lets see the kids

[Jorski]

I have a couple of ides:

1) he might like to wear swim goggles. Sometimes the little guys don't like getting water splashed in their eyes.

2) Use a boom. Two good things here; first they start almost half way up when they are hanging from the boom. Secondly, you can be right beside them in the boat. you can even hang on the boom and drag - that way you can let go when they fall so they don't have to be alone way out in the lake. That sometimes worries or frightens them.

3) Practice pulling them by hand in relatively shallow water to get used to the idea before getting behind the boat

4) take them for a boat ride and show them just how slow they will be going (honestly they can get up barely past idle). Sometimes they see adults ski and think that it looks crazy.

5) If they are afraid/resistant to being "far away from the dock/beach", swim with them a whole bunch of times from the boat when you are further out. this way they get used to the idea with you right beside them. Won't take long until they are jumping off of the boat like a maniac.

Finally, keep the session short and fun...it won't be long before they are buggin you to take them skiing all of the time.

Good luck, and have fun!

[coz]

Great pics!!!!!!

Thanks Flip....that's when he was 4.....he just turned 5 two weeks ago and he's improved a little since then




That's not the face of someone's that scared

[Jerseydave]

I got this ski trainer from Overton's for my daughter this past summer.

She loves it...........she'll go for miles and never get tired! Inside is a ski skimmer, so she can progress more after unzipping the inflatable part next year. Then I hope to have her wakeboarding after that.

[coz]

I got this ski trainer from Overton's for my daughter this past summer.

She loves it...........she'll go for miles and never get tired! Inside is a ski skimmer, so she can progress more after unzipping the inflatable part next year. Then I hope to have her wakeboarding after that.

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If anyone needs an EZ ski trainer let me know, I can get them for you at $120 plus around $18 for shipping. Overtons get $169 plus shipping.

[boatinggal]

kids and boating - thanks

Thank you everyone! All the suggestions I received were great and the pictures were great! He will be seeing the photos after school today, such a simple idea and I never thought of showing him pictures of other kids.

[jwroblew]

I personally would not use a tube or ski skimmer first.

We started my daughter out on a kneeboard when she was 3 1/2. She would get on the kneeboard on the swim platform, we would start going slowly while I was holding onto the board, I would then gradually let rope out, you have to do this out side the wake, the prop wash and rooster tail is to big. After the rope is out gradually turn into the kneeboard with the boat and pull the board over the wake at this point, then they will be in the middle. The kneeboard teaches them to hold there own body weight and teaches them how to get their shoulders back and hips up, trainers and tubes don't do that.

After they're comfortable with that you can then move to a "deep water" kneeboard start. Have them kneel on the board while someone swims next to them to steady the board, then go slow.

After they are comfortable with that its time to move to two skies tied together, always keep a swimmer in the water next to them until they're comfortable. At this point you have a couple of ways to go, my daughter never liked the rope attached to the skies, we tried it a couple of times with no success, she got up on her first try holding onto the handle, still with skies tied together.

The other option at this point, but a little tricky is, have an adult with big skies get up around them, this way the adult can take most of the load from the deep water start and keep them balanced, after there balanced let go, kind of tricky because the boat is going to want to surge when the heavy adult lets go, so the driver will have to be on his game to minimize this. This is what we did when my daughter transition to a slalom ski this summer when she was 5.

I believe Water Ski magazine will have an article on this, with pictures, next year right after they're boat buyrs guide

Here is a picture of my daughter when she was 4. She can now run the mini-course on a slalom ski.

[coz]

I personally would not use a tube or ski skimmer first.

Thank you everyone! All the suggestions I received were great and the pictures were great! He will be seeing the photos after school today, such a simple idea and I never thought of showing him pictures of other kids.

I'm with jw.....I wouldn't mess with trainers....otherwise you'll be teaching them all over on the skis or boards. With my kids & grandkids we put them right into bindings and taught them that way and it was real quick. Best of luck to ya boatingal....be sure and post some pics when training starts

[harddock]

I have had great results using a boom. I mounted a soft skinny ski handle up tight to the boom with zip ties. I found that the boom had too large a diameter for little hands. By putting the handle up tight to the boom there wasn't a slack issue and the handle was easier for them to deal with. I use kid skis that are strapped together and then undo the backs first, then the fronts and as soon as they can go for a decent distance on the boom we move to the long line. Some find it easier if the kids skis are wider. Patience is key. You must let them learn and progress at their own speed. The first time out there away from the boat can be scary. Once they get it progress is amazing, and rewarding for both the kids and yourself.

[jwroblew]

I forgot to mention, I put small weights on the back of the skies, this helps keep the tips up while they're in the water. Mine were so weighted if you put them in the water by themselves, the backs would sink and only the front 1/3 or so of the ski would stick out of the watrer.

[YTW]

Father and Daughter Wakeboarding

This is a friend of mine and his 3 year old daughter.

[medicmoose]

I'm with Coz....showing my son videos from YouTube did wonders for his confidence. He is naturally a very cautious child but after watching other kids his age boarding he was excited to try it. Now I have to work hard to keep enough money in the wallet for gas!

[mtajpa]

My son and youngest daughter

[H20BOY]

"This is the life"

Here is my son back this summer on his 1st birthday.

[americanskierJim]

My boys ready to go play on the lake.

[Curtnvelma]

Nathan wakeboarding last July at 4.5 year old