Understanding the Differences between Water Skiing And Wakeboarding
A common misconception believed by many is that the water skiing and wake boarding sports are similar in nature yet nothing can be farther from the truth.
The nature of the sport by itself provides the most striking 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 also includes being towed around by a speed boat but it includes features also common to surfing, snow boarding and skate boarding.
As mentioned earlier water skiing is a simple water ride. The size of the wake is not a factor in this sport. A water skier prefers smooth sailing over the waters. Wakeboarding on the other hand is a sport based on the thrill and excitement of jumping the wakes created by the boat and thus the size of the waves play a huge factor here.
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. Wake boarders make use of a single board at a time whereas the number of skis used by a water skier will depend on the type of skiing being done.
The speed boats used for these purposes also differ from each other. Water skiers use any simple motor boat for water skiing. 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. Almost all wakeboard boats have the engine placed backwards at the rear of the boat as a load increasing measure. 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.
The ropes used to pull the skiers and the wake boarders also belong to opposite categories. 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 wakeboarding.
Tags: Sports, wakeboard, water ski, Water Sports