Wakesurfing with no driver

Giving the boat a little turn toward the surf side when pulling the wakesurfer up will give them clean water and make it a little easier when they pop up. Nice job driver, you have a wakesurfer up and riding.

Now what? Pick a point on the shoreline straight ahead and keep the boat pointed that direction. Make sure your speed is where you wanted somewhere in that 10 to 12 mph range.

We surf at Each boat will be different depending on the boat and the speed keeping device. Make sure your visibility is good and you are aware of other boaters. Do not make passes near docks or beaches with other boaters.

Avoid making multiple passes in the same area if it can be avoided. Wakesurf boats are catching some grief over the waves they generate, so we want to keep the sport alive and well into the future. Be courteous with our waves and let people just be upset with tubers and aggressive personal watercraft riders.

All good things must end and all wakesurfers eventually go down. Time for the pick up. For many, this is the most stressful part of driving for a wakesurfer. Let off the throttle gradually and then put in nuetral while turning the boat away from the surf side. Wakeshaping devices and weighting will naturally make your boat turn away from the surf side of the boat. Do not fight this, embrace it and use it to your benefit.

Let that massive wave pass by as the boat turns away from the surf side and slows. Once the wave is past, complete your turn and idle back to the surfer. Always make sure you can see the downed wakesurfer and keep a safe distance. There are a couple ways to get back to the rider to continue their run on the same directional line. Some people like to always have the down rider on the same side of the boat as the driver, which is fine.

The downside to this method is half the time when you turn around the surfer in the water you will be fighting the wake shaping device, so the turn will be wide. The other half of the time, the wake shaper will help with the turn, but the rider will be on the opposite side of the boat from their surf side. Newer drivers will be more comfortable with this method.

Then idle back parallel to my original line but to the side of it approximately feet. Then just as I am passing the rider turn back into the wake shaper and put it in neutral as I finish the turn to let the boat complete the degree rotation.

This puts the boat back near the original line and direction and the surfer on the surf side of the boat. Your rope helper can throw them the rope and they are ready to be pulled up and get back to surfing. See diagram below. When your wakesurfer is done with their turn. Use the method above to turn, but just idle back to the downed wakesurfer.

Idle up slowly so the surfer is on the driver side of the boat. Stop the boat near, but at a safe distance from the surfer, place it in nuetral and turn off the engine so the surfer can get on the swim platform safely.

When retrieving a wakesurfer do not keep the throttle down and just turn the boat. This has a couple of adverse results. First, you will be sending a massive wave right down your surf line that you will be pulling down after retrieving the surfer. Many of us wakesurf in long coves, canyons or rivers, so that wave messes up a lot of water when you do a full power turn. Second, you will have to go through your surf wave under a power turn.

This can, at a minimum, be uncomfortable for your passengers and could potentially be dangerous. You will also be sending a massive wave toward your surfer in the water making them think of new nick names for the driver.

Usually not good nicknames. Driving the boat is a big responsibility. You need to know the rules on your chosen body of water, you need to be on the lookout for other boaters and possible hazards, and you need to give your passengers a safe, smooth ride. With v-drive boats, the engine is near the back stern of the boat, so you will want to add weight in three places.

Add more weight in the rear lockers to increase the height of the wave and then add more weight in the bow to increase the surfable length. Start light and keep tweaking things to find what works for you. Welcome back. Your boat is definitely going to handle differently with all these new elements. This not only makes your boat more manageable to drive but means you don't have to be on the lookout for rogue waves that might swamp your boat. Everyone has their preference, but the general range is Start with the surfer in the water directly behind the boat.

Once the rider is ready, with their feet on the board, put your boat into gear and let it idle until the rope becomes tight, this will allow the rider to get ready. On the rider's signal, engage the throttle and gradually build toward surf speed. Keep an eye on the surfer to gauge whether you need to speed up or slow down. Worst case scenario of accelerating too quickly: somebody gets hurt.

If you just kill the throttle, you might bring water over the back transom of the boat. After you slow down, give your boat a quick tap of reverse to bring it to a total stop and wait for the wake to die down on both sides.