Could you do it?

Launching sky high behind my boat is my passion. I live and breath it. I have a team, I'm sponsored by O'Brien, and I have a popular website dedicated to the watersports, I organize events and I volunteer for Walk on Water.

This year I'm selling my Malibu VLX (it's in the classified's). No, not because I need the money (although it'll be nice), but because I just want to see what it's like not to own a boat.

To just show up at the dock with board in hand, take a ride or two, pitch in for gas money, and then go home. I wanna try that. No maintenance, no cleaning up, no putting the boat in the garage.

I'm gonna try it for a season. Could you do it?

Not for a second. Thats why i bought a boat. Everyone else's schedule is not mine. my boat, my schedule. thats it.

with the connections that you have it will probably be easier for you to get a ride and your idea will prob work better for you than it will for most others

kneeboard in hand or wakeboard?

I tried that once. I had an agreement with my wife that we'd go a year without a boat after our daughter was born. After selling my Nautique I lasted an entire month before I strong armed my wife into buying a new boat at the boat show that year. From the day I sold my Nauty to the day I took delivery of my Supra was about 2 1/2 months. That was the longest 2 1/2 months of my life.

It's not just about the riding, it's the little crap you tinker with on your boat that brings joy in owning a boat. Being able to go out in the back yard and hop in my boat is the next best thing to being in it on the water.

I wouldn't have any problem finding rides on my friend's boats, but I just don't think I ccould go without a boat unless I was forced to.

.......if someone else actually had a boat and it was convenient to ride...for sure I could do it!.........but I do like having my own because I love boats.....

my boat would be the last thing I would ever give up. Have never been without one, and never plan on it.

I've been skiing, boarding & riding foils since about 1990. In that 18 yrs, I've owned 4 boats, for about 11 yrs total. And I've lived on or near the lake for about 8 yrs. One summer I lived on the lake I was unemployed, did not own a boat & I rode more than anyone else. All boat owners need a 2nd or 3rd to ride, and they know it. So they call all their buddies when they want to get out & ride.

It's definitely nice to own your own boat, for a lot of reasons, ie; keeping your own schedule, setting it up how you like it, boat sex, midnight rides, etc. But just being accessible to others who do own a boat, easy to get along with, and prepared to help out with everything will get you invited out a lot.

(Message edited by bill_airjunky on January 24, 2008)

I dont think I could do it, but my network isnt quite as big... yet . IMHO the better you are, the easier it is to find a pull. Everyone wants to ride with someone better than them, and they commonly call them first (provided they are decent people when in and around the boat as well). If you rip, are considerate, pay decently, and have a good network, you would probably ride more often without a boat since you have the ability to bounce around a lot more between boats.

My schedule differs from everyone else.. No way I could! Hell sometimes I have trouble getting a 3rd because of the short notice nature of my schedule..

No way! Pure and simple. You would have better luck getting me to cut off a leg!

Sold my last boat and swore I'd wait through the winter before purchasing a new one. I found the perfect boat in less than two months and bought it. Those two months were the most depressing empty feeling I've had in all of my maritime history.

No I can't go without owning my own boat.

I have had the same thought. I have plenty of people I could ride with but I just can't get ride of my own boat. There is just something freeing about going out back and driving off at what ever time I want!

If I see you on the dock holding your kneeboard asking for a ride Im pushing you in the water.

seriously though, to answer your question... Id play in traffic before I thuoght about kneeboarding...yet alone selling a boat because I "dont need the money and just want to see how it feels to not own."

(Message edited by wakeandsnow27 on January 24, 2008)

I hope your prepared to not get alot of riding in this year. Seriously get some friends with boats and ride with them some or get them to pitch in. This is quite possibly the most rediculous post Ive read since ryanxstar. Keep launching sky high on that kneeboard, killer gloves too bro

You should take up Extreme PWC riding for the summer......and do it in a hot pink thong.....while wearing mirrored shades......and sporting a thick mustache.

Ya know I was thinking as I was reading this post and it sure would be nice to get out from under all the expense of owning a boat...but then Bill K summed it up in two words "BOAT SEX" nuf said I will never ever ever ever think about selling mine. Nothing like good ol marine grade carpet burn!!!

knee boarding is up there with the "Frisdoo" guys, they all think they are legit but i'll be straight with you you. Kneeboarders/"Frisdoo"ers look like absolute tools


O and maybe it's just me but i dont like getting on my knees

wtf

I couldn't do it unless I had to.

i seriously dont know what you people have against kneeboarding. Just because some people decide to be different thats their own business and you shouldnt be one to judge them.

hee hee kneeboarding Dude I'm sorry but come on . . . .

OK OK OK Back to to question No I couldn't do it I would let each of you punch me in the balls twice before I would think about not owning a boat I live 5 minutes from the ramp and I can't just hope someone will be there willing to give me a pull when I wanna ride screw that

Ok, so I lived 17 years before I got a boat. But I don't believe that I will ever have a time in my life (from now on) that I don't own a boat. At least I hope that I live a fortunate life where I don't have to sell my boat. But if should would be hard to get me to not own a boat.

knee boarding by itself would be tolerable, but then all the tools out there go and get gloves and are super serious about it just blows my mind. Also it just doesnt seem natural/logical to ride on your knees

to each their own. ill just leave it at that. some people have different style, but no offense i have yet to see a kneeboarder ragging on any of the wakeboarders on this forum.

Oh wow, for a second i was like why are these guys ragging on him for giving up riding behind his own boat for a season, and lowering him to ryanxtar (I love how he is still getting flak for his post). But Then i realized hes a knee boarder, i tried that when i was like 6, and yes, it is on frisdoo level for sure. I have nothing agaisnt the people who kneeboard just the kneeboarding part. If i was a kneeboarder, i wouldnt just sell my boat, Id sell my sole to the devil and probably kill myself... maybe thats a little dramatic

Im to anal about being in control.. I dont even ride in other peoples boats cause im not the one in control. I wont ever go any where with ou driving my own truck either. So because of this issue i couldnt ever do it unless i was getting out of the sport. lol

p.s. and yes my wife hates the control thing .. ha ha ha

I showed up every weekend with my Tube fully inflated and ready to go. Sometimes people were cool, but other times they used some excuse about being a ski boat and only skiing. Whatever...

Uhhh, I never mentioned anything about kneeboarding in my original post. This is a question about boat ownership, not kneeboarding.

However....if you insist on the dissing, then I'll play along. I'm actually an accomplished watersports athlete, in general. I ride with some of the top wakeboarders in the state of Minnesota and they don't seem to have a problem with my riding.

Actually, I'll go out on a limb here and say that I am probably a better WAKEBOARDER than everyone on this thread that has dissed kneeboarding. BTW, thank you to those that responded about the boat thing. So far, you've got me worried that I might be making a mistake. Good thing I'm going to the boat show tonight:-)

Oh yeah, and now for the guilt trip. I was born with a birth defect known as clubbed feet. I've had numerous reconstructive surgeries when I was young. My feet look pretty normal now, but they can't handle the abuse that wakeboarding does to them. My knees are in excellent shape, though, and as long as I continue to kneeboard, they'll stay that way.

So, there you go. Sticks and stones.......

I'm sorry but I have to ask Do you consider tubing a sport ? I'm j/k . . . ok ok I'm not really I'm just an ass

now I feel like an ass. Why didnt you tell me years ago about the clubbed feet when I went off on you and got banned...lol.

I still think Id ride an air chair before I ever kneeboarded if I had any lower body disability.....

On topic: If I didn't have kids and did not live on a lake I could probably convert over to a being a boat whore. I'm not in that situation now, so no the boat would be one of the last things I would think of giving up.

Ty, that was you on the kb thread!? Dang, I didn't know you got banned for that. I thought it was some pretty funny stuff.

Right on, Tuneman. More power to ya!

And if you ever get the desire to take on a foil, let me know & I'll hook you up with some MN area riders. There are quite a few, including the best woman in the world..... she's got a big bag of tricks too, backs, fronts, 3s, etc.

Another interesting fact: several of the worlds best kneeboarders have gone on to be the worlds best foil riders. ie; Klarich, Rossini & Marchand to name a few. Any one of those guys would out ride 9/10s of the people on this forum.

Good luck at the boat show!

It was a long time ago... If you've only been flamed hard on one other thread than yes, 'twas I. Id be shocked if this is only the second time you've received •••••••• kneeboarding though...lol

(Message edited by wakeandsnow27 on January 25, 2008)

(Message edited by wakeandsnow27 on January 25, 2008)

(Message edited by wakeandsnow27 on January 25, 2008)

I have thought about selling my boat also because i have 5 friends with Mastercrafts also, BUT, i have to be the CAPTAIN. If i want to play loud ass 80's music and annoy everyone, i can, i can go whenever and take whoever i want because i can, i can go out on a moonlight night and drink with bikini babes and ummm, well, because i can, with my boat. God i miss summer.

If I had friends that owned [working] wake/ski/heck, io boats that weren't a bizillion miles away moored on a large lake I could get by without a boat (note: parents' boat, so, I guess, my opinion doesn't really matter much... but whatever...) I could do it.

As for kneeboarding, have you ever kneeboarded in rough chop? That's flippin' scary!! I have a lot of respect for anyone who can do that well.

EDIT: Also, I enjoy being able to go out to the garage and tinker with it. I absolutely hate working on cars, but ddrives are entertaining 'cuz the engine is right there.

(Message edited by pwningjr on January 25, 2008)

Props tuneman... let the haters hate

I'd say go for it if you can. Then, when you do get another boat, you will just be able to appreciate it that much more!

I went from having a boat at my disposal to nothing now that I moved to LA. Being a boat hoe isn't amazing, but is good for perspective and all.

I definitely agree with William about control haha. I am pretty bad sometimes about always having to be the one driving. Although, now when I ride on friends boats, not driving is kinda refreshing.

haha, there was once a time when I kneeboarded with the rad orange gloves! I can't kneeboard anymore though, since the knee surgery. Just be on the water and have fun

if i owned a boat the only thing that would get me to get rid of it is if i couldnt afford it, but then i wouldnt have gotten one to begin with. go ahead and try it. i gaurantee you will be in a sales office within a year to buy a new one. having to rely on other poeple to pull you around is horrible. it drives me crazy to have to post up on the find/be a 3rd thread to find a pull. i live in one of the biggest wake communities in cali and still cant hardly find a ride even once a week

I couldn't do it..your more man than I am. Other boat owner want-a-be's SUCK! Begging to go out, They dont want to go when Its cloudy out, they dont want to stay late, there girlfriends are always FAT! (that helps for balast) they dont play the music loud enough...NO WAY! Been down that road. Thats what turned me into a boat owner. A very happy boat owner. I go when Its pouring outside, I ask all my friends to go, my wife is a HOT! I dont ask for gas money, and I come home late! boarding at nighttime is a BLAST!! Jet

im with dan i love to work on/polish/clean/sit in, in my driveway and have a beer/look out the window longingly at my boat. went first 28 years without a boat will never go another.