Water Sports Poll and Questions

[big bend gyrene]

The warmer temps of late have got me looking forward to getting back out on the water and also thinking about water sports. I'm a Carolina transplant and did some waterskiing and "old school" tubing in my youth. Have never been on a wakeboard and have only seen a few posts showing folks enjoying water sports of any type on the board.

Put a poll in this post just to see how many folks are actually enjoying water sports and which is the most popular. As a follow-up to the poll, do have a few questions for anyone willing to share more info.

Of those enjoying water sports, how many do so strictly in freshwater vs. saltwater? For those that stick to freshwater, what closest lake do your recommend?

Sure the rock gardens aren't the ideal saltwater location , but for anyone pulling in saltwater is there an ideal depth you target? Seems most of my rides out, that the wave action generally changes significantly around the 10' depths but on calm flat days guessing any depth would be ok?

Does anyone have a strong opinion on whether skiing or wakeboarding is easier for beginners? Not talking about tricks, just getting up and out of the water as I've got some relatives I would enjoy showing a good time and they have never tried any water sport.

Last question, what amount of speed loss can I expect pulling someone? I'm hopeful I can pull someone up and am topping out at about 35 now with no towing... should I expect a substantial loss of speed or a negligible amount (for what it's worth I'm running light on hp, using a 90 e-tec on a 22' Panga). Guessing the tubing won't be a problem and from what I've read wakeboarding doesn't require as much speed as skiing (guess it makes sense since there is such a larger footprint)...

Any expertise you can share will be much appreciated. Tom and Chalk, forgive me if the post would have been better located in the Off-Topic section - struggled over which board was best but my deciding thought was that water sports are pretty darn dependent on the boat!

[Mook!]

If your boat does 35 and has the initial torque to pull someone out of the water then you will be fine. IT seems really fast when you're skiing, but beginner / intermediate level will rarely top 10-15mph. Just by frame of reference, my father whow as a pretty good skier and in his late 30's at the time took a fall sideways at a little under 20mph when a ski rope snapped and he broke 3 ribs, cracked two more and had bruising on his femur. You have absolutely nothing to be concerned about speed wise with that boat, just need to have enough torque to yank someone up. With tubes and kneeboards and all those inflatable mumbo-jumbos they make now you don't have to worry about that since you don't have to pull someone up. Skis require slightly less initial torque than wakeboards generally. I did LOTS of skiing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding and such growing up. Back then we didn't have wakeboards so much but we used to take our surfboards out on the lakes and ride behind boats. Wakeboards added to that a couple of clever straps so you could actually jump more and do fancy tricks without the board coming out from under you, and that made it more fun. I grew up around Orlando on a nice chain of lakes, so some friend or another of mine had about everything you could tow behind a boat, and after trying out all sorts of different stuff, I like the classic skis best. I feel I have the most control over them. I'm good on a wakeboard or skis, and the wakeboard is more conducive to sick high jumps and rolling flips but unless you have good insurance, a lot of time and patience, and a tolerance for pain, I don't recommend it. I like getting up on two skis and then drop one. You actually will have more control on one than two, but it's a little easier to get up with both of them for most people. If you do that, make sure you don't do what I did and drop one in the path of an inboard mastercraft and end the day with one slalom ski and a side order of shredded ski parts.

[big bend gyrene]

Many thanks for the response, Mook, and thanks to everyone who's taken the poll.

See from the poll results that the tubing looks to be the most popular water sport amongst the board members... for anyone who's taken the poll, definitely still interested in knowing whether most are doing the tubing out in the bay or on freshwater lakes. Been living in the big bend area for five years and haven't heard anyone speak about water sports on local freshwater lakes... too many cypress stumps and gators (and too little water ) or are skiing and wakeboarding just not particular popular sports here?

[ab7bear]

I don't much like freshwater for anything but duck hunting but the Ochlocknee River State Park is probably one of you're best bets for freshwater around here. As far as places to go in saltwater I like to go right up behind Dog Island and Alligator Point. Being immediately behind the island there's hardly a ripple on a calm day.

[wevans]

Ya shoulda had swimming as a choice also that's all we do "besides fish"

[Mook!]

gyrene - the FSU reservation (I believe that's Lake Bradford?) is an excellent fresh water skiing location. For students and alumni most things are free or cheap, but they will allow the general public to use their boat ramp for a fee. I believe the rest of the property on the lake is private so I think that's the only way to get a boat in. Nice big wide open lake though perfect for skiing. They may also cut you some kind of military break since it is state run if you don't have a student or alumni handy...dunno.

[big bend gyrene]

Thanks again, Mook... will definitely investigate!

ab7bear - that avatar sure looks like a Clemson Tiger paw... are you also from SC or were you once enrolled at Clemson? I'm from a little town not too far from Clemson (Laurens, SC), though I was a Purple Paladin (Furman University grad).

Wevans, would have put swimming down but have been reading most all fishing report posts the past few years and know how many folks out there do some swimming come scallop season

See that tubing remains the big poll winner but still curious to know from the tubers if they're doing the tubing in saltwater? If so, anywhere clear of rocks fair ground? Any particular depth targeted, say 5 to 10 feet, just to err on the side of caution? Would love to give the tubing a try with some kinfolk coming to visit later in the year but sure will have to talk them out of their fear of sharks (doesn't help one was with me about 3 years ago when we saw a REALLY big hammer out near one of the offshore reefs )

Many thanks again to all for the poll votes and info

[ab7bear]

gyrene- i'm from Tallahassee but am currently attending Clemson. I can't contribute a lot as far as reports go from up here but still get to keep up with whats goin on back home so i have an idea of where to start whenever i'm at home. i do have a good many fraternity brothers from around Laurens (Hickory Tavern, Gray Court) so i know exactly where you're talkin about.

[big bend gyrene]

ab7bear - amazingly small world. My wife is from Hickory Tavern and one of my lifelong friends was raised in Gray Court and graduated from Clemson.

Don't know what it is with the SC upstate/Tallahassee connection but my brother left Laurens to attend FSU and while there became good friends with a FSU classmate born and raised in Tallahassee. Low and behold, the friend graduates and leaves Tallahassee to be a surgeon in upstate SC. About the same time, my wife completes her residency and we target the Big Bend area as our favorite place to settle.

To link back to the subject at hand, memories of a few skiing trips out on Lake Greenwood are what triggered me to post this thread in the first place! Good luck with the studies.