Understanding the Difference between Water Skis And Wakeboards
Wake boarding and water skiing are entirely two different sports although there appears to be some similarity between the two.
The nature of both the rides is a key point of difference between the two. Water skiing is a relatively straightforward sport while wake boarding is a derivative of several different games. In water skiing a person uses skis to ride the waters while being pulled along by a moving speed boat. Wake boarding, though it adopts the same principle also includes skills derived from other sports like surfing, snow boarding and skate boarding.
Water skiing is generally a sport involving the simple pleasure of skiing on water. This is pursued for the simple pleasure of skiing over waters. It is more of a smooth sailing ride unlike wake boarding which is a rough riding sport . Wake boarders, like surfers, ride on waves or rather wakes left by the speed boat behind which it is towed and as such a major factor in wake boarding is the size of the wakes.
The equipment and gear used in both these sports are again entirely different. Skiers use simple water skis while wake boarders use boards similar to surfing boards but with fins and foot straps included for better balance. Unless you are slalom skiing, skiers generally use two different skis for both feet whereas wake boarders use a single board.
The boats used to pull these sports riders are also of different makes. A water skier’s tow boat can be any simple boat but the wake boarders need to use specially designed speed boats. The difference in wake boarding boats is in the structure designed to increase weight at the rear which aids in creating larger wakes behind the speeding boat. The wake board boats have increased weight at the rear to create larger wakes. The lower the stern the higher the waves produced. Most manufacturers spend a lot on R&D for new knowledge in further weighing down the stern as a means to create higher wakes for wake boarding.
Ropes used in wake boarding again differ from the ones used in water skiing. Ropes used for wake boarding should not be of an elastic nature as this will tend to tip the balance of the wake boarder whereas stretchable ropes are needed in water skiing as the stretch factor helps in maneuvering curves behind a speeding boat.
OK, so much for the differences between water ski and wakeboards.
Tags: Sports, wakeboard, water ski, Water Sports