Would a parasail or chute help surf wave??

[skrip345]

Hey guys, I had been contemplating an idea, and I thought I would see what opinions I could get before I make a purchase. I noticed the other day while pulling a tube with two adults (I pull from the tower usually, maybe a no no but haven't had any issues) that the wake was rolling up HUGE. My theory is that the tube pulling back on the tower has some leverage, and is forcing the bow up, getting a deeper "dig" at the back, and plowing up more water. Maybe I'm crazy, but I wasn't loaded with people or ballast and the wave looked nice. I wondered how I could surf with a tube, which would not work, and arrived at trying with a parachute, or parasail to replace the tube. May seem a little ridiculous, I know. I searched for a bit, have watched some youtube vids of parasailing boats and skiis, etc. There is not much out there, so I hoped to hear from someone who has pulled a parasail, or has any ideas for why this could or could not work. Thanks!

 

[swatski]

I think this is a very good idea. I think it would have to be water logged though, too many variations with air and probably not enough speed when surfing. Water parachute, drift anchor type device...

Experimented myself with water parachutes once..., but that was to drag my boat of the rocks. Different story, but same idea. Works like crazy.

Same principle really as malibu power wedge.

Lets try to develop it.

 

[Scuba_ref]

I think you may be looking for something like this. These are used to slow down drift rates or trolling speeds when fishing. It would be interesting to see if it could be used to drag the back end of the boat while surfing to affect the wake.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Advanced-Anglers-trade-Drift-Sock/700074.uts?productVariantId=1191723&WT.tsrc=PPC&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=00007384&rid=20&gclid=CPCM-tTC3c4CFZSIfgodb7YIRA&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[skrip345]

I was hoping to use an airborne device, so I could attach it at the tower and it would stay out of the way of a surfer even if they went down. So @swatski you don't think a chute would stay in the air at surf speed?

That's interesting @Scuba_ref, I have never seen one of those. The main premise of my idea was something to get the bow higher, but I suppose it could have a similar effect. I wouldn't want to tie anything that was in the water to the tower, I think you would risk entanglement when surfing or crashing..

 

[0627Devildog]

I was hoping to use an airborne device, so I could attach it at the tower and it would stay out of the way of a surfer even if they went down. So @swatski you don't think a chute would stay in the air at surf speed?

That's interesting @Scuba_ref, I have never seen one of those. The main premise of my idea was something to get the bow higher, but I suppose it could have a similar effect. I wouldn't want to tie anything that was in the water to the tower, I think you would risk entanglement when surfing or crashing..

What about a bow mounted parasail to keep the bow up. . . . tied off to both bow cleats?

 

[Scuba_ref]

I think you could tie one on the surf side rear cleat and it would both pull the stern down (displacing more water) and list the boat to the surf side at the same time. The concern would be how it handles being pulled at 10 mph. These are made to drift slowly in the water.

 

[skrip345]

I wonder if it would stay under the water while surfing

 

[0627Devildog]

Instead of a full blown parasail, how about a kite?

https://www.amazon.com/Breeze-Sport-Foil-Kite-62-Inch/dp/B00HU18IG0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1472161713&sr=8-1&keywords=parasailing+kit

 

[skrip345]

I wonder how big it would have to be to make a noticeable difference.

 

[TheGreekTitan]

We fly a kite from the boat often. It's fun, and we get some really funny looks.

So, devils advocate time:
-How are you going to get it flying at surfing speeds?
-Plus it would be difficult to maintain at said speed
-Guessing, but I would think two adults on a tube is a lot more drag than a chute would be.
-What happens when the rider falls? Start all over?

I guess you could rig some sort of fan to keep it in the air. Would need to be fairly powerful, and battery powered.

Neat thought, would be pretty cool for someone to figure it out. Good luck!

 

[swatski]

I was hoping to use an airborne device, so I could attach it at the tower and it would stay out of the way of a surfer even if they went down. So @swatski you don't think a chute would stay in the air at surf speed?

That's interesting @Scuba_ref, I have never seen one of those. The main premise of my idea was something to get the bow higher, but I suppose it could have a similar effect. I wouldn't want to tie anything that was in the water to the tower, I think you would risk entanglement when surfing or crashing..

@Scuba_ref is on the right track. I was thinking of a drift anchor or water parachute, the one from Cabelas is exactly the type of prototype one would want to start with. There is absolutely no way you can make anything airborne work for this application, certainly not at wakeboarding speeds.

In talking to @jcyamaharider, he pointed out power wedges used to pull transoms apart... My own experience with a "water parachute" was educational - the forces are immense when it fills up with water and pulls.

I think the drift anchor (or drift sock as they call it) @Scuba_ref posted would be ready for testing. The only question is that of attachment sites.

When thinking of it in the past, I was assuming it would tie off of the transom tie-down eyes/hooks (whatever you want to call them). However, I then found out from @McMark that those are NOT reinforced from the factory, and I was able to confirm it in my 190. Since he and I have the same boat, I'm assuming that is the case with mine, too. @McMark has had them reinforced, and that would be the way to go. The tethers could be assymetrical to encourage listing, and have a built in safety disconnect.

Not really that difficult. The only question is: how large of a water parachute does one need? Does one need a better/stronger attachment point in transom/stern? That part could be tricky.

 

[skrip345]

What about the rear cleat? How strong are those?

 

[RiverRat]

Hmmm. A rider in a parasail would give you some awesome footage of your surfer....

 

[swatski]

What about the rear cleat? How strong are those?

Would have to be enforced. I wouldn't risk it otherwise. Keep in mind these FRP hulls are real thin.
I would not want to see what happens to FRP when its elastic deformation ability is exceeded... Not in my boat, LOL!

 

[Scuba_ref]

My initial thought is that you would want to go small on the sock simply because you will be using it at a much higher speed than they are intended for.

 

[swatski]

My initial thought is that you would want to go small on the sock simply because you will be using it at a much higher speed than they are intended for.

Yes. By the same tolken the one from Cabela would not stand a chance to actually do what we are talking about. Without modifications

 

[swatski]

The air resistance goes up in the third power with speed, Water is like 1 million times worse