5 Year Old ready to "ski"

[ABUCKOTOMAMBO]

Earlier this summer my 5 year old daughter and i went "surf boarding" behind our boat. The "surf board" is basically a 3'x7' 3/4 inch plywood with a rounded front end and fins below. The board is connected to a tow line directly to the boat. You stand up and hold on to a fixed rope for stability. This "surfboard" has towed 4 generations of skiers.

The "surf board" is large enough for Dad to manage stability and my daughter to just sit while we are stationary in the water. Once the boat is under power i just remained seated in the back of the surfboard and she stood up. Once she was comfortable i slid off the back. The boat was probably going 6-9 miles an hour. SHE LOVED IT!!!

Last night I purchased a similar tow behind. The blu N bayou ski and sled.

http://www.boarditup.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=202

Have any of you used this product? Do you have any suggestions or tips?


MD IN ND
MOOMBA OUTBACK V = BOOT MUM OV'A BACK

[smokedog2]

I have always used beach starts with those. Kids, just in the water, standing. pref a deap drop off with an adult on shore working rope management. SLOW - like you said 9 MPH or so. too fast take off and the ski shoots out from under them.

SD2

[Swairlines]

Originally posted by ABUCKOTOMAMBO
Earlier this summer my 5 year old daughter and i went "surf boarding" behind our boat. The "surf board" is basically a 3'x7' 3/4 inch plywood with a rounded front end and fins below. The board is connected to a tow line directly to the boat. You stand up and hold on to a fixed rope for stability. This "surfboard" has towed 4 generations of skiers.

The "surf board" is large enough for Dad to manage stability and my daughter to just sit while we are stationary in the water. Once the boat is under power i just remained seated in the back of the surfboard and she stood up. Once she was comfortable i slid off the back. The boat was probably going 6-9 miles an hour. SHE LOVED IT!!!

Last night I purchased a similar tow behind. The blu N bayou ski and sled.

http://www.boarditup.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=202

Have any of you used this product? Do you have any suggestions or tips?


MD IN ND
MOOMBA OUTBACK V = BOOT MUM OV'A BACK



I'm in Tampa, FL where we swim with the gators. Here's what I do when my 6yo son rides his Ski-Skimmer (same product as the Blu N Bayou ski). My son and I jump in the water (yes, both of us have vests on). I get Camden all set up while I steady the Ski Skimmer from the back. I just hold onto the two "skis" at the end. When Camden is ready I tell the driver to take up the slack and then to slowly tow Camden and me. There's a lot of drag when I'm holding onto the Ski-Skimmer but once Camden is steady and planed out I let him go. It's kinda funny to watch because when I let go of the Ski-Skimmer Camden nearly launches out of the water.

I havent tried the beach start because Lake Tarpon doesnt have a public beach.

Jeff

Ps Talking about swimming with the gators.....GUESS WHAT'S GOING THROUGH MY HEAD WHEN I'M JUST BOBBING IN THE WATER LIKE A PIECE OF GATORBAIT? YUP, I GUESS I'M KINDA PARANOID BUT I'M THINKING SOMETHING NIBBLING MY TOES (OR MORE)......Maybe I shouldnt stay in the water like that when Camden is skiing....

[Ed G]

Don't worry, gators do not nibble.

They grab you and then dive to deeper water where they do the deathroll untill your arms or legs come off and then they stick your body in an underwater crevice until you rot.

[Ed G]

My best recomendation is to leave the gun at home and remove the dead chicken from your speedo's.

[gotmyboat]

Swairlines -

Why the gun on the boat? Do you have problems with pirates? I would hate to think of people carrying guns on board. With as many rude or stupid boaters that I deal with on a weekly basis, someone would end up dead from water-rage.

Keep it safe!

Dave :p

[Ed G]

Jeff,

that's a joke, gators are very fond of chicken.

[Ed G]

Huh, I'm surprised you have such a gator problem over on the west side.

In Clermont, we have gators of course, but usually, you can't see them unless you search for them. One never sees a gator in the middle of the lake during the day.

We just don't give them a second thought when floating around Lake Louisa.

You must have a waterproof gun. A weapon in the glove box won't help you much when you are in the water. Of course if a gator grabs you while your floating around, you have two seconds to beg your boat occupants to shoot you in the head before you are stuffed under a log and become Jeff stroganoff.

[ABUCKOTOMAMBO]

Wow. What a morbid turn this thread took. Anyway, we are on vacation this week! No worry of Gators in the Northwoods of Minnesota.

Here is our progress with our ski sled:

Sunday I watered the grass then placed the ski skimmer on the ground. I had my daughter ride on the grass for a while as I pulled her around. I though that would be a good lesson in stability.

Yesterday we were on the lake and we did a deep water start. First time, I don't know why but she would not stand up. She was getting blasted with water. I had rigged the rope with a ski handle in the boat for someone to hold instead of attaching it to the boat. We just let to because she didn't. When we pulled around I said stand up next time. By the time we were situated she was ready and nearly standing in the water. I gently eased into accelleration and she was up. What a moment! I was so proud I thought my heart would explode with joy.

When I download photos from my camera I'll try to post one.


MD in MN
MOOMBA OUTBACK V = BOOT MUM OV'A BACK

[Ed G]

LOL! Gators feeding are morbid?

Sometime I'll have to post the full story of an experience I had when I worked for a Medical Examiner (in a large Pennsylvania city).

Long story short, i walked into the morgue late one night and saw that a Deputy Coroner had taken three dead guys out of the fridge, dressed them up in suits and hats, propped them up at a table and was playing poker with them.

The really weird thing was...he was losing money.

[Swairlines]

ABUCKOTOMAMBO,

Here's a pic of my son (who was 5 at the time...Spring of 05) Ski-Skimming.

I used to sit on the rear locker and have him in the Ski-Skimmer and then ease him off fiberglass platform while Michelle was slowly driving. Once the tails of the Ski-Skimmer were off the platform I'd have to tell Michelle to speed up so Cam would start planing. Then I would just let out enough rope to have him skimming just behind the wake of the boat.


Jeff

ps Ed, You're STRANGE!!!...Interesting but STRANGE....That's a great story.

[ABUCKOTOMAMBO]

Ed.

I am sitting in an internet cafe in Park Rapids MN just read your message and almost sprayed coffee on my lap top.

Coffee break is over. I'm headin back to the lake.......

MD in MN

MOOMBA OUTBACK = BOAT BOOM AMUCK

[ABUCKOTOMAMBO]

SW AIR

Thanks for the photo!

MD in MN

[YellowMoomba0]

Perhaps you could compramise by packing heat in the form of a painball gun for say, just in case the jet skiiers get too close while kids are learning.

[ABUCKOTOMAMBO]

Yellow - I like the way you think. -Did you just invent a new sport???

[YellowMoomba0]

Thanks man, but Im struggling to keep up with Ed. That guy is like the JoeTechie of abstract and whit.