Gear for the Kiddos
 

Anyone have any suggestions for trainer water skis for a 3.5 year old? Is that too young to try? She's been skiing all winter and has pretty much figured that out. She's also a really strong swimmer, so I think she can safely give it a go if she wants to.

I'm also looking to get some skis for my nieces. They are ages 7-12. Any suggestion on a one-size-fits-all ski or wakeboard binding?

Thanks!

PM me your address and a set of trainers will be on the way.

or email to doc@southwestfloridamarinesurvey.com

Four years ago I posted a similar thread on The Hull Truth.com and and I was given these skis at no cost, band new.

Now they are yours.
pay it forward.
John

Nice job bait killer. For the little one these are perfect I have one and my kids have been using it since then. You can even pull them across the pool

http://www.leisurepro.com/prod/AHDUS...4&ci_sku=AHDUS

Wakeworld love! That is super cool and much appreciated. I will send you my information.

Very cool baitkiller!

My son skied just before he turned 3 on a set of trainers and I'll give you a tip to make it easy. We used a set of trainers with the rope attached to the ski and we started him just off the platform and let the rope out by hand. I sat on the platform in a vest to accompany him if he fell. That never happened, he got up and skied until we pulled the plug because he looked tired. It was awesome.

The big problem a child has is controlling the floatation of the skis. I took a very light dive weight, about 1 pound, put a hole in the middle and ran a longer screw through the weight and into the fin to hold the weight onto the top back of the ski. This causes the back of the trainers to sink below the surface with the tips up and gives the child control in the water. Don't let your daughter get frustrated trying to control the flotation in the skis. If she has any trouble stop immediately so you don't ruin her enthusiasm and put on the weight. Better yet, rig them from the beginning. Works perfect. I also pulled him across the pool until my hands wore out. Now at 4 1/2 he's getting too heavy for that. Good luck an have the camera ready.

We did the same thing Tim did with the rope attached to the ski. It's never too early to get them in the water, my boys were in before they were 3. It also helps to have someone in the water with them to get the ski pointed in the correct position and give them a boost getting up. Agree, get the camera ready and be prepared to burn gas because once they're up they're hooked.

I have a trainer that is basically a tube with a solid bottom that the kids stands on. I bought it for my daughter to use to get her comfortable behind the boat. It has only been in the water twice. PM me if interested. I will let it go fairly cheap.

Thanks to baitkiller for the skis, which have already been put on by my daughter in our living room! And, additional props to HO Sports and Jesse in their warranty department for sending me unsolicited a grabbag of stuff to help my daughter learn how to ski: A 'how to' dvd, life vests, weights and assorted goodies. She is super stoked and so am I. Nice to see the companies and fellow riders supporting the future of the sport!

I'll post some pics once we finally get out this spring and she gives it a go.

If you have access to a barefoot boom there is no better tool for the kids. My 8 y/o has been slaloming for 3 seasons now. I think an aggressive 3.5 to 4 y/o can definitely deep water start slalom if you give them a ton of boom time first. We never did the 2 ski's thing since I don't think it really translates well to slalom or wake boarding. I like to start the kids on a wake skate on the boom. From there it is an easy transition to deepwater wakeboard starts.

Frankly I think the best thing for the 3 y/o crowd is the kneeboard. Super ez to get up on with the hook and they learn how to edge, cut and take a face full of water at relatively low speeds. Get two so someone can coach/help out the really little ones.

Anyways, make it fun for them and get them started early. Reward them for any progression whether it be just jumping into the lake by themselves, trying to do something x number of times, etc. I bribed mine with slushees if they gave anything a few tries...it's amazing how much fear can be overcome with baby steps, a lot of patience and a slushee. Here are a few pics from of my kid.

Age 4
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2629/3...f7d0764c_b.jpg

Last yr
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6094/6...5010c36a_b.jpg
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6010/5...616025ec_b.jpg
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6027/6...15f1ce21_b.jpg

Mutli-talented ripper! Nice. Thanks for the tips. No boom here, but I'll try the rest of the tips out.