Tow At !!

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Originally Posted by cresto4

you have a ski. go do it. flail until you fail to flail. if you're not stomping on anyone's buzz with your noise pollution, go have fun. eff the frat boy fun police here on swellinfo. most of them do nothing except come on here and try to make people feel bad about doing things and thinking things that haven't been approved by the official swellinfo crew. god forbid you should actually have fun doing something that THEY DON'T DO. :rolleyes:

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For the record it IS something I have done on more than one occasion... way back in the 90's. Sure it's fun just ****ing around but didn't really do much for me when you take into account the gas, the smell and constantly wondering if whoever towing you is actually competent and responsible enough to be safe about it (for practice when your buddy effs up, just repeatedly ride your skateboard full speed into and under your ski while its on the trailer).

Since I feel I should explain myself: I have always had a deep seated hatred for jetskis, or more accurately the absolute morons that ride them. Probably has to do with all the wakeboarding I used to do when I was younger and the inevitability of some kook on a jet ski riding up right behind you trying to jump your wake. Or maybe it's all the regattas I have sailed in Banks Channel with kooks on jet skis who don't know the first thing about the "rules of the road" on the water--buzzing by within 3 feet of your boat, weaving in and out of the fleet, etc... Or maybe it was that one regatta where my friend's little sister (12 years old at the time) got t-boned by a jetski while sailing her Laser, resulting in plates and pins in her femur (that dude was lucky the Coasties were nearby to regulate--he would have wound up on the bottom of the channel along with his kookcraft... at least the Coasties let us have a little fun before they drug the guy onto their deck)... Or maybe it was that one time surfing at Mase when some idiots decided they were going to do tow-ats amongst everyone else surfing...

I dunno, maybe I'm a little biased. But you can ask anyone who has spent a considerable amount of time on the water what they think of jet skis and you will probably get the same sentiment.

Whatever you do: Take a freaking boating safety course, First Aid and CPR before entering this endeavor. You'll probably need them all...

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Originally Posted by Erock

I dunno, maybe I'm a little biased. But you can ask anyone who has spent a considerable amount of time on the water what they think of jet skis and you will probably get the same sentiment.

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x2

And, it's not just idiot surfers, wannabe rappers or tourons. Darwin has no prejudices. A jet ski rental outfit I used to work for had 2 cops on vacation run head-on into each other. The one guy took the full brunt of the collision to the face. He learned a very painful lesson.

But...if santa delivered one to my driveway I wouldn't return it. :)

So you only see a ski as a tool? I know it uses gas and makes noise, but why does that bother you? Do you stand on the side of the road yellig at cars to stop using gas and making noise?
Nobody is claiming that it is the coolest thing ever. But getting ripped around on a ski is fun... I'd rather surf, but there's not always waves... If it's small and you are not bothering anyone than have fun. It's fun to get pulled in to a small wave and boost an air that you wouldn't normally be able to.
It's all about having fun in the water! You go ahead and flounder around in shin high waves on your log, while he has fun

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Originally Posted by njsurfer42

from my perspective, it was never cool. i see the practical applications of a ski as a lifesaving tool, or towing into big/gnarly waves, but not to engage in near-shore f*ckery like tow ats. there are so many other ways to have fun & get out on the water when it's small/flat. not everything requires loud noises & gasoline.

edit: for the record, i would be stoked to give towing a go once in big surf, just to try it. other than that, i'll happily paddle in every other times.

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Originally Posted by nynj

So you only see a ski as a tool? I know it uses gas and makes noise, but why does that bother you? Do you stand on the side of the road yellig at cars to stop using gas and making noise?
Nobody is claiming that it is the coolest thing ever. But getting ripped around on a ski is fun... I'd rather surf, but there's not always waves... If it's small and you are not bothering anyone than have fun. It's fun to get pulled in to a small wave and boost an air that you wouldn't normally be able to.
It's all about having fun in the water! You go ahead and flounder around in shin high waves on your log, while he has fun

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it IS a tool! so is a surfboard...just a way cooler one. & there are certain places you expect noise; the line up isn't one of them...when it's so small that riding a log or simmons type stub are ridiculous, i'd rather go paddle, swim, or kayak to get out on the water than fling myself at a tiny wave that's breaking in ankle deep water. i've always gone off the idea that change what you do as the conditions change. if there's waves, you surf. if it's flat, you do other things...paddleboard, open ocean swim, dive if the water's clean enough, kayak or outrigger canoe, etc...trying to surf by any means necessary seems a touch narrow-minded.
many other posters have addressed the sanity/idiocy component that many (i'd venture most) recreational ski users display. i also think that, as others have also previously mentioned, if you want to try to ride waves that small, why not wake surf? it really just rubs me the wrong way seeing jetskis buzzing around so close to shore like that...it bothers me whether i'm in/on the water or just sitting on the beach. the piercing whine the engine makes is unavoidably obnoxious to me. have you ever stuck your head underwater when one was passing by, even a couple hundred yards offshore? it's like someone submerged a table saw & turned it on.
everyone thinks that everything needs to be powered...power this, power that...when the simple reality is that you can still have a s#!t ton of fun, on the water or off, under your own power.

I understand and aggree... That is why I repeatedly said to find a place where noboby is around. If you have a ski you can find an isolated area. Especially in the winter... I never said you need power to have fun. I dont have a ski and I always have fun... But I have also have had fun messing around on someone esle's ski.
Just because you don't enjoy it, does not mean that others don't. And it's not surfing by any means necessary. It's just doing something fun when there's no waves. Especially when my outrigger canoe is in the shop.
Is it OK that I own a boat and fish? Or am I supposed to only paddle out with a string tied to my finger?

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Originally Posted by njsurfer42

it IS a tool! so is a surfboard...just a way cooler one. & there are certain places you expect noise; the line up isn't one of them...when it's so small that riding a log or simmons type stub are ridiculous, i'd rather go paddle, swim, or kayak to get out on the water than fling myself at a tiny wave that's breaking in ankle deep water. i've always gone off the idea that change what you do as the conditions change. if there's waves, you surf. if it's flat, you do other things...paddleboard, open ocean swim, dive if the water's clean enough, kayak or outrigger canoe, etc...trying to surf by any means necessary seems a touch narrow-minded.
many other posters have addressed the sanity/idiocy component that many (i'd venture most) recreational ski users display. i also think that, as others have also previously mentioned, if you want to try to ride waves that small, why not wake surf? it really just rubs me the wrong way seeing jetskis buzzing around so close to shore like that...it bothers me whether i'm in/on the water or just sitting on the beach. the piercing whine the engine makes is unavoidably obnoxious to me. have you ever stuck your head underwater when one was passing by, even a couple hundred yards offshore? it's like someone submerged a table saw & turned it on.
everyone thinks that everything needs to be powered...power this, power that...when the simple reality is that you can still have a s#!t ton of fun, on the water or off, under your own power.

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[QUOTE=Erock;156738]r)
I dunno, maybe I'm a little biased. But you can ask anyone who has spent a considerable amount of time on the water what they think of jet skis and you will probably get the same sentiment.[QUOTE]

Back in my lobstering days we'd huck bunker at the idiots on skis screwing around in our wake, fortunately they never were out where we'd be setting gear if that did happen I'd forsee a MAJOR problem. I'm torn on the issue...I respect legit tow ins, I personally hate skis too, but am indifferent if dudes wanna try tow ats in a way that doesn't endanger other people in the water. Gotta say though, it was a lot of fun pegging d-bags in the head with 4 day old half rotten bunker.

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Originally Posted by nynj

Is it OK that I own a boat and fish? Or am I supposed to only paddle out with a string tied to my finger?

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that's not even close to being an accurate comparison or analogy & it's insulting to my intelligence.

tow-ats when it's small/flat:owning a boat to fish::engaging in other water activities when it's flat:fishing only by handline

i think you're starting to take this whole thing a little too seriously. i personally don't see the appeal & find jetskis to be obnoxious & a blight on the water. i see them as useful for the 2 previously mentioned things & that's all.

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Originally Posted by seldom seen

Gotta say though, it was a lot of fun pegging d-bags in the head with 4 day old half rotten bunker.

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Ha! Y'all are way too nice. We chunk 3/4 oz bank sinkers at them when we're fishing.


As far as the folks you see posting vids of tow-ats like Wildlyfe et al, those folks are more or less professional drivers. The guys on the skis doing big wave tow-ins are beyond professional drivers AND Lifeguards/Paramedics/First-responders.

It's a far cry from some dudes going out to screw around without first having the experience and knowledge to be competent and safe while doing it. You will surely have many other chances to be a Darwin Award candidate, this one you can avoid.

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Originally Posted by Erock

You will surely have many other chances to be a Darwin Award candidate, this one you can avoid.

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lmfao! awesome.

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Originally Posted by Erock

Ha! Y'all are way too nice. We chunk 3/4 oz bank sinkers at them when we're fishing.

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Ouch! Those gotta leave a nice lump. Hehe, Darwin Award.