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How to Find a 3rd - Wakeboarding-Waterskiing Boat Spotter

by Samuel Wayne in Legacy Articles

So you just got that new sweet wakeboard boat. The wake is great, the pull is consistent, your stereo is rocking but sometimes you want to ride and your buddies are busy. We have all had this happen. Wakeboarding is a decidedly social sport where you need at least 3 people in the boat (Driver, Rider, and Spotter). Even if you have the sickest boat, if you don't have anyone to ride with you are grounded on the shore. So try a couple of these tips to find other riders so you can always have a group to ride, meet some new wakeboarders, and have a great time out on the water.

1) Ask your "non-wakeboarding" friends and relatives if they want to come along. More often than not people are going to want to come out on the lake, even just for a boat ride.

2) Next time you are riding at your local spot make an extra effort to meet some of the other riders on the water. These are the guys who you can pretty much assume also have a passion for the sport, live close to the lake, and want to wakeboard whenever possible. Most wakeboarders are always up to meet other wakeboarders so give it a try the next time you are out.

3) Go online! There are tons of wakeboard related forums and clubs abound online. There are national sites like WakeWorld that have forums to discuss finding a pull and there are also many local clubs that have forums around when and when people are riding. Check online to see if there is anyone near you or post a comment and you are more than likely to get some responses.

4) If you ride at a lake with a larger wakeboarding scene thee are usually specified meetups and certain areas where most wakeboarders hang out. Check at the local pro shop and get the info you need.

So give these tips a shot and you will never be stuck on shore when you should be out riding.

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Because of the different roof racks, each will be attached differently, but it’s important that no matter what rack you have, you take care in installing it properly. For rack pads, velcro them on your roof rack bars tightly. For straps, clamp them down tightly and check them for any worn or weak spots. For more specialty paddleboard racks, follow the instructions and make sure they fit properly with your car. After you’ve installed the rack, do a quick post-inspection so you really know that everything is snug and secure. You don’t want to lose a paddleboard because you were in a rush and forgot to attach a part of your rack. For cars with roof rack bars, the standard setup is roof rack pads that fasten to your bars and act as a cushion between the bars and your paddleboard, and a strap system to secure your paddleboard to the rack pads. The pads fit around the roof rack bars and secure typically with velcro. 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Paddleboards come in different sizes, but they’re all pretty big, and if you have a small car, the straps on your roof rack setup may not be wide enough apart to adequately secure your paddleboard. For example, if you’re trying to strap a rack to a car without roof rack bars, it secures underneath the roof via the inside of the car. Generally, the front strap runs through the open space created by the front door and the back strap runs through the open space created by the back door. If you have a coupe, you only have a front door. So both your front and back straps will have to be secured via that space. The distance then between your front and back roof rack pads and straps will not be that great. If you strap in your paddleboard the straps may only be 3 or so feet apart. On a 12 foot paddleboard, that leaves almost 5 feet in the front and back of the board without any support. 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Run the strap across the top width of the paddleboard to the other side of the board, underneath the rack bar, and back along the width of the board. There it will meet the clamp end, and you will tighten appropriately. Tie off the excess strap and give your paddleboard and the straps a couple of pulls to make sure nothing is loose. For cars without roof rack bars, securing the roof rack straps is a bit more straight forward. The front straps and back straps each extend from both sides of the car. Pull them up from each side over your paddleboard and secure the plain end through the clamp and tighten. Repeat for both front and back straps, once again giving the straps a couple of pulls to double check. Don’t overtighten your straps. Avoid damaging your paddleboard by wrenching your roof rack straps too tightly around it. Different paddleboards are made of different materials, but you can crack fiberglass or other board materials if you pull your straps too tight. Find that just right tightness for your paddleboard. Mind your straps. Take the extra couple of seconds and make sure your straps are straight and not twisted around your board for maximum contact and hold. Then tie off the ends of the straps, as nothing good can come from them flapping in the breeze. Stacking Multiple Paddleboards When you’re heading out with a couple of your friends and need to stack multiple paddleboards on the roof of your car, one on top of the other, a few more issues come into play. Biggest paddleboard on the bottom. The biggest paddleboard goes at the bottom of the stack of SUPs because it provides the best foundation/ stability. Watch the spacing of fins and tails. Make sure there’s some space between the tails of the paddleboards and the fins facing up from the boards below them. If you stack your SUPs too closely together, with some wiggle or if you hit a bump, the tail of one paddleboard could be cut by the fins from the paddleboard below it. 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