Water Ski Boats And Driving Them Archives

This is the 2nd part of a multi-page article that goes over many tips and hints that I have discovered and been taught in my 20+ years driving, coaching, and competing in the water ski industry. Part 1 found Here Some of these may seem a little obvious, but remember, there was a time you got in the driver's seat for the first time too, and I'm sure there will be something here you may not know or have considered yet. The more you know early, the sooner you will be a safe and desirable driver to bring out to the lake. The first tips here start out relatively simple, but the further you move through the list, the more advanced the tips and ideas will become. Everything in this article will be useful for anyone from total beginner boat drivers, up to advanced recreational drivers that aren't going to be driving for competitive skiers. To see driving tips for competition skiing, check the boat driving category on my website. Tips for event-specific driving are on my list to produce in the near future. Tip 31. - Drive For All Levels Of Skiers The difference in pull that you get from different skiers, at different levels, can vary drastically. Driving for a variety of skiers will increase your driving quality. As you get better at driving for better skiers, you will more easily be able to drive well for lower-level skiers. As a better boat driver, you will also become a better skier, as your over-all awareness is improved, and you know what to do to make things easy on the driver. Tip 32. - How Deep Is It Where You Are Skiing Most people don't realize that the depth of the lake makes a big difference to the wake size and feel of the ride for the skier. If you are towing wakeboarders or anything where you want a bigger wake, then keep the boat out in the deep. The deeper the lake, the lower the boat will sit in the water, the bigger the wake can be. To the skier, it feels slower as they will sit a little deeper and feel more drag. Shallower and saltwater are denser, so the boat will sit higher in the water, making a smaller wake. For the skier, when they are higher in the water, it gives the sensation of going faster. It also makes the water feel hard, changing the way the ski responds. In man-made lakes, they often build the bottom so that the lake is shallow under the boat down the boat course. And then the lake gets deeper out towards the turn buoys. This results in the skier getting lots of speed through the wakes, and then the deeper water helps slow them down and give ski grab for control for the turn. Tip 33. - What Is The Water Temp The water temperature has a similar effect to deep/shallow water, where the hot water acts like the deeper sections of the lake. When the water is cold, the skier and boat will sit a little higher in the water. This gives the water the sensation of being hard and fast. Warm water feels soft and slow. Tip 34. - Learn To Use The Slack In The Steering Wheel Steering wheels usually have a small amount of slack, which is where you can wiggle the wheel slightly without it actually turning the boat. With practice, you can use this to your advantage. It can be used to make fractional changes in direction. By using the slack, you can lightly nudge the direction of the boat a little bit at a time. Tip 35. - Not Too Much Throttle In Reverse You will likely try this at some point just to see. When you begin reversing with high revs, the back of the boat begins to sink, slowing the boat down. So even if you are adding revs in reverse, you may not actually go faster. It also brings the prop closer to the bottom if you are in shallow water, which can damage the prop. Tip 36. - Keep Aware Of The Direction Of The Rudder When close to shore, a skier, or other boats, the easiest way to accurately maneuver is by popping in and out of idle. Often, you will barely let the prop engage before clicking back out of gear, as even this small boost will be enough. For doing such small nudges of the throttle, you need to know where the rudder is facing so you know where the boat is going to turn before you even engage the engine. Tip 37. - Use Bright Helmets Or Vests As the driver in charge of peoples' safety, getting the people in the water to be as visible as possible will give greater peace of mind. Grey or dark coloured helmets make it too difficult to see a skier when they are in the water, as you are moving back to them. Or if a skier from another boat is down, it can make spotting them difficult. All the more important if you have multiple riders in a tube, or banana boat out the back, as keeping track of everyone can get hectic. Tip 38. - Attach The Rope Correctly Make sure to only use appropriate attachment points, double-check the manual if you are unsure. Don't attach to a handle made for passengers' hands. Take care not to attach the rope in a way that it rests on a knot, this will compression tighten it so tight you will never get it undone. Important when using the different rope lengths on a slalom rope. Be careful tying your own knots in the rope, if done incorrectly, you can make the rope cut itself the more it is used. Tip 39. - Keep An Eye On The Rope As It Feeds Out The passenger/observer in the boat should be keeping an eye on this. Though as a driver, it's good to be in the habit of watching it a little as well. You want to make sure the rope doesn't get tangled around any gear on the floor of the boat. One other thing to watch for is the rope getting in between cushions or sections of seats. As the line passes out of the boat, it can get caught in the grooves between seats, tearing the upholstery. Knowing how much line is still to go out will help the driver slow down before pulling the handle out of the skiers' hands. Tip 40. - Where The Skier Is Behind The Boat Matters This comes into play mainly for getting a skier up, also when you go to make any turns. Have the skier in line behind the boat when you need to use a lot of power to get the skier up. By having the skier in line with the boat, you have the most powerful connection to the skier possible. If the person likes a more gentle pull, have them off at a slight angle out the back of the boat. As the boat speeds up and pulls the skier, they will naturally swing back in to be directly behind the boat. This extra angle makes the skier take a slightly longer line than the boat, making the initial acceleration softer from the skiers' perspective. Tip 41. - CO2 Comes Up From The Backboard When the boat is idling, the exhaust will bubble up right at the backboard, because you are not moving, the fumes are quite potent. If someone is getting their skis on, or getting onto the back of the boat, then these fumes can be dangerous. If the boat has been running, keep an eye on anyone near the back of the boat, especially kids. Even people sitting on the seats at the back can get too much of the fumes. Note no bubbles of exhaust as the boat is off, and the driver is still in the seat Tip 42. - Don't Drag People From The Backboard With the above in mind, don't let people drag from the backboard while you are idling or going slow, they are getting a direct face load of the exhaust. This includes while wake surfing, don't let people lay down on the board to surf the wake for too long, get them to stand up away from the fumes. Tip 43. - Open The Windshield At Low Speeds Help protect those observers at the back of the boat, by opening the middle section of the windscreen. This helps keep air flowing through the boat, blowing away any fumes for those sitting at the back of the boat. This is usually important when doing slow activities like wake surfing, as people want to watch from the back of the boat. If you are going slow and have a bimini top, then the exhaust can circulate in its own eddy near the back of the boat, opening the windscreen will blow them away instead. Tip 44. - Jetskis And Jetboats Only Turn When The Throttle Is Open These vehicles use the water shooting out of a nozzle to accelerate the boat and to turn. Keep that in mind if you get on/in one, or if you have jetboats on the lake near you. If you see a Jetski or boat with a skier in the water, give them some space, as they are a little limited in some respects. Tip 45. - Ski Specific Boats Don't Go In The Ocean Inboard ski boats are not designed to be used in a swell, or the sort of conditions you would want to ski in. They are too low profile, so in ocean conditions, they will take on water too easily. It is fine to go in saltwater, provided you have prepped the engine for it, just keep out of the swell and surf. Low bow wouldn't stand a chance in even a small swell Tip 46. - Storing Gear Under The Seats Nice easy way to keep the boat tidy. It is simple enough in most boats to slide the gear under the seat as soon as the skier is done. Many people will leave gear they know they will not need on the shore, only taking the currently needed gear with them. It depends on whether you want a bigger or smaller wake. If it is a sealed compartment, try to leave it open when the boat is not in use if the gear stored inside is still wet. Boats are made to get wet, but when you continually store wet gear in the same sealed area, then there is still the likelihood of growing mould and mildew. Tip 47. - Driver Stays In The Seat If The Engine Is Running There is no real excuse for leaving the engine running if there is no driver in the seat. If you are not in the seat, then you shouldn't be going anywhere, so the engine shouldn't be running. Warming the boat up on the trailer or while it is tie-off at the dock are acceptable times to do so, but not for too long, think of the environment. Tip 48. - I Thought It Was In Neutral This is something no-one ever wants to say, and it ties in with the point above. If anyone is near the back of the boat, or you the driver needs to move around, just shut the boat off. Tip 49. - Careful Taking Non-Floating Ballast When you are trying to pile extra weight in the boat to build a big wake, don't add too many weights that don't float. Sounds strange, but it refers to weights made from metal or cement, vs using water ballast or people. Fat sacks fill the boat with water, which, if the boat does have a problem, will actually float and help keep the boat from heading straight to the bottom. Weights made of cement and metal can focus too much weight in one spot. Obviously, it will try to take you to the bottom of the lake as quickly as possible. Having a single bucket isn't a problem; if you want something dense and portable, just make sure it has a handle or easy way to throw it overboard if the situation calls for it. Tip 50. - Move The Weight To The Side With More White-Wash If you do have a small mobile weight in the boat, put it to the side with the wake that has more white-wash. As that is the side that will need more hull in the water. It is easy to get the observer to shuffle over on the seat in most cases, though. Tip 51. - Keep Improving, Don't Become Complacent If you don't try to improve, which involves a level of self-awareness and critique, then you are liable to get lazy and complacent. This can lead to you thinking you are better than you are, simply because you have put in hours behind the wheel. But it may be false confidence that leads to stupid mistakes. It doesn't take much, try to do one thing better than last time each time you drive the boat. Tip 52. - Learn To Drive Without Cruise Control Most ski centred boats these days will come with cruise control on a digital interface. This can help you to become complacent and not learn some of the finer points of speed control. Before starting to drive using the cruise control, learn to control the boat speed by hand/manually. It will help you learn faster and create better habits by keeping you more involved in the boat control. Of course, you shouldn't try to manually control the speed while taking a skier through a slalom course or jump set, that would be silly unless you film it. Tip 53. - Drive To The Skier Learn to adapt your driving style to the skier. This involves talking with the skier before they get on the water and watching them through the mirror as they are skiing. Most skiers will have preferences for being pulled up on their start. And ways of setting lines, or turning, that makes it easier for them without taking any effort from the driver, besides awareness. Skiers don't have much control of what the driver does while they are skiing. So doing what you can to make the skier feel like they have some extra control, can be great for new-intermediate skiers. Tip 54. - Try Not To Over Shoot The Skiers Preferred Speed Learn to smoothly accelerate the throttle all the way through to the skiers' preferred speed. An aware driver should be able to get to the skiers' speed without overshooting. For newer skiers, this overshoot can be quite scary, especially because it is not needed. As a skier pops up out of the water, the drag on the boat is suddenly lessened, allowing it to accelerate quickly. The driver needs to anticipate this sudden acceleration and back off the throttle, as needed, to keep things smooth for the skier. If you have cruise control, don't just floor the throttle until it clicks in, this will cause a sudden drop in revs. This will cause the skier to bounce forward as the boat speed adjusts, then giving them a slack line to bounce back against. Tip 55. - Watching Revs Can Help You Maintain Constant Speed When you are driving through areas of moving water or chop from other boats, keeping a consistent speed can be tough. Keeping an eye on the rev counter can be a good indicator of whether your actual speed is being maintained. As the boat doesn't have gears in the same way as a car, certain rev levels correspond to a speed. Keeping the revs as steady as you can ensure that even if the boat feels like it is jerking around, the skier will still feel stable. Tip 56. - Smooth Is Cost-Efficient Smooth driving often leads to overall better driving. To be smooth, you need to be paying attention and looking/thinking/planning ahead. Smoother moves will put less stress on the boat and engine, causing less wear, and replaced parts over time. Being smooth and efficient with your speed and the throttle will lead to less fuel burned, saving you money at the pump. Tip 57. - Practice By Using A Life-Vest In The Middle Of The Lake If you are a new driver and are looking for ways to practice, try this one. Find a calm, empty section of the lake and throw a bright life-jacket over the side. Use this to simulate a skier in the water or a dock you want to approach. Tip 58. - Always Approach The Skier On The Drivers Side When you are learning to approach a skier in the water or a dock, it is important to keep them on the driver's side of the boat. This will ensure you are able to keep a clear and close eye on what you are maneuvering around. Try to approach a life jacket in the water from the wrong side, you lose visual contact while they are a long way from the boat. Tip 59. - Give More Space Than You Think When you are sitting in the water, unable to move much, with a boat moving around, you feel a little vulnerable. The rope has plenty of time to reach the skier, so give them a bit more room than you think as the skier will appreciate the extra breathing room. Tip 60. - Skiers Can't Move Much While you practice maneuvering around the life-jacket in the water, remember that a skier in the water has the same amount of control. With large skis on, skiers can't do much to get out of the way of the boat, so it's up to you not to get too close. Tip 61. - Kill The Engine If You Get Too Close While practicing with the life-jacket, get in the habit of quickly killing the engine if you are about to touch the jacket/skier. This way, if you do accidentally get too close to a skier, you have a good habit so as not to put them at risk. Tip 62. - 90% Of Accidents Are From Poor Driving When it comes down to it, the driver really is in charge of almost all things that can cause accidents and injuries. Tip 63. - The Governments Are Cracking Down Too many accidents have been occurring, especially in the USA. This has led to some more boating rules, such as raising a flag when you have a skier in the water. Make sure to check to see if there have been any law changes in your area as you go into any new summer. Tip 64. - Offer To Drive If you are really interested in being a better driver from your family and friends, offer to drive more often. Usually, people are keen to share the driving around. Too much driving is uncomfortable, and you start to feel a little left out of the care-free fun if no-one else ever takes the wheel. It will also give you the chance to drive other boats. All boats have their unique qualities that take a little getting used to. Tip 65. - Watch Your Prop Wash To See If You Are Holding A Straight Line To make sure you are keeping a straight line, watch the centerline of the boat wake in your mirror. This is the most accurate way to judge your line, the further you go the better it shows how straight you are Not exactly the straightest line here Tip 66. - Pick A Point On The Horizon This sounds simple, but actually takes practice to position the boat correctly in relation to your line of sight, and to drive directly to the point you are looking at Tip 67. - Put A Piece Of Tape On The Bow In Front Of The Driver Try putting a piece of tape directly in front of the driver, up on the hull. You can then use this to target your point on the horizon of the bank to ensure you are headed in a straight line. Having the extra visual point will help you hold a good line. Tip 68. - On Rivers, Pick The Longest Line You Can, Turn Less On winding rivers, you may not have many options for picking a line. Do your best to pick lines that are as long as possible. Typically you want to turn less, so the skier doesn't have to worry about turning constantly. Tip 69. - Stay Out Of The Wind Do what you can to avoid wind locations. On rivers, they can come swirling around corners with little warning. On lakes, they can eventually build up a swell that can be dangerous for the low sitting ski boats. Tip 70. - Head Or Tailwind, Vs Side Wind If you have the option, always pick directly into or away from the direction of the wind. Having a consistent head or tailwind makes it far more manageable for holding a line, and for the skier on the water. Side winds suck to ski in, plus, it blows the boat spray into the boat so everyone's wet and annoyed by the time you stop. A headwind will help keep the rope tight for the skier. Making them feel well connected to the boat. A tailwind will give a skier slack rope and make them feel fast. Turns will feel like they take forever. Thanks For Reading I hope you found a few items in here that you feel you will be able to take to the water and try for yourself. Check out the next article for more advanced tips, that gives advice for turning and returning to a downed skier.

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Category: Water Ski Boats And Driving Them