Another good drill just
before a rider attempts a start
for real is to get him in position
at the end of the towrope
and just nudge the boat into
gear. As the boat slowly idles
forward, encourage the rider to
stay relaxed and maintain the
starting position. When they’re
able and don’t let themselves
get pulled out of position,
they’re ready to progress to
their first deepwater start.
If they can’t maintain that
position, consider returning to
the drills at the boat.
When it’s time to do it forreal, get into position (for kids,
an adult may want to don a life
jacket and float beside them),
take any slack out of the line,
and wait for your rider to give
the signal. We recommmend
that riders don’t let go of
their grip on the handle, so
encourage them to keep both
hands on the handle and just
raise the handle above the
board to indicate they’re ready
for the driver to take off. As the
driver, once you get that signal,
accelerate evenly up to speed
— between 10 to 18 mph for
kids, 16 to 20 mph for smalleradults, and 18 to 22 mph for
larger adults.AFTER THE WIPEOUT
Returning to a downed
rider might not seem like
an area that requires much
instruction. A rider falls, you
turn the boat back around
and pick him up. But like
everything else in life, there’s
a right way and wrong way to
do it. Choose the latter and
you’ll not only send endless
rollers across the water, which
annoys your rider and the
other people trying to enjoyWhen learning to start
on a wakeboard, keep
crouched in the water
with your knees bent and
your arms straight. Let
the boat pivot the board
so that it rotates on top
of the surface as you’re
facing the transom. Once
you pop up, turn the
board sideways to start
moving back and forth
across the wakes.WHEN IT’S
TIME TO DO IT
FOR REAL,
GET INTO
POSITION,
TAKE ANY
SLACK OUT OF
THE LINE, AND
WAIT FOR
YOUR RIDER
TO GIVE THE
SIGNAL.
PHOTO: COURTESY OVERTON’S (WAKEBOARD)82 BOATINGMAG.COM JUNE 2016