What were we doing wrong?

[BigB9000]

So, me and some other large friends took the boat out to the lake, boat is a 1988 something or other, with an OMC outdrive and a chevy 4.3L V6. 17' length with 950 pound person limit.

I think total we had about 800 pounds in the boat.

We all gave wake-boarding a try, and this is what it looked like:

So, we just assumed it wasn't the fact that WE didn't know what we were doing, it was more of the fact the boat couldnt pull us.

how feasible is this?

the girl got up ok though:

 

[craze1cars]

Re: What were we doing wrong?

You only need about 40 hp to get up on a wakeboard...they take very little power. So not to be a jerk or anything, but since you had 175 to 190 HP at your disposal, I'd have to say you probably didn't know what you were doing.

Have any of you ever gotten up on a board before behind a different boat? And did any of you try skiing behind this boat?

It takes much less HP to wakeboard than it does to get up on skis. So if this boat can get a skiier up, it can EASILY get a wakeboarder up.

For comparison, I wakeboard and slalom behind an 18 foot bowrider, much like the one in your pics, powered by a 115 hp 3.0 L Mercruiser. I'm about 200 pounds...and have done both skiing and wakeboarding with 5 people on board...each weighing much more than I. Dragged a little longer, but still had more than enough power. A 4.3 would make it even nicer...assuming it was running OK. Looking at your pics, some of you guys eclipse 200 lbs, but I don't think you're anywhere near big enough that a 4.3 couldn't get you on plane pretty easy with the right technique.

A couple posts away from yours was this one: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=245300
With people claiming to have wakeboarded behind pontoons and 30 to 40 HP motors or less....

That said, I'm kinda new to wakeboarding (this year), and it took me about 15 to 20 attempts to get upwhen I was first learning. I totally acknowledge it can be very tricky (and frustrating) to learn if you've never done it before...no matter how good you might have been at skiing.

Sounds like the "girl" schooled y'all! Good for her!

 

[BMOLCHANY]

Re: What were we doing wrong?

I have to agree that it was a problem of experience and skill. The klearning curve is not all of that but it does take time.

 

[BigB9000]

Re: What were we doing wrong?

Yeah, we all figured we didnt know what we were doing. esp the girl.

So you the driver just full throttle it, or ease into speed. seemed the hard part was holding onto the rope.

I have ski'd pleant of times, and I couldnt get up for the life of me behind the boat.

and it seems to run pretty good. starts right up and idles fine.

 

[Hogger]

Re: What were we doing wrong?

What position are you in, when the boat tries to pull you up? You want the bottom of the board facing the stern of the boat, so that the board is perpendicular to the rope. The rope will come between your feet.
Not like skiing where you have the tips out of the water pointing at the boat.

Not trying to be a smart *****, just checking because he didn't say how he was tring to get up, and that he has done some skiing.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: What were we doing wrong?

Here's my take on teaching first timers...which has met with about 75% success so far this summer. So take it for what you think it's worth as it didn't work for everyone I tried to coach:

Knees inside your elbows (this is counter-intuitive for most people...most have elbows inside knees and I've found this position to much more difficult), tucked position, arms as straight as reasonable (but they will be slightly bent 'cause yer knees will be in the way), toes pointed toward the boat.

Most importantly, STAY in that position (especially the tucked AND toes pointed...you'll forget one or the other I assure you) until AFTER the board rolls on top of the water. Because if you try to stand up prior to getting the board on plane, you'll just plow a huge tidal wave of water in front of the plank, and you won't be able to hang on. This is what I suspect most of you were doing wrong...trying to stand up and pulling against the boat.

Instead, just sit there in a tucked position and wait for the boat to get you out of the water...do not try to get yourself out of the water. Because the harder you push against the water, the harder the water pushes back...until you can't hang on anymore. So the answer to that problem? DO NOT push against the water.

I found it easier when learning to just have the driver just ease into the throttle, and NOT do the full throttle start like I do when skiing. I also found it a little easier to hold the necessary "ready" position when the driver was dragging me at a fast idle...like 1,200 RPMS or so. But after I got the technique figured out, it doesn't really matter anymore how the driver takes off...those boards only need about 5 to 7 MPH and they suddenly pop up on plane...but only IF you're in the correct body position.

Hopefully this helps a little, and hopefully you can figure it out next time you're out!

 

[overload]

Re: What were we doing wrong?

Everytime we take out newbies (and when I first learned) it's always the same, no matter how much insturction we give, we get the same results. The newbie struggles and struggles untill one time they get it, and once they get it, everytime they say "wow, I can't believe how easy that was." The only way to learn is by trial and error and figuring out the physics on your own, just like learning to ride a bike.

All you need to know:

1) Sit in the water like your going to go Number 2

2) Do not plow or push against the boat (like water skis), you will never win. Let the boat pull you up, out of the water.

3) You don't have to stand up right away, you can ride the board crouched as long as you want.

4) You don't have to turn the board right away, the board will traval sideways across the top of the water as long as you want.

5) You don't have to try to keep the board above the water, the board can ride through the water and naturally ride to the surface with you on it.

The other thing that seems to work is to drag the rider in the water for a ways real slow like at idle. Eventually your able to feel how the board grips the water and naturally wants to ride to the surface.

Otherwise in some of those photos it looks like you were getting some decent wake. The top of your wake has some break, ideally it should be rounded smooth. Add or move some weight to the bow and adjust your speed. Start slow and speed up untill the wake just starts to curl over. In my boat thats at 22 MPH.

 

[Liquid_force]

Re: What were we doing wrong?

the biggest problem I've experienced with skiers learning to wakeboard is that they think they're still coming out on a ski. They stay deep in the water and DRAAAAAG thinking the boat needs to build a lot of speed.
Especially if you slalom -- a ski is narrow and needs speed to keep the rider out of the water.
A wakeboard displaces so much water that the rider (even at 250-300lb) can easily stay on plane at 10-15 mph (assuming the board is correctly sized). At 200+ you'll want a 140+ cm board.
I have an '89 19.5' bowrider with a 4.3 OMC, and I'm about 205 lb.
You shouldn't have to nail the throttle - you can, but it's just wear and tear on the rider and boat that's not needed. You might take it up to full throttle as you get up to speed (~20) before backing it off once you get there, but you definitely don't have to slam it down to pull out a wakeboarder.

You just have to feel and learn how easy it is to stay afloat on a wakeboard at surprisingly low speeds and stop that dragging crap!