Wakeboarding Basics and Tips

You’ve head about wakeboarding, but what exactly is it? It’s a sport that is about riding a board, called appropriately enough a wakeboard, over surface of water. It is a combination of snow boarding, water skiing and surfing.

The boarder typically is towed behind a boat, at around speeds of 20-25 miles per hour. Naturally, the speed of the ride depends on board size, water and weather conditions, rider’s weight and so on. And although a motorboat is the usual towing vehicle, it can be behind a personal watercraft and even ATVs.

Here’s a few wakeboarding tips, for ease of wakeboarding, it’s usually done in lakes as opposed to rivers or oceans. However, wakeboarding in areas like intercoastal waterways is becoming more popular.

Wakeboarding History

Here’s a little information about the history of wakboarding. It started as something called “skurfing” in the late 1980s, after snowboarding became a sport. The actual term “wakeboarding” came from Paul Fraser. Paul and his brother Murray introduced a new design concept, and along with a pro snowboarder, started the line of “liquid force” boards. Then when wakeboarding caught the attention of skiers and surfers, the board and techniques kept evolving through the 1990s.

What are Wakeboards Made Of?

The boards uned in wakeboarding are obviously buoyant, and is usually made of foam mixed with resin. The combination is then coated with fiberglass, while screws attach fins and bindings.

Popular board models are Liquid Force, Gator, Slingshot, Hyperlite and more.

Here’s something interesting; the positioning and configuration of the bindings and fins can be varied and adjusted based on the wakeboarder’s preferences.

Wakeboarding Tips and Why?

For performing tricks, of course! While wakeboarding all by itself is a blast, performing tricks is the goal of most boarders. Here’s an example: fins which don’t go into the water very far, called “shallow fins”, are great for tricks like flat spins.

When it comes to the hardware, though, the hardware is typically set up so the rider can switch with either foot to the front. These setups tend to have a layout that’s symmetrical, and are geared to wakeboard riders who have some experience under their belt.

Riders new to wakeboarding, on the other hand, typically set up the board to be comfortable with their “natural” (i.e., right or left) foot forward. While more comfortable for a beginning wakeboarder, it doesn’t allow for a switch without first being modified.

Learning Wakeboarding and Wakeboarding Tips

Learning wakeboarding can of course be accomplished by just getting on the board, but your best bet is to get some lessons. That way, you won’t have to unlearn any bad habits.

It’s a fun sport, not to mention exciting. So get out there and go wakeboarding!