2017 GS20 - Barefoot Boom

[ATotalSaint]

Hello all,

Introducing my kids (and to some degree myself) to water skiing, wake boarding, wake surfing on my new GS20. Came across barefoot booms and though it would be a great way to get them started and build some confidence - and hopefully reduce the learning curve.

If you have experience with booms I'd really appreciate your perspective on a few items.....

1.) Is this in fact an effective approach for teaching/confidence building with beginners?

2.) Any particular safety considerations for driver/skier/boarder I should me mindful of beyond the usual?

3.) For a 2017 GS20 - I need to order based upon tower bar dimension. Anyone know what diameter stock the tower bars are fabricated from?
I'm looking at this boom.. http://www.barefootinternational.com/BOOMS.bifh


Any thoughts you can share on one or all of the above would be appreciated.....

Thank you!

[GMLIII]

I have been around water sports; ski and wake boats for a long time. I have taught youth to adults to ski; wakeboard; barefoot all without the aid of a boom. Not that the boom is a bad idea but my thought was if you were eventually going to be pulled by a tow rope why go though the boom process. The boom is also a pain to deal with around docks and storage. Anyway my 2 cents

[Wake.BC]

The boom is definitely a great way to teach beginners. But it’s not something you want to use forever. I would like to have one to barefoot on and one to teach beginners but you really gotta use it.


Sent from my iPhone using PLT Nautique

[whitecaps]

There is a GS20 owner here on planetnautique who put a boom on his new GS. His sons are really into barefooting as I recall. It can be done for sure. The spray may be your biggest obstacle. Booms are great fun especially teaching someone to ride on their barefeet when otherwise theyd' never be able to do so. Super for teaching young kids too.

[Quinner]

Boom is a fantastic tool for teaching particularly if even the teacher is a novice. You will want to slow everything down a bit from the speed you would normally run long line, start them out directly on the boom, once comfortable then add a 5 foot line off the boom until comfortable there, after that they should be ready to get behind the boat on the long line.

[ATotalSaint]

Anyone know the spec's on the GS20 tower? Specifically the diameter of the vertical bar stock as this is necessary to order the correct model from Barefoot International.'

Any help would be appreciated - I can't get to my boat for another month. Ug - New England.

[GMLIII]

Anyone know the spec's on the GS20 tower? Specifically the diameter of the vertical bar stock as this is necessary to order the correct model from Barefoot International.'

Any help would be appreciated - I can't get to my boat for another month. Ug - New England.

I would contact Diamondback. They manufacture the towers used on Nautique boats currently. They would proablly know better than anyone. Link below

http://www.diamondback-marine.com