View Full Version : Other boats wakes
what is the best way to handle other boats wakes when free skiing?
jmvotto
09-07-2011, 03:21 PM
bend knees......:o
viking
09-07-2011, 04:44 PM
Early Morning after Dawn and Evening just before Dusk - in other words - "avoidance"
bergermaister
09-07-2011, 06:42 PM
Kdub- where bouts you live here in the Couv?
Surprised I haven't seen you out on the river yet. With the 90's we're having this week (finally) I'll be launching out of Washougal at least a few nights and this weekend. Also, stick the year and model of boat in your signature
To your question, if I'm pulling a boarder or in rare cases a skier, I'll try to cut over another boats wake and follow in their trail if they've been going straight. If it's boats everywhere and craziness just plan ahead to get out early or stay out late (pending wind) for the best pulls like Viking said.
berg...
I have seen you and i think you have seen my older boat, the 06 Green outback V and now that i think about it, didnt you sell me a bug sheild off a chevy a while ago, if so i remember checking out your boat about the stereo..... we also launch at washougal and head to reed island..
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BensonWdby
09-07-2011, 11:09 PM
what is the best way to handle other boats wakes when free skiing?
Toss the handle and have them pick you up.
If it is just one other boat you can either:
A. Stand on the back of the boat and glare at them, possibly gesturing to them.
B. Drive over to them and ask if they would be willing to alternate sets with you. You might be surprised at the response. I have met several skiing buddies this way.
bergermaister
09-08-2011, 01:37 AM
Kdub - wow! Yep, I do remember, that was a few years back. Bug shield for your suburban right? Funny - small world!
If that green Outback is your old boat, what's the new one!?
Kdub - wow! Yep, I do remember, that was a few years back. Bug shield for your suburban right? Funny - small world!
If that green Outback is your old boat, what's the new one!?
yeah... that is funny, since the economical melt down couple years ago, the wife got laid off and eventually i had to sell the boat, now i have been buying & selling boats to get back up there, i am up to this now and will sell it next spring and get something newer::
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skiyaker
09-08-2011, 05:46 PM
that ski brendella is flipin' fantastic- it kind of looks like the old supra comps. Is the wake on that thing flat or what?
Shoot, I would hang on to that boat. Looks like there is nothing wrong with it to me
viking
09-08-2011, 10:04 PM
that is one clean looking vessel. Nice ride. Love the older boats when they are kept up.
It is a real nice boat for a 92. The guy always maintained it for years. That is the only reason I bought it and yes it has one of the nices small wakes that I ever skied behind. I want to get an 05 outback DD like what you got jack. Open bow. I like those. But a couple more buy and sells... then I should beable to get one
We pretty much have had a great year on the slalom course this summer. No one is ever boating near the slalom courses. Well that is until this past weekend.
Saturday at around 9:00AM we were on the course when here comes a Centurian VD pulling a wakeboarder (first VD seen on the lake this summer). Not only pulling him but doing it with massive amounts of ballast about 150ft away from the course. Funny thing is they waved to us. Now who spends +80k on a boat like this and knows nothing of a slalom course? We packed it up and headed home and DID NOT return the waves and smiles from the people on that VD.
Sunday at around 3:00PM we are back on the course and we notice a 14ft 40hp bass type boat pulling someone on a pair of skis a little ways off. No problem until about 2/3rd down the course, with my son on the ski, I notice in the mirror the bass boat following us down the course!!!
I went into defensive mode and pulled my son to the end of the course where he dropped the rope and I covered him with the awesome LS. Ok so we waited for them to dissapear and get him back up and going again. The second pass through the course I look in the rearview mirror again and "WHAT THE HE$$!" they are following us down the course again. We packed it up and went home and again we did not return the waves from the people on the bass boat. This is were the "people with DD skiboats are arrogant A Hs" comes from.
This area of the lake has plenty of space to "GO SOMEWHERE ELSE" but with slalom skiing on a course being so rare I guess we shouldn't expect people to have any idea of what happens there, so we accept it (this time!).
So not a great weekend but it has been a very good year with the price of gas so high that the population of boats on the lake has dropped until almost nothing. I guess we are spoiled!!! :)
newty
09-12-2011, 12:53 PM
Nice boat Kdub! Cant believe you already sold the MC you got this spring. Love those old Brendellas. You know that was Mike Brendells (as in MB Sports) first company. Great boats.
Good to hear your still alive!
kaneboats
09-12-2011, 01:03 PM
On the course thing, I've always said that you can forgive ignorance and try to educate. But, when they know better and do it anyway-- that's what's not easy to forgive.
On the course thing, I've always said that you can forgive ignorance and try to educate. But, when they know better and do it anyway-- that's what's not easy to forgive.
Yep! The bass boat scared me! The Wakeboarders pissed me off!
The admiral (wife) caught me filling the rear ballast! She knew I had some ideas about educating people about wakes. So I turned the ballast switch to off and we went home to eat lunch. :(
Now if the lake was small and there was no other place to go that would be one thing! :)
BensonWdby
09-12-2011, 07:26 PM
Definitely frustrating. We get to the course at 8AM Sat and Sunday to avoid crowds. Inevitably some local (on the lkae) will come out in an inboard ski boat and do a circle around us, no one in the boat but them. So we get cross rollers from three or four directions. We normally can wait it out, but potentially dangerous if it goes unnoticed.
Inliner
09-14-2011, 08:45 PM
I occasionally ride on a small private lake that has similar issues. One time we were skiing and having a good time when a wakeboard boat decided to join us on a 50 acre lake. They cross cut us and everything else figuring we would draw the short end of the stick. Much to their surprise I loaded 1,400lbs of ballast to the driver's side and started surfing. Their lake water went to 7734 and we had a great time surfing. Sucks to be them! They gave up and quit! One of the nice things about doing so many different things on the water! My recommendation is when life delivers lemons, make lemonade!
I occasionally ride on a small private lake that has similar issues. One time we were skiing and having a good time when a wakeboard boat decided to join us on a 50 acre lake. They cross cut us and everything else figuring we would draw the short end of the stick. Much to their surprise I loaded 1,400lbs of ballast to the driver's side and started surfing. Their lake water went to 7734 and we had a great time surfing. Sucks to be them! They gave up and quit! One of the nice things about doing so many different things on the water! My recommendation is when life delivers lemons, make lemonade!
You know maybe wakeboarders don't have a clue about slalom skiing! I wonder how many wakeboarders on here are reading this and thinking gee I didn't know that! Gee his engine is in the middle, what's that about??? :D
Mikey
09-15-2011, 09:20 PM
A different breed all together wakeboarders are,but we won't go there,or all hell is gonna bust loose on here.HAHA
kaneboats
09-16-2011, 11:37 AM
I wakeboard a lot more than I ski anymore. But, when I see someone coming on a slalom ski I stop the boat and get over to give him room and smoother water. Of course there are people on my river that have to PASS you when you are towing a slalom skier. Idiots!
wolfeman131
09-16-2011, 12:00 PM
I pull over and wait too - for 3 minutes. If they fall or are talking FOREVER to gear up and get out of the way, well then they have to deal with the rollers I leave behind.
If we are out free skiing in the middle of a lake, river, ocean whatever I don't expect anyone to give us special treatment (even though I do slow down or make a large detour when I pass fishing boats). The water is open to all. But when you are on a slalom course that is tucked back into a small cove on a large lake and someone spent the money on an inboard boat then I expect a little more from that boat owner. I have learned to expect nothing from fishing boats, pontoon boats, jet skis and kayaks. It is what it is with this group.
Lessons learned are get up early and hope a bass boat is NOT sitting in the middle of the slalom course. Been there and done that one too. Thats when the ballast tank came in handy for water skiing! :) How does that song go? Don't rock the boat baby, well in this case we try to rock the boat.
A different breed all together wakeboarders are,but we won't go there,or all hell is gonna bust loose on here.HAHA
I really enjoyed this one! Thanks for the smile!
Inliner
09-16-2011, 06:04 PM
Not all of them though. On my normal lake I ride on we routinely share shorelines never crossing each others wakes. But they are all experienced upper level riders and obviously knowledgeable boat drivers as they know what a dog bone is!
BensonWdby
09-16-2011, 06:13 PM
The course we use is on the same end of the lake as the landing - actually probably less than 1000 feet. Strangely enough if I had a choice I would ask all boats to go by as close to the course as possible and at full speed. The wak clears the course faster.
Ok this weekend we had a new issue to report. We were ON the course. We are about to pull a skier up when a little itty bitty canoe with a 5 hp motor comes around the corner and drops anchor at no. 3 bouy. We motored over to tell them we were using the course and they ignored us. Once again I started to fill the ballast tank when the wife sees this and tells me to just leave. I could have swamped that little thing but she was right, the dudes looked kind of scary (ok really scary). Big ole boys, probably packing anyway.
We filled the ballast anyway further down the lake and did some surfing. Came back later and they were gone. Idiots!
skiyaker
09-27-2011, 12:46 PM
Ok this weekend we had a new issue to report. We were ON the course. We are about to pull a skier up when a little itty bitty canoe with a 5 hp motor comes around the corner and drops anchor at no. 3 bouy. We motored over to tell them we were using the course and they ignored us. Once again I started to fill the ballast tank when the wife sees this and tells me to just leave. I could have swamped that little thing but she was right, the dudes looked kind of scary (ok really scary). Big ole boys, probably packing anyway.
We filled the ballast anyway further down the lake and did some surfing. Came back later and they were gone. Idiots!
That's incredible- I'm not sure how you resisted the urge to swamp him or at least run the course and skip 3 ball.
bergermaister
09-27-2011, 12:54 PM
the dudes looked kind of scary (ok really scary). Big ole boys, probably packing anyway.
Probably the distant banjo music in the background made them think twice about a full ballast fly-by!
sled - 1
10-14-2011, 11:24 PM
Z I would have made him the 3 ball :))))), Anyways the question iw what to do about wakes from other boats while skiing. I think Dave and some others said it best...toss the handle and wave. If you try to ski mid day your just asking for a crappy pull. During the summer we ski at 6am and done by 8. Rest of the day to float around, surf, have sociable or two or whatever. Heck we have guys on our crew who will throw the rope when the wake from one of our own boats is off :))))
wolfeman131
10-15-2011, 10:24 AM
Heck we have guys on our crew who will throw the rope when the wake from one of our own boats is off
Slalom Snobs!
KSmith
10-15-2011, 02:19 PM
Slalom Snobs!
Indeed... we had a guy that would throw the rope and get all diva from the ripples off a goose fart...
skiyaker
10-15-2011, 02:37 PM
Indeed... we had a guy that would throw the rope and get all diva from the ripples off a goose fart...
for me it depends on the size of the goose- if it's one of those small duck looking things I can deal with that but if it's one of the big things that hiss at you and chit all over everything then pack it in brotha!
Inliner
10-16-2011, 06:39 AM
The goose fart sounds like some of the barefooters I know! LOL! One time I was sitting listening to the barefooters in our group whine about the canoe moving around with a small motor. I decided to take advantage of their whining and took off on my wakeskate. Then they whined about my wakes!!!! :-)
BensonWdby
10-24-2011, 11:53 PM
We actually have a resident Loon that likes to make himself a turn bouy. We have had more than one close call with him. They are either very brave or very stupid. A lot of folks don't understand the need for predictable water. They don't understand the difference between wind-chop and rollers. I will take wind-chop over rollers any day. One time we were trying to ski and we had a guy in a runabout just doing circles - for a long time. I finally went over and very nicely asked him if he could stop for 10 minutes while I got in a run. He looked totally confused and said - 'Oh - is that a problem for you guys?' and he left.. No clue .
skiyaker
10-25-2011, 12:48 PM
I wish I had the balls to try barefooting- it looks awesome every time I see somebody do it but I'm afraid it would be the end of me; I won't knock the conditions it requires though since I'm too afraid to give it a go.
Dave have you ever had a day when you thought the lake was "too calm?" My ski partner and I have decided we like the water to have just a little texture to slow the ski in the turns. The wakeboarders have a hoot when we suggest we would like a 3 mph breeze instead of glass. Rollers are the worst though- my ankle still pains me from the roller I hit 16 months ago.
deerfield
10-25-2011, 02:47 PM
I wish I had the balls to try barefooting- it looks awesome every time I see somebody do it but I'm afraid it would be the end of me;
skiyacker - I have a boom for my '07 Outback and am offering to meet up with you next season to get you out there on your feet. Won't be the end of you, even if you face plant. It has been years, but I did enjoy the thrill of footing and sure would like to see you put a check mark by that one item on your bucket list. - Deerfield
viking
10-25-2011, 05:17 PM
skiyacker - I have a boom for my '07 Outback and am offering to meet up with you next season to get you out there on your feet. Won't be the end of you, even if you face plant. It has been years, but I did enjoy the thrill of footing and sure would like to see you put a check mark by that one item on your bucket list. - Deerfield
Hey Deerfield,
Does that offer extend to pulling that boom out to Big Sky Country :) (ha ha......JK)
BensonWdby
10-25-2011, 07:23 PM
...
Dave have you ever had a day when you thought the lake was "too calm?" My ski partner and I have decided we like the water to have just a little texture to slow the ski in the turns. The wakeboarders have a hoot when we suggest we would like a 3 mph breeze instead of glass. Rollers are the worst though- my ankle still pains me from the roller I hit 16 months ago.
So this is an interesting point of view on what we call - slalom ripple. The difference is that we think that glass is slower due to surface tension and that slight ripple is faster. I have actually gotten to where I am OK either way. Good body position goes a long ways toward making it matter less - I think. but I think most of my ski crew prefers the slalom ripple as well.
skiyaker
10-25-2011, 07:53 PM
"Slalom ripple"... I love it! It just seems funny to me to start complaining that the water is "too calm"
Deerfield- I'd give it a go with a boom! It would be fun to ski with you.
sled - 1
10-30-2011, 04:31 PM
Dave is money on this one. Look at the bottoms of a couple new skies, the Conelly Prophecy and I think the HO. The ripple is now built into the bottom for exactly what was described, too flat, too much suction (at least that's what I call it). I slight ripple helps break the suction and makes the ski faster and turn easier. JM2C
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