Parasail

[c2elec]

Anybody parasail with there tige? I was wondering where you tie off too? How you launch and land? we will be towing with a a 2000 2300v. Thanks in advance for your input.

[boatwakes]

Parasailing's one of those things you need a hydraulic winch to wind in and control out the line. It's a very specific flight technique when popping the chute for take-off and collapsing it for landing, if not done right, the chute cords will get caught in the prop, around someones neck or worse, you'll dunk the chute and drag someone to their drowning death. Basically, there's a reason you need a captains license and proper training/insurance clearance to do it.

[robert theisen]

Hey ya'll watch this!

[lightning59]

boatwakes is spot on. A friend on my lake has a parasailing business, that is all he does. Just about every America's Funniest Videos episode has a parasailing gone bad clip!

[raythompson]

Not true on the winch. I have parasailed behind my 1980 Century Bronco with 140HP. I have parasailed behind my 2005 Tige. The Tige has more weight and more power so it is much easier to use with a Parasail. I use a specially designed tow assembly that attaches to the tow hooks in back. A pulley allows the rope some movement. It is a very heavy duty harness as there is a lot of stress.

We start from the ground. Three people assisting. One holding the rope up, two others on each side of the sail. Rope is gently pulled taught, then full power. The people assisting run about 10 feet and the sail is airborne.

We land the rider in the water bringing them down slowly. The 200 feet of rope has to be gathered manually and the sail pulled into the boat. Then it is back to shore to get another rider. There is no danger of getting in the prop as the sail is 200 feet behind the boat. There is no danger to the rider as they have flotation and the chute lands behind them. They pull one strap and that releases the rider from the harness and they just swim back to the boat. Getting tangled in cords has never been an issue.

I have been at maximum height on the sail (about 150 feet), and released a quick release clip that detached the rope from the sail. All I did was float down to the water. Normally we don't use use the quick release clip. This was just an experiment.

A license is only needed if you are doing parasailing for commercial purposes. Insurance is not an issue as it is considered an "at risk" activity and the rider assumes the liability for injuries unless the boat operator can be proven to be negligent (such as drunk). This was an item of specific clarification with my insurance agent when insuring the boat.

I am going to be selling my parasail as it is becoming more difficult to find spaces with enough land to take off. The local park on Norris Lake had such a spot but they put in a swim area and roped off the beach and grass area. Another place that we used was a club that I belong to that had a good spot. But someone planted a tree in memory of someone blocking our area. Besides, the kid is grown and gone and there is just not much use for the sail anymore.

[murphini]

I think Mr. Theisen's remark is more properly known as a redneck's last words. Properly said it goes like this:

"Hey ya'll, hold my beer and watch this!"

[brett22i]

We used to launch from land on an open beach and we pulled with a 1985 Ski Supreme, I'm almost postive we used the center slalom pylon? We would have 2-3 people spread the chute open on the beach and get a running start with the flyer in the harness. We did have some "Americas Funniest Home Video" moments but well worth it. Just make sure the people holding the chute are prepared to eat dirt when that chute opens up.
It is dangerous but so is everything else in life

[TeamAllen]

I know it's been banned at Lake Powell.
http://www.nps.gov/glca/parknews/upl...a%20Update.pdf

[NickWWS]

We have done it, on our Private Lake. We launched right off the beach and landed just in the water. We used the transom U bolts. They are going to be the strongest tow point.

[raythompson]

We used to launch from land on an open beach and we pulled with a 1985 Ski Supreme, I'm almost postive we used the center slalom pylon? We would have 2-3 people spread the chute open on the beach and get a running start with the flyer in the harness. We did have some "Americas Funniest Home Video" moments but well worth it. Just make sure the people holding the chute are prepared to eat dirt when that chute opens up.
It is dangerous but so is everything else in life

I had no center pylon on my first boat so acquired the tow hook harness. It is rated for 5000 pounds so is really heavy duty and could be used to lift the entire boat.

The worst that can happen while in the air is a rope break. I simulated that with the quick release. Not a big deal.

Biggest danger is sudden unexpected winds. Have had that happen a couple of times. One time we stopped the boat and the flyer (who was on the lower limit of the weight allowed) stayed in the air. We had to turn the boat and run directly at the parasail to get the chute to drop.

These pictures are from about 1995 when I still have my Century Bronco I/O with 140 HP. Images were scanned from transparencies so quality is not so great. We also carefully monitored the skys and if the was any indication of storm cloud in sight we shut down Not so much for any lightning risks but from changes in the wind.

That launch point is a public part that the city of Kingston decided to build occupy with a pavilion.