Page 162 - Cityview_Jan_Feb_2014

2014 Downtown Knoxville boatshow

The Basics of

Wakeboarding

by chris Linden

Imagine riding a snowboard behind

a boat, gliding on the water, popping
waves, spinning 180s—that’s about how

wakeboarding works. Derived from
stunt water skiing around the 1980s,

this sport is catching fire among boat-
ing enthusiasts, especially around East

Tennessee.
Ryan Jones, sales manager at Ameri-

can Boat Center in Knoxville, first
learned wakeboarding from the back

of an old bass fishing boat, but he says
to truly experience wakeboarding, the

right boat makes all the difference.
Nearly a dozen models by Mastercraft

are ideal for wakeboarding, says Jones,
who finds the X-Star, X25, and X30 are really nice neoprene life jackets that are to, or the side your heels are pointed

most popular. Many boats also come out now that are a lot more comfortable to,” says Curmi. “Because you’re stand-
with cruise control, which helps board- than your regular standard life jacket, ing on the board sideways, your feet

ers to maintain a comfortable speed.
and they’re a little less restrictive.”
are pointed toward one edge, and your
“I wake at 28.3 mph,” says Jones. “I Curmi’s been boarding most of his heels are pointed to the back.”

can plug it in, and it’s gPS-controlled, life, having learned competitive water Beginners should expect to fall
so no matter who’s driving the boat, my skiing at the age of 3. Today, he and his often, says Curmi, but there are ways to

speed will always be consistent.”
father, Dave, lead classes for boarders soften the impact. For instance, rather
The right boat usually includes a few age 5 to 75.
than doing a faceplant or whiplashing

essential features, especially a tower, “It’s almost like standing up out of
your head, Curmi recommends rolling
which is basically an overhead bar that a rocking chair and never coming to a to the side as much as possible.

connects to the towrope. It also takes full standing position,” he explains. “If Norris Lake is one of Knoxville’s
ballast, or water tanks, to weigh down you’re sitting with your legs at a 45-de- favorite places to board. However, Fort

the boat. “When you give the engine a gree angle in the chair, and somebody Loudoun Lake has been a four-time
throttle, it’ll push the boat down more, gives you a rope, and they’re going to stop for the MasterCraft Pro Wake-

and you’ll have bigger wakes to jump,” pull you out of the chair, you’re going board Tour.
says Jones.
to try to get up as slow as you can, let “That’s the biggest platform for wake-

As for accessories, most pro shops them pull you up out of the chair, and boarding and boating,” says Jones, whose
can connect a novice with the right when you’re up standing, your shoul- company has been a local sponsor. “So,

equipment. The boarder’s height and ders, your hips and your knees are all in to have that exposure to our community
weight typically determine the board, line with your feet.”
is great, and for a local manufacturer to

foot bindings, towrope, and life jacket.
Bent knees aren’t only good shock ab- bring that here, where we have a hub of
“You definitely want to get a Coast sorbers—they also help to build momen- boat manufacturers—a solid 75 percent of

guard-approved life jacket,” says Matt tum through a skateboard-like technique.
boats for this sport come from Tennes-
Curmi, sales representative at Travis “You roll the board onto its edge, see—it’s a big deal to us.”

Marine in Knoxville. “They have some
either on the side your toes are pointed

16 DowntownKnoxvilleboatshow.com march 6-9, 2014