Salt water and Fresh Water

Ride DH · Outlaw Joined: 10 Jun 2006 Posts: 186

So i've been riding mostly on a saltwater river for the better part of my wakeboarding life, but the other day i went to my friends who just got a boat. He lives on a lake, the difference is very strange. I can't really describe it, personally i feel like i have more control on salt water. Anybody else notice a difference between the two.

LiQuiDFoI2ce · Newbie Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 38

I have heard from people that saltwater is a lot more bouyant than freshwater because of its higher density..I myself have never been wakeboarding on freshwater so I wouldn't know.

Damon · Posted: Jun 21, 2006 5:08 pm Post subject:

A saltwater river.....? I ridden in the salt and I don't notice much of a difference, besides the wake, the wake is notably smaller. But yeah, it's because salt water is more buoyant then fresh... theoretically, you should have more control in fresh because you would be deeper in the water.

stompin7s · Posted: Jun 21, 2006 5:10 pm Post subject:

ya u sit alittle lower in the fresh water and it feels alot softer to fall into too

WachoZacho · Criminal Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 64 City: Bridgewater

yea i thought i noticed that hitting the fresh water didn't hurt so much, so if i stick my boat in a some fresh water i'm gonna get a bigger wake, and yeah i'm pretty far down the river where the the water from the ocean comes up the river with the tide

elmerfudd · Outlaw Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 223 City: Ft. Lauderdale

I know freshwater crashes suck a lot less than gallons of saltwater down your throat. Sad

WattsBarRiDr · Outlaw Joined: 12 May 2006 Posts: 115 City: knoxville

i ride better in saltwater, but i doupt you will find a huge difference in wake size.. it may be smaller, most people do land harder stuff on saltwater it seems.. even though it has been a while since i ve been back to Va beach to ride.. but there is a difference

QNev · Posted: Jun 21, 2006 11:41 pm Post subject:

elmerfudd, better than bear crap and beaver piddle Laughing

Mike.H · Posted: Jun 21, 2006 11:55 pm Post subject:

i ride better in salt water too, mainly because the place i ride at is always glass, while the freshwater lake has 4ft swells Shocked

raptorschild · Newbie Joined: 14 May 2006 Posts: 43 City: Pasco

Not to hijack this thread, but doesnt saltwater completely screw your boat up. I' have no idea, but i notice in all the boat traders people say..."never been in saltwater"???? Is it that bad for the boat?

shazie · Criminal Joined: 17 May 2006 Posts: 67

Hi I ride in the sea (salt) and have ridden on a lake (fresh) once and found the difference:

1: Fresh water gushes into my sinus everytime I fall (hurts like crazy), whereas salt water does not, they say that our nose automatically shuts off with salt water.

2: I can jump w2w half the effort than in sea water. Sea water is more bouyant, thus I needed to edge extra hard to get where I want to get to.

3. Because of item #2, the boat must go faster when in fresh water, else I will sink, result, my wake is more narrow, making the w2w and into the flats much easier.

Because I ride in the sea, the conditions are never perfect (subject to the wind condition) and other boats, whereas with the lake I went to, it was private and it was glass almost everytime.

ap1 · Criminal Joined: 21 Feb 2006 Posts: 79 City: FFX

PimpinD · Addict Joined: 17 Feb 2003 Posts: 785 City: Orlando, FL

Yea i ride in both salt and freshwater depending if im at school or home in miami and the prostar has almost 1400hrs on it with no major mechanical problems, just make sure u flush and wash the boat after salt.

Ride DH · Outlaw Joined: 10 Jun 2006 Posts: 186

my boat is in salt water all summer long, i only take it out about once or twice during the summer to clean it. It's not built for wakeboarding tho if that makes a difference. But despite that i've had 0 problems with it being in salt water

LiQuiDFoI2ce · Newbie Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 38

Doesn't the depth of the water also factor in with the size of your wake?

WattsBarRiDr · Outlaw Joined: 12 May 2006 Posts: 115 City: knoxville

yeah it does.. the shallower the water is the smaller the wake

elmerfudd · Outlaw Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 223 City: Ft. Lauderdale

QNev, HS ollie 180 the turd
PimpinD, do you go to UCF? Where do you ride in Miami? I live in miami over the summer.

TubeNazi · Soul Rider Joined: 27 Aug 2003 Posts: 368 City: Dallas

I ride mostly in salt water; when I do ride in fresh, it's a different experience. The wake behind the same boat, mastercraft 220, with the same weight become intimidating when comparing it to the salt water. I love it. I do seem to ride better in salt water, but I think it's because I'm used to it. Also, most days i'm good about not having the salt water get into any sinus cavities but sometimes I end up eating so much water it makes me sick. I guess it could happen anywhere though. Oh, and don't shave the same day you ride in salt water.

JeffR · Addict Joined: 07 Apr 2006 Posts: 608 City: Victoria, BC

I personally prefer lake water, since about 3 times a summer I will snag a floating can of beer that the drunk houseboaters have dropped in the water (while Wakeboarding)