Category: Tips & Tricks

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Basic River Lineup Etiquette

I know… this should go without saying…

There is nothing better than seeing a huge line at the local river wave. More surfers means that the sport is progressing. As the sport progresses so do the riders. It is so fun to see surfers getting longer rides and having fun. How long of a ride is too long? If there is a line on both sides of the wave and one is shorter how do you rotate rides? What do you do if someone loses a board in the eddy?

Being able to surf the wave for as long as you want is a great feeling! Taking long rides is perfectly fine if it is just you and a few buddies surfing. When the line starts to get long 1 min rides are a maximum to keep the line flowing. Hack some turns and once you reach your time limit try a trick. This will keep everyone in the lineup happy as well as progress your surfing at the same time!

If your wave has a line on both sides you should rotate riders from each side. If one side has twice as many riders than the other you should rotate 2 riders from the long side to 1 rider from the short side. This will keep things even and keep the lines on both sides flowing.

If someone loses their board in the eddy and it flows back up toward the line whoever is closest should grab it for them. You can put it to the side or if they are on the other side of the river you can toss it over to them. If you are going to toss a board to the other side of the wave please make sure no one is in the wave surfing or swimming in the water around the wave. Let everyone know you are going to toss the board so no one gets hurt.

Lets all work together to progress the sport, keep each other safe and maintain good vibes in the water.

Keep the Stoke Alive!

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Learning to Foil

I use to be so scared of the foil. The first time I foiled behind the boat I was able to get up on the first try. Learning to balance the foil was easy. However, the first time I tried to pull into the boat wave the foil bucked out and flipped up. Seemed like the foil had a mind of its own. This left me scared, because the reaction of the foil was unpredictable and it seemed like I would never be able to control it.

It took about 8 sessions behind the boat to feel more comfortable with how the foil acts in the water and on the wave. Here are a few tips that helped me finally surf the wave without a rope and get a better feel for the foil.

IMPORTANT WARNING | NEVER FIGHT THE FOIL

IF IT WANTS TO POP UP. JUST LET IT AND BAIL OFF THE BOARD. THIS WILL HELP YOU AVOID BEING STRUCK BY THE FOIL!

Step 1.) Getting Comfortable On The Foil

Spend some time in the glassy water outside the boat wake playing with your foot position and learning how to balance the foil as close to the water surface as possible. Front foot pressure will lower the foil and back foot pressure will raise the foil out of the water. If the foil breaches the water surface, it will slam the board back into the water. If you hear a gurgle sound coming from the foil this means the foil is about to breach the surface. Apply front foot pressure to avoid the board slamming.

Something that helped me feel like I had a little more control with how the foil reacted is playing with my foot position. I am using a little wider of a stance that I would normally use while I surf. This is helping me gain more control of how the foil reacts in different water current and flow. Learning to shift my weight with the water is also helping. For example when I pull into a wave I apply a massive amount of pressure on my front foot to keep the foil in the water.

Step 2.) Pulling Into The Wave

Once you are comfortable balancing on the foil it is time to pull into the wave! You will be surprised at the amount of energy the foil generates even on the smallest waves. An easy way to pull into the wave, is to cut to the outside of the wake zone as soon as you are up on the board. From the outside of the boat wake slowly swing into the wave applying front foot pressure until you adjust to how much lift the foil will generate from the wave.

If you are pulling into the wave from behind you will need to put a massive amount of foot pressure on the front foot while you pull over the top of the wave. If you try and pull over the wave without massive front foot pressure. The energy will throw the foil into the air!

I have been having so much fun surfing the 2nd wave back. I have even been able to transfer from on side of the boat wave to the other. It is my goal to be able to fly across from one wave to another super easy. I am slowly working on getting my pumping skill down and want to SUP flat water and some downwind races next year!!!

Stay loyal to the foil and I will see you on the water!!!

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Build Your Own Endless Wave

Life as a surfer living far from the ocean is a never ending battle. Your daily grind is filled with fleeting thoughts of perfect barreling waves, exotic locations, and most importantly, THE SEARCH. Snap back to reality, and here we are, strapped to our ocean-less cycle dreaming of the next surf trip. Let’s stop waiting for the next trip! There are ways to score surf now! All you need is creativity and a willingness to try something new.

The community of riders Wake Surfing behind inboard boats is growing like crazy, and now it’s so easy to convert your grandpa’s/friend’s/uncle’s or your own ski boat into a monster wave throwing beast! How is this possible? It’s all about the right kind of weight! WakeBallast bags, are one of the simplest ways we’ve found to turn a regular in board boat wake into a great surf wave; capable of filling the void between your surf trips.

Here’s how it works:

Build Your Dream Wave

For best wave results, evenly spread weight bags throughout the boat. Then, fine tune your surf wake preferences, by moving Wake Ballast bags from one side of the boat to another. With this foundation in place, you start stacking bags in the back to increase the size of your surf wave. When your passengers move around for better surf viewing, the small size of the bags make it so easy to shift weight on the fly.

Save Storage Space

We recommend steel filled bags with soft durable coverings that don’t take up your precious storage space and limit the number of friends you can bring along to experience the joy of surfing.

Pad Your Wallet

Wake Ballast Bags allow you to convert older (less expensive) boats into cost effective surf machines, or even bring a newer boat to the next level! Time is money right? Now you won’t waste any time pumping bladders full of water, and emptying them just to shift your surf wake for regular or goofy footers!

To learn more about building your own endless wave, check out our partner WakeBallast.com

Comment below with the best way you found to build the perfect surf wake, Keep The Stoke Alive!