Surf advice for getting kids started

[Devo77]

Could use some advice getting our kids (7 & 9) up and surfing on our new GS22.
1) Should we be using less ballast (we have pro ballast package) - should it be 50% all around, 70%?
2) Should we just be idling with rope tension so they flip the board. They can do this, and our youngest can almost get up but gets caught up directly behind the boat or pushed over to the starboard side (despite starting way over on the port side). Then what speed should we max out at 9, 10 mph?
3) Our 7 yo can’t stay on the port surf side.

What settings should we be using NCRS and NSS settings.

[kylant]

my 11 y/o daughter (10 last summer) learned with ballast empty and slightly lower speed. maybe 10.5 IIRC. by the end of the summer she was surfing full pro-ballast and 11.2.
we added wakemakers bags at the very end of the summer and she surfed with those 1/2 full (400# each)

I just slowly pulled her up until she got a feel for the board flipping up. it took several tries. once up she had a to figure out the feel for it. it just took a while and a bit of repositioning her feet. eventually it just clicked.

i think our NCRS/NSS settings were 4/2

[charlesml3]

A couple of things:

1) Tie the rope to the side of the tower instead of the center. This will help them stay out of "no-mans-land."

2) With a new rider I always say "BUMP" when they look ready to flip the board. This means I just have the boat in gear. No throttle.

3) Watch the bottom of the board. When they get it flipped, add some throttle so they can stand up.

4) Don't go too fast too soon. Let them get their balance and feel of the board before you speed up to surf speed.

-Charles

[DoubleUpDisaster]

I’ve never driven a Nautique, but on other boats I’ve started in a left turn to keep the rider on the left side of the wake when I’ve run into that problem.

[greggmck]

charlesml3 hit all the main points. Below are a few other threads that should help you with some of the finer points. The most important thing for kids is to tie the rope to the surf side tower and shorten the rope so it sits in front of the sweet spot. NEVER allow your rider to loop the rope in their hands. This is a very dangerous beginner move that can result in serious injury if the rope wraps around a limb after a fall. As soon as possible have your rider hold the rope with the forward hand only.

If they are using a skim board you can run 10.3-10.5 MPH with very low ballast 30-50% and wave setting something like NSS=0, NCRS=1 or 2. They can ride the wave with these settings until they progress and want more of a challenge.

A surf board will require more push and a bit more speed so I would suggest 10.8 - 11.2 MPH with 70-100% ballast, NSS=0 and NCRS=3. As soon as they can ride without the rope I would move a surfer to NCRS 4 or 5 to give them maximum push to stay on the wave.

With younger smaller kids use the lower settings, older larger kids can surf faster with steeper wave. Good luck!

https://www.planetnautique.com/vb5/f...094#post555094

https://www.planetnautique.com/vb5/f...488#post585488

[swatguy]

Agree with the finer points above. Add a little turn to surf side as they start to get up. It will get them on the proper side of the wake and keep them from having to go over the wall if they don’t get there right away.


They key for me has always been watching the board. As soon as it flips and is in the correct spot I goose the throttle a bit. Works for kiddos and the newbs.

[paticus]

I have a similar situation but with smaller kids (4 and 6). I've seen some parents jump in the water with their kids to help them start out (and swim over to shore after the boat takes off haha). I've never tried it but it seems interesting. I'm curious if anybody has tried this and if they find it useful.

[DoubleUpDisaster]

I was taught to ski that way when I was little. We found a piece of lake that was ~4 feet deep and outside the no wake buoys. My Dad held my torso stable so I could manage my skis and the handle. When I didnt get up he just swam/waded up to me for the next attempt. When I finally did get up he waded to shore. Worked great.

[doug69]

Being In the water with them helps a lot if you can do it some where it is safe to do so. The big thing is that you can help flip the board if you are in the water. I also recommend no ballast to start and agree with the others who said to turn in the direction of the surfer to keep them out of the wake. We Also started slower - like 9mph or maybe even less. You really just want them to get up and stay up in calm water. Less wake the better.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Devo77]

Took about 20 efforts over 2 days and our 7 yo got it finally. Video attached of her 24th time. Although she got in a bad habit of wrapping the rope around her hand. Will shorten the rope so she is in the sweet spot and work with her to drop the rope over this summer. We had ballast at 50% NCRS 3 NSS 2. Below video link.

[Interjon]

Awesome. Congrats.

[morrow]

I have a similar situation but with smaller kids (4 and 6). I've seen some parents jump in the water with their kids to help them start out (and swim over to shore after the boat takes off haha). I've never tried it but it seems interesting. I'm curious if anybody has tried this and if they find it useful.

This is how I taught my kids how to wakeboard and surf. Probably depends largely on where you are and if it's safe. We had a quiet lake all to ourselves and I had an experienced boat crew so I didn't have to worry about what was going on in the boat. I thought it helped a ton because I could help them get in the right position and also help them stay calm. So much of my kids issues were mental when they were floating around back there all by themselves they'd start freaking out. And when they're learning, even when they get up they don't go very far those first few times, so it's super easy to swim to them, and help them relax in the water again when they fall, especially if they take a face full of water.

[Gtsum2]

We always taught little kids with one of us in the water as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[LakesideRec]

Practice getting up with no ballast or wave setup. The big wave just adds another thing to worry about when first learning to get up.
Then learn to ride the board while holding the rope. Have them turn, cut, etc. Plenty of fun to be had just being towed on a surfboard.
Then add a bigger wave. Have them play around cutting into the wave, going up on it, and then learn how to let the wave push them. Still, have them hold onto the rope. They get a lot more riding time per attempt that way. So they will learn faster. Its also much less frustrating for the spectators in the boat. Here is where you need to be sure they are being safe with the rope as they will be generating slack.
Once they can get into the wave and maintain speed and control without using the rope for long stretches of time, then they can start letting go. I always tell new kids they have to count to 12 with slack each time before they are allowed to throw the rope.