How to "Share a Line"

[Matt Garcia]

Ok so I finally had some time to finish up my illustration and explain what exactly "Sharing a line" means (a recent poll question). As wakeboarders, slalom skiers, skiers etc, we all want the smoothest water. Showing up to your favorite butter spot only to be ruined by someone who is driving all over the lake usually spoils the stoke.

The purpose of "sharing a line" is to keep the water as smooth as posssible. The idea behind sharing a line is simliar to driving on a two lane road. Each car drives a straight linear line on a road as close as possible. The concept is simliar with wakeboarding, two boats share a "road" passing each other driving a straight, linear line. Since our boats usually leave a big wake the last thing you want to do is drive your wakeboarder or skier over these wake(s). When two boat drivers share a line, each of their wakes are dispersed to the shoreline or out to the main body of water (where hopefully no one is) thus leaving the boats path or line as smooth as possible. Each boat driver then turns at the end of the lake, cove or river and repeats the process. When two boats don't share a line each boat is sending their rollers to each other, creating a washing effect.

However most people who are new to wakeboarding and boating feel that it's unsafe driving that close to another boat. Which is easy to understand however when sharing a line each driver knows which direction a boat is going and which direction they will turn, just like a road on a highway. Imagine trying to drive on a highway with each car going in a separate direction.

I have used this method for several years and have been able to share small coves with three to four other boats all doing the same method while still keeping the water as calm as possible.

Now hopefully you are educated with what "Sharing a Line" means. Feel free to discuss.

[balair]

awesome job on the illustration Matt. usually there is a free bay on my lake, so we don't really practice this much.

I do find it funny however when we go to a calm bay and a tuber shows up like 20 minutes later and tears it up. We are just like, umm....you know it's more fun to tube in rougher water right?

[Jeffe]

Is there a chart for the douche bags that do POWER TURNS?

[da.bell]

Is there a chart for the douche bags that do POWER TURNS?

Or for tubers???

[buck1270]

I sure wish someone would help all the people around Lubbock learn this and all so to stop powerturning to pick up a fallen rider that ruins the water for everyone.......................................... ......

[Fast1911]

Or for tubers???

Or Jet Skis?

[bk3104]

Thanks Matt !

FYI, at times I do pull a tube, but on rough days and not through butter where I'll disrupt boarders/skiers, I also drive a jet ski with the same consideration. So I guess I'm stereotyped with the other douche-bags.

[jmstige]

Thanks Matt,

Question on this...

What is the proper etiquette when one rider goes down and now the two of you are sharing a line (as in your first diagram), but going in the same direction.

Let's say the outside boat is 100 yards ahead of the inside boat and you both are traveling west? The inside boat would get rollers from the boat ahead. Is there a time when you should just sit tight so that you always going in opposite directions for this to work best?

Also, when turning around at the end of the line - is there a certain direction you should always make your turn? I assume the inside boat would turn away from shore, loop back to the original line - then contine on line. What about the outside boat - should that turn always be made away from shore or does that matter?

Great topic btw

[buck1270]

Well i don't know if it is correct or not but when we ride we always swing away from shore for a very short period and then turn around back towards the shore line and directly back into our original line.... Like i said don't know if that is correct but seems to work and keep the water smooth too...

[brody66]

Balair, where do you wakeboard, when ever i am down there it looks like there is no where it would even be safe to do so with all the idiots running around and waves that looks like tsunamis

[jwanck11]

In theory, this might be wonderful. In practice, it is impossible for a plethora of reasons:

There are different types of towing all done at different speeds. Even within a single type of towing, it is done at different speeds. Wakeboarders are as slow as 18 mph. I ski at 32.

People fall anywhere and everywhere at any time.

The fun of some types of towing means it is not only appropriate to move off a line, but essential.

And so many many many more...

If we want butter, we go out first thing or last as night. The rest of the day we do as the Romans do... and focus on safety as much as fun.

We ride to have fun.

[ragboy]

I saw something very similar a long time ago. Go here

http://www.thebookdvd.com/dvds/getstarted.htm

Watch the sample chapter, about not quite half way in. Good info.

[Tanner]

I'm curious,

Looking at your diagram, it seems that 70% of the time your driving through the other boats wake (depending on the size of the cove).

Is it not better to have two boats following in line. One trailing 100 yards or more back. This way the front boats water is clean, and it has cleaned out anything for the trailing boat as well. Since the lead boats wake is going out to the middle of the water or towards shore, this keeps things clear for the second boat.

[jmstige]

I see what you are saying Tanner - but that raises other questions...

What is the right thing to do when the rider in front goes down - driver behind turns away from shore and passes, then goes back into the original line?

The more I think about it - this seems the way to go. 2 or 3 boats follow the same line with ~100 yards in between. The only problem is the riders going down at different times/intervals.

I think the original picture by Matt or what I describe will only work if both boats are of similar skill sets?

I'd like to keep this discussion going b/c we are often saying to ourselves - what is the right way to share this space w/ that other wakeboard boat...

[Matt Garcia]

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I see what you are saying Tanner - but that raises other questions...

What is the right thing to do when the rider in front goes down - driver behind turns away from shore and passes, then goes back into the original line?

The more I think about it - this seems the way to go. 2 or 3 boats follow the same line with ~100 yards in between. The only problem is the riders going down at different times/intervals.

I think the original picture by Matt or what I describe will only work if both boats are of similar skill sets?

I'd like to keep this discussion going b/c we are often saying to ourselves - what is the right way to share this space w/ that other wakeboard boat...

If a rider falls and there is a boat behind them then its the boat drivers (the boat thats continuing its path) responsibility to veer outside of the line, pass them and continue on the line. Now if the rider fell at the end of the cove then the boat continuing should then turn earlier.

The driver that is towing the fallen rider should drop the throttle, let the boat settle and turn within its same line.

I'm curious,

Looking at your diagram, it seems that 70% of the time your driving through the other boats wake (depending on the size of the cove).

Is it not better to have two boats following in line. One trailing 100 yards or more back. This way the front boats water is clean, and it has cleaned out anything for the trailing boat as well. Since the lead boats wake is going out to the middle of the water or towards shore, this keeps things clear for the second boat.

Tanner you are exactly right. Im my illustration I only showed the boats passing. Ideally after the boats pass each other they would follow the same line or very close to it. Its kind of hard to illustrate everything in two simple drawings.