Towed sports

Towed buoy, Wakeboard , water skiing, Wakesurf, Kneeboard, Wakeskate: Towed sports in vogue

Lovers of towed sports? But do you know everything about the sports you love so much? We invite you to follow us to discover (for some, you never know :-)) or to rediscover these different WATER RECREATION very popular for several years now that everyone is snapping up for professional needs or simply to have fun on the beaches in the sun during the holidays.

• Origin

In 1980, the Jinx Pack Junior Wakeboard was born Jobe , a sport inspired by water skiing, surfing and snowboarding. This sport is practiced with a board significantly different from that of surfing or skateboarding and you must be connected to a motor boat which tows whoever is on the board.

It has its origins in skurfing, a sport that was created in New Zealand by surfboard designer Allan Byrne to practice different sports popular at that time such as surfing and skateboarding) while ignoring the weather. It was in 1983 that Howard Jacobs made the first boards with the idea of ​​mounting windsurfing foot straps on a surfboard and it was in 1984 that the “tricks” (technical gestures) were introduced. were added by Allan which allowed the popularization of this sport on all the different bodies of water.

• Hardware

To do this sport, you need boards, bindings, a suitable boat and a rudder.

• the tractors of this activity

A motorboat can be added during the exercise. However there are special ones used called Wakeboard boats. They are systematically equipped with a tower (in order to be able to attach a traction rope 2 meters high from the water), ballast which weighs them down, a special hull and a rear engine (V- drive) which differentiates them from those of ski which rather have a central motor.

• Holder bar

This is the rope that is used by the individual on the board to be towed. It is made up of a rubber triangle which allows the practitioner to hold it well and its size varies between 16 m and 24 m and also depends on the way the tractor moves.

• Shoes

Shoes occupy an essential place on the board. When the sport began in 1980, they were made using windsurfing toe clips. However, these first bindings had flaws in terms of strength and comfort and did not really allow you to handle the board well.

< span style="font-size: small;">In 1990, wakeboarding evolved, hence the shoes too, which became more efficient, taking inspiration from water skiing thanks to materials such as neoprene and rubber, they are now fied thanks to inserts with a wider, more open and wider shape.

Towed buoy

It is currently a very popular activity among young people in summer. It can be done alone or with others because there are buoys for several people as well as individuals.

As indicated by the name, these Crusher Jobe 1p towed buoy are towed by a motorboat and during this time the individual on it can take the position he wants, even sitting down at his convenience. However, there are collective ones that force users to adopt a lying position; these are the round buoys called “Donuts” which allow you to sit. The banana-shaped one also allows you to sit and feel like you're on a horse.

This activity requires equipment like on the buoy: a quick release system and a two-meter orange fluorescent flame for the sake of visibility. Individuals on the buoy must wear a life jacket.

Although being a holiday activity, it is regulated:

• The driver must have a motor boat license

• you must practice this activity more than 300 meters offshore

• A second person in addition to the pilot to keep an eye on the buoy

• Take weather conditions into account

• Speed ​​limited to 30 Km/h for adults and 20 km/h for children

Water ski

Invented in 1922 in the United States It is a sport which consists of moving on water while being towed and equipped with Water Skis . is practiced on the beaches in summer but it can also be taken as a competitive sport. In competitive sport, it includes 3 events: jumping, slalom and. figures.

This activity requires having a good condition physical, good coordination and being concentrated Generally the duration of this activity is 15 minutes.

• How to practice this discipline?

First of all you can choose how you want to leave, that is to say either directly into the water with your knees bent to your chest and torso straight or from a pier.

Once on the water and you are towed here are some useful tips:

1. Keep your arms as flexible as you can

2. Do not pull the handle

3. Keep knees bent

4. Keep bust right

5. Maintain all these conditions during the 15 minutes

6. Be as flexible as possible yourself to catch the waves

• Hardware

To practice this sport or activity, you must have as equipment:

• A rope composed of a handle most often in a triangle for better grip for the practitioner

• A pair of skis suitable for this discipline

• A 40-horsepower boat

Wakesurf

We designate by the sport which consists of surfing the waves caused by a motor boat without being attached to it. You should know that this discipline existed for a long time and consisted more of sliding the waves caused by. big boats.

• Hardware

For this activity, there are different types of boards 2 more precisely: boards qualified as Skim and boards qualified as surfing: the difference between these 2 types of flooring is that:

• the skim offers easier maneuverability to the practitioner; he can do figures very easily

• The surfboard is a little less easy to maneuver due to its volume, the only point it has in more of the first type above, is that with this board, you can have more speed easily.

Kneeboard

C' is a sport which consists of being towed by a boat while performing gliding figures. You can perform more figures more easily than other sports because you are well attached to the board while on your knees.

This sport can be practiced in several ways: You can choose to adopt the surfing style or the water skiing style

For the Kneeboard Slash Jobe , the boards are wider with a rubber surface allowing for the practice of this activity in a kneeling position but also in plastic The user is equipped with a leash (small rope which connects the user to his board) and fins

Since this sport was translated into a water skiing version, it attracts more and more practitioners, especially because of the fact of practicing it on their knees, which makes it easier to figures and produces more sensations at high speed. It is also an alternative for those who would like to surf but cannot do so or for those who cannot stand on a board for long.

This version of the Kneeboard offers slightly smaller boards measuring between 90 and 150 cm. Which reduces their buoyancy.

• Equipment

• Boards< /span>

• 15 to 25 meter rope

• Boat

• A vest rescue

Wakeskate

This is a sport which draws its bases from wakeboarding but especially from skateboarding. The recognized inventor of this sport is Alexandre Barnoin but it was Ben Horan who made it famous.

The boards measure between 98 and 101 cm long. They are smaller than skateboard decks. For this activity, the boards are made of plywood and although inspired by wakeboarding, the user is not on their knees, so they are not attached to the board. They also have plastic foam like on skateboards. The protective soles of the are however identical to the Wakeboard.

In conclusion, all these water sports offer the possibility of being practiced according to your desires: in competition as well as in leisure activities on the beaches in summer. All you have to do is choose the right Water Ski, Wakesurf, Wakeboard, Wakeskate or the right buoy.