General Wakeboard Help

[baseballguy1]

My dad and i recently bought a 86 capri open bow i/o with a penta engine. I want to get into wakeboarding but need some suggestions on how to get started. I want a tower but dont want to spend 1k on one. I also need a board, and another one for my sister, as well as ropes etc.. So i guess my main question is what kinda tower should i buy? i dont know what size tubing, or what materials i need to do so. Can i get one for around $500 or 600? We are very handy so i assume we can install it.

 

[wired1236]

Re: General Wakeboard Help

Fist - congrats on the boat.

First suggestion is to save up some money. You will need it to get everything you need/(want). You can get basic towers (no speakers, lights, etc) for $600-$900 range and if money is the main key, than just remember you get what you pay for.

You can install a tower yourself. There's lots of threads here to help you out with both buying and installing them. Just search around and check out the internet. Monster tower, Aerial, DIY seem to be the most talked about but there are others.

As far as boards and gear go, search craigslist. You can buy cheap stuff there until your cash reserves build up and then buy new.

Boating and their related sporting activities are not cheap. Good luck.

 

[Dave.Mishchenko]

Re: General Wakeboard Help

I wouldn't worry about a tower for now. As mentioned you can pick up a used wb on craigslist and you can have a lot of fun being pulled as you would for a tube or skiing.

After a season you'll get a better idea of what sort of board you want long term and you can look at a tower then.

If you search this forum for "DIY" you'll get a few ideas. Some have gone the pylon route and that will be the cheapest especially if you have some of the hardware lying around.

What sort of motor do you have in the boat and how long is it?

 

[sierrawaterman]

Re: General Wakeboard Help

Yes congrats on the boat. I myself bought my first boat this summer and had/have many of the same questions as you do. I agree with Dave M dont worry about a tower just yet get the basics down first and learn some skills have some fun and then look at a tower later. I do not as of yet have a tower on my boat although I have looked at them all summer and have almost pulled the trigger a couple of times but going to wait until next season.

Holding out for some potential winter sales and maybe a good time when people might be off loading some gear as well. Just a thought from one newbie to the next.

 

[baseballguy1]

Re: General Wakeboard Help

19ft volva penta 4 cycle. If i dont have a tower or pylon i cant pull a wakeboard then.? Just found one on craigslist with amps, batteries, lights, racks speakers, tower speakers, mirror, marine deck, and a board for 1k. I think im gonna buy it... If the tower fits my boat

 

[Dave.Mishchenko]

Re: General Wakeboard Help

You don't need a tower or pylon to get started. We did our first year without one. It's easier with a tower/pylon as the rope is angled up, but if you get the technique down you'll be able to get up fine without one.

I can't speak for all towers, but I have a Monster tower and once it's fitted you drill some holes so the width of the rear legs is now fixed. Just keep that in mind with a used tower.

I have a 17' with 135 HP 3.0L. It can pull me up (at 230 lbs) no problem. We've done myself and tube with 3 kids at the same time, and also me with a 55 lb kid on my back so the smaller engines can do it. But with this boat (even with ballast) we'll never see a superb wake. You may find that once you get the boat out you have to reprop it to get better hole shot. You give up top end speed, but it makes it easier to get. If you need to do that, take the boat out and give it the full throttle (WOT) and measure the engine RPMs (make sure you don't exceed the max for the engine). Also figure out what the prop diameter and pitch is. Then you can get some help here on suggestions. The stock prop for our boat was a 21" pitch - 3 blade. We currently run a 17" - 4 blade. Makes a huge difference, but we can't go as fast anymore which isn't a concern.

If you're completely new to wakeboarding, getting up is all about technique. It's the boat that does the work to get you on the water and if you can get the right method down for getting up you'll do great.

 

[mxfever]

Re: General Wakeboard Help

I would agree with everyone else. Get a wakeboard and try it out first before you spend a bunch of money getting the boat set up. I learned on the ski loop. My brother put a tower on his boat which made riding a LOT better. He since sold his boat and I'm back on the ski loop on our boat. Don't get me wrong it's still a ton of fun but a tower does make it better.

As far as the wb goes. If you and your sister are close in height and close in shoe size you could get away with just one board for now. My brother and I shared a board for a year. Chances are you won't ever be riding at the same time so there isn't a need to buy two boards if you can get away with one starting out. Who knows one of both of you may not like it. I watched wakeboarding shows and movies for a couple of years before I tried it. I can tell you the pro's make it look way to easy. It takes a ton of practice and some very hard falls to get even the basics down.

But on that note, welcome and congrats on the boat!

 

[sierrawaterman]

Re: General Wakeboard Help

Your boat will work just fine for wakeboarding without the tower bb guy. You absoultly do not need a tower at this point although like others have said getting up would be a little easier but with some practice you'll do fine with what you have. I was looking at a tower as more of a storage rack it get all the gear up off the floor of the boat. Since I am not going upside down jumping and spinning and what not I don't really need the tower but more storage would be nice.

 

[baseballguy1]

Re: General Wakeboard Help

I have been wakeboarding one time and got up my first time. Im an athlete so i just kinda did it. I learn really fast so i think after a couple times i will be able to do some more advanced stuff. So just to clarify, you can get up and jump from the ski loop on the back of the boat.?

 

[mxfever]

Re: General Wakeboard Help

Absolutely you can jump wake to wake on a ski loop. In fact if you look in the pictures thread that was recently started I have a picture of me in there clearing wake to wake and you can see the rope is hooked low. I had trouble getting the ?pop? concept down and was absorbing the wake with my knees so I didn?t get any height. Once I got the pop figured out it made it a lot easier to clear the wake. You can bet that I?m saving my pennies for a tower for next year though! Just ride a few times and make sure it?s something you want to do before you spend the money. My brother was all about it for a while. Then once trying to clear wake to wake he caught his front edge on the downslope of the other wake. He hit HARD. Bit through his tongue and the next day his arms and face looked like he?d been run over by a gravel train. Hasn?t been on a board since.

 

[baseballguy1]

Re: General Wakeboard Help

Absolutely you can jump wake to wake on a ski loop. In fact if you look in the pictures thread that was recently started I have a picture of me in there clearing wake to wake and you can see the rope is hooked low. I had trouble getting the ?pop? concept down and was absorbing the wake with my knees so I didn?t get any height. Once I got the pop figured out it made it a lot easier to clear the wake. You can bet that I?m saving my pennies for a tower for next year though! Just ride a few times and make sure it?s something you want to do before you spend the money. My brother was all about it for a while. Then once trying to clear wake to wake he caught his front edge on the downslope of the other wake. He hit HARD. Bit through his tongue and the next day his arms and face looked like he?d been run over by a gravel train. Hasn?t been on a board since.

O i hit it hard lol!! I face planted several times and it hurt. So if the ski loop is on the right, can you ever get to the left side?? Will it clear the prop or how does that work?

 

[searay175snyder]

Re: General Wakeboard Help

you can clear both side no problem slow and easy 22 mil an hour and thats not a bad wake to have with some weight in the back of the boat but monster tower is going to be the less exp i think

 

[mxfever]

Re: General Wakeboard Help

O i hit it hard lol!! I face planted several times and it hurt. So if the ski loop is on the right, can you ever get to the left side?? Will it clear the prop or how does that work?

Sorry but I'm a little confused by this question. The ski loop is in the middle towards the top. Our is right by our sun deck. The loops I think your talking about (forgive me if I use the incorrect term) are the transom hooks that you would normally use to strap to a trailer or if you had an outboard. Any way you can take a picture of the back of your boat?

 

[perna00]

Re: General Wakeboard Help

This is my second year at wakeboarding and I haven't had any problems using the ski setup. Mine is in the center; although I've seen some on the sides as well. If you have them on the side, you can ride on both sides of the wake but you will always have that sideways force steering you. It might be great for the extra speed going over the wake from one side to the other. I haven't used a tower but the ski rope setup is perfect for now.

 

[Subliminal]

Re: General Wakeboard Help

I've been wakeboarding 10 years now and have never used a tower.

You need:

Sport life vest
Rope
Place to tie the rope
Board

Honestly, this time of year you should be able to get a good deal on a package of board and binding. I wouldn't even worry about spending too much money on one...maybe $200...until you get better and decide what you want to do.

My buddy's $200 beginners combo finally bit it this year...10 years of abuse and one of the straps on the binding finally broke. Lol. Love that piece of junk board.


Too many people worry WAY too much about the accessories. Really you just need practice and skill...which comes with time. As long as your feet stay in the bindings and the board isn't too small, I think you'll be ok.