Wakechick’s Wakesurfing Idiot’s Guide (tee hee)
I recall in early 2004 when Loc came home from a wakeboarding session with some local Minnesota crew. His excitement as he walked in was all about something called a “Phase 5 Prop ” that apparently you could surf on it behind the boat. I also recall that I called him an idiot and saying, “No way…not in a million years”. The enthusiasm carried over and that following month, I found myself purchasing his first wakesurfer, it was an Oogle. As the months went by, every time we hit the lake, the close out of the day was a wakesurfing session. Initially, it was seeing how long you could stay on the wave, it progressed to hand dexterity drills (aka throw me a beer), and evolved to our present time of throwing 360s and developing a solid 7 and watching the video of pros and studying how to develop a surfing style and throw new tricks.
What is Wakesurfing?
This sport was not something new in 2004 but it was the first that we, in Minnesota (at the time), had heard of this fast evolving trend. Wakesurfing was something that began as a grassroots idea and a transition from a slalom ski, surfer, to the now well known wake surfer. What I am about to share here is only from a novice point of view. It can be interpreted as the chicken or the egg theory but is an important evolution for all to understand when picking up the sport of wakesurfing.
Surfers had long been searching for waves along the coastal waters of California, Florida, and even as far as Hawaii. Slalom skiers had long been enjoying their fast rides on a smooth lake with nothing but glass. It was not a “big bang” and the wakesurfer was born; but it was through the desire to bring a love for these two sports and merge them into one. One of the earliest known shapers, Jerry Price of Shred Stixx, designed his first wake surfer in 1972. It was developed for use behind the boat and progressed to become much of what we know today. An ocean style surfer and slalom enthusiast, Jerry has designed and shaped boards through-out the years and boasts some of the most well known riders in the sport such as Chase Hazen. (I am partial to the Thresher Shredder myself)
As wake surfing would grow, the sport and shapes designed for behind the boat would evolve. The designers and manufacturers would begin developing boards that would see the sport have two distinct styles: skim wakesurfers and ocean-style wakesurfers. California board-shapers such as Mike Walker, known for his designs on ocean-surfers, would begin to develop lines of wakesurfers such as the Bullet and F-18 that would be influenced by their ocean experience. Glaspro skim boards would develop a company known as Phase 5 (Yep, there you have it!!!) that would leverage their skim designs for wakesurfers on boards such as the Oogle, Prop, Icon and now the Drew Danielo Pro Model. The sport continues to evolve as board designers’ ride and test out new sticks. Inland Surfer is well-known for boards that provide a hybrid of the ocean style and skim style surfers such as the Green Loogey.
Bringing us to the present time, I have developed a tutorial of sorts or maybe just my random (yet organized) thoughts on this sport. Wake surfing has seen tremendous growth in the past years with innovative board designs, competitions raising the bar for tricks, and general knowledge developing the reputation.
Wakesurfing Board Styles:
There are two distinctive styles when wakesurfing, skim and ocean style. Depending upon your background, riding style, enjoyment of the sport and general equipment you use determines what category in which you may fall.
The ocean style boards, which includes long boards, inherit designs and shapes utilized in common ocean surfing. Board shapers may develop boards from composite construction to the more technically advanced epoxy infused boards. The length is determined by your size and weight the rocker may be more subtle or more present depending upon your desire for speed. An ocean style wake surfer mimics much of the riding style in the ocean with clean and aggressive carves and cutbacks. The tricks can be anything from lipslides, air, 360s, hangin' 5, to ollies.
Skim style boards, are shorter and wider by their size alone. Board shapers and manufactures have developed skim boards and leverage designs that have stood the test of time. Some preach a rounded nose with an extreme rail (or edge) while others have a more defined nose and smoother rail. Beginners often enjoy starting on these boards (I know I did) as they are more maneuverable and easier to control. Skimboards can expand their tricks to an endless array of spins, ollies, airs, grabs, 360s, 7s and even 1080's!
What boats are used in wakesurfing?
First and foremost, NEVER EVER use an outboard or I/O in wakesurfing. The safest and only method for use in wakesurfing is a true inboard boat and nothing else. An inboard motor boat features the engine and prop position beneath the boat and is not visible to the rider. Secondly, be sure that you evaluate your boats weighting capacity, existing ballast system (if applicable), and other safety features prior to settling in as your wakesurfing boat of choice. There are many boats out their that boast a great wave, and many riders have their preferences among the Malibu, Centurion, Tige, and Mastercraft (there are many more) but you can “enhance” your boat’s wave developing capabilities through use of BALLAST.
What is Ballast and how do you use it?
In general ballast can be anything from your neighbor (who happens to be a Samoan), your crew, or true ballast sacs. There are varying types of ballasts within the industry some utilize water and some utilize lead. You utilize the ballast to weight the side of your boat for which you will ride (goofy or regular). People often prefer ballast sacs not only by preference, as they enhance the wake, but also by way of flexibility of moving them within the boat.
Once you have determined your riding side, you weight the boat appropriately to develop a wave that fits your style. Some individuals prefer longer barrel in their wake whereas others prefer a higher more condensed wave. Your riding style and trick arsenal dictates these preferences. There are many helpful knowledge articles on sacking out boats located in our Press area.
What am I? Regular or Goofy?
Well some of my friends always try to lure me to the “dark side” (the goofy side) but I am a regular footed rider. The first time this was “tested” on me, I thought they just wanted to push me around. There is a science to this technique and a fast way to determine your dominant foot.
Placing the rider directly in front of you their back facing you, have the rider in a standing position and apply a firm and quick shove (not hard). The rider will step forward to balance themselves on their dominant foot. Depending upon the foot forward can determine their riding styles. There are other methods I am sure, but this is how I have been taught and have taught others as well.
Left foot forward = Regular Footed (rides the left side of the boat)
Right foot forward = Goofy Footed (rides the right side of the boat)
So how does this wakesurfing thing work and how do I get up?
It is not as easy as 1, 2, and 3 and there are many instructional available whether online, in the Wakesurfing Portal, and in-person instruction. A person should explore the method that they prefer to learn to wakesurfing. For me it took a good crew, growing my confidence, and some training wheels. No, I am serious…training wheels. Getting up behind the boat was not the difficulty for me as I had wakeboarded for a couple of years. For me the challenge was harnessing the wave and having the confidence to throw in the rope and ride the wave. This “tethered” or training wheel became a bit habit forming until last year when I said, “Enough is enough”.
My instruction was from our local crew of friends and good old fashion moral support. I learned about foot placement, maneuvering the board, and developing a ride inside the wave. I soon found myself throwing in the rope and creating a riding style (although spastic initially) all my own.
For many new to the sport, the first challenge can be as simple as standing up on the wakesurfer. A few fundamentals will help reduce the stress. Similar to wakeboarding or wakeskating; wakesurfing takes advantage of a wide stance on the board and a lower center of gravity when getting pulled up. With your feet positioned in the wide stance, a rider will tuck in, arms outstretch as the boat pulls you up. Once the rider gets up and develops a comfort standing on the board and riding, you progress your focus to foot positioning and weight distribution. Here are a few 101s:
Forward leg = Gas
Back leg = Break
Body lean forward = moves you toward the wave
Body lean back = moves you away from the wave
There is much to learn but the biggest lesson I have learned is to be humble, enjoy it, and laugh a lot. The amount of fun you can have wakesurfing outweighs any frustrations you may have as you start to learn. Be sure to check out the wakesurfing 101 pics and video for an illustration of these concepts.
Throwing in the rope!
Ah yes, how do you know when you are ready? Partially you just take the chance once you feel you have got the “wave”. In wakesurfing, it is all about your comfort and confidence. As I said, I was “tethered” *cough* *cough* while I developed a comfort with my riding. Once I felt as though I could keep myself in the wave utilizing my own momentum I dropped the rope. It is important for the rider to communicate with the boat when first starting on how they will toss the rope in to the boat. For some, especially beginning, the momentum you use in throwing the rope can cause a shift in your weight. This uneven distribution is like you revved your engine and you start to speed up. If the rider is new, the best method may be to have them simply drop the rope and a member of the crew pulls the line into the boat. NEVER EVER ride with the rope hanging of the back of the boat. This can and WILL cause accidents.
How do I know what riding style I prefer in wakesurfing?
Easy, get yourself on anything you can ride…whether it is your friends ol’ Hyperlite Broadcast or the newest wakesurfer design, ride whatever you can get your hands on! Your riding style and preference will evolve as you grow within the sport.
For example, when I began wakesurfing my stick was a Hyperlite Broadcast. I quickly moved to the Phase 5 Oogle and thought I had found my riding style. That was not the case! I began researching some of the wakesurf boards in the industry and my eyes soon feel on the Shred Stixx Thresher Shredder. It was then that I discover the ocean inside my heart. I loved how fast the board was and easy to carve into the wave. I was able to develop a cutback and carve quickly in my first few rides. It just seemed to fit and as I rode more, I tried other boards.
Developing your riding style and board preference is as simple as that, ride everything, find out what you like, and kick it!
Once I find my style, how do I find the right board?
Ok, so finding your style is easy, finding a board well…ask anyone and you will get 20 different answers. You must examine everything from your riding style, your height and weight, will your crew ride this stick, the boat and wave, and what do you want to invest. There are so many boards within the industry and each has a different ride. A custom hand-shaped board may cost you more due to the time and craftsmanship that goes in to developing the board. Some manufactured boards are more cost-effective due to the mass-development and some are more expensive due to the design and development of the board and the materials used. My biggest recommendation here is to talk to people, what boards do they enjoy that you might enjoy? What is out there in the market? What are you looking to spend? All these things will help you in the selection of your new board. Demo every wakesurf board you can!
So now I am ropeless and I am coming after Drew and Chase, where do I compete?
With the growth of wakesurfing as a sport, competitions have naturally emerged to provide a format for beginners and pros alike to compete and display their talents on the water. Everything from grassroots to The American Wake Surfing Association; competitions are growing each year within wakesurfing.
Pro-riders are setting the standards, developing new tricks, and pushing new riders to their potential. Some of the most well known competitions are the World Wakesurfing Championships and the National Wakesurfing Competition. Riders come from around the US and the world to compete in long board, surf, skim, and divisional. The categories range from amateur, open, and pro riding divisions.
Events are updated frequently on a variety of sites, be sure to check message boards and www.Wakeoutlaws.com for information on local and national competitions.
Article Provided By Wakechick
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World Wakesurf Championship, yeah that's me on my Thresher Shredder! 
