Newbie ?s

Bought a board last week, got out yesterday for the first time. Got up about the 5th try, but it didnt feel right. ? 1 should i let the board plane out before popping up and twisting? ?2 how important is a tower? the boat Im using doesnt have one and i have a feeling its harder for the board to plane out being attached above the motor. Speed is my last question, how fast should the boat be going to pull someone up? we had it at about 2000 rpm yesterday and it seemed to work. Were all used to stupid skiing and driving the boat for slalom. I successfully did a couple butterslides and jumped 1 wake before i was to tired so im thinking with practice I'll do allright. One more question, how important is the way you stand on the board or is it just comfort and how you ride?

E in CT

There is a video at www.wakeside.com called "The Book". You need it.

Just ordered it, Man why did i have to wait till the end of the season to try this?

E in Ct

Hah, wait untill next summer if you think you are hooked now. I know a guy who sold his boat because he would miss work about twice a week to go boarding. Said he had to quit it. This November I'll be have rode every month for a year.

Wait to make the twist. I like to see beginners ride in a suatted position with board sideways to the boat for about a hundred yards first so that they get a feel for sliding and then realize when they finally stand up how much rope/handle position dictates board position. Too often first timers try to drive the board with their back leg (How tired was yours after riding?). In needs to be learned early how handle position determines board position. Ride one handed as well to confirm this point.

towers help alot but are not necessary. It just takes a little more effort to get on plane (usually at the expense of lower back muscles later that night). Focus on staying in as much of a seated (cannonball) position for as long as possible. I cannot stress this enough, DO NOT RUSH to get on plane with a low rope position. Often times this leads to a tendency to fight the pull from the boat. This a bad habit.

As regards the boat speed, I believe you should floor it and be quick to pull it back as soon as the board appears to be ready to plane. This is a timing thing the driver needs to learn to spot.

I know how fast my crew rides according to RPM, so I bring the throtle to that spot and leave it...except for small adjustments the rider asks for or for sharper turns. I have an inboard though, so it really doesn't work hard. The tower thing...well, let's say it helps a lot, but as a beginner I don't think you need to be overly concerned about it yet.

Eric

I think the easiest thing to do is find one decent person near you, by going by a local shop or something, that can go out and personally show you everything to start it with. Alot of people start without any instruction what so ever from the beginning and spend a year wakeboarding the wrong way without ever knowing it. In as little as 20 minutes an experienced person can show you all the beginnings and you can go from there without any more help.