Wakesurfing

Wakesurfing is a relatively new sport in the last five years. The industry for wake surfboards and accessories has exploded. I personally love the sport and will continue to do so for years to come. The whole premise behind the sport is to surf behind the wake of your inboard boat. You start off with a shortened rope and handle and get up on the surfboard like you would a wakeboard. You position the board so the back is right on the lip of the wake. This will maximize the security on the wake. Once you’re sure that you can carry on riding without holding onto the rope, you throw the handle in the being seeing that you’re only a couple of feet from the back of it. The sport of wakesurfing is all about “hanging loose” and chilling. I think this sport carries over the whole persona known from surfing, where it’s all about you and the wave and nothing else.

This can be done by loading up your boat with weight so the wake is large enough to surf behind. There are many tricks of the trade to perfecting wakesurfing and driving abilities. When wakesurfing, you can control the speed of the board my shifting your weight on the board. The further forward you are, the faster you will move, so the further back you are, the slower you will move. But you need lots of practice to get the skill down well. If you lean too far forward, the board will be way out in front of the wake and naturally slow down, making it very hard for you to catch the wake again. If your weight is too far back, you will sink back behind the wake and lose the lip. The lip of the wake is the most important place for the board to be. You want the back of the board right underneath the lip of the wake, right where it curls. Some tips for the driver of the boat are to go slow, around ten and a half to eleven and a half miles per hour. The exact speed of the boat depends on the size of the wake rider. One way to make it easier for the rider is to load all the weight in the boat, including fat sacs and people, to the side of the boat where the rider prefers to surf. Another way to make it easier for the rider is to turn the boat towards the inside of where the rider is surfing. This makes the wake a good shape for surfing.

For wakesurfing, the kind of board you buy can make a difference. The larger the board, the easier it will be to surf because of the increased surface area. The smaller the board, the harder it will be to surf for the same reasons, but the smaller boards are more maneuverable. Maneuverability is very important in determining the size of the board to get. If you buy a huge board, there’s a possibility that it won’t be fun to ride because you’ll only be able to ride straight. I own a board that I built myself in woodshop class. It’s about five feet and six inches long. It made it out of mahogany wood. It has a gently curve around the outside of the board with a small lip in the front. It’s very flat in the middle which helps to create speed. The boards out on the market are not wood, but they are just as good. They made from a material that is much lighter and slicker. If you plan on buying a wakesurfing board, I would go with the larger of two.

Hopefully I’ve helped someone in learning about the sport of wakesurfing and how to do it, so get out there and surf!

-Peace

p.s. Don't sit too close to the back of the boat for long periods of time. There have been occurrences of carbon monoxide poisoning. But as long as you are aware of the dangers and be careful of fumes in the back of the boat, you will be fine. The rider doesn't have to worry about the fumes because by the time is gets to him/her they have dissipated enough not to matter.