First off I must say that I did not write these tips but I thought that they were worth sharing on my web site.
So you have been scooting around for a season or two on a runabout (sit down) personal watercraft. Which I might add sit-down did for the personal watercraft market what the electric start did for Automobiles. hehe well I won't get into that right now. Back to the subject. So where was I Oh yeah so you been scooting around and you see these guys that buzz and jump and look like people on skate boards, but there in the water. Wow you say I think I would really like to try that.
Well you have come to the right spot. Here I will try to explain to you how to do it. You will not be able to do it on you first try but you will have the knowledge.
1.Now the first thing you need is a Stand up watercraft. Well you certainly don't want to go out and buy one just to try it, and none of your buddies have one. Just ask someone at the lake that is riding one. Trust me they will let you try. I do, I say Yes just so I have something to get some good laughs from for the day.
2.So now you have got a ski. The one thing you want to remember most is you CAN NOT sit on these and idle and stay afloat. Speed is your friend and being on plane at all times is your friend.
3.Now stand in water about knee deep. Have the ski directly in front of you both hands on the handle bar. Now put one knee in the tray. keep one on the bottom of the lake now give it all the gas it has. dragging the one foot that is not in the tray using it as a slash rutter,stabilizer until the ski gets up on plane. Now I know those of you who just read that last one and are getting cramps in your mouse clicker finger trying to fire up you mail program so you can flame my mailbox. asking about the no wake zone within a certain distance from shore. Well experienced stand up riders can do this without making a wake or we lay on our bellies and idle out past the distance of no wake and get up on the ski I will explain deep water starts later on. So Please hold off flaming my mailbox for right now. All I can say is if you want to try riding and make a wake don't get caught or if you do don't tell the cops splooge told ya it was ok. Now that the ski is up on plane throw you other leg into the tray. Now you can back off of the throttle to a reasonable speed but enough to keep it on plane.
4.Now you just want to stay on your knees with your butt sitting right on your heels.. Makes some wide turn at first to get the feel of the ski. Slow down some, alot actually so you will know at what speed the ski will start to tip on you. Then make some tighter turns. make a crazy eight. Just generally to get the feel of how the ski handles. once you feel comfortable with this it is time to stand.
5.Standing up is when the Laughs for me as an experienced rider watching begins. I really can't explain how to do it gracefully. I won't lie to you the first time I tried it I couldn't do it. I was riding a buddies machine I thought he had wasted his money on this dumb thing. So just get used to the fact you will get wet and you will drink a lot of water. So anyway you have your planing speed up you put one foot flat in the tray stand up and take the handle bars with you. Once you are up put one foot what ever foot you feel comfortable with right up tight to the front of the tray your toes should be touching the front of the tray. keep the other foot in back but at the opposite side as your front foot. So you have your front foot like me it is my left. on the front left corner then I have my right foot in back going sideways or at an angle more towards the rear right corner but more towards the middle of the tray.
6.Well Maneuvering the ski now is a little different. try some turns wide turns. you kind of have to lean the ski with out using to much handle bar turning.. It takes practice once you get these wide turns down try a little tighter turns and a little faster. You will not do to much the first time. but you will learn how difficult it is and maybe have a little more respect for stand up riders. Then next time you see one ask to try it you never know you may go out and look for a used stand up to just play around with.
7.You will fall and fall a lot. So you are going to have to get back up on the ski in deep water. This is even more difficult when you first learning and every muscle in your body will burn the first few times you try it. Lay on the machine with your belly up in the tray. Your arms will be laying on the rails of the tray with both hands on the handle bars. Now give it some gas and throw a knee in the tray. Once again using the other foot for a rutter and stabilizer. Until the ski get back up on plane then throw your other leg in. It sounds easy reading it, but it is not. I do it now with out even thinking about it. The first few time I got so tired I couldn't even get back up on the ski.
8.Once you get the hang of getting up in deep water like that. You can do It like most veteran stand up riders and that is just to have some balance and throw the one knee in before you even start. It is a timing thing though, cause you have to hit the gas the same time you throw your knee in. Remember what I said earlier these do not float at idle or no gas.
9.Well that is the basics. You have to learn how to do the 180 nose stab, the tail stand and submarine on your own.
