look ma no skis

[kko]

Took my first shot at barefooting on memorial day. What a freaking blast!! yes the learning curve comes with a LARGE amount of pain but man when you get the hang of it WHAT A FREAKIN RUSH!!!Im sorry i didnt get pics next time i will.
we went off the boom. I started out sitting on a kneeboard (since i dont have a barefoot suit).get up some speed. SLOWLY (this is important or that pain thing i mentioned comes into play)drop your feet down w/toes up driver nails the throttle extra hard for me im big boned.as you come up to speed you lift up the kneeboard flies out from underneath you and bam your footin 43mph for my big butt.Keep knees bent another very important step i learned the hard way on this one as well.I tried to stand up a little to let the kneeboard go and got my legs got to straight my toes dug in and the cartwheels at 40+ began.Well my daughter thought i was dead and it freaked her out a little everybody else in the boat thought it was freakin funny.
All i know is 250#@40mph=3.5 cartwheels.Bottom line is i LOVED every second of it and will be doing it again for sure.
I have to thank Dom(FIC/my boss)and his son Chris they really made it fun and easy to learn and i cant wait to do it again.
If you ever get a chance to try it and can take some pain GO FOR IT---YOU WILL LOVE IT!!

[skyski_tige]

Nothing like riding a kneeeboard at 43 mph

Last time I did barefoot... I felt like my skin was being ripped off

[G-MONEY]

SWEET!!!!!

[Sheboudiac]

Footin'

Kneeboard is definitely the way to go. I've taught several people how to barefoot and the kneeboard way is the most natural.

There's nothing like the rush of looking down at your toes and realizing that you're blasting across the water with just the arch of your foot to support you.

Pictures are tough. At 75' out and the boat bouncing all around you've got to have smooth water and a fast camera to catch the action on film.

[fleetpaint]

DONT LOOK DOWN!!!
look down, fall down

[noworries]

Congrats to you. I'll give you a pass for using the kneeboard w/o a wetsuit, and the need to go 40+. Me, I think I've still got bruises up the left side of my body from that day of attempting deepwater starts from a boom even while wearing a barefoot suit. Once I got up, it was indeed a blast, till that toe dug in. I can say, now, that I've barefooted, however. Everyone needs to do it, at least once.

[yllw20]

KKO

way to go man. did you use your boat? or the shop team boat?

Thanks again for the pull back in april.

[illiniboarder88]

The kneeboard is key to learning how to do it. I was stubborn and insisted on the rope off the boom. I got up, eventually, but my body was beat to crap. I had a sleeveless suit, and I had purple bruises and rash all around my shoulders and back. A good estimator for how fast you need to go is 10% of your weight plus 20 mph. I like a little faster than that, but it's a good guideline to follow.

[Kito]

I wish they would've had booms to learn on when I learned to barefoot. I learned longline. What an a$$kicken I took. I was only 12 when I learned to barefoot, Im pretty sure thats why I was able to learn that way. Young,dumb,and I could recover from big whipouts pretty fast. Now it take twice as long to recover.

[Fit to be Tige]

I did it as a kid but now I think the falls would wound me for the summer!