O'Brien Wakesurf Trainer

I just got my West Marine catalog and on page 975 are the wakesurfers. O'brien offers two trainers - reminds me of the combo ski trainers that are tethered at the tips. If I'm not mistaken, some one "holds" one end of the rope, the other end is attached to the board. In this way you don't have to have a huge wake that will intimidate a youngster and there isn't the "staying in the sweet spot" issue to begin with. The only thing that bugs is the loose rope if the kiddie drops it and tries to free surf.

Comes with a DVD also.

I think it's a cool idea, what do others think?

I've taught many young children how to surf and ski. The tethered rope approach worked great for skiing but I don't think I would use it for surfing. What I don't like about it is that if the rope is tethered then I would think the child would need to lay on the board and work their way to a standing position. This is way to much work. In my experience I have found if you have the proper board, it is very easy to pop up a young child by having them hold the rope and push down with their heels. The trick is to pull the child up slowly and allow them to get outside of the wake before the wake gets big. Once the wake is behind the child there is very little pull on the rope.

If I'm not mistaken, and it's been YEARS since I used the tethered skis - you had an adult behind the child in the water holding them up. I think these trainers are principally designed for REALLY young kids. Those that you'd have some difficulty getting to sit still long enough to explain - flip the board up

You know what it reminds me of - is the kids we see on the ski slopes this time of year with the driving harness on The parents are behind them sort of keeping them in check. I swear they can't be more than 4 years old.

With a wider, soft board at really slow speeds and their feet not attached, I thought this was a cool idea. Teach the little 4 year olds the basic's of standing up on the board. I can remember when James, at that tender age, was intimidated by the wake - this setup looks like you can drag the kid around at such a slow speed you literally don't create a wake.

Sheesh, look at James now!

The skis with the tether work very well. My daughter started when she was five. She could literally ski for a straight 30 minutes. The tethered skis did all of the work.

What a great picture! When was that taken Roy?

Jeff,

The picture was taken 3 summers ago. Kayley has already given up skiing. She now boards and surfs. This past summer she won the the women's advanced division at the Scioto Wakefest.

THAT'S where I've seen your daughter! Ed shared those pictures from the wakefest!

The best picture was the close up where she's holding her trophy. Her ear-to-ear grin showed that the tooth fairy had made a recent visit.