wakesurfing waterstart

[bitnis1960]

I started wakesurfing a couple of weeks ago.I have been starting from the swimdeck and staying very close to the back of the boat.This has been very easy except for scratching the back of the boat,duct tape and a piece of hose on the front of the board seems to prevent this. I have tried water starting without much luck and was wondering if someone could share some tips on this,length of rope,best way to hold board etc.
Thanks bitnis1960

[samw]

What I do is I sink the board and balance it underwater grab the rope give the nod and up you go... not sure if I have any picks of the start but will check.

[sagmanaur]

Rope: there are wakesurf specific ropes out there, they are usually thick with knots to grip, and about 20 feet in length.

To start: very similiar to wakeboarding - start with board perpendiculiar to the boat with heels on board, once the boat starts moving press slightly down on heels and board will flip up against your feet. Slowly stand up. Once you have done it a couple times it is a piece of cake.

You can also check out http://www.howtowakesurf.com/

Good luck

[bitnis1960]

Thanks for the info.Have the water starts figured out now,very easy.New rope seems to help and have made the knots way bigger for better grip when starting.Do you guys drive the boat in a big circle to make the wave bigger on the weighted side of the boat,I have heard that this might help.
Thanks bitnis

[sagmanaur]

I only do it if it is a newbie and they are having trouble getting out of the whitewash at startup. Otherwise you can drive straight and create a nice wake.

[dogbert]

Go to http://www.howtowakesurf.com. All the answers you're looking for are there.

[phirates]

Learning to wake surf

Here are a few pics of our son trying to wake surf for the first time this weekend. He's mostly a wakeboarder, so it's hard for him to learn to lean forward instead of back. He was able to get up the first time, and eventually found the pocket and the rope had slack for a minute or so. Of course I had already put the camera away. I kept trying to tell him even though the rope has slack, you may need it any second so keep the rope for a while even if you think you don't need it. Also I've read foot position is critical and I think he needs to move his toes closer to the toe side edge. Just thought I'd share some "learning" pics.

[TeamAllen]

Love the smile in that third picture!

Keep up the good work.