How in the hell do you get up on these things????

I bought a boat last summer and it came with a wakeboard, I am probably considered an old bastard on this web sight at age 36, but it looks so damn fun.

I am in decent shape, I can ski, kneeboard, and even a pretty good snow skier, but this wake boarding thing has kicked my ass....

I even flagged down some "kids" in another boat looking for advice, they helped me out alot. Here is what I have figured out:

When learning use a shorter rope, around 30-40 feet, start with the board sideways laying on your back, knees bent as close to your body as you can, stretch out your arms to the board.

When the boat takes off, kick your feet out while pulling in with your arms. Pull the rope to your forward hip.

Now for the funny part, I can get the board straight, but cannot seam to get on top of the water, I am running about knee deep in the water and as the boat accelerates I end up wobbling into a face plant...

Any ideas??

I do not know anybody who wakeboards to ask for help.

If I am doing it right is it the inexperienced drivers fault, what is the best way to start off with the boat, do you troll for a little bit or just yank the hell out of the person??

As you can see I have no clue, so any help would be great, here in florida I will have the boat in the water by April so I am looking for info now...

Thanks

Weskel

How much do you weigh and what size board are you riding?
The driver does not need to yank the hell out of the rider!!!!!

Buy a copy of The Book instructional wake DVD, it will help out alot!!

No worries, wealth of info here....and you are not the oldest. But at 36, we are well into the downside of the curve.

Maybe the board is too small?

What kind of boat are you trying to get up on? How big are you? Sounds like the boat is under powered.

Second on "The Book" series. It helped my whole family a ton.

---

quote:

When the boat takes off, kick your feet out while pulling in with your arms.

---

Thats 100% wrong!

By pushing with your feet and pulling with your arms, you're straining yourself and getting out of position. Keep your knees bent, tucked into your chest with your arms straight. As the boat starts to pull, keep your arms straight and let your butt slide towards your heels. This should start to rock your body over your board. The lower you can keep your body, the easier this is going to be on you.

If you're not planing on the water (wobbling knee-deep as you put it) thet means you're standing-up way too early. Let the boat build up a little speed before you try to stand or you'll sink.

I've found, with most adults, that it's usually easier to get up with quite a bit of throttle. This equates to less time being dragged slowly through the water. Kids dont have this problem because they pop up out of the water so quickly that you don't need to use much throttle with them.

Finally, almost every instructional dvd out there has a beginner section explaining how to get up. It might be worth your investment to hear from a pro how to do it. Good luck!

-Steve

(Message edited by kingskrew on January 26, 2007)

Looks like a Chaparral with the SSI package, so I will assume that he has enough juice. That is an assumption....but fairly safe.

Any of the instructional DVD's would be a nice addition to the library. Detention or Higher Education would be fine choices as well.

It took me maybe 20 tries over 2 weekends to get up but it was me being 190 lbs using a friends 134 cause it was all we had , oh ya and trying to get up behind a bayliner with a weak outboard and the boat full of people.

The hard part for me was getting close enough to the board im also 35 so my knees dont bend like they used too , the closer your butt is to the board easier it is to get up id say , once I learned to get up I start by just turning the board as soon as im moving and steping down with my right foot( imagine your sitting down and someone is helping you up by pulling your hand)

The good news is once you get up you will never have this problem again , so dont give up its worth all the times you fail.

Steve is 100% right about standing up too early and pushing your legs out. I self taught myself to do that and every time up was a battle between me and the water, I would try to muscle it up. After watching the book I now start the way he described, and it is so much easier. The key is to slide your butt to the board and dont be in a hurry to stand up. When we have new people on the boat I tell them to watch the spotter and they tell them when to stand up. Take your time and have fun, and dont worry about the age, Im 37 and having a blast.

To get an idea of the feel of it, grab onto a rope on dry land when you're in your "wakeboard" position. Have a friend stand several feet away on the other end of the rope and pull you up. This will give you an idea kind of as to what position your body needs to be in before you start to stand up straight on the board. Good luck!

Agree with Steve. Once I showed my 14 year old son (who is 6 foot and 190 lbs.) the right position (as Steve explained) I told him "Don't do anything, just let the boat pull you up". You're not going to win a tug of war with a 2000+ pound boat.

I also 3rd or 4th The Book suggestions. The beginner section is great.

By the way, I'm another one of those on the "downward slope" at 39, but love boarding an 18 year old!



(Message edited by o2binvallarta on January 26, 2007)

This is about the best instructional you will come across
http://wakeworld.com/Articles/2002/GettingUp.asp

Steve is right. You're just plain ol' doing it wrong. I bet you're very tired after a few tries with that technique. Here are a few articles that will help both you and your driver.

Getting Up...
http://www.wakeworld.com/Articles/2002/GettingUp.asp
http://www.wakeworld.com/articles/2003/wfd.asp

Driving...
http://www.wakeworld.com/articles/2003/perfectpull.asp
http://www.wakeworld.com/articles/2003/thatboat.asp

Steve is right. STAY LOW! Some of your skiing habits may be haunting you. Try not looking at the boat as your beginning. If your right foot fwd look at the shoreline to your left, if left foot front look at the shoreline to the right. Never face the boat directly when wakeboarding.

Man, what a great website, wish I would have came across it sooner.

My boat is a Chaparral 196 with a 220 HP Merc in it, I believe it has plenty of power...

I will definatly be buying a video.

I was extremly exhausted trying to fight the boat to get up.

I weigh 220 and am 6' 2" tall, I dont have any idea what size board I have. They guy I bought the boat from was probably 5' 10 and probably weighed 175 or so.

One other thing, I have a 9 year old son, do they make small boards for kids?

thanks for all the input.

Kelly

Kelly. My daughters (5 & 7 yrs old) ride a hyperlite. I'm sure other makers like CWB make small boards too. Check e-bay.

By the way. You have to be over 40 like me to be old on this board.

(Message edited by saroberts70 on January 26, 2007)

it has always been helpful to put a really long line out there about 80 feet, because they feel like they are going slower and are in more control

If they guy was 175 there is a good chance that the board is a little small but you should still be able to get up and ride it. It just takes practice.
There are a bunch of links across the top of the page where you can find all kinds of wakeboards.

Flexibilty helps a lot. If you are flexible enough when the boat starts to pull you let your arms out and your butt rest against your feet. From there once the board is on top of the water just roll forward and you will be up.

I think the best advice I ever recieved was just do it till you get up. It sucks learning but once you get the feel of it you will love it.

I'll admit, I had a helluva time getting up the first couple times. Now, I think I could stand up at 5 MPH. It starts to come so natural, you'll wonder why you ever had a hard time getting up.

Kelly, take a look at Liquid Force and Hyperlite. They both make boards for groms. We just got our 6 year old this one in a 111:

http://www.liquidforce.com/boards_nemesis.htm

Also, there is probably more experience on this board than you'll find anywhere. If you can post a pic of your board, I'm sure someone on here could tell you what it is (make, model and length). Or, you could measure it with a tape measure. Boards are measure in cm and, from what you posted, you should probably be on a 141 or 142, which works out to about 55 inches.

Good luck!

The part that I question is when you said laying on your back.If your laying back that is also wrong.It put a little strain on the gutt but you should try to keep your shoulders up out of the water.

Hi Kelly, At 46 years old I must really be over the hill. I just started boarding a couple of years ago. I use to ski 80 to 90% of the time, but last year 06 I was boarding 70% of the time, it is addictive. I tried to get up on a small board years ago with out any luck. I am 225 lbs and I ride a 141 CWB, it is also fairly wide. You should look into getting a larger board. Good info here on getting up, once you get up if you feel like your squaring up to the boat, ie face plant, drop your back hand and it will help you to track parallel with the boat. Do this until you get use to the position. Keep your front edge up and lean back on the backside of the board, the back edge away from the boat. Also get larger fins on the bottom to help you get use to tracking straight. Get your kids into it they will love it. Start early and they be awesome.
Were looking to come down from Chicago to do some boating in FL during spring break, got any good spots for riding, near a campground, fresh water?
Paul

Paul,

We ski and tube at Rocky Bayou State Park, it is salt water and opens up into Choctahatchee Bay which is what we cross when we go into Destin, Florida for lunch and to hang out at "Crab Island". Destin is about a six mile boat ride from Rocky Bayou.

The Bayou is like a big lake that usually is glass smooth. The only draw back is the Gators and Hammerheads...The noise of the boats keep them away though.

I have nicknamed my sons, "Gatorbait" and "Sharkbait".

There is a great campground with all the amenities right next to the boat ramp. Lots of parking for trucks and boats.

The campgrounds have all the hookups if you have a camper or an RV.

Check out my feeble attempt at a website, I have a few pictures of us on the boat and the area, I will try to find some good pictures to add to it of Rocky Bayou..

Kelly


http://www.smithaviation.com

Click on family pictures....

bring up google map and look at the satellite photo of Destin florida, rocky bayou is just a little northwest, just south of Niceville/Bluewaterbay.

Kelly

Just to note. You also may be using a ski rope. That will make it hard as well. You should use a non stretch rope to wakeboard.

Kelly,
We bought boards from other WW people and were not disappointed. Used is the way to go (as long as you see pics first) to save some $. Also, look to the WW Board Wizard (on the home page) to get some ideas for your skill level and weight. Big boy like yourself needs something usually in the 140 cm or more- the board descriptions usually will give recommended weight.

As for your age, you're a kid! I started at 41 and gave up my ski for good. Look at that WW article that Dave posted and a video/DVD to see it. We recently bought "the rider's edge" and it has good instructionals from the beginning-starting out to advanced. (not as expensive as "the book"- which might be a good second buy.)

Since you may not be out on the water for a while, then it's time to get to stretching that spine and getting used to wake stance versus ski stance.

Have fun this season. Keep us posted on your progress...

Wakeworlds link is pretty good.

Here is my shorter version.

arms straight.
knees bent.
hit it slooooow.
don't push with legs.
don't pull with arms.
compress ass on heels.
get up sideways.
stand and rotate to regular or goofy.
don't bend at the waist.
drop front hand momentarily to gain balance.
start edging left and right moving the handle on either side of your lead hip.

Right GD, getting turned early was key for those I taught (wife, brother and sister in law) to avoid too much turbulence of water against the board. It seems first-timers like to keep the board perpendicular to the surface of the water which results in way too much strain on the body.

Ron, when I write "get up sideways" I mean the board is sideways to the boat.

I encourage people to get up riding the board sideways with their arms STRAIGHT and their ASSES firmly on their heels. If they do this and the boat driver makes a slow start, then its a piece of cake.

I actually help most first timer out by first pulling them up by hand at the swim platform. Its especially good for kids where you can tell them not to pull with their arms or push with their legs.

I dig!

Kelly,

I always tell new riders to do 2 things to pop up when the boat starts to pull you.
1. Put your butt to your board
2. Let your hands get pulled over the board.

This will pop you out of the water fast and then its to the next step of just staying up and riding.

I tell people to sit with they're arms out (between the knees) with their knees crouched, and toes pointed down. If you are in this position simply hold it and do absolutely nothing. LET THE BOAT DO THE WORK!!!

Totally agree with Nick. Let the boat do the work. If you remember that the board is like a wing and not like a dam you'll understand that you don't push against the water. You're not slalom skiing, that's where most of your bad technique probably comes from. Sit there let your arms out, and let the boat pull, you don't need to push. Make sure that your knees are inbetween your elbows and not your arms on the inside. Once you get how to do it it's the easiest thing ever.

Kelly, I like the look of your boat, very nice! It will be just fine for recreational wakeboarding, and probably could pull up more than boarders than you could fit in the boat with a 220.

Keep working on it, you will get it, and then everything is cake.

-G

Buy a video!! Visual will help much better than words. I have Detention the DVD by Shaun Murray if you're interested.

the biggest thing that helped me out when i couldn't get up was when i put my arms on the outside of my knees and faced my board pointing toward the boat...h/o lemme find a video

i couldn't get it but i think it was on the CWB website under videos on how to get up... that thing is what got me up

Kelley, we are about the same size and I'm 38 and just started last year so easy with the "old" thing! My buddy taught me how to finally get up and the thing I always forgot to do was point my toes towards the boat when I started to move. As bigger guys we automatically "plow" the water and although it looks really funny from the boat, it sucks when you're the one doing it. Not like my girlfriend who weighs about 110 lbs. and pops out of the water like a cork! I finally got it and now I can actually start from an almost standing position in the water as long as I remember to point my toes to make the board jump up and plane. The dropping the back hand thing is also a lifesaver for learning to track correctly. You'll get it and then you'll be hooked! Don't give up!

I just checked out your family site. You wouldn't believe how much easier it is with a tower. Rope pulls you up and out instead of straight forward or even a little down.

I have been trying to convince my wife to let me purchase an aftermarket tower for the boat. Maybe this summer I can work out a deal....

I am hoping to have some videos up on our site by this weekend.

thanks for all the info.

kelly

Hi Kelly,
Thanks for the info on the park. The picks look great as we sit in 10 deg weather right now. It looks like you guys have fun as a family. Keep it up, my son is 19, and my daughter is 20 now, so it goes by fast. Boating is one thing that we have done as a family and it has been great. Although looking at your beach setting is bumming me out, we have a lot of dirt were we boat.
I just got a new 06 XStar and I don't think I can put it in the salt just yet, but very tempting.


(Message edited by Paulw on January 29, 2007)

When salt is all you got, you just have toi go for it....

It takes alot of flushing and salt eliminator, but it seams if you take care of them they will make it fine.

We clean the boat as soon as we get home, (I say we, but after a long day of boating, it is really just me!)

The weather is cold here to right now, this morning it was 23 deg. Our water temps in the summer get over 90 deg, it's like hot salty bathwater.

If you decide to head down this way give me a shout.

Kelly

Thanks for all the advice, this is what came with my boat. I just went and pulled it out to snap some pictures and I measured it.

It is an Obrien Blunt (at least that is what it says, and it has rubber bindings with velcro, on the bindings it says Obrien Morph.

The length is 137cm long and 40cm wide at the middle.

Looks to me like a cheapo board....

Thanks again


Kelly






(Message edited by weskel on January 31, 2007)

I just found my board on this website:

'99 O'Brien Blunt
Mfg's Comments: Originally designed as a free-ride board for crossover skaters and snowboarders. Low radius rails and wide middle combine for great lift and easy spins.

Category: Beginner

Construction:

Length: 54.0"/137 cm

Width: 16.0"/40.6 cm

Weight: 6.5-7.5 lbs.

Rocker: 2.0"/5.0 cm

MSRP: $229.95

Yep, what you've got there is a 1999 Obrien Blunt. http://www.wakeworld.com/boardguide/getboard.asp?boardid=385

Thats a great starter board, although a bit small for you. The bindings, I'm afraid to say, have got to go. Pick up something made in the last couple years with some ankle support. You can find great deals in the used section on this site or on ebay. Also, with as big as you are you'll probably be better off moving those bindings all the way out into the widest holes (it helps with stability). Have fun!

-Steve

Yeah, definately move the bindings all the way out.

yah, i agree with steve on that one! the board is good for u for now,but those bindings suck.i used to have a pair just like those and your feet would always fallout of them.Isuggest getting a new pair of bindings.

I think the board is to small for you. If you are going to get new bindings, then go ahead and get a new board as well, it saves you money if you buy a package deal over buying the Board and bindings separate, about a 100 bucks in savings.

Hell im 46 didnt think I was that old. Love boarding like surfing a while lot more.

I had those bindings. Get rid of them. Now.

We used to have those bindings. They were fine for learning in. Of course, once you start learning how do some stuff, you'll want to move into some better bindings. The nice thing about the velcro was that they would fit several feet sizes.

the best tips i ever read that helped me get up (2nd try) the first time out was to:

try to point the tops of your toes to the bottom of the lake. of course it's impossible, but it forces the toeside edge of your board down and it will plane quicker. as soon as the board planes you're basically up. the poster also mentioned that the board is going to sink for a moment while doing this, don't panic and keep your ass to you heels--the board will plane.

also i see a lot of people try to stand up too quickly. another tipster said that you can ride the board sideways around the lake if you want.

those are the tips i give first timers out on my boat and it seems to help. i only had one person i went with last year not able to get up. but i believe 100* heat, a long day and alcohol may have been a factor. ;)

Good tips.

Bruce - When I point my toes to the bottom of the lake bad things happen to my eye balls.

wait untill you get up.