Last summer I got a new handle for the first time in about 2 years, it was a Premier. After a couple of sets I noticed some of the foam coming up so I super glued it down and it was fine for a while. Then a buddy of mine used it the ripped the hell out of it. How many of you guys or gals have a handle to use all to yourself? This year I will have "my" handle and a boat handle for everyone else.

This guy

One handle and I share...new accurate carbon this year.

Just about everyone in my boat has there own handle and rope. My girl and I even ride different stuff for the same reason I ripped the hell out of hers to many times<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/biggrin.gif" border=0>

I share, if it breaks I send it back....I bought one Proline LG (almost 3 years ago) and it never makes it through the season so I keep sending it back and they keep sending me a new one so I have no worries. <BR> <BR>I personally find it stupid when there is 5 riders on the boat and everybody has to use a differnet rope/handle, wastes time IMO just adjust the lengths as the rider desires....

what if the handle sucks? you better believe i'm using my own rope and handle. it ain't your pull so don't tell me i can't use my own rope and handle.

we usually use one handle, but the ones we've broken or have fallen apart, we just chip in on a new one. works out pretty well for us. unless somebody really does a number on it, then the other 4 of us tend to chip in slightly less<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/biggrin.gif" border=0>

I agree Joe, if its some sort of crappy handle/rope then I would use my own...however I just find it dumb if there is a nice set up already on the tower, and people refuse to either share it, or somebody refuses to use somebody elses handle

i think its annoying when people bring their own handle into my boat. i know that im going to have to spend the first 5 minutes dialing in speeds and readjusting weights. plus a bunch of ropes in the boat just get in the way

note to self: don't ride w/ alan...he gets annoyed at people wanting to use their own stuff.

hahah youre welcome on the boat any time joe and anyone else. i dont really make it a public issue just a mental note of annoyance. im no rope nazi

haha! sweet man. i might be hookin' up w/ hahn next month. <BR> <BR> <BR>i guess i've been super lucky. i ride w/ people that leave it up to me which i want to use, theirs or mine.

I hate the clutter too when there are like 6 sets of ropes and handles... i could see two...a long one and a short one... but beyond that my handle that is used by tons of people has lasted for years, Era handle is awesome

not a big fan of the era handle.

You're lucky you have power here joe...or else. <BR>There is one from Ronix I liked a lot...it had a bigger diameter like the era, thats much more fitting for my hand

Ronix Totem handle... I love this handle.

eh, i don't have power at all. <BR> <BR>i dig the proline lg handle. i didn't like the 1st version of it. it was too thin. but the 2nd version was thicker. for me, perfect fit and super comfy.

i almost always bring my own rope/handle but i dont use it unless im just not digging the rope thats already on the boat. i cant do thin handles like the byerly

I have an old Accurate Belmont handle that I have used for years and it is still in great shape. For a long time I was the only person in my crew who had a good rope so it got used a lot. Now everyone has decent ropes and we just switch off. I will still always bring my rope and handle with me though.

Nick you know me. I bring my own handle and rope every where I go. I am so lame that I always have an extra one in my trunk just in case!

Me, as well as most of my friends have our own handles that we swap out for our sets. I also have a "boat handle" for most of the other riders who dont bring their own. The only reason I came to this was due to someone (not sure who) I took on my boat getting a TON of sunscreen on my handle. It never fully came off regardless of how many kung fu twists I gave it. <BR> <BR>Alan, it should not take any longer provided your riders are experienced and up on the rotation duties. Usually the next person up is pulling in the prior rope, coiling it and tossing it. He also puts his up and then starts getting ready. Once everyone knows who's handle is who's its all good.

In the case that you have a boat handle and rope for people to use, but they prefer to use their own combo and on accident you run over their rope. What happens in that instance? <BR> <BR>Is it A, you apologize and say accidents happen and offer to compensate the person even though you had all the equipment on your boat but this weird 'whos going to pay for my stuff' phrase gets thrown out. While the person glares at you. <BR> <BR>or B you use your equipment at your own risk and at time accidents may happen thats the risk you take using your equipment. <BR> <BR>I guess there are always exceptions because if the person who brings the rope and handle out and lets everyone else use it because he or she doesn't care then it becomes a community handle and then if the driver accidently runs it over. Does the driver have to pay for the whole thing?

eh, stuff happens. as long as the driver wasn't negligent, then no worries. accidents happen.

what handle do you guys think can take the most abuse. My current handle the foam grip is starting to peel so i want to look at some other options

Joe, and in the case where your friend does call you out and say that you were not paying attention but you were. How to calm things down and work things out diplomatically??

Luckily, my friend and I worked it out. We spent a lot of time in cold water trying to salvage the rope. We managed to save the handle and 80% of the rope. It definitely put me in a tight spot with my friendship because of those awkward moments. I'm curious if anyone else has been in this situation?

Ha yah i'm finally over buying handles I got my handle and everyone can ride the boat handle or get there own. Seems like everyone has to pay to fix their car or something when its time to dish out like $100 for a new handle.

Steve, whats going on man! How are things? Is the Ankle all good? <BR> <BR>Personally I think there are a lot of angles for your given situation. If you were changing riders, or for some reason stopped and the rope floated under the boat and went missing that would be on the spotter or rider IMHO. If the spotter were purely a non wakeboarding, just there for the third, it would fall on the rider. When I ride with a driver and non-active spotter part of the routine is me pulling in my rope. <BR> <BR>Now if you ran it over during a normal pickup I would think thats on you unless the rider did something sketchy to create a difficult situation for the driver. If it were a normal "old school" spectra I would repair the line through the use of nautical knots and the special rope tool (I think its called a fig or something). Then toss on a 5-10ft extension and chalk it up to ish happens. Just make sure your repair is proper in relation to the rope lengths. What I mean by this is if you salvaged all but 3 ft, cut that extra 2 off so the length stays accurate. Then add your extension before the others so the labels are still accurate on the original extensions. <BR> <BR>If it were an a-line or something coated, that gets sketchy as they are a bit pricey and hard(er) to repair. I would think that a $100 rope wouldnt break a good friendship though. Some sort of an agreed upon payment would seem fair depending on situation etc. <BR> <BR>Personally if someone ran over my A-line it would depend on driver, friend etc. With an honest apology and a beer or two I would repair myself. If the driver took the attitude of "bummer, your loss" then I would be peeved. Either way I would probably repair myself and live with the knot in the line.

we have used one handle and rope for over 4 seasons. I think it is a shaun murray handle and dyneema rope.....it even survived getting caught in the prop at low speed last year.

holy cow! You tie a knot in it and you ride. I couldn't imagine losing a friend or harming a relationship over a rope. just not worth it. We may have a lesson on bringing the rope in if needed, but thats it. <BR> <BR>I would have to try <i>very hard</i> to keep a straight face if someone pulled out their rope on my boat. I have the take-offs for whatever distance you want.

Doing good Matt, you going to be making any trips to Shasta this year? I think there is a houseboat trip in the works with Dave &amp; Mikaila but it is still early. Ankle is doing well, I haven't had a bad twist or sprain since summer. I still need to get stiffer bindings. If you want to come up at all during summer just let me know and we can go out. A friend gave me like 5 fat sacs on top of two I bought so weighting the centurion won't be an issue. <BR> <BR>The whole situation I described above was a sticky one. I remembered the rider was finished and getting out of the water, the rope and line were like brand new and it was a coated line which liked to sink with the handle. We were way up the pit arm so I had so many things going on with trying to avoid trees and people in the boat did not make the effort to grab the rope. I would like to make it a rule on my boat for now on that any equipment apart from mine that friends want to use, they are using it at their own risk! I'm not a dick and plan on running over a friends rope but accidents happen all the time and I don't have extra $100 lying around to pay for ropes. Some people may feel bad using my community rope and handle but thats what it is there for. I have a backup handle and rope in the boat just in case. I do appreciate people making the effort and buying their own equipment also like vest, board, bindings.

Joe only rides his own line because it's only a 40' rope! Oh wait, that's me....

ive left a vest on my buddies dock and it was stolen but i didnt ask him to pay for it. i lend my board to others all the time on the boat and this past summer my transits got ripped. i didnt make the guy pay for them. its not really worth getting all bent out of shape over.

when I used to ride a lot more I prefered to use my own rope because it is an old school barefoot wakes handle with the smooth foam rubber grip. I don't like spongy grips and I don't like large diameter handles. It takes literally 15 seconds to put my rope on the tower, and you don't even have to take yours off. <BR> <BR>Everyone on my boat is welcome to use it, as it is pretty much indestructable. If you bring your own handle I have no problems with you using it.

Good to hear Steve, glad things are good. From the sounds of it the blame definitely does not rest solely on your shoulders. Most boats I ride on the driver has one job, to drive, the passengers pick up everything else. <BR> <BR>Nacho, just wait until you get a slimy handle that gives you arm pump in less than 2 mins, that will change your mind. <BR> <BR>Hahn, that would be hilarious if someone took their own rope and took like 10-15 feet off the mainline at the end. Then put the links back on and said, "all the way out at 85". haha.

I bought a handle/rope a few years ago to use for all my pulls, but quickly realized that switching handles back/forth is a pain (not a huge one, but an annoyance as one or other of the ropes seems to get tangled, etc.)...not something a boat whore necessarily wants to inflict on others for each pull. Now, I'll use the boat's handle usually unless it sucks...and I always have a handle/rope at the ready when riding with a new crew and am in doubt.

In my couple of years boarding I don't think I've ever come remotely close to running over a rope. That is the least of my problems. I also found out I hate black or dark colored ropes because they blend in with the dark water. I never really understood why people take in the rope after a pull, I've never done this until riding with other people that I did not grow up riding with. There is a right and wrong way to wind up a rope, but once you learn the right way it is easy as 1,2,.....3. Most people I have riden with in the past couple of years coil it up and put it on the back of the boat anyway, so I will just throw my rope out instead.

when i go out most of the time everyone has their own settings on their rope that they like as well as the handle that is comfy in their harnds. i know that my rope is set up so that all the sections are on the handle side of the rope and there is only one loop at the other hand and it is 90' long there. no one i ride with rides that long so they cant really ride my rope. its just easier to hook u another rope than to figure out where 75', 80', 85' is. thats usually the reason that everyone i ride with has their own set up

I guess nobody I ride with has developed a state of pure harmony with their own specific handle. When I go on someone elses boat, I ride with their handle, when others come on my boat, they ride with my handle. Been riding on dozens of boats, some with pro-level riders and have had dozens of riders on my boat and can't recall a single time when the boat handle was replaced. Handle etiquette must be a regional thing. If someone wanted to use their own handle on my boat, I would be OK with it, especially if they were willing to share, but I would fall into the 'annoyed' camp if we ended up with 6 different handle/rope sets to switch out with every rider. <BR> <BR>Besides smearing sunscreen goo or taking out a knife, I can't see how a rider could be culpable for a handle that shreds while riding. If the handle shreds, I figure it's time has come or if it was a new handle, back to the store it goes. <BR> <BR>Now I can see how the handle/prop thing can be kind of touchy. I would tend to chalk it up to 'accidents will happen' unless there was some obvious bonehead thing going on. Definitely not worth loosing friendship over and if someone had their rope chewed up on my boat, I would offer him free pulls for the day, and send him off with one of my extra ropes if that was his only one.