wakeboarding speeds

What speeds should you pull adult beginner to intermediate wakeboarders at? What about 9-11 year old kids?

14/15 or so....just enough to get him up and stable, then once they get better slowly bump it up

I wouldnt go over 18 then, thats fast for a little guy

it depends on the rope length. if its longer youll need to go faster

how does rope length affect speed? 20mph at 65ft is 20mph at 85ft isn't it? i would go for something closer to 18 or 20mph, it has worked for everyone i have taught to wakeboard. 14/15 is the borderline between sinking and floating i find (with adults), and it is really difficult to learn edging that slow. 20 is probably plenty fast though.

If you ride longer you are farther back on the wake and it will have a tendency to wash over, Therefore the need to go faster to clean it up. But a difference of 5 ft you can sometimes get away with the same speed depending on the boat.

And that of course is just my take on it not the gospel.

i find just to go fast enough that the wake breaks 3 feet behind the rider when hes on the wake...thats makes a nice balance between peaky and washy.

Adults i would go about 20 because they will sink at much slower than that.

Kids i would say around 18..15 is too slow in my opinion.

Also i found that with beginners put the rope out to as far back as possible (dont chance the speed) because they wont need to worry about the wake being washy or not. But a longer rope gives them more space inside the wake to practice turning and edging without having to go outside the wake.

I wouldn't worry about wake shape for someones first time wakeboarding.

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quote:

I wouldn't worry about wake shape for someones first time wakeboarding.

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I agree. Keep the speeds down to minimize the yard sale aftermath.

I fianlly got my dad up on the board. hes 42 and weighs about 210. he can get outside the wake toe and heelside. but doesnt do it ver gracefully (laughs) he likes riding at 19. it keeps him out of the water and keeps the wake fairly small

I wakeboarded when i was 11 i like 22mph

For kid's I pull them about 17 mph sometimes slower depending how comfortable they are out. Slower speeds equals less painful crashes, because crashes will happen. Once they start to build some confidence I will slowly bump the speed up. Now for adults 20 mph following the same steps as above.

Wakeboarding crashes generally don't hurt too much at all. Although the concept of switching from snowboarding to wakeboarding and that I couldn't let my nose end lead during 180's gave me some pretty painful headaches for a week straight haha.
15 is really only fast enough to fight staying up. 17-18 will allow them to keep floating and learn basic carving and what not.

I pulled my kids 8 to 11 years old at about 13 mph. I'd slow down to 10 when they were trying surface 180's or slides behind the boat. It's most important that they feel edging and safe. I pull beginner adults at about 15 and if the board is big enough down to 13.
To do this I use my wake plate to put the bow down and run weight only in the bow. (including most people) The bow down keeps froth to a minimum so there is nothing to catch as they cross over the wake. I tow on a 50' rope when I going slow. My 8 year old did wake to wake at the end of his first year at 18 mph but always slows down to learn new things. He does not like hurting when he is having fun.

I PULL MY 8 YR OLD AT 21 AT 75 FT. STARTED AT 18 AT 60 FT. TOOK ABOUT 3 TIMES OUT UNTILL I WAS ABLE TO GET HIM UP TO 21 SLOW DOWN TO 18 FOR SURFACE 180'S

i cant figure out if the caps were intentional

sorry no the were not. software at work only reads all caps. i forget and dont even see all caps anymore.