My 13 year old son surfing. His sister shot the footage and he edited the video. We just discovered surfing this year and can't get enough.
http://media.putfile.com/loving-the-wake
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My 13 year old son surfing. His sister shot the footage and he edited the video. We just discovered surfing this year and can't get enough.
http://media.putfile.com/loving-the-wake
VA - Looks like fun. Heard others on the Bulleting Board discussing wakesurfing but had never seen it done. Gonna give it a try behind my Outback. Guess I gotta load up with lots of weight and get the hull deep on one side. I've got a skim board somewhere in the garage brought back from a spring vacation to Florida. Won't be as dynamic but should work well enough to give me a test ride before spending money for the real thing. Thanks for putting this up for people to see and enjoy. - Deerfield
Ed,
You are absolutely right. Thanks for waking me up! We had a rider in our boat step on and off and gave my son the idea. From now on we start and stop in the water. Not worth the risk no matter how cool it looks.
Great video - your kids rock! I am definitely investing in a board. I grew up surfing in SoCal. and miss it. I'm always boring my kids with tales of great rides and secret spots (I'm sure they weren't as great I remember them)! Now that I have a wave making machine I need to get the groove back on!
A 7'10" wave riding vehicle? Can't picture it E. A regular surfboard?
.
B
Duuuude awesome video... you've got some cool ass kids!
Ed,
Not in disagreement, but are you suggesting there is an undertow that could suck the rider into the prop? Coincidentally, my son is same age, with same board, and starts/ends the same way as VA's. We had never considered an undertow issue. Doesn't seem possible. My concern has been striking the platform if the nose of the board slips off too quickly, but the risk of that does not seem high. The only difference from VA's son is he doesn't lunge toward the platform to end his run. Rather, he reels himself in gradually using the rope. Here is a quote from howtowakesurf.com (note, it is a not a comment about platform start; I don't mean to infer that they endorse it):
"Fuzzy math estimates that a medium sized adult falling into the water is hit with about 800 pounds of force, the water pushing them away from the boat. We do not believe that a person can get into an inboard boat's propeller while wakesurfing if your swim platform is properly positioned. The propeller is about 3 feet in front of the rear of the swim platform. The boat's rudder also partially blocks the propeller. To reach the propeller, your body would have to move forward about 3 feet, pushing against about 800 pounds of force."
Any other thoughts out there? Seems like a great way to start, especially early/late in the season when the water's cooler. Done right, don't even get wet above the knees the entire ride.
('07V w/Gravity 1 and 2x350's rear)
The problem is that the sport is so new, that information is not sufficiently available either via internet, nor with local knowledge/experience on the lakes. Add to that the increduble rate the sport is catching on, and there's alot of trial and error taking place. Add further the finger pointing and useless conjecture by folks such as yourself, who don't actually provide any specific knowledge regarding risks, and the problem just exacerbates.
Some time ago it was suggested there be a separate forum category for wakesurfing. Great idea. I've been waiting fur such.
I entered a Google search for "American Wakesurf Association" and it found no site. If you want to be helpful, why not use that vehicle as a method of public education for enjoyment and safety of the sport.
Just to set the record straight. As of my reply on 9/27, surfing on/off the swim platform is no longer allowed on my boat and as of today, the video has been deleted. Got caught up in making the video and was blind to the danger involved. :oops:
BTW - Riding with 2 orginized groups in 2 states, 1 of whom has ties to Skiers Choice, is why my son got the idea. The video was the 2nd time he did it.
Ed,
Thanks for the heads up on the board, I have one in the garage collecting dust I'm definitely going to try it! As far as a wake surf forum great idea! It's definitely gaining in popularity. We have a number of friends who do more surfing than boarding now.
Thanks for the site references. I checked out Wakeworld.com. Much valuable information. There are two independent threads on platform starts. Both recent (yesterday). One by yourself, as you’d mentioned above. The other is quite lively on the topic and not going the direction you’d prefer. Your post mentions “couple people on a particular websight are advocating how cool and safe it is to start wakesurfing by slipping off the swim platform…”. You may wish to further educate by communicating your information on the website that you refer to, such as you have on this forum.