Wakeboarding
The sport that is taking the water sports industry by storm and reaching new heights. Includes equipment, board and boot manufacturers, apparel, pro shops, pylons, tips and tricks, towers, videos, wake enhancers, racks, and more.
Knowing the lingo when around boat-towed sports such as wakeboarding and wakeboarding helps with communication and safety. Here is a collection of wakeboarding terms in a glossary format to get you started speaking the language.
Wakeboarding, Wake Skating, and Wake Surfing Terms
Bevel:
Term used to describe the side of the water ski, or the transition area between the side of the ski and the bottom of the ski. The rounder the bevel, the deeper the ski will ride in the water, and the more the ski will roll, making it more difficult to control. A sharper bevel causes the ski to sit higher out of the water. Beginner skis generally have sharp beveled edges and more advanced skis have more rounded bevels, allowing the ski to transition better in the water
Blindside
:
When a wakeboarder is performing a trick in the air and they can't see their landing spot.
Fin
: A fin(s) is a tracking and turning device to keep the water ski or wakeboard traveling in the direction in which you steer it. Without fins the board or ski tends to float freely without much control
Load the line
: When a wakeboarder puts himself in the position of using the towrope to swing out away from the boat, slow down a bit, and then make a progressive cut towards the wake to create more tension. A loaded line helps achieve speed to jump the wake.
Pylon:
A pole that extends up from the center of the boat on which a
towrope is attached. When the water-skier, wakeboarder, or jumper pulls against the boat, the pylon compensates so the boat will not slide from side to side. An extended pylon raises the height of the rope, therefore increasing the possible height of the wakeboarder or jumper.
Wake : The V shaped water that trails behind a boat, created by the boat's forward motion.
Tower: A cage-like device connected to the center of the boat. Its purpose is to give wakeboarders height with its high towrope hook. Wakeboard racks may be purchased to attach to the tower to hold boards to get them out of the way and off the boat's floorboard.