Wakeboard vs wakesurf

[BigAbe75]

I'll just leave this right here

I'm not that good, but I sure try to be.

Life jackets aren’t cool enough, so wears a T shirt over it? Lol

At least he’s wearing it I guess.

 

[swatski]

the same reasons for moving to surfing as I had for moving to skating. No bindings, slightly slower speed, and the "effort" from the body is significantly reduced when compared to wakeboarding. If you "faceplant" on the skate, you just fall in the water, there is no leverage from the bindings to slap your head down at speed. Kinda do a "fred flinstone" (lets see the kids get that reference ) across the water until you sink down.

Okay, I looked this up and now... I want to know more!!!!
I have never street board skated.
What's best beginner wake skate in your opinion? Rope the same as wakeboarding?
When you say lower speeds, I typically go REAL slow wakeboarding, 17-18mph.

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[MattFX4]

wake skating looks cool. Wakeboarding is fun but damn it can hurt when you fall hard. I know people who have torn their acl or mcl's wakeboarding.

 

[2kwik4u]

It's all about trends and appealing to a larger audience is my thought. As most have echoed the higher speeds associated with slalom skiing and wake boarding result in more impact on the body. Similar in the ATV industry, everyone use to ride 4 wheeler's now everyone has razor's or some type of UTV with long travel suspension. It would seem that more industries are coming up with more low impact (on the body) options which consumers are eating up!

More people to participate means more potential cash into the industry. KY recently started allowing Can-Am 3-wheelers to be used to take the motorcycle license exam. Lots of market out there if you can find a way to appeal to the masses.

Life jackets aren’t cool enough, so wears a T shirt over it? Lol

At least he’s wearing it I guess.

Agreed. At least he's wearing one. Lots of guys don't. Makes no sense to me.

Okay, I looked this up and now... I want to know more!!!!
I have never street board skated.
What's best beginner wake skate in your opinion? Rope the same as wakeboarding?
When you say lower speeds, I typically go REAL slow wakeboarding, 17-18mph.

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I ride a Hyperlite Stylus. It's like $99 on sale from time to time. Usually around $119 or so. Here's one on Amazon. I think I have an older model that is a 42in. I might have the 45 I'll have to check. I've taken the fins off of mine from time to time, but tend to leave them on since I'm not riding as much as I used to.

Rope is exactly the same as wakeboarding. Adjust length to get you on the "cusp" of the wake. You want the spot of the wake where there isn't any white water. Nice crisp clean edge on the wake makes the best "rail" to ride and play on.

Skate speeds are in that same 17-18mph range. I have the wife target 16, but usually end up around 18 or so. A little faster makes the board a little "looser" when riding. A little slower will add some "weight" to the response. Adjust as you see fit, you have RideSteady so I'm sure you'll dial that in really quick.

Crashes are still "at speed", but they are SOOOOO much less painful. You go one way, the board goes the other. Let go early and there is very little force on you when you hit the water. No bindings takes a lot of the knee stress out as well. I taught a few teenagers to ride this past weekend. I spent several hours in the water, and probably did 50 deep water starts. That was Saturday afternoon, and my quads were a little sore on Monday/Tuesday, and my left bicep has some soreness to it, but thats it. Each start resulted in a crash at some level. Didn't even need ibuprofen on Saturday evening. It's really a pretty "safe" sport IMO.

You come up just like a wakeboard. The difference being you need to have some tension on the rope ahead of time (like a surf board) to keep the board "stuck" to your feet. Once you're up, you are free to move about the board. Both feet far back will make it squirrely and hard to ride. Both feet forward make it really fast and "darty". Steer it just like a wakeboard. Toes down forward, toes up backwards. I tend to ride with one hand on the handle. This forces my body to "straighten out" and align with the rope.

I'll try to get some video's this weekend of me riding the skate. It's really a LOT like a wakeboard, but far easier on the body. I would wager a good mix between surfing and boarding really. No setup for a "big wake" needed though, as the main goal isn't big air, or ropelessness. Actually the tiny little wake from the 19ft boat is about right. Enough to "hop" off of from time to time, but not enough to get big air and get hurt. It takes 2 minutes to change into skate setup. Throw on a vest, get the board out of storage (it fits in the ski locker on my AR190), hook up the handle and jump out. That's it.

I spend most of my time out beside the wake in the flat water. Surface 360 spins have kept me busy the last few years. I need to work on my kickflip, I had that down a few years ago, but lost the muscle memory when we sold our last boat and haven't gotten it back. Ollies (jumps from flat water) have also elluded me this year for some reason. I think I'm getting old and heavy to be honest.

If you're ever on the water at the same time I am, I'll gladly lend the board out. If it didn't cost so much to ship I would send it over and let you try it out. I often go weeks without riding it due to scheduling issues.

 

[swatski]

More people to participate means more potential cash into the industry. KY recently started allowing Can-Am 3-wheelers to be used to take the motorcycle license exam. Lots of market out there if you can find a way to appeal to the masses.



Agreed. At least he's wearing one. Lots of guys don't. Makes no sense to me.



I ride a Hyperlite Stylus. It's like $99 on sale from time to time. Usually around $119 or so. Here's one on Amazon. I think I have an older model that is a 42in. I might have the 45 I'll have to check. I've taken the fins off of mine from time to time, but tend to leave them on since I'm not riding as much as I used to.

Rope is exactly the same as wakeboarding. Adjust length to get you on the "cusp" of the wake. You want the spot of the wake where there isn't any white water. Nice crisp clean edge on the wake makes the best "rail" to ride and play on.

Skate speeds are in that same 17-18mph range. I have the wife target 16, but usually end up around 18 or so. A little faster makes the board a little "looser" when riding. A little slower will add some "weight" to the response. Adjust as you see fit, you have RideSteady so I'm sure you'll dial that in really quick.

Crashes are still "at speed", but they are SOOOOO much less painful. You go one way, the board goes the other. Let go early and there is very little force on you when you hit the water. No bindings takes a lot of the knee stress out as well. I taught a few teenagers to ride this past weekend. I spent several hours in the water, and probably did 50 deep water starts. That was Saturday afternoon, and my quads were a little sore on Monday/Tuesday, and my left bicep has some soreness to it, but thats it. Each start resulted in a crash at some level. Didn't even need ibuprofen on Saturday evening. It's really a pretty "safe" sport IMO.

You come up just like a wakeboard. The difference being you need to have some tension on the rope ahead of time (like a surf board) to keep the board "stuck" to your feet. Once you're up, you are free to move about the board. Both feet far back will make it squirrely and hard to ride. Both feet forward make it really fast and "darty". Steer it just like a wakeboard. Toes down forward, toes up backwards. I tend to ride with one hand on the handle. This forces my body to "straighten out" and align with the rope.

I'll try to get some video's this weekend of me riding the skate. It's really a LOT like a wakeboard, but far easier on the body. I would wager a good mix between surfing and boarding really. No setup for a "big wake" needed though, as the main goal isn't big air, or ropelessness. Actually the tiny little wake from the 19ft boat is about right. Enough to "hop" off of from time to time, but not enough to get big air and get hurt. It takes 2 minutes to change into skate setup. Throw on a vest, get the board out of storage (it fits in the ski locker on my AR190), hook up the handle and jump out. That's it.

I spend most of my time out beside the wake in the flat water. Surface 360 spins have kept me busy the last few years. I need to work on my kickflip, I had that down a few years ago, but lost the muscle memory when we sold our last boat and haven't gotten it back. Ollies (jumps from flat water) have also elluded me this year for some reason. I think I'm getting old and heavy to be honest.

If you're ever on the water at the same time I am, I'll gladly lend the board out. If it didn't cost so much to ship I would send it over and let you try it out. I often go weeks without riding it due to scheduling issues.

Man, great post! Super informative. Thank you. This really changes the way I look at it...

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[2kwik4u]

Man, great post! Super informative. Thank you. This really changes the way I look at it...

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Glad to help. Let me know if you have other questions.

I've ridden most things that go in the water.....and some things that shouldn't (riding a 48in Lazy Susan won me $50 once). I've ridden behind everything from a $125k wake boat to a $250 jon boat. For me, it's all about being on the water. As my lifestyle has changed, my available time and energy has changed. I always come back to the skate for some reason. Just something about the simplicity and ease of it that keeps me hooked. It doesn't care how good I am, how long it's been since I last rode, or what kind of equipment is in front of me. It rides the same every time, and always keeps me smiling.........In the end, isn't that what we all spend all this time and money on anyway?

 

[swatski]

Wakeboarding is fun but damn it can hurt when you fall hard. I know people who have torn their acl or mcl's wakeboarding.

The most serious wakeboarding injury is a broken neck... And whiplash. One of the friends who got us started with wakesurfing used to be a wakeboarding "semi-pro". She has had a bad faceplant that ended with very serious neck injury.
Wakeboarding faceplant (catching front edge) = falling on your face with force of gravity plus boat speed.

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[MattFX4]

The most serious wakeboarding injury is a broken neck... And whiplash. One of the friends who got us started with wakesurfing used to be a wakeboarding "semi-pro". She has had a bad faceplant that ended with very serious neck injury.
Wakeboarding faceplant (catching front edge) = falling on your face with force of gravity plus boat speed.

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Yeah the guy I know who blew out his knee is a pro for Malibu boats. I don’t know how those guys get up the courage to try some of those tricks. I’ve done the faceplant before. I’m usually done for the day after a fall like that. Surfing is cool because if you fall it’s usually a gentle fall.

 

[2kwik4u]

I'll make another "brag" on the skate about the faceplants. This is very similar to the surf board.

Do a big wake-to-wake jump on a skate and completely screw it up. You'll nose the board into the water. You'll think a big faceplant is coming........NOPE, the board will STOP, but your body gets to keep on sailing forward and do a really akward belly flop/dive thing into the water. If you've let go of the rope its really not bad at all. Just an akward water entry. Typically the vest takes the brunt of that force.

Worst crash I've had on the skate did involve a whiplash type incident though. Was attempting a 360 surface spin, and started to catch the backside edge of the board. I didn't let go of the rope quite fast enough and fell over while being pulled backwards. So I had my back to the boat at 18mph or so and caught the boat side edge of the board on the water. I fell "forwards" onto my back at speed, and the collar of the life vest hit the water, while I was thinking I was going to save it and leaning forward with my head and chest. This "snapped" my head back and smacked the back of my head against the water at speed. I had a headache for the remainder of the day. Took some ibuprofen and bourbon and rested that evening. Was fine the next day...........Since that incident, if I think I'm going to crash or come off the board, I let go of everything and "fall over" away from the direction of travel. That was the first season I rode a board in the water, Almost 10 years ago at this point.

 

[—Яiвs>]

Think I might have to look into this as well. Awesome posts!!

 

[Jgorm]

I bought a wake skate for 20 bucks. I rode it for maybe 3 minutes and asked for the wakeboard. I'm not a skater. My cousin told me about taking the board to the nuts on a jump and i said f that! I'll take a face plant any day! My wakeboarding now consists of jumps and grabs. No other tricks. I stopped doing tricks long ago. I haven't had a nasty wipeout is as long as i can remember. Shorten the rope and take it easy.

 

[2kwik4u]

Been riding the skate for a decade now. Never taken one to the nuts, although I can see how that is possible.

Found a few pictures this morning. Had to google search my own album for "water" to find them. These were behind my old Rinker 182 from about 8yrs ago. I'm a shade heftier now.

Just after almost falling:


Mid handle pass on a surface 360 spin


Just hanging out in the flats. Kinda looks like I just cut out there by the spray angle

 

[J-RAD]

Slalom seems to be for the purist. I like it, but don't do it nearly enough. It seems like every generation has had their trending watersport. It also seems like each generation has found away to make them extreme. It's funny what catches on... surfing is such a thing you can buy a $100k+ boat dedicated to it. I guess boats have followed both the ski and wakeboard trends as well.

According to my mom, my grandpa and his friends were pretty edgy slalom skiers, he suffered multiple blown eardrums from it. He had slowed down by the time I started watching. It's all I ever saw my mom do. She had to quit in her late 40's due to compartment syndrome in her legs. It's been 10-15 years, but you can tell she misses it.

@Jameson Clark you're in a class of your own. I haven't skied with 2 skis since I was 12... That's cool though!

As soon as I learned to ski I quickly switched to wakeboarding. I rode the same board for 20+ years. I finally decided to buy a new one last year and it's been both fun and different. I'm finally getting comfortable with it.

To harken back to @Jgorm 's original post. There's just something to surfing... I'd say it has a chill factor to it. You immediately notice how low impact it is and once you throw the rope it's a different feeling and fun in its own way. Be careful though, you'll soon get board of your Yamaha's weak sloppy wake and start throwing money at it. I just dropped a few on one of @jcyamaharider 's transom bags. I'm anxious to experience what it'll do for my surf wake.

Wake skating is something that could interest me. Foiling has been my main interest lately.

However things evolve I'll be skiing/boarding into my 70's. I'll need 2 knee braces and one of these:

 

[swatski]

@Jameson Clark you're in a class of your own. I haven't skied with 2 skis since I was 12... That's cool though!

Our house rule has been - all the kids need to learn to ski before they can do anything else, lol. Kate's been pretty adamant about it, and I have come to think it 's a good idea. Covers a lot of basics, later on they can choose to do whatever they want. Of course they all like to board, and now.. it's the ZUP, too.
(yes, they all like tubing, lol; we limit that, too - guess we are horrible parents!!!)

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[2kwik4u]

My next two boards will be a ZUP, and a wakefoil. I have a strong desire to get as many people riding a board as I can. I have lots of people try and few get up on the skate. I'm probably not the best teacher, and it's certainly not the easiest thing if you've never done watersports before. The ZUP looks nice as a beginners tool.

The wakefoil just looks cool, and I've always wanted to try one. The cost though, OMG I might never get one!

 

[Jameson Clark]

Yeah we are a true watersports family and all love to ski and it is fun to ski together but let's just say it is much easier on the people and the boat when everyone is on two skis!!!

 

[merlinjet]

Funny, I was just talking to some one the other day about why I don't see anyone slalom skiing anyone on Lake Havasu. Seems I'm the only one out on the lake doing it, which is fine with me 'cause it just gives me more room to roam. We just started wakeboarding this year and are finally beginning to get some control of the board. Not staying up very long but the videos are hilarious! I hesitated getting into something new at 68 years young but I'm glad I did. Have no desire to wake surf...way too much boat tuning involved and the area for surfing is too confined (and slow) for my style of watersports. I think our family will just stick with the slalom ski (basic training for all) and the wakeboards...and of course the trusty tow tube.

 

[Jgorm]

The wakefoil just looks cool, and I've always wanted to try one. The cost though, OMG I might never get one!

Agreed. I've wanted one since the 90s, but even the used ones are 600+! I want a friend to buy one so i can try it!

 

[Arcadyus]

I don't have acl's in either knee so surfing for me is just easier on my knees. So is wake skating. I fuck them up enough snowboarding all winter. I would assume if your young and not broken yet wake boarding would prob be more fun. For me almost 40 and pretty fucking broken surfing is just more my speed.

 

[J-RAD]

Our house rule has been - all the kids need to learn to ski before they can do anything else, lol. Kate's been pretty adamant about it, and I have come to think it 's a good idea. Covers a lot of basics, later on they can choose to do whatever they want. Of course they all like to board, and now.. it's the ZUP, too.
(yes, they all like tubing, lol; we limit that, too - guess we are horrible parents!!!)

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I'm for this too... although I don't know that I've drawn a hard line. With my oldest, now 10.

We started with a inflatable ski trainer 2 years ago.


Graduated to a Zup

But lately it's surfing with Dad. It's great for getting them used to being pulled by the boat and feel what getting up is like.


I think getting him up on skis or on the surfboard by himself is next.