When you first learn to get up on water skis or a wakeboard, it’s an exhilarating experience. The feeling is euphoric when you let go of the handle and surf behind the boat for the first time. But once you’ve mastered getting up and following the boat on skis, kneeboard, wakeboard or wakesurfer, you might ask yourself, “What’s next?”

It’s human nature always to want more. Once we accomplish a goal, we’re ready for the next step.

When you’re ready to move past just following the boat, there are two keys to work on. The first is to direct the ski or board away from a straight path. Water-skiers and wakeboard riders do this by crossing the boat’s wake back and forth. Wakesurfers do so by carving the board up and down the wave.

The second key is to execute a 180- or 360-degree rotation on a wakeboard, wakesurfer, kneeboard, or trick ski. By moving past merely following the boat, you can improve your skill level and ­develop a long list of tricks.

The first golden rule to understand is that the lower body does the work when crossing from side to side or when doing rotations. The upper body follows the lower body. Many incorrectly use the upper body to create movement ­either across the boat’s wake or when initiating a rotation.

Crossing the Wake

In water-­skiing and wakeboarding, because the skier or rider is holding the handle, the tendency is to lean away from the boat, and that pull on the upper body causes the skier or rider to pull even more against the handle to initiate movement. That’s why it is imperative that you ski or ride over the center of the ski or board to eliminate the feeling of pull on the upper body.

Instead of thinking that you are crossing the wake, think of the ski or board as leading the way and your upper body follows. To have the ski or board lead the way, focus on using the strength in your feet and legs to direct the ski or board in the desired direction. By doing so, you are putting the ski or board on edge to get direction either to your right or left.

Rotation

When you turn a wakeboard, wakesurfer, kneeboard, or trick ski around, the board needs to lead the rotation. Focus on using the strength in your hips, legs, and feet to rotate the board either on the surface of the water or when getting air time by using the boat’s wake.

On YouTube, watch a super-­slow-motion video of Olympic figure skaters doing triple or quad rotations in midair. The skater lifts from the ice and gets rotation in the air by using leg strength. As the figure skater begins the rotation, the arms and hands draw close to the body, and the upper body ­follows the lower body. 

Read Next: Three Keys for Tow-Sports Safety

Control Your Eyes

Your eyes play a crucial role when it comes to crossing the wake, carving the wake on a wakesurfer, or executing any rotation. When crossing the wake, most people are looking down at the water ahead of them. This leads to your upper body breaking at your waist, resulting in leading with your upper body. Instead, keep your back and head upright and focus on the horizon. This technique will allow you to lead with the ski or board.

When performing a rotation, it is common to lead the turn with your eyes. However, when initiating a rotation, look at the boat just above the boat’s windshield. This technique will enable you to turn the board while keeping the upper body quiet.

Understanding these techniques will allow you to go beyond just following the boat and expanding what you can do, and you will have more fun with your favorite new tow sport.

The post Take Your Tow-Sports Skills to the Next Level appeared first on Boating Mag.

Wakeboard bindings were once little more than a metal plate, minimal thickness of foam, and a rubbery strap to rein in your heel. Today there are a wide variety of supportive, boot-style binding choices on the market. Here are three aimed at beginner to expert riders.

Entry-Level: Hyperlite Remix

The Wrap: Designed to accommodate a variety of foot sizes yet still offer some degree of support, open-toe bindings such as the Remix are ideal when sharing a board among family and friends. Look for a molded EVA footbed, floating tongue, and dual lace zones that can open wide and then cinch down to separately secure your foot and ankle.

The Trap: Wide range of adjustability comes at the expense of individualized support and comfort. All but casual riders will likely be looking to upgrade to a more advanced binding.

Price: $249; scheels.com

Midrange: Hyperlite Team X

The Wrap: A traditional plate-style binding that retains great range of motion, closed-toe ­bindings such as the Team X offer midrange support while still remaining somewhat sharable for riders of roughly similar foot length and ability. An internal ankle harness locks down the heel. Heat-moldable liners dial in the comfort and provide a more ­customized fit.

The Trap: Minimal size ranges means no more widespread sharing on the boat. Pricing substantially higher than entry-level offerings.

Price: $425; hyperlite.com or $399; Scheels.com

Read Next: How to Safely Learn to Wakeboard

High-End: System Lowback Binding/Freepress System Boots

The Wrap: A boot/binding setup similar to snowboarding, System components offer exceptional feel and control. Bindings minimize toe and heel lift and are adjustable on the fly. Heat-moldable boots provide greater comfort and allow riders to stand directly atop the board without plastic or other hard material underfoot.

The Trap: It’s a significant high-end investment that’s not really shareable. Freepress boots offer less flexibility.

Price: System Binding $235; Freepress Boots $400; hyperlite.com

The post Three Top Choices for Wakeboard Bindings appeared first on Boating Mag.

While I have logged thousands of hours in inboard towboats, I recently experienced a boat powered by Mercury’s Bravo Four S. This sterndrive features the propeller on the front side of the lower unit, like the Volvo Penta Forward Drive.

This forward-facing drive provides builders of family boats with the capability to design models tailored for wakesurfing. As a lifelong tow-sports enthusiast and competitive athlete, I’m excited to see advancements like the Bravo Four S and Forward Drive. Such innovation benefits the person behind the boat and improves the driver’s experience, bringing the ­enjoyment of wakesurfing and other tow sports to a broader audience.

By positioning the propeller under the hull, facing away from the rider, the Bravo Four S and Forward Drive ensure a safer wakesurfing experience. My experience testing the Bravo Four S sterndrive on a Sea Ray demonstrated that this innovation goes beyond f­­orward-facing propellers to ­accommodate wakesurfing.

For tow-sports enthusiasts, the size and shape of the wake play a pivotal role in maximizing the enjoyment of each specific tow sport. Each sport has its optimal wake characteristics. The hull design, the amount of transom deadrise, and the weight of the boat all ­impact a wake’s size and shape. Features such as surf tabs, located at the transom, further refine the size and shape of the wake for wakesurfing. While the Bravo Four S created a very nice wave, it does not rank with the tournament-­level waves that can be created with a ­V-drive-powered towboat featuring a hull design optimized for wake creation. That said, a boat powered by a forward-facing sterndrive will be faster for the same power, perhaps more efficient, and easier to ­maneuver at the dock or ramp.

Utilizing the sterndrive for tow sports offers an additional advantage: The driver can further adjust the wake’s shape and size by trimming the outdrive. For instance, trimming out (aka up) the drive places the hull’s stern deeper into the water, creating a larger wake suitable for wakesurfing and ­wakeboarding. Conversely, trimming in (aka down) the outdrive levels the hull to produce a smaller wake, better for water skiing, ­slalom ­skiing and barefooting.

Additionally, trimming down helps get the boat on plane quicker, especially for a boat that’s ballasted or is pulling up a heavier adult on a slalom ski or wakeboard. The trimming feature of the sterndrive provides another tool to give the tow-sports enthusiast an optimal wake and tow experience.

The contra-rotating propeller design also helps for better control at idle speeds, which makes returning to someone in the water at idle more precise. In addition, I observed that the contra-rotating propellers allowed for tighter turns at speed, which allows the driver to return to a fallen surfer, rider or skier quickly.

Read Next: MerCruiser Bravo Four S Forward-Facing Drive

Combining the ­contra-rotating propellers with Digital Throttle and Shift—standard in the Bravo Four S drive—and ­power-assisted hydraulic steering elevates the ­tow-sports driving experience, enhancing driver pleasure and enabling more-precise throttle and steering control.

The helm of the Sea Ray has an array of electronic features familiar to wakesports enthusiasts, including a Simrad touchscreen display and Mercury Smart Tow, enabling the driver to set rider profiles from the dash. A computer then manages speed and wake shaping for each tow sport. The driver can fine-tune these settings manually while underway, tailoring the speed and wake to each individual’s preference. These features elevate the family boat’s tow-sports experience and actively engage the driver.

The post Using a Forward-Facing Sterndrive for Tow Sports appeared first on Boating Mag.

Progression in wakeboarding can take the form of landing a new trick or adding a unique touch on an existing trick. Either path can open the door to new ideas and development that build over time. 

It’s like evolution. But then there are the rare, giant leaps that make the wakeboarding history books, a moment in time burned into the minds of wakeboarding enthusiasts. In a contest format set to raise the bar on what can be done on a wakeboard, a new chapter of wakeboarding was created at the Red Bull Double or Nothing last September when Thomas Herman performed a triple back roll.

In the early days of wakeboarding, the double-up (which, if you don’t know, is the use of two boats to create a combined wake) was utilized to give the rider more air time to complete an extra ­180-degree spin or put a grab on a trick that was otherwise rushed off the small boat wakes of the time. Inboard competition boats were ski boats designed to create the smallest wake possible. But at slower speeds of 18 to 20 mph, wakeboarders and trick skiers could get some lift out of the wake. When wakeboarding pioneers realized they could hit the big roller created when the wake doubled as the boat U-turned at the end of a pass, the sport saw a deluge of new tricks.

The boats continued to get bigger and heavier. The engines, transmissions and propellers pushed more weight that would displace more water, and the wakes grew to a point where the double-up was no longer necessary for progression. In fact, many riders shied away from hitting double-ups because the wakes were big enough to learn new tricks. Plus, there was the looming fear of injury. It is safe to say that most pro-level injuries have occurred during double-up ­attempts.

The double-up is unpredictable and relies heavily on the driver to create a solid set-roller. Even more unique about the double-up is rider preference. Some riders like the angle teed up or closer to a 90-degree approach. Others prefer a more open or easier pocket. Even in perfect conditions, the double-up is a volatile beast that produces a stuntlike kick that is difficult to control.

Read Next: Ten Ways to Keep Your Wakeboarding Fun

Parks Bonifay—considered the GOAT—leveraged the double-up to launch him into legendary status. It only makes sense that this event was the brainchild of Parks and Red Bull, giving riders the motivation to return focus to the double-up and test the edge of progression in a winner-takes-all format. The first inaugural event was in 2004, and it proved an ­instant success.

Thomas ­Herman, a rider for ­Supra Boats, credited hard work and dedication for achieving the first-ever triple flip. “This thing was a battle. Guesstimate roughly 250 double-ups, and on the 30th attempt, we got her done.”

Thank you, Thomas Herman, for keeping the progression going.

The post Thomas Herman’s Triple Flip Pushes Wakeboarding Forward appeared first on Boating Mag.

In my nearly half-century as an enthusiast, coach, and competitive water-ski and wake-sports athlete, I have observed first-hand how recreational and competitive athletes evolve and excel. 

Smart approaches lead to success on the water, while missteps can land you in a frustrating rut with unnecessary falls and potential injuries. Through decades of observation, I have developed a five-step strategy for success.

1. Seek Guidance from the Start

“Just do it” might be an excellent marketing slogan for Nike, but it’s not the ideal strategy for learning and making progress. Instead of adopting a “let me try it” approach, which often results in trial and error, opt for coaching from the outset. Learning through trial and error prolongs your path to success and increases the risk of acquiring bad habits. When you receive guidance, you not only grasp the basics and mechanics of tow sports, but also gain a better understanding of how each maneuver is done. This knowledge enables you to replicate success consistently.

2. Find a Positive Role Model

When aspiring to master a specific maneuver, look for a positive role model who excels in executing the maneuver flawlessly with optimal technique. This role model can be a live, in-person mentor or even someone ­featured in videos. You can recognize ­optimal technique when someone executes a maneuver effortlessly and consistently. Watch this pro perform the maneuver repeatedly to instill a positive image in your mind, affirming that you can achieve the same level. Watching people with poor technique can create bad habits.

3. Equip Yourself for Success

Your choice of equipment plays a key role in your progress. Proper equipment can accelerate your learning curve ­significantly. For example, lighter skis and boards offer ease of use, while comfortable, supportive and lightweight bindings enhance your control over the board or skis. Furthermore, the type of line you select is specific to your tow sport of choice. Low-stretch lines excel in wakeboarding and barefooting, while lines with some stretch are ideal for slalom skiing.

4. Utilize Goals for Direction

Goals should guide you, not consume you. Instead of fixating on the end result, use goals to set your course. An exclusive focus on the goal can lead to an ­impatient mindset, making you believe you should master the maneuver quickly. This impatience can trigger muscle tension, wasting your energy and directing effort in the wrong areas.

To overcome this, employ goals to establish your direction. Discipline your thinking to focus on the basics to achieving the goal. Every maneuver has its basics and mechanical nuances for optimal technique. Developing this disciplined mindset will not only accelerate your progress but also increase your understanding of each ­maneuver’s mechanics.

5. Expand Your Horizons

While many enthusiasts stick with their first tow sport, venturing into other tow sports can enhance your enjoyment and overall ­understanding. Embracing variety within tow sports not only amplifies the fun but also improves your awareness of key fundamentals, such as body position. Each tow sport shares similarities yet offers subtle differences. For instance, wakesurfing eliminates the need for a towline, allowing you to learn how to control the board by applying pressure through specific points in your feet. Wakeboarding and trick skiing teach you how to do rotations, while slalom skiing teaches you how to use the ski’s edge to cross boat wakes and make turns. Barefooting hones your precision and body positioning due to the limited surface area of your feet.

With a strategic approach to learning, coupled with increased body awareness and technical finesse, your progress in water-­skiing and wake sports will be faster and immensely gratifying. This added layer of satisfaction deepens the already exhilarating experience of participating in tow sports.

The post Five Steps to Watersports Success appeared first on Boating Mag.

Water-skiing, wakesurfing and wakeboarding are all fun ways to enjoy a day on the water. The first step, of course, is getting up on your skis, board or wakesurfer. Each sport is unique, but they share certain characteristics. Understanding them will make your starts easy and consistent.

The Power Comes From Your Legs

These tow sports are lower-body sports, which means your leg strength is what gets you on top of the water. Start by drawing your knees to your chest and flexing your ankles inward to bring the ski or board close to your chest. Your skis should be vertical, with the ski tip well above the water. The board on a wakeboard or wakesurfer is typically sideways or parallel to the transom prior to starting in the water.

As the boat accelerates, keep your knees and ankles tucked into your chest. The pressure of the water will lift you up. As your ski or board rises to the surface, raise your seat up as if you were standing from a chair. As you raise your seat and hips, keep an ample bend in your knees and ankles. This position provides the best balance and control. As you complete the start, use your feet and legs to turn the board facing forward.

Relaxed Upper Body

With your lower body working to get you on top of the water, your hands, arms, shoulders and chest should be relaxed, and the handle held palms down. The purpose of the line and handle is to tow you, but they should not support your weight. Apprehensive beginners can carry tension in the upper body; the remedy is to exhale just before the boat accelerates. This releases upper-body tension, allowing your arms and shoulders to relax into a natural position. Relaxing the upper body allows you to use your leg strength during the start.

Read Next: How to Choose the Right Tow Tower

Tips for Quicker Learning

Several techniques can model a proper starting position before you start behind the boat. In shallow water, have someone tow you while you maintain a ­proper starting position. If the ski or board wobbles from side to side, concentrate on using your ­lower body. If you can keep the ski or board still and close to your chest, you understand how to get up. Next, do the same exercise behind the boat while the driver tows you at idle speed. When you maintain a tucked body position following the boat, you are ready for your start.

It is helpful to have an experienced skier or rider next to you and holding you in position. This is especially helpful for young novices, who usually feel more comfortable with someone next to them.

Driving Tips

A driver familiar with tow sports is crucial to quick success. The driver should put the boat in idle while the line stretches out. Just before the line is taut, the driver should put the throttle in neutral and wait for the skier or rider to get in the proper starting position.

The driver should wait for the commands “in gear” and “hit it” from the skier or rider, then put the throttle in gear and accelerate smoothly to the appropriate speed for the ­skier’s size, experience and specific tow sport. Optimal speed for water-skiing on two skis is 15 to 25 mph, 20 to 30 mph for slalom-skiing, 15 to 20 mph for wakeboarding, and 10 to 12 mph for wakesurfing.

The post Getting Up on Your Skis or Board appeared first on Boating Mag.

Remember that aha! moment when you first got up and stayed up on a wakeboard or water ski? That exhilarating feeling is etched in your memory. And if you continue to train and acquire new skills, those aha! moments will keep popping up over a lifetime.

What’s crucial is knowing how to get better. For most, it’s a matter of going on autopilot and defaulting to trial and error. Buying a new, better board or ski can be part of the answer to improving behind the boat. But there’s more to it.

Everyone, even if you are just getting started with wake sports or riding a tube, needs that plan. The key for getting better with wake sports is to improve three separate elements: equipment, technique and boat driving. This is a physical, symbiotic relationship, like a three-legged stool. Remove one leg and it falls over. Here’s a review of each aspect.

Equipment

This ranges from your boat itself to the features on the boat specific for tow sports, such as a ski pylon or a wakeboard tower. It also includes the equipment that you use, such as the wakesurfer, ski or wakeboard to the bindings, line and handle, and flotation vest. Having proper-size equipment that is lightweight and offers the latest performance features will add immensely to your success.

Read our latest watersports boat reviews at boatingmag.com/water-sports-boats.

Technique

This includes body position, how your weight is balanced over your feet, and the position of your arms and hands while holding the handle for water-skiing and wakeboarding. Technique also includes many fine points, such as where your eyes are focused. If you look down, you go down. Or perhaps you are holding your breath, which makes your body tense. Learn through education; try hiring a coach or watching online videos. Know this: When you implement optimal technique, you will improve and tricks will feel easier to master.

Read “How to Teach a Kid to Water-Ski” at boatingmag​.com/story/water-sports/how-to-teach-a-kid-to-water-ski.

Boat Driving

Pros quickly know the difference between a skilled and unskilled driver. Weekend enthusiasts are not aware of the importance of having a driver who is attuned to giving the best tow to the skier or rider. A skilled driver for wake sports is sensitive to keeping a straight boat path, providing smooth acceleration during the start and holding the exact speed. A skilled driver is also highly sensitive to the safety of the person in tow.

Read “How to Drive a Boat for Wake Sports” at boatingmag.com/water-sports/how-to-drive-a-boat-for-wake-sports.

While each of the three elements is important in itself, you need all three elements in harmony to maximize success. Think of it this way: If your bindings are loose-fitting and do not provide ample support, you will not make the most of having optimal body position because you will not have full control of the ski or board.

Or when your body position is not balanced properly over both feet, and you have most of your weight over the back foot instead, which is commonly done, your wakeboard, wakesurfer or ski will not work to its full potential.

Also, if you have the best ski or wakeboard, with bindings that perfectly fit a perfectly balanced body position, but the driver can’t hold exact speed, then you will be distracted and not able to focus on improving.

For a safe, successful and fun experience, the key is to develop awareness of these three key elements of wake-sports success.

The post Three Keys to Improve Your Wake-Sports Skills appeared first on Boating Mag.

Waiting on the arrival of your new Centurion boat? Or maybe you and your family have your eye on one. Either way, here are some tips from professional wakeboarder, Taylor McCullough and professional wakesurfer, Nick Parros to help you set up and take care of your new ride like the pros.

Here’s how to hook up and launch your Centurion properly with professional wakeboarder for Centurion Boats, Taylor McCullough.

Here’s how to pull your boat into the lift and dock it with professional wakesurfer for Centurion Boats, Nick Parros.

Are you or someone in your crew new to getting behind the boat? Here’s how to set up your Centurion boat for wakeboarding with tips from professional wakeboarder, Taylor McCullough.

Here’s how to set up your Centurion boat for wakesurfing with tips and advice from Nick Parros, professional wakesurfer and team Centurion rider.

For more information on Centurion and to check out their newest rides, visit centurionboats.com.

The post Centurion Owner’s Manual appeared first on Boating Mag.

One summer morning in northern Michigan, I sat on the back deck of a lakeside cottage, watching the sun rise over the glassy water.

Suddenly, the ground began to vibrate, and my coffee cup on top of an end table started shaking. Was it the warning signs of an earthquake, or the footsteps of a ginormous dinosaur a la the famous scene in Jurassic Park? No, a group of teenagers had entered the quiet cove aboard a wakeboard boat, and they had the stereo set to “annihilate.”

While I would applaud this group of kids for waking up before dawn to pursue their passion, their ear-splitting music made me instantly dislike them. They had violated one of the unwritten rules of watersports: Keep your stereo at a reasonable volume. Most of today’s tow boats come equipped with incredible sound systems capable of overtaking any other noise on a given body of water. But just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should. In fact, if you want to maintain any sort of camaraderie with other boaters and property owners on the lake, you really shouldn’t.

With the rise in wakesurfing bringing watersports to new heights, and with more boaters in general, there is more interaction between everyone on and around the water, especially when you factor in the old standbys, such as tubing, wakeboarding, skiing and kneeboarding, along with newer toys like foiling. And while there are definitive written rules for tow sports in every state—such as having spotters and wearing life jackets—there are also the unwritten ones, such as turning down the music. We’ve covered a few of these in the past, but with more people on the water than ever, they’re worth repeating. Here are a few more unwritten rules of watersports.

Go Deep

The No. 1 complaint I hear about watersports—even more than playing music too loud—is when boaters throw big wakes toward the shore, knocking around boats in their slips and slamming into lakefront shorelines. The solution is to go out into the middle of the lake so that whatever wake you throw has time to dissipate before it reaches the shoreline. For wakesurfing, you need a depth of at least 9 to 10 feet to build a proper wave anyway, so it’s a no-brainer. For other sports where glassy water is preferred, it might be tempting to take over that quiet cove. But be considerate of how your wake might impact other boats and structure onshore.

Give Way

If you’re engaged in a tow sport, it’s on you to be mindful of other boats in the area, especially those at anchor or adrift while fishing. Think of the impact your passing in close proximity could have on their day, either by rocking their boat while at rest or scaring away any fish in the area. While having a spotter keep eyes on who you’re towing is mandatory, it’s a good idea to have a second person keep an eye out for boat traffic and possible obstructions to avoid in the water.

Read Next: Right-of-Way Rules for Boaters

Communicate

Some states require skiers and other tow-sports enthusiasts to keep an orange or red flag on board and fly it when a rider is down in the water to alert other boaters. Even if this is not required where you live, it’s a great idea so you can signal to other boaters that there’s a person floating in the water and they should give you a wide berth.

The post Unwritten Rules to Follow When Water Skiing, Wakeboarding or Wakesurfing appeared first on Boating Mag.

All good tow-boat drivers know the basics: Always designate a spotter. Make sure the rider and spotter understand hand signals to communicate. Choose a safe path, maintain a safe speed, and avoid hazards that could endanger your crew. Keep a downed rider in view at all times by approaching on the driver’s side.

Always turn off an outboard or sterndrive, or make certain an inboard is in neutral, before a rider approaches the stern. Never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

With experience, the game gets upped. As long as the rider indicates they’re OK, slow to neutral after a fall, then return at idle to avoid kicking up rollers. Focus on the water ahead, but keep a roving eye on speed and the rearview mirror. Should a rider bobble, slow down to allow them time to recover before resuming your normal speed.

The best watersports boat drivers, however, take it up yet another notch by tailoring their driving to each discipline. Here’s a few of their insider tips.

Tubing

For a fun, safe ride, watch your speed. A mere 8 mph is best for children, and 15 to 18 mph is plenty for adults. To send the inflatable skidding outside the wake, initiate a series of controlled S-turns to push the tube over the wakes in each direction. Avoid cranking random sharp turns at high speed; in addition to a chaotic, potentially dangerous ride, the towrope will often go slack, then jerk riders as it snaps taut.

Whips can be fun, but proceed with care. Even when under 20 mph, a tube can accelerate to far greater speeds, increasing the chance of injury. Never punch the throttle, and be prepared to back off the speed and turn should the tube accelerate too much. Apply the same thought process to wakes; gentle can be fun, but large at high speed can be dangerous.

Water-Skiing and Wakeboarding

Skiers and board riders appreciate smooth water, straight passes, a steady speed, and clean, symmetrical wakes.

Drive in a pattern that will dissipate your rollers. Make a straight pass in one direction, a smooth turn at the end of the run, and retrace your original path. For riders who like to roam, break a curving shoreline into longer, straighter segments with brief turns. Use a visual target onshore to maintain as straight a path as possible.

Use speed control if available. If not, keep a gentle hand on the throttle and make small adjustments while watching the tach or speedo. Vary your acceleration to the rider’s size and choice of ski or board during deepwater starts. Wakeboards don’t need aggressive acceleration thanks to their larger surface area; a child on two skis requires less force than an adult on a slalom ski.

For both disciplines, anticipate the pull a rider can exert, such as a slalom skier accelerating out of a turn or a wakeboarder progressively cutting toward the wake. Be ready to throttle up ever so slightly to compensate for the pull, then back off as the skier sets up for the next turn or the rider gets airborne.

Read Next: How To Pick Up A Downed Waterskier, Wakesurfer, Wakeboard Rider or Tuber

Wakesurfing

A gradual, smooth acceleration is all that’s needed to pull a wakesurfer atop the water. Once at the target speed (10 to 11 mph), let speed control take over if possible. Nonplaning speeds, significant ballast loads and wake-enhancing hardware can make it challenging to maintain speed manually. Be prepared for significant bow rise; raise the helm seat, flip up a seat bolster or add seat cushions to ensure you maintain good visibility forward, and stay on the alert for boat traffic or other obstructions.

Underway, run a straight path. Deep water is preferable; shallow water can decrease the wake size.

Because wakes can be massive, stay well away from the shoreline and other boats, and be careful when turning back for a downed rider. Shift to neutral, allow wakes to spread, then turn tightly and proceed back toward the rider at idle to avoid swamping the bow or taking water over the gunwales.

The post How to Drive a Boat for Wake Sports appeared first on Boating Mag.