Calling all boaters (water skiiers)

[Epidemic]

I have small children that I am trying to get into water skiing.

I have made an aqua plane out of a tomb stone shaped 2'X4' piece of plywood. It works great all but for one reason.

Anchor syndrome when the child falls off the board takes a nose dive and becomes one with the bottom. The next 20 minutes I spend knee deep in muk 8 feet below the surface of the bay. Water the color of tetly tea I reach my arms into the muk until i locate the board burried completely 18 inches below.

Now for the question How does one make an aquaplane that does not dive. I used one of these as a kid but the problem was less pronounced because the boat did not have the weight to burry the board so deep.

[Martoch]

Just a quick thought...how about taking one of those little "floating noodle" things (know what I'm talking about? they're about 4ft long, various colors...look like spaghetti noodles, very flexible) that they sell at WalMart/K-Mart, etc. and slicing it down the middle...then you could glue it underneath the board (one half running the length of each side) having the sliced part flush with the bottom. That might just be enough to keep the board afloat. Does that sound too terribly silly?

Mike

EDIT: You can even shave the front of the noodle halves down at an angle toward the board to lessen the drag.

[Epidemic]

I actually considered that as a solution. but I believe that the hydrodynamics acting on the thing are way stronger than the lift the foam would give. I was thinking of curving the front of the board but that takes effort.

all in all not a cazy idea but I do not think that one will work.

I was also considering moving the pull rope back more toward the middle of the board. The more stress the more it should tend to come back up.

Why does it go down in the first place.

[Martoch]

Originally posted by Epidemic
I was also considering moving the pull rope back more toward the middle of the board. The more stress the more it should tend to come back up.

Hmmm...I wouldn't go with that idea. It might help keep the board up just a little, but just think of what would happen if the front of the board dipped down into the water while you were pulling your children. The water resistance on the front (top) of the board pushing down along with the rope pulling more upward from the middle might jerk them right off of the board and potentially getting hit by the board itself. I wouldn't chance it...

[caddmannq]

Gravity? Wet rope tied on the nose?

That's why trolling gear goes down.

Once the nose dips below level, the boat does the rest.

Maybe you could weight the trailing edge down, but there's still a good chance it could dive. Moving the rope is probably a good idea.

[Martoch]

I think moving the rope back further might help keep the board up some, but it would lose a lot of it's ability to pull the board forward while the children were on it. Rope burns? How would you keep the rope away from your kids if it's right smack in the middle of the board?

[Epidemic]

martoch,

I have the rope fastened under the board, so other than stability problems I would think that it might solve the problem.

Cad,

when I never thought of it like trolling gear. I guess that is exactly what is happening. High pressure on top of the board and low below and the rope keeping the angle of attack just right.

now to combat this.

[Martoch]

FMI: How long of a rope are you using? I figured you would fasten the rope underneath the board in some fashion, but that stability issue would certainly arise.

Just for the heck of it, take a look at some crankbaits if you have any available...or go to a local retailer. Some are surface baits, some are mid-runners, some are deep divers. It's all in the way the lip is shaped and where the line attaches. You might be able to get some idea of how you need to configure your board to keep it up.

[Gomer]

Could you shave the board to make it slightly like an airfoil?

[thekingofpain]

Maybe have a look at a "wakeboard" and see if you can sorta copy the shape?