Reversing

[Phillips]

I wanted to find out if when you are wake surfing and your person falls do you reverse and pick them up or do you do a full circle what's better? I have a new Z3.

[007]

I slow to a stop, let the first set of rollers glide past and circle back to get the rider. As the boats back to the starboard side, not sure backing to pick up a fallen rider would be very effective

[chpthril]

http://wakeworld.com/news/feature/fr...powerturn.html

[ericinmich]

I'm not sure backing up to anyone in the water would ever be a good idea. Circle around (I turn right as I slow down, let wake go by, circle up to down rider).

Always turn off boat when picking up a person.

[sandm]

^we do the same except turning the boat off unless stopping for a while. picking up a rider usually means another has a jacket on and is getting in as one is getting out.

[boatwakes]

Power turns!!!

[boardman74]

Reversing to a rider is for sure not a good idea. We turn incised the wave when the rider falls to avoid having to cross the rollers.

[BrentRR]

Depends on boat traffic on how fast you need to get back to the rider. We don't reverse back to the rider, but after slowing down, just barely put it in reverse gear which hardly moves the boat but the prop rotation slowly turns the boat while the waves pass by, then put in forward to pick up the rider. I learned this maneuver from our dealer when we were demoing the ASR. I had always just circled but this tactic really works well and you don't have to worry about the rollers and potentially turning too fast. Of course, if there is boat traffic with inattentive drivers, you have to get back as fast as you can.

[cday76]

I wanted to find out if when you are wake surfing and your person falls do you reverse and pick them up or do you do a full circle what's better? I have a new Z3.

Reversing is not a good option, I have seen this in use on my boat. I almost threw the guy overboard for jamming my boat into a hard reverse when I fell. It's fast, but hard on the boat and very dangerous. It can also void your engine warranty if you send water up into your exhaust. States it in the manual on the Raptor engine for 2015.

Now here is the best I have found in over 500 hours of surfing in three seasons.

First slow to a stop and watch the rollers pass by. You DO NOT want to drive through any rollers, it sucks and there is no reason to do it.

Since you have a Z3 you can turn right or left. When turning I find it better to turn towards the side sunk, however some turn the opposite direction. If you turn against the sunk side keep an eye on the rear vent. If you're sunk on the left and turn right it can dig that rear vent under water. On an RZ2 turning opposite of the sunk side will take in water through the vent if you're sunk to the rub rail. I've done it and didn't notice till I watched the video later. Which is why I'm a sunk side turner.

Now that you're turning throw the rope outside the boat or better yet just don't have anyone throw the rope into the boat. Make the turn and proceed slowly to the down rider. There is nothing worse than a hot dog coming in hot throwing a face full of wash in your face when you're tired. While making the turn try to make an arcing turn towards the rider to keep the rope trailing behind the boat on the side of the turn. As the rider gets just slightly past the bow make a turn towards the rider pivoting around them, This will place the rope right in their hands.

Also when getting a rider up ease the throttle at first then progressively increase the throttle until the cruise kicks in.

Remember slow is smooth and smooth is fast!!