Wakeboarding without a tower,pole, or annything

I'm living on a six mile long canal that has bridges over it preventing anything on the boat from being more then about a 4 feet off the deck. I have ordered a pole but it will still only be mounted about 3 feet high because I don't want it to hit a bridge if I cross a wake under one. So I will never have a really high mounting position to attach the ski rope, but this is my backyard and I still love it. I hope that this explains why I am asking this question and not just going to a lake and using a boat that has a tower.

I have not been able to get up on my board yet, I tried for the first time last night but couldn't do it. I guess that I might just need to keep practicing. The ski rope is attached to the boat at the lift hook, very near the water line, so the rope is basically pulling me toward the boat from the waterline. Does anyone have any special recommendations for modifying the standard starting position? I have been trying to keep the bottom of the board facing the boat and with the rope over it and the handle between my knees. But the board only seems to plow into the water and when I try to stand up, the board goes under the water and I have been unable to hang on long enough for the board to get up on a plain.

I learned behind an outboard and found that once there was good tension, if I rotated my tip/started to point by board towards the boat instead of leaving the board flat I had better luck getting up.

Also, try to keep your elbows outside your knees.

Tim,
You are going to hear a lot of different ways to get up and everyone of them will have some merit. The method I use to help people get up is to make sure and let the boat do all the work, your arms are just an extension of the rope. Relax and lay back in the water and pretend your elbows are pinned to your knees. As the boat takes off just keep your body in that position (similar to sitting in a chair) and it will be a similar feeling of having someone help you up out of a bean bag chair on the floor. If the board is plowing, tip your toes toward the boat slightly to allow the board to come up and out of the water on plane. Twist your hips so your rear leg moves back and the rear fins grabs for control. At this point you could still be in the crouched position, and then stand up with your knees slightly bent. Your stance is also similar to playing tug a war.

Good luck!

The biggest thing I see beginners do wrong is trying to stand up too early. I would advise leaning back until the momentum is trying to force you up. Always err on the side of staying leaned back. Don't get impatient or you'll get a mouthful of water.

Another piece of advice I'd give is to the driver. Start off relatively slow but as soon as you see their rear out of the water, get to boarding speed as soon as possible.

Until I get my pylon built (which means until I sell my old boat to get pylon money), I'm riding from the ski eye at the top of my transom. That's how I learned to board to begin with way back when. I didn't need any special methods for getting out of the water, I just needed to learn the fundamentals.