Rope length for wakeboarding

[Fman]

What Rope length do you guys ride while wakeboarding? I went out today with my friends Malibu LSV and I was clearing the wake! which I can never do on my Supra. At first I thought it might be the wake, but I noticed his rope is much shorter than mine, which obviously decreases the width of the wake. I think I am using a standard 70' rope, I would bet we were no more than 55'-60' today.

Just curious what length you guys are using?

[Sluggo]

We run 60' but much slower speeds. Girls run 17-18 and I run 18-19. I have been able to clear a few times, but convinced after reading about other setups here that I need to get up into the low twenties.

[wake beater]

i use a adjustable rope from 50-55-60 ft.I always set it on 60 ft but I think I will be gettin a 70 ft rope.So I can hit tranny again,landing flat all day is gettin old or it's making me feel old.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

We usually ride 65' which is kind of the old standard for wakeboarding. I try 70' sometimes but I don't really like it. Sometimes I make new people try it shorter at about 55-60 but it feels kinda funny. 65' is pretty much perfect imo.

It also depends on your boat and how much it weighs. If you are driving a very heavy or heavily weighted boat you will need to drive faster to make the wake shape up correctly. This in turn requires a longer rope to get to the sweet spot on the wake.

I get tennis elbow sometimes and found a recommendation to put in a 5' ski-rope takeoff right before the wake handle. It does help but not a ton.

Wakebeater what board are you riding? Try any newer style board with a spine down the center it makes any flats landing much easier.

[wake beater]

a o'brian player 143,i think,new last year.board feels good just launching past tranny by 6 - 10 ft,thinkin 65- 70 might be the cure.....

[atarpill]

85' rope, typically run 75' at about 23mph empty ballast, and about 80' with all the bags full and a few people in the boat.

[Fishman]

I've been boarding 5 years...I really think the length of the rope has to do with your skill level and what kind of tricks you are doing. A shorter rope to start a move is better...then give yourself more and more rope to go bigger. Some moves require you to be in the air for longer and you just have to try them at longer rope lengths and bigger wakes.

I went out with my nieghbor who's buddie came along. My nieghbor says you gotta see this guy board....and he was right...this dude threw 8 different types of inverts and landed everything. He had an 80 foot rope and all the wieght in the boat he could get.

My nieghbor, on the other hand, is just starting to go wake to wake and 65 was his magic number at 21.5. He had been boarding at 70 and "top of the waking it"...I shortened up the rope and he was clearing much easier and loving life.

I'm half way decent boarder...I can hit a backroll most of the time and I've got some good grabs. I go at 80 consistently now with as much wieght as I can get in the boat. I've always tried to get the rope length so I can take a good aggresive cut and come down soft on the other wake. In golf terms, I would rather hit a hard 8 than ease up on a 7.

Don't be afraid to stop the boat and change rope length if you're not happy...you only get so many runs!