Destin, Fort Walton Beach Riders

(weskel) · (weskel) **Join Date: Jan 2007** 03-01-2007, 10:07 AM

Anyone on here riding yet in the Florida Panhandle?

Kelly (weskel)

(wakeriderixi) · (wakeriderixi) **Join Date: Jan 2004** 03-01-2007, 10:12 AM

Was wakeskating in Poquito Bayou yesterday. Ate lunch at Helean Back off of Brooks Bridge. Then cruised the harbor, got stopped for a saftey check by the Coast Guard, and then brought boat back to Legendary Marina off of the Midbay Bridge.

(wakeriderixi) · (wakeriderixi) **Join Date: Jan 2004** 03-01-2007, 10:15 AM

P.S., There are much calmer and less crowded places to ride then Rocky Bayou. Try out Tom's Bayou (if you don't mind going under a bridge) and Poquito. Ross Gardner, wakeboard rider for Byerly's new company, is from Poquito.

(weskel) · (weskel) **Join Date: Jan 2007** 03-01-2007, 10:20 AM

Is Tom's Bayou the one north of Eglin?

I am very new at wakeboarding, could'nt even get up last year...

The family and I usually go to Rocky Bayou because the kids like to tube and kneeboard.

Kelly (weskel)

(wakeriderixi) · (wakeriderixi) **Join Date: Jan 2004** 03-01-2007, 10:27 AM

I'm not sure what gate it is but the gate near Lewis Middle School, that bridge outside the gate is Tom's Bayou. Rocky gets crowded and isn't the cleanist Bayou out there, but I guess none are really good. Where do you put your boat in? Maybe i'll be able to help you out finding good water to learn on.

(weskel) · (weskel) **Join Date: Jan 2007** 03-01-2007, 10:34 AM

I trailer my boat and last year we always put in at Rocky.

I just ordered a Faze board and seven bindings combo. People on this website recommended it as a good starter board.

I have an old board that came with my boat that is to small for me.

I would appreciate any help I could get. I probably won't go out on the water until the end of the month.

Kelly (weskel)

(wakeriderixi) · (wakeriderixi) **Join Date: Jan 2004** 03-01-2007, 10:45 AM

I've been out 4 times in the past month and it's still wetsuit weather but that won't last much longer. Depending on how far you want to trailor the boat/drive across the water there are numorous other bayous to take your boat into. Rocky does have an extreamly good boat ramp and the water, although crowed most weekends, is nice and open for tubing.

I'm a regular on this board so if you decide you want a few pointers feel free to contact me and we can meet up on the water. Either way your new setup is worlds better then velcro bindings on what probably was a pretty old O'brien board.

(weskel) · (weskel) **Join Date: Jan 2007** 03-01-2007, 1:19 PM

I will definatly look you up in a month or so.

I can use any help I can get.

Everyone keeps talking about a DVD called the book, I think I am going to get the first volume and watch it a few times.

Kelly

(wakeriderixi) · (wakeriderixi) **Join Date: Jan 2004** 03-01-2007, 3:06 PM

Unless you really want the directional DVD's it's not probably worth buying assuming you have access to someone with even a little bit of experiance. Truth be told told i've not seen the Book. Given the choice between instructional DVD's vs. a video such as 'RELENTLESS', The Truth, Butter Effect or Bent Felix... i'd go with one of the latter!

Hit me up whenever.

(alindquist) · (alindquist) **Join Date: Mar 2004** 03-05-2007, 4:53 AM

We were out in Cinco Bayou not last weekend but the one before... Got the boat out on saturday as well but didn't do any riding... Still alittle chilly and my dry suit isn't functional right now...

(wakeriderixi) · (wakeriderixi) **Join Date: Jan 2004** 03-05-2007, 9:08 AM

Wetsuit is fine now.

(alindquist) · (alindquist) **Join Date: Mar 2004** 03-05-2007, 10:20 AM

Water was 61 on Saturday so I guess you can wetsuit it... Give it 2-3 more weeks and hopefully we'll be back to board shorts and heater shirts... Not to mention I just pull off my tower to have it powder-coated, should be back on in a week or two... We need to hook up and ride together sometime...

(weskel) · (weskel) **Join Date: Jan 2007** 03-05-2007, 10:23 AM

Paul,

Where is Poquito Bayou at?

I am not familar with that one...

aaron,

What is a heater shirt?

Kelly

(wakeriderixi) · (wakeriderixi) **Join Date: Jan 2004** 03-05-2007, 11:58 AM

Poquito Bayou is the one in Shalimar.. You stay to the far right after going under the Cinco Bayou bridge.

A 'heater shirt' is just a wet suit top.

(weskel) · (weskel) **Join Date: Jan 2007** 03-05-2007, 12:49 PM

Ok, I have kneeboarded there back in the late 1990's when I was stationed at Hurlburt.

If I remember right the water was very smooth back in their.

Kelly

(alindquist) · (alindquist) **Join Date: Mar 2004** 03-05-2007, 1:32 PM

That's actually where we road two weeks ago I think, nice water, plus there is a kicker back there (in rough shape), but I hoping someone fixes it so I can hit it...

(wakeriderixi) · (wakeriderixi) **Join Date: Jan 2004** 03-05-2007, 2:58 PM

It's not a kicker. Some of the kids and Ross put that up for wakeskating, it's not very fun with a wakeboard. It's small, short and flat. Hopefully when summer starts we'll get a good kicker built again and I'll let ya'll know where it goes in!

(lfwrider) · (lfwrider) **Join Date: Apr 2002** 03-05-2007, 4:36 PM

Yeah, the kicker is kinda boring. You need to build another one like the 30' one that Zack built. Unfortunatly we only got to hit that thing once before the huricane took it out.

Whatever you do, don't got to lake pippin. The homeowners throw fishing weights at you. I think Paul got hit by one onetime.

Tom's bayou is the best place to ride, but you have to watch out for the empty pizza boxes.

Also, if you are looking for a boat in Niceville, check this out http://pensacola.craigslist.org/boa/287946721.html
Best wakeboard boat for the money in the area.

Hopefully I will be able to come back to Destin to ride with you Paul.

(wakeriderixi) · (wakeriderixi) **Join Date: Jan 2004** 03-05-2007, 5:32 PM

I can vouch for the Malibu Kyle just listed as being an extreamly up kept boat. I've had the privlage of riding behind it! Unfortunately he decided to move to colder weather. Not only are a few homeowners in Lake Pippin really bad to boaters putting out wakes, the lake is kind of small and hardly deep enough to put out a decent wake. Without a driver that knows the lake it would be easy to hit the bottom in more then a few spots.

(alindquist) · (alindquist) **Join Date: Mar 2004** 03-06-2007, 4:41 AM

If you guys are interested my buddy has 4 plasitic 55 gallon drums and another guy has a bunch of 4 x 8 plywood (hurricane boards) that he wants to get rid of. We were trying to figure out a good place to build one (either a kicker, slider or fun box)... It would be cool to put it back by the other kicker, that was a pretty cool spot to ride. Let me know.

(wakeriderixi) · (wakeriderixi) **Join Date: Jan 2004** 03-06-2007, 9:56 AM

Sounds good if the materials are all there. We used to use the drums to float everything, and probably still would on a fun box, but found some plywood shaped peices of pink/blue foam type stuff at Home Depot that would float a pretty big kicker perfectly without dealing with the added braces and weight that the drums would require. Theres always the possibility of the sliders being ripped aways but i'm down to make one for all to use.

(alindquist) · (alindquist) **Join Date: Mar 2004** 03-06-2007, 11:28 AM

Are you guys going to be out at all this weekend? What are you typically using for the surface, the last two I built I used vinyl flooring but it's kind of expensive (considering neither of them lasted more than a week). I would really like to find a spot to build a floater where it's not going to get destroyed or burnt...

(weskel) · (weskel) **Join Date: Jan 2007** 03-06-2007, 11:37 AM

What is a kicker, funbox, floater?

I'm assuming they are like rails and such, am I correct?

kelly

(wakeriderixi) · (wakeriderixi) **Join Date: Jan 2004** 03-06-2007, 12:17 PM

Home Depot has thing, plywood shaped, sheets of white plasic that we use as our top. Slides perfect. I'd buck up to the thick PVC sheets if I knew the thing wouldn't get taken away. The fact that the box in Poquito is still there gives me reason to believe that would be a good spot. For rails we've pretty much stuck with 'Trek' wood for the top but thats very expensive. We had a flat bar about 30' long in Tom's Bayou for quite some time until someone pulled it out.. that thing was hammered into the mud and sand bottom really good too! There are a few kids out there that would undoubtly use it and perhaps help maintain it.

I think im going out tomorrow and Friday, not sure about the weekend yet. I've just gotten hooked on wakeskating so I'll mainly be doing that.

Kelly... Kicker, funbox, A-frame, rail, all refer to obstacles in the water to ride on and slide. Since you slide them they can all be referred to as 'sliders'.

(weskel) · (weskel) **Join Date: Jan 2007** 03-06-2007, 1:20 PM

Thats what I thought, but was'nt sure.

I just hope while learning I DONT hit any obstacles, as in rocks, piers, other boats..

The water is still to cold for me, I did receive my new board the other day, the bindings feel great.

I can't wait for it to warm up a little.

Kelly

(weskel) · (weskel) **Join Date: Jan 2007** 03-06-2007, 1:21 PM

Would this be a good board for my 9 year old son to learn on?

http://dwcboardshop.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16391&cat=355&page=1

Kelly

(wakeriderixi) · (wakeriderixi) **Join Date: Jan 2004** 03-06-2007, 1:31 PM

Thats tiny, whats his height and weight..

(weskel) · (weskel) **Join Date: Jan 2007** 03-06-2007, 1:32 PM

about 65 lbs and not real sure on height, maybe 48 inchs

kelly

(weskel) · (weskel) **Join Date: Jan 2007** 03-06-2007, 1:34 PM

I have my old board that is a 137, if I bought small bindings for him, could he learn on that board?

Kelly

(wakeriderixi) · (wakeriderixi) **Join Date: Jan 2004** 03-06-2007, 1:41 PM

I'm 5'9", 155, and I ride a 135-138. The price on that setup is really good but I would call the shop up, or CWB, and give them your son's height and weight and ask for their thoughts on size of board and size of binding. Bindings size can be just as important. After getting that, then take into consideration growth spurts and how often you want to buying him a new setup.

I'm good with sizing people but with the little ones, and their growth spurts, it is hard to decide.