What happened???? PLEASE HELP!

brotherbrown831 · Outlaw Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 154 City: Oklahoma City

Last week went wakeboarding for the first time. IT WAS AWESOME!!! I got up my second try and had about 10 good runs that morning, well this weekend I went wakeboarding again and I could not get up to save my life. The handle just kept getting ripped out of my hands. The only difference between this week and last week is I put a High Five SS 19 pitch prop on my boat. It used to have a 3 blade aluminum 21 pitch. All my wakeboarding buddies said the new prop had better holeshot and was easier to get up with, but i tried 30 times and never got up!! PLEASE HELP!
FYI im a bigger guy. 215lbs I ride a 142cm board.

This site is awesome im sure you guys can help.

oshensurfer · Posted: May 27, 2008 8:13 am Post subject:

Tell your driver to lay off the throttle a little. You shouldn't need as much throttle to get the boat moving.

Make sure you are getting up like someone picking you off a wood floor in a seated position while wearing socks.

brotherbrown831 · Outlaw Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 154 City: Oklahoma City

I thought he was giving it to much throttle too, but he was doing the same for me as the other 3 guys and they all got up fine with the throttle. But if the handle is being ripped from my hands before I have a chance to get the board to plane, its probably the driver. I might try putting my old prop back on to slow down the holeshot and see if that helps.

Anything that a bigger guy needs to do different then the smaller guys out there?

pet575 · Posted: May 27, 2008 8:43 am Post subject:

I don't think it is the driver. If you got up and made 10 runs, then you now know what it feels like to get up. The more power involved, the more you need to "squat like a frog" (keep the board in front of you with your knees bent and trying to drag your ass in the water). The rope is getting pulled out of your hands because you are leveraging the board against the pull of the boat. This is done by either straightening your legs or by laying back and pulling on the rope, trying to touch the back of your head on the water.

Like I said, you know what it feels like to get up now if you've gotten up 10 times. Squat like a frog and lean back just enough so that you don't get pulled over your toes. Getting up should be done with a relaxed body.

oshensurfer · Posted: May 27, 2008 8:48 am Post subject:

I should have said, with the new prop, You shouldn't need as much throttle to get the boat moving...

pet575, It's ALWAYS the driver! Laughing

brotherbrown831 · Outlaw Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 154 City: Oklahoma City

The worst part is that I got up 10 times and now I cant. It was funny the first part of the day but then I started getting mad. I have noticed that even when I was getting up I was "Muscling" my way up. I mean it was working but it took every bit of strength I had.

So the higher i put my head and body in the water the less resistance the board will put on me? It seems that when the boat starts to move the board never really moves I just compress and then the handle is gone.

Thanks for the advise so far guys.

pet575 · Posted: May 27, 2008 8:50 am Post subject:

brotherbrown831, have you ever slalom skied?

brotherbrown831 · Outlaw Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 154 City: Oklahoma City

No cant say I have ever slalom skied, this is kinda my first lake style water sport. I haev been surfing for 15 years, so once I got up on the baord it felt reall y natural to do cuts and carve, but im just having issues with getting up.

Last week when I had the old prop it would drag my under the water for a second or soo before the board would come to the surface, for that time I just had to hang on to the handle with all my strength, but now it seems like the board is not even moving.

pet575 · Posted: May 27, 2008 9:54 am Post subject:

Good, that means there is much less for you to "unlearn."

To answer your last question, YES. There is a perfect balance that means the difference between fighting your way up and popping up effortlessly. That balance lies in the positioning of your hips and spine in relation to the board. Too far back, and you fight hard. Too far forward, and you go over the front of the board. Since you've been up a few times now, odds are you have felt that balance.

The key is to get the board on plane as soon as possible. Maybe it would help us if you describe your method and we can comment from there. I can think of a lot of things to say or directions to point you, but many may be info overload without knowing what you are doing.

So, first question: "how are you positioning the board BEFORE the boat moves"?

brotherbrown831 · Outlaw Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 154 City: Oklahoma City

Okay im in the water on my back with a 75' rope. The board is parallel to the water with my knees completly bent up into my chest. My ars are striaght out in front of me between my legs. The Handle is almost touching the board. my back is curverd so im in a little ball.

Boat pulls the slack out of the line and then I yell "hit It" the rope pulls my arms forward. My body compresses even further into the bored. The board starts to move forward and then I lose grip on the handle. The bored is always straight up and down. I know i need to point my toes and i think I am doing it, but the resistance is to much for me to hold on to. I feel like and anchor trying to hold back the boat.

oshensurfer · Posted: May 27, 2008 10:41 am Post subject:

Yep. If you're muscling your way up, it's wrong. The only muscling you should be doing is keeping a constant seated type position with knees bent; staying in a squatted position with your arms straight.. You should keep your back pretty straight too. Like your sitting in a straight backed chair that's leaning backwards at about a 45-60 deg angle.

It would be much easier if you have a video of it.

oshensurfer · Posted: May 27, 2008 10:42 am Post subject:

And try this with a 60' rope if you have a tower. This will give the rope a higher angle at you and might help get you up and out of the water so there isn't as much resistance pulling the rope out.

pet575 · Posted: May 27, 2008 10:50 am Post subject:

It sounds to me like you're doing everything right, except for the board angle. If your board is straight up and down, it is just going to plow/push water instead of planing up on top of the water. Odds are that, after getting the rope yanked out of your hands a few times, you are also straightening your back as the boat pulls (which is a form of "muscling up" since it is basically a reverse sit-up) and that is putting all of the strain on the weakest point-your hands.

You are a big guy, so you've got to point your toes at the boat a little or the board will be VERY difficult to plane. If your toes are pointed to the sky, you've got to find a way to stop doing that. Once you convince your mind that your toes can be pointed at the boat and you will NOT go over the toes, getting up will be effortless.

oshensurfer's suggestions are good, especially posting a video if possible.

brotherbrown831 · Outlaw Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 154 City: Oklahoma City

Thanks guys, Im going to try to squeeze in a session after work one day this week. I have to get this problem fixed soon. Wakeboarding is to much fun to suck at.

pet575 · Posted: May 27, 2008 11:01 am Post subject:

Not necessarily true. I have a blast doing it but I suck. Very Happy

Somehow, I forgot how to w2w over the winter. Spent the entire holiday weekend taking a beating trying to remember.

brotherbrown831 · Outlaw Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 154 City: Oklahoma City

After I did so well last weekend my goal this weekend was to learn a heelside to toeside 180 off the wake. Little did know i would spend the day just trying to get up. I was very dissappointed. Like I said once im up it feels alot like surfing and is very natural. surface 180's were easy. carving back and fourth was easy, I even pulled a 50/50 grind on the wake on my second run. Now all of a sudden I cant even get up Sad

HAHA. I dont mind peeling my eye lids back on a face plant, but not even getting up is no fun at all. And it hurts like hell on your hands.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Wakin Dirrty · Outlaw Joined: 01 May 2008 Posts: 131 City: Nashville

Man I know kinda how you feel, I had the same trouble as you but it was my first time out and I couldnt get up. Your arms are just there to hold on to the handle, keep them relaxed as you come out of the water. I use my abs to get me out of the water and just stand up. I think the abs are pretty much the key to getting up but thats just me and thats what works. Good luck with getting up. Im sure its not the prop that is keeping you from getting up. Stay positive and dont make it hard for yourself and you will come right up. Again good luck.

brotherbrown831 · Outlaw Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 154 City: Oklahoma City

OK, what ever happened last weekend was a fluke, I went out today and got up every time, I had a TON of fun and started working on outside to inside wake jumping both HS and TS. Tomorrow im go to try some 180 and then see how W2W feels. I have a lot of work ahead of me when it comes to building up a progressive edge, I keep turning in way to fast at the beginning.
I just wanted to thank everyone who helped me out. Very Happy

Red57Bird · Soul Rider Joined: 09 Aug 2005 Posts: 316 City: Raleigh

You may also want to invest in some instructional videos. There are lots out there and there are a lot of good, experienced riders (of which I am not) that will chime in with their recommendations. I got "Higher Education Vol. 1 & 2" for my son's birthday last year and it had lots of good info.

Good luck and glad to hear you are back up and riding.