Ski choice

[haley]

Howdy,

New to me boat - 16' with 60HP OB. It came with an older set of adult skis and prior owner said he did get a 6' 220lb adult up regularly. I think that is optimistic - more interested in getting the < 100lb kids into the sport. With that said, I will wanna at least try it.

I am thinking that I want to put the original skis in a garage sale. To big for the kids. I see "Junior" starter skis that I think will make it more enjoyable. Or should I be trying to start them out on as big a ski as possible (my 12 year old son just fits into the adult bindings)?

I am thinking the skies with wide fronts that taper back would help the kids get up faster. And if I see an adult pair these might increase my own chances (I remember the big yellow starter skis as a kid).

Not sure about the "learner" strap that connects skis. A lot of reviews say they break. Not sure if this is worth having as a requirement.

For beginners, how important are concave bottoms? Seems like they help with rough water. Do they make it easier/harder for beginners?

Thanks!

 

[HollieMac]

Re: Ski choice

Hey there--i think you have a good idea in selling the original skis, but if you post a picture here we can get a better idea what you have.
Larger skis for you are a good idea but smaller skis for smaller people are better. If the skis are larger than needed they are harder to manage to keep straight up in the water until you get them moving. The trainer skis are a good idea; the ropes keep the legs from doing splits when one leg hits the wake and the other doesn't. You want to instruct the beginner to come at the wake from a more perpendicular angle than a sideways approach. When the leg muscles develop to keep to skis together and balance improves, cut the rope. I'm sure if you google some beginner ski info you'll find more on skis. Generally speaking, the more you pay, the newer the ski, the more popular the brand, the better quality ski and better ride and control you will get. search for used skis because people change up often. Be sure you give the youngsters dry "chair" practice. Put them in a chair on the lawn, give them a handle, and pull them out of their chair. let them know to keep their backs straight and stand up just like they would from a chair. This helps them understand to let the boat pull them up to a standing position. Also while longer rope lengths used to be used for beginners, take a good look at your wake at 25 mph and see if you can't put them in a flat spot closer to the boat. it's less fearful for them, and there is less play in the rope to cause slack.