i'm such a beginner

[yeah...i'm that guy]

yo yo yo, whats up guys and girls...

i would just like some help from some of you more experienced people about some general stuff...

first off, just to provide as much info as i can, i ride an o'brien rail like 138-141 (somethin like that)... i am 5'11 160lbs... my crew n i ride behind either an older welcraft outboard 18ft or a malibu 18-20ft... both are just your general ski/cruise boats... no tower, no fatsacs

all of us can ride switch and clear the wake t/s and h/s... however, none of us can get enough air to pull any HUGE grabs or anything like that... what do you all recommend?

perhaps a new prop?
perhaps a tower/flyhi poll? (which one is better?... er... which one is more effective for the money?)
is the o'brien rail (3-4 years old) a decent enough board?
trim position to get the highest wake?
best speed?
fatsacks?
where do you all buy most of your gear? at shops or online?
how long should the rope be? (18ft outboard welcraft)

(leg position or progressive edge has nothing to do with it, because i know i simply can not get any higher on my jumps... i've gotten 4-5 feet off the wake, and that was HUGE for me, haha...)

in advance, thanks for your help!

[PoRT]

Ill let one of the more experienced guys answer this, but i will say that a tower will helo a lot. without the tower, the boat is pulling you down and is hard to get air. I noticed a big difference when riding behind a tower, but it could have just been that i got better since then. I only rode without a tower on my very first session, so..

[dmb]

The O'Brien Trim is a fine board to be learning on, if you think about it, people were absolutelly killing it on that board when it first came out, so theres nothing wrong with it... Trim positioning and speed are things that YOU need to play with, as with rope length, try to have the rider at the bit just before where the wake crumbles, as this will give you the longest amount of "run up" before you hit the wake... Mind you if there isn't much wake to speak of back there bring it in a bit.

A Pylon/Tower will help you, but only to stay in the air, it makes very minimal difference to how high you go... Saying this more air time is always nice, and lets you hold that grab that extra bit longer... There are no real difference performance wise between a tower or pylon, but a tower does give for more places to attach "googies" eg/ Board Racks, Speakers etc

It's probably best to buy your gear at a local shop, if you have one, because then you can build a relationship with them, and if any warranty issues arise, you are more like to have a replacement board/binding/skate/rope/whatever it is you buy...

If you don't have the coin for a higher tow point, and feel that you have progressed right up to where you think you can without one, buy a wakeskate, they don't rely on huge airs to do some awesome tricks, you have just as much fun on one behind a PWC as behind a fully loaded SAN

-David

[yeah...i'm that guy]

hell yeah, thanks for you help, guys

sooo, the fly high x pole ($300) would be a good investment for more airtime?

[ProPayne]

yeah. if you are gettin air ts and hs, it would be good to invest in.


btw. im not flamiing any newbies as i am one, but i lurk on this site alot. but this is probably the best post ive ever seen asking about towers and such. good post man.

[yeah...i'm that guy]

thanks man, and i think i'm going to get that fly high x pole or whatever... hope it's killer... i'm on my way to Alabama in two days to wakeboard and to get MeSsEd uP! (substance abuse... )