starting to move on....

Alright, so I started wakeboarding a month or so ago, and I have gotten pretty used to carving and gotten pretty comfortable at riding behind a boat... So I think I'm ready to start moving on, and hitting the wake... I've tried a couple of times but I never really seem to get up... I know I have to shorten the rope I use, but I was also wondering if I should pull the fins off the bottom of the board... I have four 1" fins on the four corners of my board, but I'm wondering if they are holding me back from getting any lift, and if they would make any difference in riding the board... lemme know... thanks

Length of the rope shouldn't make much of a difference in catching air, just make sure the handle is where the wake is peaking and not breaking - Make sure you have a wakeboard specific rope also and not a ski rope though, they streeetchhhhh-

Key to getting air is a nice cut towards the wake, with the board on "edge" and knees slightly bent (probably easiest heelside or facing the boat).Cut through the wake and lift or straighten at the top of the wake. Keep tension on the handle at all times- prepare for landing bending to absorb the impact and ride off in the same direction. Don't look down when you're jumping the wake either- look across the wakes on the horizon.....
Have fun and charge- post some pics of the spills and successes!

I'll keep that in mind... any thoughts on the fins?

taking the fins out will help you learn better edge control and then you will learn how to progressivly edge and then when you progressivly edge into the wake.. bam! you're off

no dont take the fins off. learn to edge correctly with them on then later, if you think you need them off, remove them. riding without fins, at 25 mph, at 85 feet, with 2500 lbs of ballast are things better suited for more advanced riders. taking your fins off will probably frustrated you more than anything else at this point.

i agree with alan. i'd say 90% of the people that ride w/o center fins are hurting themselves rather than helping themselves, and most of 'em do it simply for the "cool" factor.

So Joe let me get this straight you don't believe that taking off fins in general can help you to learn better edgeing? Just curious not picking a fight but when I got my new murray this year everybody said take them off, the only reason that made sense was that it helped to learn better edgeing, now don't get me wrong I didn't go right out throwing inverts but just got a good feel for the board. So by your experience you would say leave them on??

sure it can help. but with most beginners, like alan said, they'd get more frustrated than anything. they need to learn what their edges can do first, and w/o the center fins, they'll just slide all over the place. it doesn't apply to all, but most will probably go through that problem and end up not having fun.

keep in mind, there are exceptions, which is why i said "90%" and "most beginners" as well as "doesnt' apply to all."

and yeah, i know you're not startin' a fight. you disagree with me...i can accept that.

I should be clear Joe I ment with/without the center fins as it has the molded in side fins (appears to be about .7's).

i understood your point kenny. and yeah, people take off the center fins and call it "finless" all the time when there are 4 (or more) molded fins on the board.

I never rode with a center fin, my buddy said you would get to go straight and thats it, and I started snowboarding last winter, so I sort of have a handle on the toe and heelside movements... I guess I can probably pull the fins off for a fun and if I don't like them or I knock myself out when I crack my face, I can just throw them back on... it's not like it's an extensive process...