soft wake surfing rope options

[Jeffk]

I am trying to find out if anyone has a good brand of softer wakesurfing ropes? My kids are having a blast learning but the usual nylon surf rope is hard on their hands.

[chrisk]

Get one with a T-Handle, like this: http://www.buywake.com/itemimages/2011_Surf_Rope_T-Handle.jpg

DO NOT, get one with a 'looped' or triangular handle, those can get caught on limbs and be pretty dangerous.

[Diggs]

Tie a wakeboard rope handle to the end of your existing rope. Key is don't make it too long and have people wrapping excess rope around their hands once they get into the pocket.

[wotan2525]

I've got a straight line that isn't soft but it IS really nice and thick and has foam handles on it.

I've got a friend with another brand that actually is really soft and easy on the hands.

[haugy]

Barb'd wire, that'll get the kids to learn to let go. :D

We just took an old wakeboard rope that was real tired and put a t-handle on it.

[Zim]

Barb'd wire, that'll get the kids to learn to let go. :D

We just took an old wakeboard rope that was real tired and put a t-handle on it.

Doing this is NOT safe. Wakeboard ropes should never be used when surfing. Since the surf line is not always tight, a wakeboard rope can easily wrap around a finger and literally rip your finger off if the rider falls or it tightens up from the boats pull again.

Get a wakesurf specific rope that is thicker to prevent this, and get one without a closed loop handle. It only takes 1 time for your kid to lose a finger, a good rope is worth the 40-100 dollar investment.

[villain]

Check out the agenda wake surf handle. It's a buddie of mines company. Great products. They also do boat and board traction.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[haugy]

Doing this is NOT safe. Wakeboard ropes should never be used when surfing. Since the surf line is not always tight, a wakeboard rope can easily wrap around a finger and literally rip your finger off if the rider falls or it tightens up from the boats pull again.

Get a wakesurf specific rope that is thicker to prevent this, and get one without a closed loop handle. It only takes 1 time for your kid to lose a finger, a good rope is worth the 40-100 dollar investment.

I had a response, but I'm pretty sure you would have taken it wrong. But try to read what you quoted from me, and then stated..................................T-handle.

[CornRickey]

I think he is talking about the thin diameter of the rope allows the potential of a body part getting wrapped up in it compared to the weaved, thick ropes.

[Zim]

I think he is talking about the thin diameter of the rope allows the potential of a body part getting wrapped up in it compared to the weaved, thick ropes.

This is correct. Wakeboard ropes can wrap around limbs and digits very easily. If you're wrapped up and fall, even 10mph is enough to cut a finger off... especially on a younger kid. Does it work? Sure. Is it worth the risk rather than investing in a 40 dollar wakesurf specific rope? Absolutely not.

[trayson]

I have one of these that has a soft handle, but I don't like how it doesn't have any girth on the rope if the handle isn't in the perfect sweet spot...
http://a248.e.akamai.net/origin-cdn.volusion.com/mtyq5.eu2fn/v/vspfiles/photos/13_acc_surf_rope-1.gif

While I was learning, I needed something thicker with more knots. So I got this body glove one
http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mXtBktB8pPrfA2ZkPoGlV5A.jpg
This was the best price on the body glove one: http://www.jmsonline.net/body-glove-watersports-bg-wakesurf-rope-bgw-bg1208.htm

Now, I can't get rid of the rope quick enough. It's all about the free-riding!! woo-woo!

[Zim]

I had a response, but I'm pretty sure you would have taken it wrong. But try to read what you quoted from me, and then stated..................................T-handle.

I had a response too, and I read what you said. Maybe it wasn't exactly clear why it was so dangerous, but it didn't have to do with the T handle.............................or the barbed wire.

[Zim]

How often while barefooting, slalom skiing, or kneeboarding do you have excess slack of a rope being held in your hand with the possibility of it getting wrapped around your limbs? It's not about the countless times that you do something and are just fine doing it... it's about that one time that is an extremely unfortunate incident and you are severely injured because of it. Eliminate that risk with a 40 dollar rope and be done with it. This isn't a hard concept.


Don't let this happen to you, kids.

Gore warning
http://i.imgur.com/fBxCfeA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2yMRfKc.jpg

http://www.correctcraftfan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=30799&title=guys-thumb-ripped-off-while-feeding-the-rope

[Zim]

or this....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UbrmfuURbY

[trayson]

What about falling down 45 mph barefooting? At 36 mph slalom skiing? 22 mph kneeboarding? It's a rope. You let go of it. 35+ years on the water and I've never had a rope incident. Why? I don't know why, but why does everything have to so specific to the style of skiing? I never wore a bike helmet either and I turned out fine. I wake surfed for the first time a few weeks ago using a specific wake surf rope and could have cared less for the t-handle. Was is a nice rope? I"m sure...still had no issue on what I was doing or trying to accomplish.

Have to agree with Zim. The fact that there's tons of slack in the surf rope and often you're ahead of much of the rope magnifies the chances something could happen. I've been water skiing since I was a kid, and guess what, I **HAVE** had something happen to me personally. When I was a teenager, I was out skiing on doubles. I got tired and I told my parents to cut the power. I lost momentum and sunk on my skis and fell backwards. When I fell into the water, I dropped the rope and somehow it was able to slide down my leg (around the ski maybe?) and wrap itself around my ankle. I swear I had angels looking out for me that day, because instead of the usual power turn to come back and get me, they did more of an easy throttle. However, I still had the rope around my ankle and was being DRUG by my ankle feet first with my head under water. It was the scariest thing ever and I think I cussed out my parents afterwards! (I was really shaken up).

All that to say, that I have had something happen to me personally. The rope I linked was $35 shipped and really helped me in my learning curve for getting in the right spot in the pocket. It's kind of the same logic why we don't surf behind an I/O. I'm sure you could do it for 35 years w/o incident, but I wouldn't risk it.

[CornRickey]

when I teach someone to surf I don't drive so I can sit on the back and yell at them to not coil the slack rope in there hand because everyone does it and this is the danger. I agree, is pretty simple stuff.

[haugy]

I think he is talking about the thin diameter of the rope allows the potential of a body part getting wrapped up in it compared to the weaved, thick ropes.


This is correct. Wakeboard ropes can wrap around limbs and digits very easily. If you're wrapped up and fall, even 10mph is enough to cut a finger off... especially on a younger kid. Does it work? Sure. Is it worth the risk rather than investing in a 40 dollar wakesurf specific rope? Absolutely not.


I had a response too, and I read what you said. Maybe it wasn't exactly clear why it was so dangerous, but it didn't have to do with the T handle.............................or the barbed wire.


when I teach someone to surf I don't drive so I can sit on the back and yell at them to not coil the slack rope in there hand because everyone does it and this is the danger. I agree, is pretty simple stuff.

Oh I got his point. But like Ngavdba, I know better than to coil a rope in my hands when 4000+lbs is attached to it, as so all the people I teach. If they get to the point where they have constant slack in the rope I make them toss it in. But we rarely surf behind my boat, so I'm not worried.

[haugy]

Well no wonder Zim want's a wide rope.........can you imagine trying to hold on with those big rubber gloves.

Great picture Zim, you look very happy..........

http://brojackson.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/bubble-boy.jpg

:D :D

[Zim]

I do probably sound like I live in a bubble... I really don't. There's just some things that I'd just prefer eliminating the risk from. Anything behind a boat is one of those.

To each their own I suppose, I'm just trying to pass on safe habits to those who might not know better. Kind of like trolling up to an I/O with people surfing and explaining the danger behind it.

[Diggs]

I gotta say I agree with both sides here. The real issue is people use ropes that are too long. As someone that knows how to surf, we know not to coil the excess and usually just throw the rope in. The beginners and people that are just learning where the pocket is tend to wrap all that excess rope around their arm, hand, fingers, etc.....
#1 it is important not to have a rope that is way to long
#2 it is important to have someone back there coaching and telling them not to wrap the rope and why
#3 I think having a handle or t bar is safer than raw rope (and easier for the beginner to get up) with knots cause they do not seem as natural to start wrapping excess rope
#4 a thick rope or a thin rope can cause a lot of damage to a finger, arm, hand, etc....

[haugy]

I do probably sound like I live in a bubble... I really don't. There's just some things that I'd just prefer eliminating the risk from. Anything behind a boat is one of those.

To each their own I suppose, I'm just trying to pass on safe habits to those who might not know better. Kind of like trolling up to an I/O with people surfing and explaining the danger behind it.

I hear ya, just gotta bust your chops a bit. And yeah, if someone is dumb enough to surf behind an I/O, I expect Darwin will be paying them a visit soon.