Wakesurfing an I/O

[eks]

I am just afraid that someone will get hurt and will make the sport illegal even for inboards.

[Timmy!]

I feel like I have seen some pictures of people being thrashed by the prop of an I/O on this site or on WW. I don't believe that it's a bunch of hooey, some I/O's have nothing to keep you from getting super close to that prop. Let's face it, we've all ridden up on to the swim platform accidentally at least once when learning and what's to say you don't accidentally run into the back of the I/O and then hang up on the ladder that was left down or hit the outdrive and then your hand drags the prop on the subsequent fall?

[dtown]

Jeff - I do think it would be impossible to get a hand into the prop of an IO if the hand was comming from the face (direction of thrust) of the prop. BUT, I think it would be quite easy to gat a hand in there from the side or top.

Here is the big difference in my mind. Lets assume that a falling rider somehow gets under the swim platform and his hand touches the transom (this is much more probable in an IO because most IO swim decks sit substantially above the water line). On an inboard the rider's hand is still several feet away from the prop (and the hand would have to go against the force of the water to reach the prop). In an IO the riders hand is above and in front of the prop (the force of the water directs the hand towards the prop!).

[Timmy!]

The I/O's that have the huge swim platform are probably safer than an I/O without a platform - that's where the safety concern is for me.

[chpthril]

The I/O's that have the huge swim platform are probably safer than an I/O without a platform - that's where the safety concern is for me.

Here is a link to the pic of how safe Chaparral thinks their Extreme with an over sized platform is

http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/show...0&postcount=17

[Surfdad]

dtown makes a good point - it's been brought up by a few engineers - it's the side entry where the prop is PULLING into the wake.

I just find the whole thing interesting - the Chapparel folks are saying - we're safe and Tim Lopes is saying all that chopping your arm off stuff is nonsense - I am waiting for the "next" point along the path - if that makes sense.

[kko]

i will try to find the report. yes i have seen the pictures of a girl who fell into an i/o prop. looked like it tried to make a spiral ham out of her arm and fingers right down to the bone. pretty nasty pic. i hope i can find it for you.

[sagmanaur]

How does Chapparal think that is safer, your body is clearly closer to the prop than on the inboard. Or is my resolution off on my monitor?

[evil0ne]

You aren't crazy their marketing department is crazy. The red lines were added by chpthrill. Without the lines the position of the swimmer makes it look like the Chap is better. BTW, my swim platform has never been described as "cramped."

[Timmy!]

It doesn't matter on that Chapparal anyways, someone over on the WW thread actually tried to surf behind that boat and they couldn't get a decent wave out of it until 20 mph.

[Surfdad]

The folks over at Wakesurf magazine tried to surf it and the general opinion on I/O's and the Chaparal in paticular, is that they don't list well enough to surf behind.

Can you imagine trying to stay with the wake at 20 mph?

[LovinPowell]

i will try to find the report. yes i have seen the pictures of a girl who fell into an i/o prop. looked like it tried to make a spiral ham out of her arm and fingers right down to the bone. pretty nasty pic. i hope i can find it for you.

The question is could it happen while wakesurfing. I am sure that there are pictures out there of people who have been injured from the prop. But is it from wakesurfing?

[kko]

The question is could it happen while wakesurfing. I am sure that there are pictures out there of people who have been injured from the prop. But is it from wakesurfing?

yes the is was from surfing. the story was very clear aout how it happend

[Surfdad]

This thread over at WW shows a gruesome picture. And it was stated that it was from wakesurfing and I/O and I think in another thread was proven to be a fabrication.

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/m...tml?1115867959

The "deal" is that if it were from wakesurfing an I/O you could find a published report on it in a heartbeat. Also the guy who posted it said he got it second hand and started his post with "semi true story" and never produced any other cooborating evidence yet he has that picture?!

I'm not advocating wakesurfing an I/O - just advocating verifing your data rather than assisting folks that may wish to promulgate garbage - just like lovinpowell suggests - ask and verify.

[dogbert]

I don't think that Tim is stupid - he's designed boats and run boat manufacturing plants for ages. I once tried an experiment. While surfing I took a full unopened can of soda and tried to throw it at the general location of the prop. Figuring I was going 10'ish MPH and let's assume I tossed it at 40 mph, the combined speed with which it hit the water was around 50 mph. The can stopped literally where it hit the water.

I'm not trying to condone the activity, I'd NEVER let my kid do it and that is MY benchmark but I have to wonder if inboard manufacturers have made it a bigger deal than it is. I hear the "stories" of I/O related wakesurfing injuries but have never seen a documented case.

I think you misunderstood. My point was that an I/Os prop protrudes from the back of the boat whereas the prop on an inboard is under the boat. My concern would not be while riding, but starting. You're very close to the boat and at the point where you start, it doesn't take much for you get your limbs into the water.