Page 164 - Cityview_Jan_Feb_2014

2014 Downtown Knoxville boatshow

Surf the Wakes

by chris Linden
are a little bit longer, and are more for with special ballast systems that distribute

beginners,” says Smith. “They’re more weight unevenly, thus forming a strong
It doesn’t take a trip to the gulf Coast buoyant, and it’s easy for pretty much curl on one side of the boat. It’s also im-

to ride the waves. Wake surfers around anybody on a boat to get up.”
portant to consider engine location.
East Tennessee are catching the action A rider begins in the water, with heels “If you have a stern-drive boat,

just a few feet behind their boats.
on the board and a tow rope between where the motor is an outboard, then
A close cousin to wakeboarding, wake the legs. As the boat throttles, the board when you’re crashing, you’re really

surfing involves an adapted surfboard, a creates drag in the water.
close to the motor,” says Ryan Jones,
rope—and an intense wake.
“The board is already pressurized and sales manager at American Boating

“You’re maybe three to five feet off pushed against your feet, so you can just Center in Knoxville. “It’s illegal to surf
the back of the boat, and the curl of
stand up,” says Smith. “As you stand up, with a motor or anything sticking out

the wave holds you in there,” says Bret you overtake the board, with the front of from the back of the boat. With an
Smith, store manager at Alpine Ski Cen- the board facing the boat, and then you inboard motor, it’s much safer.”

ter in Knoxville. “So, once you get off pop up very easy.”
Professional wake surfers make it
and going, you can throw the rope with Surfers usually begin a run by holding look easy, skimming up and down the

the handle back into the boat, and the on to a rope that’s 10 to 20 feet long. Even- curl. With a little skill, boarders can
curl of the wake will hold you, so you tually, they can toss the rope into the boat pop 180s, 360s, and other tricks. But

can wakeboard, sometimes for miles, and ride the wake without assistance.
this sport maintains a wide age appeal,
without any rope attached to you.”
It’s possible to surf behind a personal and many boarders are happy just

Though it’s possible to use an ocean watercraft, but it’s far more common to cruising along, typically at a speed of 13
surfboard, it’s actually easier on an use a wakeboarding boat, such as a Mas- to 18 mph. unlike wakeboarding, surf-

adapted board. “Your medium boards
tercraft X25 or X30. Newer models come
ing isn’t prone to body-aching crashes.
“I’m more of an intermediate surfer,

and it’s not about doing the tricks,” says
Smith. “It’s just the fluid movement of

being on the water, without the abuse
that wakeboarding does to your body.

When you wakeboard and you catch an
edge wrong on a board, with the bind-

ings attached to your feet, you go down
fairly fast.”

Locally, Norris, Fort Loudoun, and
Douglas lakes are ideal because of

their long straightaways. No matter
how many boaters are around, choppy

waters won’t affect surfers.
“When you wakeboard, you want re-

ally clean, nice water, and you want no
choppy water whatsoever,” says Smith.

“generally during the weekends, the
water’s really choppy from everybody

being on there. With wake surfing,
it doesn’t matter if you have choppy

water or not, because you’re riding
fairly close to the boat, and you’re just
Photo by jimmy chiarella
looking for the wave.”

18 DowntownKnoxvilleboatshow.com march 6-9, 2014