A couple questions from a newbie...

[72Miles]

OK, I have had my 14 G23 for about a month now. I have a couple newbie questions. Thanks in advance.

Board Racks - a buddy tells me to never put surf boards in the racks, that somehow it will damage them. Granted this guy is a fanatic and OCD about his equipment, but dang I might be too clumsy to have boards laying everywhere in the boat. So, is he full of it? Should I not use the racks?

Jetskis & Seadoos - how the heck do you keep those things from running over a surfer? On Tillery, when they see a wake boat they come like flies to sugar to jump the wake behind the boat. Some will hit it once and go away. But some will follow, x-crossing back and forth not far behind the surfer. I have to admit my temper got the best of me Saturday and I gave one guy the "we're #1" sign.

[nohlan_4]

Don't permanently put the boards in the racks, day use is fine just don't let them bake in the racks all summer. Or if its an extremely hot day let them cool off in the shade periodically. The heat and sun exposure can delaminate and soften your boards if left in the racks.

[Beg4wake]

yup...and if they are thinner boards, they'll bounce around in the wide forks and it'll scratch and mar the board like crazy. wakeboards do a little better because the extra weight of the bindings keep them planted better. Don't know if you have a lot in the rear lockers, but many keep the surfs in one of those.

[thtrog]

Right or wrong, here’s how I handled a ski that would not stop jumping our wake. He would wait for us as we were making a wakeboarding run into and out of what’s called Skier’s Cove on Badin Lake. I tried waving him off with no response, so the next pass I stopped and motioned him over to the boat. When he got close enough to see his reg numbers and talk I took his picture. I proceed to ask him if he knew it was dangerous to my rider, distracting to me, and against the law??? I asked him to stop (I was hot, so maybe not exact words), but if he continued I would call the authorities and hand over evidence. He seemed dumbfounded and also unapologetic, but left and I never saw him again.

As far as your surf boards it all depends on the type of construction. If it’s a hard compression molded board it’s durable and should be fine in a rack. If you have more traditional built surfboards, glassed over foam, they are fragile and I would not put them in a rack.

[Neverenough]

Nautique while being the best boat manufacturer (in my opinion) has less than to be desired board racks. I didn't pay attention to this and messed up a couple boards while traveling rough water last year.

You can't fix stupid!! Our home lake has become very popular over the years and the knowledge of the average boater or seadooer these days is scary. I've come to the realaztion for us if we want to ride it's during the week or early.