all the way around back to the ski. Fifth and Sixth times, long line, he was up on 2, droped one, and skied all the way around back to the ski.

All he needed was that extra confidence that the boom allowed him to get past.

Then I explaind that there was a 10% training fee associated with that bet. The the spotter jumped in suggesting a 5% spotters fee for each of the two spotters. Mark figured that was fair but it should be on top of the $100, dad didn't quite agree with that part but he did pay up the $100..

Edited August 21, 2006 by GONORTH

[doughickey]

What is the "rule of thumb" for how high off the water the boom should be?

Why? I picked up a boom from one of my best Crew buddies..... and am looking forward to try it out with a ski-newbie. The pylon clamp is adjustable, so I can move the outer end up/down.

[WakeGirl]

I think that it really depends on who you're pulling, their size & what they're trying to get up on. With kids you probably want to find the balance between low enough for them to reach, but high enough that it's comfortable for them when they're up. Adults will want something a little different, especially footers - they can be very particular with boom placement. But for newbies, play with it to find where that sweet spot is that I was talking about. It will be a little different for each person.

One other thing, spray can be a problem depending on your speed. If you have a person with you that sits on the opposite side from the boom, it will help with the spray.

[doughickey]

Thanks Tracie.

I've been wanting to get a newbie to try it this summer..... but it seems everyone that's been to my summer place has been with me before.....and is no longer a newbie. Didn't need to start from scratch.

Maybe I nee to make some new newbie friends as Guinea Pigs.

(Re getting into "Stage 4"..... I think you're kinda doing it here on TMC. It's like your "fingers" are doing the water-sports for you.

Another way to look at it. Not too far in the future, many of us northern folks will be tucking our babies away for the off-season anyway. We'll be out of commission with you.... and misery loves company. As for me, it's back to the classroom, with limited weekend skiing for about another month. I'm already pretty miserable.)

[WakeGirl]

Still stuck in stage 3 unfortunately. I hope that changes soon (doc appt on Thursday), I'm seriously going nuts.

[bobofthenorth]

What is the "rule of thumb" for how high off the water the boom should be?

For 1st time skiers/boarders we put the boom so it will be about chest high. They won't be able to reach that high when they are directly on the boom but you can put some weight on the boom side to lower the boom until they get a grip on it and then move the weight when the boat comes up to control the spray. You don't need to go very fast for 1st timers directly on the boom - depending on their weight 10 MPH may be fast enough.

As soon as they are stable and have some body form we move them to the short rope on the boom. They can do gentle carves there and work on body position. You can have the boom all the way up at that point.

[doughickey]

What is the "rule of thumb" for how high off the water the boom should be?

For 1st time skiers/boarders we put the boom so it will be about chest high. They won't be able to reach that high when they are directly on the boom but you can put some weight on the boom side to lower the boom until they get a grip on it and then move the weight when the boat comes up to control the spray. You don't need to go very fast for 1st timers directly on the boom - depending on their weight 10 MPH may be fast enough.

As soon as they are stable and have some body form we move them to the short rope on the boom. They can do gentle carves there and work on body position. You can have the boom all the way up at that point.

Thanks. That's what I was looking for.... a starting point. I'll modify from there.

[awilco]

Get a boom, the kids love it.

Here is what I do. 2 starts on boom, 2 starts with handle attached end of boom, deep water start 28 off. It works!

[Murf]

I echo all the props regarding the boom. We rarely take ours off. Both girls (12 & 16) barefoot more than they ski. Recently had a 12 yr friend that had tried numerous times behind other boats couldn't get up. Strapped 2 skis on her, sat her on the tube, pulled the boat/boom over to her and pulled her right off the tube. Next time tossed her the ski rope and away she went. Just needed to get balance and sense of pushing, etc. Easy way to teach kids barefoot...have them slide out over boom on belly (they like being a monkey) to the end...get boat up to speed and they rock back off of the boom and plant their feet. We rarely have a kid that can't get it done after only a couple of tries.

[Texasguy]

Boom? Yes!!! There have been Soooooo many times I've been able to get a kid up on whatever thing they want to do be it ski, foot, board or whatever, first on the boom then move them back to the long line. It shortens the learning curve Dramatically and allows some kids to get up that NEVER EVER would have without the boom. Seeing the smile of a kid that finally gets up on the boom after trying in futility behind the boat is worth many times more than what a boom costs. I have probably taught over a hundred kids and not everyone needs the boom but trust me, is is the secret weapon that works.

Below is my son, 10, first time on a slalom ski, first time up ... bingo, got it. Try it and it will make a believer out of you.