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Wake-boarding boat help.

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worldwideweapon
Posts: 248 - Karma: 11
ok so im very sorry if this is a repost but its kind of a weird / stupid question.

ok so my family owns a boat its a 21ft cresliner or something like that but it is not a wake boarding boat. i have been tubing on it before and wondering if you can buy a wakeboard that could be hooked up on both sides of the boat? it seems like it would work but i dont know if it would pull you up and out of the water enough or more flat and strait?
May 26 2010 4:05PM
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hank_hill
Posts: 1273 - Karma: 218
what are you asking?? i can probably help but i dont understand what your asking.
May 26 2010 4:07PM
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bryanw
Posts: 533 - Karma: 284
do u mean like a tower? or a rack for a tower?
May 26 2010 4:11PM
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worldwideweapon
Posts: 248 - Karma: 11
^can you wakeboard behind a boat that does not have one of those metal bars that are up higher than the rest of the boat?
May 26 2010 4:11PM
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Tasche
Posts: 5422 - Karma: 99
yes
May 26 2010 4:13PM
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worldwideweapon
Posts: 248 - Karma: 11
is it better to have one of those bars to tie the rope to? or what does the bar do? other than keep the rope out of the propeller?
May 26 2010 4:14PM
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ifli
Posts: 449 - Karma: 21
the arches on the wakeboarding boats dont do much they just give you a better angle to be towed by and help you get more air
May 26 2010 4:16PM
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Tasche
Posts: 5422 - Karma: 99
It doesn't keep the rope out of the propeller. It is just a different angle to be pulled at, some people say it is easier to get up with a tower but it is basically for getting more when you jump the wake. You do not need one but it sounds like you need someone experienced to go out on the boat with because your level of knowledge would be dangerous.
May 26 2010 4:17PM
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worldwideweapon
Posts: 248 - Karma: 11
ahah ok thanks for the info dont worry i wont be operating the boat its safe for you to go out on the lake.
May 26 2010 4:19PM
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bstuck1
Posts: 426 - Karma: 46
It is better to have the overhead rack. The angle makes it easier to pop off the wake. The boat I use to ski and board behind is like yours with just a hitch on the transom of the boat and I get much less air off the wake then when I go out on a friend's boat that has the rack. It might also have something to do with the prop, if it's not one made for towing a skier then it might not be as good. Not that you can't do it still.
May 26 2010 4:20PM
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worldwideweapon
Posts: 248 - Karma: 11
thanks for the answers and i have another question i am 135 lbs and around 5'9" my dad bought me a wakeboard last year for my birth day it was kind of a cheap one it was only like 200$ for board and bindings it was so cheap because it was made for a person who weights 250-300 lbs does this mean that it will be harder for me to get up and out of the water or what is the difference?

May 26 2010 4:26PM
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cab509
Posts: 806 - Karma: 34
I think you are asking if you can buy a wakeboard that can hook up to either cleat?

Yes, you can wakebeoard behind anything really that will pull a person out of the water.

Like others have said the tower on a Wakeboard boat adjusts the angle of the line and makes it easier to get up and to get more air off the wake, while a ski pylon, tubing tie down, etc. keeps the rope more parallel with the water and gives you a better pull  across the wake while skiing.

Having a 3 blade prop won't be a huge issue, with a 3blade you should still be able to get up and ride fine.



So I'm still a bit confused what you are asking but you should be able to wakeboard just fine behind your boat.
May 26 2010 4:30PM
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bstuck1
Posts: 426 - Karma: 46
My guess would be that if it is board made for heavier people it just weighs a little extra. This should not effect you getting out of the water. The biggest difference that comes with weight is the flex pattern and flight. If you are a beginner, sounds like you might be, this is not really that big of a deal, and doesn't really warrant dropping even more money on a board, in my opinion.
May 26 2010 4:33PM
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cab509
Posts: 806 - Karma: 34
It actually will get you out of the water faster, what you will lose is control because you'll have to muscle the board around to do what you want it to.


it will turn much different then a board that is made for your size but it might be easier to learn on since it seems you are pretty new to the sport.

I weigh 175 and am 6'3" and I ride a 139 Company Recruit but I really like my friends 136 hyperlight because it's a tad bit more responsive then my board but then my board is a lot more flex and more fun in the flats.
May 26 2010 4:34PM
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worldwideweapon
Posts: 248 - Karma: 11
yes i am a beginner, one more question can you use a snowboard because i have some old ones just sitting around my house could i use those or are they too flexy?
May 26 2010 4:35PM
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cab509
Posts: 806 - Karma: 34
I mean you could try, but I don't think it would work that well.



we've tried all sorts of stuff but never snow stuff, just lunch trays, a shopping cart with skis and other random stuff.
May 26 2010 4:38PM
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worldwideweapon
Posts: 248 - Karma: 11
how flexy are good wakeboards? i probably couldnt use a k2 www because of how flexy they are but i have an old burton that is a lot more stiff.
May 26 2010 4:39PM
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bstuck1
Posts: 426 - Karma: 46
I'd say slap some sort of fin on it and give it a try.
May 26 2010 4:40PM
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cab509
Posts: 806 - Karma: 34
not super flexy. No where near what a snowboard or skis flex like, except maybe the roam (which I've never ridden but I've heard they have a lot of flex)
May 26 2010 4:41PM
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NW_Rider
Posts: 2580 - Karma: 314
It will be easier to get up, more surface area. Board size being too big isn't really a huge issue though. When I was first starting, my buddy rode a 135 hyperlite premier, and he thought it was as big as he should go (5'7" - 170lbs), he rides professionally and uses boards up to 141 I think now.

In the picture he is riding 141, seems to be workin for him.

Click for larger image


And you will be fine without a tower.
May 26 2010 4:42PM
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NW_Rider
Posts: 2580 - Karma: 314
eh fuck I forgot pics from facebook don't work sometimes. Here is a vid, He just landed a new trick "Big Perm" another rotation to a big worm (wakeboarding has weird lingo), pretty sick though.

Big Perm from Nick Jones on Vimeo.

May 26 2010 4:48PM
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Lemuel
Posts: 14509 - Karma: 10,783
The lack of knowledge in this thread is hurting me (no offense). A wake board tower, just as people said, gets you more air off the wake, and it also allows more people to be in the boat seeing as the rope is above the cockpit and not running through it like ski pylons do. You could use a snowboard, as long as it is short and really stiff and you are really good haha. I think it is hyperlite that makes a board that is basically an all wooden snowboard without fins for a playful feel, but it is definitely not an expert board. I would not opt for the old snowboard. The board made for bigger people won't be bad for you, it will probably make it easier to get up because it is bigger.
May 26 2010 5:08PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51920 - Karma: 165,731
Load the back with sandbags. Buy a cheap tower for it. If you're on a budget and nobody is buying you shit build it out of 2x4s. Me and my cousin built a pretty nice one. Really strong, had non stretch climbing rope all over to tension it and keep it stable. Could ride for about a half hour before having to re tension, could have kept riding but we were trying to get some air from it.

We actually got pulled over by the coast guard boat in it on lake ontario. My cousin was riding my surfboard, I was driving, no spotter, some drinking. Trying to swerve away without looking like I was trying to get away. Didn't work, slow boat. fast boat.  Played the ignorant game and got off though
May 26 2010 5:12PM
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NW_Rider
Posts: 2580 - Karma: 314
Snowboard is a terrible idea. The Hyperlite Roam is not only much stiffer still than a snowboard, but it is also nearly twice the width, reverse cambered, and a different shape all together (no sideecut). The only snowboard to ever even consider trying to use on water would be the lib-tec banana hammock. Just use your wakeboard.

Also, get a wakeboard rope. Ropes used for waterskiing stretch. You do not want your wakeboard line to be able to stretch, you need the tension after you travel outside the wake and "load the line" carving back towards the wake for whatever trick you are about to do.
May 26 2010 5:20PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51920 - Karma: 165,731
"The lack of knowledge in this thread is hurting me" You sir are an idiot. Telling people to ride a snowboard as a wakeboard? Yes you could get up on it, but to actually be able to do anything, hell no. Shit idea, you should get punched for calling out ignorance and then posting that.
May 26 2010 5:26PM
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Lemuel
Posts: 14509 - Karma: 10,783
I know its a terrible idea, but it would be possible, but as I said, only for a pro/ person who knows what they are doing. I know all the differences between the Roam and a snowboard, I was just stating that it is the closest thing to a snowboard and is really hard to ride. And all ropes stretch, you just want a wakeboard rope becasue it is shorter and gets you closer to the boat = prime zone of the wake.
May 26 2010 5:29PM
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NW_Rider
Posts: 2580 - Karma: 314
Good god. Wakeboard and waterski lines are made out of different material, sure a wakeboard rope stretches a tiny, tiny bit that is unnoticeable, but waterski ropes stretch a great deal. And wakeboard rope length depends entirely on the boat, weighting and speed. Yeah lots of beginners start at 55 feet or whatever, but once you are good and want the most airtime possible, you speed up and increase the rope length.

The set up I use

Malibu Wakesetter VLX
Beginners: 19mph - 55 feet - empty ballast / no fat sacks

Expert: 23-24.5 mph - 75-80 feet - full ballast + approx 900 lbs extra ballast.


You have no idea what you are talking about.
May 26 2010 5:37PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51920 - Karma: 165,731
Have you ever been on a boat, or seen a wakeboard? Because you sound like a complete idiot every time you speak.
May 26 2010 5:39PM
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NW_Rider
Posts: 2580 - Karma: 314
Hahaha fuckin' seriously.
May 26 2010 5:41PM
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NW_Rider
Posts: 2580 - Karma: 314
If it is a sterndrive you can adjust trim on the outdrive. Some boats to have trim tabs that can help as well, but wakeboard boats are either direct drive or v-drive so the propeller is literally under the boat and the angle can't be changed. Foils are semi-common on wakeboard boats, Malibu has em as an option (wedge).

If you have a little bit of wash on the lip of your wake, just turn the steering wheel slightly (and I mean seriously slightly) towards the side of the wake the rider is approaching from and it will eliminate the washout.
May 26 2010 5:55PM
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MichSteeze
Posts: 536 - Karma: 12
i agree. you should deff. get a wakeboard cable rope. a lot easier to use. no streching as ski ropes do. i am 5'11 150 and i ride at 70-ish feet back and ride at 24 m.p.h behind a malibu wakesetter. depending on your liking, skill level, and how good your wake is you can adjust your speed and rope length. i ride a 07 cwb pure. super good board, wide, and very poppy. you dont have to get a tower, you will do fine without one. if you want to increase your airtime then go get one but you do not have to drop that much cash if you only ride a little bit.
May 26 2010 6:24PM
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NW_Rider
Posts: 2580 - Karma: 314
You wont really be able to see too much at the marina, but if you can see an outdrive at the back (not the engine itself), it is a sterndrive (inboard/outboard), and if you can't look in the boat. If the engine compartment is a bump in the middle of the boat it is a direct drive

Click for larger image

and the driveline goes directly from the output shaft to the propeller.

A v-drive on the other hand, since the engine is in the back of the boat, the driveline goes from the output shaft towards the front of the boat, and then converts back towards the rear, making the shape of a "V" like this:

Click for larger image
Water skiers tend to want direct drive, because the engine weight centered allows the stern sit higher in the water on plane and provide a smaller wake.

Wakeboarders on the other hand prefer v-drive so the weight is back and sinks the stern more, although a direct drive with ballast will also work.

May 26 2010 6:24PM
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