New to boating and wakeboarding.. help?

[Dreenn]

hey guys i just bought my first boat last year its a 2006 Larson 185 openbow I/O 135 HP merc cruiser i had a ton of fun with it last summer learning all i can now i want to get into wakeboarding and have a few questions

1) does anyone have experence wakeboarding behind a boat silimar to mine will it throw enough wake to have some fun

2) where and what brand of wakeboard should i buy also what a good board for starting out

3) what are the towers used for and are they needed for a beginner

and any other advice you guys can think of that would help would be awesome

 

[tommays]

Re: New to boating and wakeboarding.. help?

1. A good line with lenth loops WILL allow you to board in the best part of your boats wake

2. At this point in your wakeboarding i dont think board brand is a big deal BUT the boot fit and style allways matters as everybody i know sets there boots a bit diffferent

3.The tower gives you a LOT of lift and as your trying to get AIR it helps BUT the big factor is how you POP when you hit the wake

? how fast are you boarding NOW and can the boat keep speed

With the 3.0 and its lack of power I use a small (17" prop) just for towing as it allows the best boat performance in the 15 to 20 MPH speed range

Tommays

 

[manofprawnz]

Re: New to boating and wakeboarding.. help?

We are running much the same set up as you are, and likewise are fairly new to wakeboarding. No problem with the boat, at this stage it throws enough wake to entertain everyone. Even got me, the old fat boy, up and running this summer, it was a hoot.

I purchased our board and bindings from wiredsports.com out of Portland. I emailed them first and asked what the best board was for us, describing the weight and experience of all those I expected to use it. I felt they came up with the perfect match for us at a great package price. This Christmas I ordered a new board through them once again, this time for my nephew who is ready to take on some air and do some tricks.

I may consider a tower, I keep on changing my mind, mostly due to storage problems in my garage. I am sure it will help one pop out a little faster, definately help on the jumps, and be good for the towables as well, not to mention resale value of the boat.

Final comment about the tow rope: I bought a 4 section package that is great, since some people want to adjust their lengths. The big mistake I made is that the color is medium grey. Really tough to see the rope in the water, should have gone with something like yellow, white, red or lime green. We have used it in various water colors including teal green, and just cannot see the bugger.

 

[oops!]

Re: New to boating and wakeboarding.. help?

I may consider a tower, I keep on changing my mind, mostly due to storage problems in my garage.

a lot of towers fold down for winter storage. the good thing about them besides lift is storage racks on them. they keep the boards outta the boat, so your not tripping all over them.

and you say your boating in teal green water???? is that kal lake in the okanagan?

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: New to boating and wakeboarding.. help?

I may consider a tower, I keep on changing my mind, mostly due to storage problems in my garage. I am sure it will help one pop out a little faster, definately help on the jumps, and be good for the towables as well, not to mention resale value of the boat.

Ummm, I don't think you can pull towables from a waketower, I asked about that in another thread and they say the tower isn't strong enough to pull anything but a wakeboard or skis.

 

[Captain Obvious]

Re: New to boating and wakeboarding.. help?

What's all this about BUYING a tower? Just make one!

PS. I lifted this somewhere.... It's not me I promise!

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: New to boating and wakeboarding.. help?

That for sure is THE REDNECK Wake boat!! Imagine what that pressure treated wood weighs.Got it lag bolted through the gunnels,Geeze!!
All they need now is 2 big stereo house speakers attached to the top...LMAO!

 

[guy74]

Re: New to boating and wakeboarding.. help?

Ummm, I don't think you can pull towables from a waketower, I asked about that in another thread and they say the tower isn't strong enough to pull anything but a wakeboard or skis.

I don't know how strong a tower is, but I can say when we tried pulling a 1 person tube from the ski pylon, the tube caught a wake in the middle of a turn and pulled the boat over so far that water came over the side. Not a pleasant experience, I can vouch for that. The leverage, and center of gravity get out of hand when you pull from that high. Like I said in the other thead, I've seen it done, but wouldn't recomend doing it.

 

[orion25]

Re: New to boating and wakeboarding.. help?

If you are considering a tower look at the Monster Towers. I have a friend that has one and they are much cheaper than OEM towers. They also fold down for storage. The only problem you may have is Bimini top compatibility....................

 

[Raysilvio]

Re: New to boating and wakeboarding.. help?

I have a similiar boat set up --- Would the tower and height of the rope help you get up quicker with the 135 hp? Or is it simply all about the Air you can get?

I am considering a tower because it seems that the angle and position of your tow ball would help a boat with less power pop a skiier or wakeboarder up easier? Is that way off ?