Lake Martin Topics: Wake Surfing

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	Name:	AnchorbayDon -
	Subject:	Wake Surfing
	Date:	6/28/2006 9:42:58 AM

Those narly wakeboarders on the lake have been surfin' for some time. They do it after they tire themselves out wakeboarding - for relaxation. LAKE magazine ran a 4 page article on it last fall, featuring my son. It is not difficult - even my wife has done it.

Several cautions, though. DO NOT ATTEMPT WAKESURFING behind an outboard or Inboard/Outboard powered boat. Use only an inboard ski boat where the prop is well under the boat. In wakesurfing, the rider is so close to the boat that an inadvertent fall (which will occur) can easily have the rider come into contact with the rear end of the boat (and the prop in the case of an I/O!).

Only do this in very open water, away from everybody and everything. You will be throwing a huge wake and will certainly make a lot of enemies otherwise.

The rider begins about 10-12 ft behind the boat and the driver takes it up to about 8-10 MPH. The rider gets standing on the board and is, at this point, pulled by the rope. Once the surfer gets the feel and can move up & down the wake - especially toward the V, (Rooster tail) while the rope is slack, they throw the rope into the boat and continue to surf the wake. This can go on indefinately, as long as the boat is going 8-12 MPH. It really helps to have all of the weight on one side of the boat and for the driver to turn ever so gradually toward the weighted side - to create the biggest wake possible on that side.

When starting out, do not pull the surfer (on their stomach on the board) directly behind the boat for more than a few sconds (to get up) as the exhaust contains deadly carbon monoxide. Several wakesurfers have died from this!. Many of the wakeboard boat manufacturers now offer an option ($2,000) on their boats called Sideswipe which directs the exhaust out of either side of the boat (rather than the stern) for just this reason. This is very serious stuff.

I sure hope we don't hear of any wakesurfers on Lake Martin overcome by CO or chewed up by a prop. That would be a disaster.