Who do you guys let drive your boat when you want to ride??? i dont trust anyone besides my wife and it's killing me. when she has to work i cant ride!!! what should i do??? i tried showing some friends how to drive, but they just dont get it. or am i just picky. thanks.

are they interested in riding as well? If they are, and you're as anal as you appear to be, have them come over to your house first and watch a video like The Book that shows some key courtesies and directions. I let just about all my friends drive the boat, but I do a few "dry runs" with them first showing them exactly how I want to be pulled.

Do you have perfect pass? If not, get it. It will solve all you problems. Small price to pay for a perfect pull every time.

99% of the time I have someone on the boat who has driven before. Find friends that own boats<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/rofl.gif" border=0>

Driving the boat really isnt that hard. Show them how to do it a couple of times and what to watch out for and they should be able to give you a pull. Maybe not a great pull but atleast a pull.

how about finding someone you want to drive you and instead of only letting them drive when you're not in the boat, let them drive for some of the other people while you're in the boat. That way you can give them some tips and probably feel more comfortable about them driving when it's time for you to be in the water!

brooke nailed it, check email dizzy.

I went through the same thing.....I only trusted my wife to drive, but she gets nervous in a busy cove, and can be pretty inconsistent with holding speeds.....I try to be patient with her though. <BR> <BR>I have two guys on my regular crew, one being a relative that I made watch the boating section of The Book and then trained them myself. They turned out to be great drivers because they know what I want, and know what feels like to be pulled too fast or too slow. <BR> <BR>I had another guy who doesn't come now because he was such a moron driving my boat.....never got the line tight, drove way too fast, power turned every time I fell and always came up on the left side......<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/angry.gif" border=0>. After I asked him more than 2 times to do all that the way I wanted it, I just quit riding when he was there. I'm not hatin' or anything but how hard is it to understand?? <BR> <BR>Of course, when it's time to cruise, or dock, or load....I only trust myself, and my wife can put it on the trailer pretty good for a chick!

i am in agreement...having 2 good drivers is a major requirement.. there is a lot of responsability invloved.. perfect pass is nice but it isnt perfect and alot of small things that pullers dont notice like: <BR> <BR>1. getting the rope back to you after you fall and line tension before pulling out of the hole. <BR>2. holding a straight line for a nice wake <BR>3. not overshooting the perfect pass (smooth transition) <BR>4. msic level for the tower speakers <BR>5. minor speed up and slow down to help the rider. <BR>6. protecting your riders from oncoming boats if needed.. <BR> <BR>there are some more that come to mind that i am sure are just as important.

Install the biggest, clearest mirror you can find so that the driver can adjust throttle based on what the wake looks like. I've been pulling skiers/boarders for about fifteen years and I'm embarrassed to say that installing a bigger mirror improved my own driving a ton, plus I notice I get a lot better pulls. Wish I'd done it a long time ago.

Thats exactly why I bought a new boat so I could have perfect pass. If your a good driver you can train someone in 15 20min. What I do is fist show them how to operate the boat most everyone knows that anyway.I then teach them how to pull me up.Next I show them how to turn the boat and come back to get me. I show them by throwing one of my orange vests into the water as if it were me and let them practice a couple times turning the boat properly and picking me up.Next I show them how to turn the boat around as if I were still riding.It may be a little sloppy at first but just like all of us we had to learn.

One thing that many unexperienced drivers do is make huge gradual turns. We can't ride in a straight line for too long of a time, and when someone makes a big gradual turn you can't jump for the entire time they're turning. Either drive in a straight line for as long as possible and make a sharp 90 degree, or turn around all the way and throw a double up.

thats my problem, no PP. i have a small i/o so its hard to hold a constant speed. but thats just a small part of it. they just dont understand about boating. driving to close to parked boats, not keeping a straight line, not lining the rope up and having to swim for it!!!!!! i think clubmyke and foxrepdc see eye to eye with me on this one!!!!!

If you have perfect pass turn it off.. Sit in the boat and let the person drive another person and teach him. Set after set, day after day, until he's doing it all himself. Then he can teach himself to use perfect pass later.

UpNorth- <BR> <BR>That's funny that you say that. I just taught my girlfriend how to drive and she did great, but the turn arounds were half of my ride. Beginners are probably just trying to be cautious, but that's for sure one thing to add into instruction.

"they just dont understand about boating. driving to close to parked boats, not keeping a straight line, not lining the rope up and having to swim for it!!!!!!" <BR> <BR>They probably didn't understand driving a car either when they first started. Just make sure they know how to avoid the life threating stuff at first (too close to parked boats) and they'll get the hang of the rest (keeping straight line, lining up rope, etc.) in time. I've never had anyone in my crew that I couldn't teach to drive a boat but some certainly required more patience than others. It's a good idea to make sure that everyone you take out with you can drive the boat in case of emergencies.

my brother pulls me or a buddy ive been boating w/ 16yr.. ive been trying to teach my wife...( you can guess how well that works out)... i have the malibu cc on my vlx LOVE it <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/biggrin.gif" border=0>

BUY THE BOOK, and make everyone who ever gets in your boat watch it before they are allowed to step foot inside!! <BR> <BR>It has so many great tips and ideas that have nothing to do with riding. <BR> <BR>For example, <b>Take your friggin shoes off before you get in my $50k boat!!</b> Why do you need your shoes? Are you going somewhere besides back on my dock?? <BR> <BR>And <b>Help out with some gas or money when you ride in my boat!!</b> I need to get that shirt that says on the back "This boat runs on gas, not thanks!" <BR> <BR>There are so many more, don't get me started about the whole "lets have lunch (burritos,tacos, pizza) in the boat" thing, Holy Sh*t! <BR> <BR>Thats not even mentioning the boat driving tips, which are awesome. It has helped me be a better driver, and I have been boating for like, 25 years. <BR> <BR>Buy The Book <BR>Buy The Book <BR>Buy The Book <BR> <BR> <BR>Sean <BR> <BR>(Message edited by seanmcd on July 22, 2006)

I love my WakeBoard Pro, I just need to make sure I turn it on, set my speed, and set the TAPS before I get in, and my wife, or whoever is driving, just need to stay straight and not hit anything. Makes such a difference in getting a good ride in. My wife loves it because she can concentrate on where she is going and not keep looking at the Speedo to adjust speed. Get it, you will Thank me later.<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/happy.gif" border=0>