Rope length

i was wondering how long of ropes you guys ride with i think my rope is 65 feet but cant realy remember what the best length for doing 180s 360s and front and back rolls behind a masatercraft maristar 210 (basicly a x10)
i have been riding for a while now and i am pretty good but i never realy knew what the right lenght is so i was just wondering thanks guys

You have to feel it out....you generally want to be as far back as you can comfortabley clear both wakes with like a 3/4 or so cut, as long as the wake is good that far back. I ride 80 feet behind my 99 X-Star, but the 210 is a little wider, so you may need to stay a little shorter, like 70. Just try different lengths until you find that sweet spot

Sure this is way under you, but for the benefit of anyone else: LET YOUR TOESIDE JUMPS DETERMINE ROPE LENGTH was the best advice that WW gave me. If it's still feelig hairy (for us beginners) to get across clean TS, don't let out the rope.

Tell me if this sounds right for later on: once you advance, you just move back until you're just in front of the whitewash. When that gets too small, speed up the boat to move the whitewash back so you can let more rope out.

Most of the guys we ride with are on 80-90' behind loaded down wakebaord boats. I recommend anybody riding on a weighted boat be no less than 75' total length

best way to determine the perfect rope length.....
take boat up to riding speed, say 22 mph. Let the rope out till it's dragging at the sweet spot of the wake..... there ya go! Rope

If i left it up to my toeside jumps, i'd just hook the handle around the tower rope mount.

Started riding with the rope at 70' and have worked the length up as the boat weight and speed increase. I'm now riding 80' and loving it. Just do what you are comfortable with. There are a ton of factors to it that are important: Boat speed, weight, board speed, and skill. On a X-10 I'd go between 70' (beginner), and 75' (intermediate) and upwards of 80' for the advanced riders. If my memory serves correct the X-10 wake is a bit wider than say a VLX or SAN (or even an X-star for that matter). Just make sure the speed of the boat keeps up with rope length. If the wake is curling over when you get to it you aren't going fast enough. We are typically riding between 23 and 24 with the rope at 80'

I am just wondering about rope length too. When you are talking about 70', does that include the handle? I have an accurate yellow jacket rope. How far back would I be considered to be riding if I am using the full length of the rope.

i recently bought the same rope "accurate jacket mainline" 70 is the longest that rope comes. The people that have 80 must be counting their handles unless they have extra rope to attach it to.

What if you don't have a wakeboard tower and you tie the rope to a back of a boat...what should you be riding at then?

70' might be fine for a beginner who is only looking to get up and learn to control the board. But when you are ready to start learning to jump the wake the rope should be shortened to the point where you can clear the second wake and land on the downside. This could be anywhere from about 45' up depending on boat speed.

After learning to jump the wake you should lenghten the rope and adjust boat speed upwards according to the progression of your skills. There is no blanket recommendation of rope length that suits everyone and every boat. I seriously disagree on advising a minimum of 75' with a weighted boat for everyone.

Jeremy, I hear ya. Maybe we should be bustin them surfing ropes ;-)

thanks guys i cant remember how long my rope is but i need a new one anyways soo i think ill try a 70 foot rope and mabey buy a 5 foot extender if i need it bc rideing from my tower you lose almost 1o feet

I ride at about 60 feet 17/18 mph but at 22 mph there is no wake behind my boat it gets really flat is that because of my speedo? then I rode behind a maristar and they said I was going 22 or 23 mph anyone else hav this prob?

(Message edited by p_b_parks on September 20, 2004)

When most people are talking about rope length they are including the hadle in the calculation. If you have a 70' main line and a 5' handle you are ridig at 75'. As fas as I can tell 70' is the standard length for most ropes, although most advanced riders ride longer than the 75' total length that provides. I really like the Accurate ultra spectra because it comes in 80' lengths allowing for 85' with the handle.

Thanks for clearing that up for me Evan.