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  1. #1

    Default New to water sports..Where to start?

    Hi, i'm new to this forum...new to wakeboard boats. I have a 9yr orld and an 11 year old boy who really love water sports. I currently have an 03 Caravelle 176 fish and ski. I'm getting rid of it and getting a new boat. I fiqure I that I dont want to be buying a new boat every few years so I would just get the boat that is gonna suite our boating needs over the next 10 years. So i'm ordering a Mobius LSV on Monday.

    Now to the questions. My boys have done alot of tubing and now want to get up on knee boards and Im sure that they will be asking for wakeboards before to long

    What should I have them start on? Is there a kinda natural progression for kids? Like 2 skies, then 1 ski, then wake board.....or just jump right in?

    Any advise would be a appreciated. Are there any sites out there that give advise on this? Im sure that there is info in a thread hear somewhere, I just havent found it yet.

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    15

    Default

    I would think that most "older" people like me started with skis, then to kneeboards, and finally to wakeboards, just because that was the progression of the water sports equipment. But I do remember when I was a kid we had a plywood surfboard we hauled behind the boat.

    Anyway, I don't see any advantage to starting with skis over wakeboard.
    It's a personal preference above all.

    JD

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Dearborn, Michigan
    Posts
    193

    Default

    I agree with boat dog no real reason to start them on anything "first". Both my kids hated water skiing and only my daughter was able to get up on them eventually; both are very good wakeboarders. My son was up on his first pull! My daughter took probably 10 - 12 pulls to get up and going. Now both are looking to try wakeskating and wakesurfing. My son is now 13 and my daughter is 10, they both started 3 years ago.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Minnesota and Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,197

    Default

    I insisted my son learn to ski on 1 before I would get him a wakeboard. Mainly because I knew he would be good at and I hoped he would like it enough to stick with it. Then I would not have to deal with slalom skiing with fat sacs in the boat.

    That approach really did not work all that well. Be he can now do both. My argument to him was that there will come a time when you will be on someone elses boat and all that will be available will be skis or a ski or a wakeboard - so might as well learn to do both.

    My limited experience with kids and wakeboards is that they see the pros doing these huge inverted stunts and want to do the same thing. But most wakeboarders aroung here are content with just doing a wake-to-wake, trying to clear the wake. Maybe doing a fakey landing.

    I have tried wakeboarding and personally find slalom much more of a rush. The speed and accelration can't be beat.

    My 2 cts.
    Dave

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Springfield, VA
    Posts
    49

    Default

    My son is 9 and just started wakeboarding last summer. He hadn't ever even tried to ski and did great on the wakeboard. He was out of the water on about the 4th or 5th try. Since we don't really ski all he has ever seen us do is wakeboard, so that is naturally what he wanted to do too. Good luck and congrats on your new (pending) purchase!!!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    t-town
    Posts
    718

    Default

    son skied on 2 at age 11 then wakeboarded and he will never go back

    daughter learned to wakeboard on her 2nd try at age 6.

    heck no on the tube thing. somehow that thing always get's left in the garage

    now son is 13 doing spins, w2w's and getting pumped to throw some bigger stuff.

    ps, both already now surf:::::

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Manchester,MO
    Posts
    20

    Default

    I have three boys, 11, 15, and 18. Got a 06 LSV last year. I didn't get the lxv because I love to ski. My last boat was a 18" IO, we skied, tubed, and kneeboarded. Once we got the wakeboards the rest of the equipment just collects dust.

  8. #8

    Default Ski or Wakeboard

    I was taught everything I know about watersports by my parents and my brother, all slalom skiers (very recreationally).

    When I teach people something new, wakeboarding is always the easier of the sports to get them up quickly on (esp with a tower.) I'm not a huge fan of this though as it just lends to more people getting up and doing nothing (or just jumping wake to wake), which means that you're really wasting your money on fat sacs because people get higher with less work and less skill - it throws more money than a boat, roap, and board at having fun.

    Waterskiing actually gives me peace of mind and can help me relax. If I'm free skiing, a slow cut to go wide just feels so beautiful. From my impression many wakeboarders don't get this feeling as they want music, cool tricks, and an audience to feel in the grove.

    On the other hand, boarding is fun too - I enjoy jumping really high and going for my back flip. It feels more like challenging myself unless I'm doing course practice.

    Skill wise: my nearly 10 year waterskiing experience granted quick success on wakeboarding and trickskiing as I got up my first times and tried tricks the first day.

    I also don't have a tower or board of my own - instead of having a wakeboard to jump wakes I learned to get air on my slalom combo ski. This might sound weird, but leg muscles will allow you to hop a wake on a ski - I've almost gone wake to wake
    Stephen
    Georgia Tech Water Ski
    http://waterski.gatech.edu
    Tournament info https://forum.moomba.com/viewtopic.php?t=5296

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Minnesota and Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,197

    Default

    I have gone wake-to-wake on a competition slalom ski (on purpose) at 15 off. I stopped a few years ago 'cause the landings can be unpredicatable. See home videos at link below.

    I find sar's comments interesting regarding the feel. I think I feel this way as well. This does not mean I hate wakeboarding. But I also fail to see the adrenaline-driven wide-eyed excitement that I feel when slaloming from the folks that board with us.

    I would be interested to see how many boarders on this board actually go upside down? I would be surprised if there are a lot.

    What I have found is that WB is easier to learn, i.e., get up, but harder to make significant measurable progress. Slalom is probably harder to learn, i.e., deep water starts, for many, but I think the progression to more exciting skiing can be faster than on a WB.

    http://bensonwdby.home.comcast.net/

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Fayetteville, GA
    Posts
    319

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by BensonWdby
    I would be interested to see how many boarders on this board actually go upside down? I would be surprised if there are a lot.

    http://bensonwdby.home.comcast.net/
    Many go upside down, not all land right side up.
    I invert on a kneeboard.

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