Date: 11/12/02
Author: David Williams
Photos: David Williams and Bill Jamison
Videos: David Williams and Bill Jamison

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Randall Ayers (click to enlarge)

Wakesurfing is pretty much just what it sounds like. You use your boat to create a big, fat wake, grab a board and start surfing it. You get up with a rope as you would wakeboarding, but you eventually give it up to your boatmates and ride the wave unencumbered. You can move up and down on the wake, hit the lip, spin, slide and pull off just about anything else you can think of. Because of the amount of activity that can be generated, the sport is often referred to as slashin'.

The interesting thing about wakesurfing is that it's gained an incredible amount of popularity this year seemingly out of the blue. Why is that so interesting? Because riding on a surfboard behind a boat pre-dates wakeboarding by a long shot and might even pre-date other boat-towed sports like water skiing. So why do we see at least eight companies suddenly putting out wakesurf boards this year?

Jeff Page, of Inland Surfer, attributes the popularity to the fact that the first-generation of hardcore wakeboarders is just now starting to settle down and look for something that's going to be easier on their bodies. Many of them already spend some of their time surfing, so it's a natural progression if they can take it behind the boat.

Todd Gabele (click to enlarge)

Greg Nelson, who would certainly fall into the category of a first-generation hardcore wakeboarder, gives his take on the sport: "I've been wakesurfing more than wakeboarding in the last few years because it is different, low impact and surfing in general has always been more fun and challenging for me. Behind your wave machine there's no line up, a consistent swell, good vibes and cold beer very near. Oh, and usually loud tunes, too."

Perhaps wakesurfing's growth can be attributed to the fact that the market leader for wakeboarding, Hyperlite, has embraced this "new" sport with the release of their Landlock wakesurf board. Although the Landlock was not the first board to market, its high profile may be responsible for the fact that many companies have been rushing to get a wakesurf board out to the public.

Whatever the reason for its rise in popularity, simply looking at some pictures or video of somebody wakesurfing makes you want to get out behind a boat and give it a try. So when Inland Surfer popped a couple of their boards in the mail for us to try out, we were all over it. We rounded up a huge group of wakeboarders, some of which were avid surfers, loaded up the mighty WakeWorld Wakesetter and headed to the local watering hole with our Inland Surfer Green Room (6 footer) and Blue Lake (5.5 footer) boards under our arms.

Geoff Lewis (click to enlarge)

Before jumping into it, there are some precautions that should definitely be taken. You'll always want to use an inboard boat for wakesurfing. Never use an outboard or inboard/outboard type of boat because of the danger of coming in contact with the prop. As with any boat-towed sport, make sure you're wearing a US Coast Guard approved life vest. Finally, never put more weight in your boat than that recommended by the manufacturer.

With our safety items in check, our first concern was to get the boat weighted just right for the optimal surfing wake. The idea is to get most of the weight over to one side of the boat in order to maximize the size of the wake on that side. If you ride with your left foot forward, as most people do, you'll want to create your wave on the passenger side of the boat. This will allow you to ride frontside (toes pointing at the wake), which should make things easier. If you're a goofy footer, like me, you'll either have to only hang out other goofy footers, convince your pals to move the weight from one side of the boat to the other or deal with riding backside. I did the latter.

Cheryl Newton (click to enlarge)

We hit the lake with our Wakesetter LSV, which allowed us to sack up with 450 pounds up front in the ski locker (Malibu Launch System), 350 pounds on the passenger-side bow seat, 500 pounds in the passenger-side locker next to the engine and a 55 gallon tank of gas, which is probably good for another 450 pounds in the back. We also put the Wedge down, which is supposed to be the equivalent of 1000 in the back of the boat. Although people were coming and going throughout the day, we usually had at least five bodies on board that we would move to the passenger side as well. The result was a fairly large, clean wake just perfect for wakesurfing. It is possible to put too much weight in the boat, which can cause the wake to curl over and turn to mush. Experiment with your setup and find out what works best.

You'll want to start your speed at around 10 mph, but then make adjustments based on the shape of the wake. You'll probably end up somewhere between 9 mph and 12 mph. When the white water is about a foot off the swim deck, you'll know that you've found a good speed. Having some sort of cruise control on your boat will help to maintain the perfect shape once you find it.

We elected a surfer to take the first crack at this new sport. We figured those skills should be able to translate pretty well to wakesurfing and, if not, we could make fun of them for doing poorly. What are friends for!

There are a couple of different ways to get started on a wakesurf board, both of which incorporate a short rope. We used a rope that was tied off at about 15 or 20 feet to the ski pylon. This puts the rider far enough back to get up without interference from the wake, yet they're close enough so that it is easy to climb up on the rope and get into wakesurfing position.

Brian Davies (click to enlarge)

One way to start is to push the board under water and stand on it until the boat starts pulling you up. This is similar to how most people get up on a wakeskate. However, with a wakesurf board, there is usually a little more buoyancy, which makes this difficult. We found that it was easier just to let the board float on top of the water and to place your feet on top of it. Once the boat starts pulling, you just press down on your heels and away you go. Once you're up, pull outside the wake, climb the rope a bit to start riding the wake and, when you feel comfortable, toss the handle into the boat. Click here for a video showing how this start works.

The other method of getting up is probably best left to the more experienced riders. Todd Gabele was the man in our crew that was able to demonstrate this much more stylish method of getting started. It involves lying chest down on the board, getting yourself into wakesurfing position and tossing the rope before you stand up. Once you're comfortable riding on your chest, you grab each side of the board and quickly stand up. This is the approach used for standard ocean wave surfing. Click here for a video showing how this start works.

You'll want to toss the rope in the boat as soon as you're comfortable with the fact that you're being pushed along by the wake and you're able to hold your position. Of the twelve people that came out to try wakesurfing, all of them were able to successfully toss the handle and enjoy the ride. As you climb up the rope, be sure to carefully hold any slack in your hands. If you leave the rope dangling in the water behind you or you have it wrapped around a finger or arm, you're going to be in for a world of hurt should you happen to fall. This is one of the reasons you want to get the rope back in the boat as soon as possible. And if, for some reason, the handle doesn't make it's way into the boat when you toss it, the boat crew should quickly pull it in for you.

Aki Savage (click to enlarge)

So now you're up and running behind the boat with your hands free to do as they please. This is where the fun begins. As you can see from the many pictures and videos in our gallery, some of us were able to do more than others. Brian Davies and Todd were probably the most successful wakesurfers of the bunch. They were able to gyrate inside the wave and bash the lip a bit. Some of the less experienced rookies, myself included, were just happy to keep in one place and not get swept away by the relentless flow of water.

I quickly learned a few techniques that are probably pretty basic for surfers. If I put more weight on my front foot, I generate more speed and start approaching the back of the boat. Conversely, I could shift weight to my back foot to slow down. Pumping the board (alternately pushing down and letting up with the front foot) also helps to increase your speed and move you forward on the wake. It's pretty easy to get too much speed, which can run you into the swim step or the back of the boat if you're not careful. In fact, Josh Cantor got so close to the boat that he grabbed the opportunity to ride his board right onto the swim step and step off!

The most common form of fall was when the board wasn't going fast enough and would slowly move farther and farther back on the wake until there was no longer enough speed to push it along. It's a relatively painless way to go, but hard on the ego. Another common method of dismount was when the rider put too much weight on the nose of the board and it would head under water with the rider to quickly follow.

Mike Buckingham (click to enlarge)

In addition to the one boat wake method of wakesurfing described above, you can also try it using two inboard boats driving side by side. With this type of setup, the intersection of the wakes from the two boats creates a nice little pocket in which you can surf. This method gives you a wake on either side allowing you the flexibility to perform all kinds of maneuvers.

So what kind of board do you need to wakesurf? As we mentioned before, we used the Green Room (6' 0") and Blue Lake (5' 6") models from Inland Surfer. These are probably as close as you'll get to a standard surfboard in both quality and ride, but with some modifications that make them ideal for a boat wake. They have a poly-vinyl foam core and are wrapped with several layers of fiberglass with polyester resin. They have dual surf-style interchangeable fins and the top surface is smooth, which allows you to use any type of traction from wax to traction pads to the Hula Dek they offer as an option.

The Hyperlite Landlock, which should be hitting stores in time for Christmas, is 5' 6" and has a thinner, wakeboard type of edge to it. It utilizes a different construction process similar to compression molded wakeboards. The top is fully covered in EVA foam and it features two bolt-on fins.

There are a few companies pushing boards that are closer to skimboards than surfboards. These smaller, thinner boards, although more difficult to master, allow the rider to be more active on the wake and pull more tricks and aerials. They usually feature a fin on both the tip and tail.

Cheryl Newton (click to enlarge)

Hybrids of the surf and skim models described above are being produced as well, such as Inland Surfer's new four foot model featuring two rear surf-style fins in back and a smaller fin under the nose. Companies are promising everything from standard foam-top surfboards to all-wood models in the near future. I imagine we're going to see even more wild stuff as the engineers set to work on their future wakesurfing products.

So will wakesurfing continue to grow by leaps and bounds as we go forward? I don't see why not. It's a great alternative to taking a wakeboard run. Although many list wakeskating as their favorite wakeboarding alternative, most will find wakesurfing is easier and takes a lot less patience. As Greg Nelson puts it, "I think wakesurfing appeals to anyone and everyone who's out on the lake; skiers, boarders, skaters. If you are bored with wakeboarding or the water gets a bit rough at the end of the day, wakesurfing is a great way to spend some time."

Everybody that came out and gave wakesurfing a try found it to be an absolute blast! Although getting the hang of it took some time and concentration, everybody was able to do it and have fun with it. I'm really looking forward to trying it again and taking it a little further each time. It's a relaxing break from wakeboarding and really gets everyone involved since you're right behind the boat and can talk to everybody while they watch you. If you get the opportunity to try wakesurfing, I suggest you jump on it…so to speak!

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