How to Tow Multiple Skiers

[bkblaida]

Need some help.

Every summer we try and get 8 - 10 skiers up behind the old 205. :D We struggle for up to an hour getting the lines straight and to keep them from getting tangled (deep water start). Is there an easy solution to keeping the lines from getting all knotted and tangled? Due to the lake configuration a dock or a shore start is not an option. I have been told that show skiers use a single line with a bridle the handles attach to (?), however for a one time per year event I really do not want to spend any money for a special rope. Open to any suggestions!!

Thanks,

[trickskier]

Jim@BAWS should be able to answer this one.

[mcdoon]

Show ski teams use what's known as a "twink", which is a circle of heavy rope that's maybe 1'-2' in diameter. The twink is threaded through the end loops of all the tow ropes and then threaded through itself. The twink is then attached to another section of heavy rope with a caribiner on one end (for the twink) and a loop on the other (for the pylon).

If you're just dealing with 8 to 10 lines and you had a straight rope with a big enough caribiner, you could avoid the twink altogether. Show skiers use the twinks because they're attaching upwards of 20 lines for some acts.

[uawaterskier]

i want pics!!!

[bkblaida]

mcdoon,
thank-you, I think I understand the concept. One line extends from the pylon to the loop (twink). How long is this single line? How long is the ski line(s) attached to the "twink"?

[mcdoon]

I'll get pics and answers tonight and post tomorrow.

[JLeuck64]

The twinks are show team uses are roughly 8-10 inches in diameter. You can make one simply by using a fid to splice a section of nylon braided rope together in a loop.

It attaches multiple ski rope ends together much in the same way as a slalom handle attaches to a rope.

I will add some photos to illustrate how you could hook three ropes together. I just used my dock buddy to illustrate the twink portion. You could separate the group into two, three or more smaller groups by doing this. It should make hooking everything to the pylon a little easier.

Too bad you have to deep up, that's gonna be tough! I would recommend everyone have combo's on to start. Our show skis are so wide (like a trick ski wide) that pulling up multiple skiers who have fallen is not that difficult, good luck!

Post us some pics when you guys succeed this summer!

[cbryan70]

and easier trick is to just get up about half the skiers on yoru boat with two lines then have another boat come and just pass the lines....

[suedv]

and easier trick is to just get up about half the skiers on yoru boat with two lines then have another boat come and just pass the lines....

Well, easier if you have two boats, but you miss the glory of getting a bunch of people up behind one boat.

[bkblaida]

Thank you and please keep the input and photo's coming.
The problem we had in the past was 8-10 lines to the pylon, and people drifting around and all the lines start to cross. We thought they would all straighten out under power but we were wrong. All we achieved was a big set of knots. However I can see how 3 lines to one line would only have 3 lines on the pylon and only 3 people at a time would have to keep themselves apart.

Yes we all use combo's or jump skies,(the bigger the better) and the 310 horses in the 205 get all of us up.
Slow but we all get out of the water.

[tex]

Hook all the ropes to the pylon and have everyone take their own rope and jump out of the boat. Just have them feed their line out slow.

[jbfootin]

Tex is right. When multiple skiers are hooked up to one boat, all of them are holding their own coil of rope, and only what is needed is left out as the boat pulls away. (be sure to wind all of these ropes up, starting at the handle and coiling toward the boat end, to insure they uncloil without without pulling from the bottom).

Also, if you watch the boats pulling up multiple skiers, they give them a heck of a jerk to get started. For a final pyramid of over 20 people the boat may be going 20-25 mph. The jerk on the skiers is not bad (as long as the ropes are the same length :)) but the boat driver beter hold on! The driver uses the # of coils left being held by the skiers to judge when to hit it, and usually hit it with 15+ ft left in the rope.

Good luck!

ps. if you cant start off a dock, could you start off of some rafts or pontoons in the middle of the lake?

[RickDV]

jbfootin has some good advice. I would add that it is not so much about giving them a big jerk as it is about building up momentum with the boat. As the ropes are playing out the boat should be building speed gradually until that last 15' and then power up with everything you got.

If the boat is moving at idle until the lines are tight then the engine has to get both the boat and skiers moving all at once. By building momentum with the boat the engine can deliver more energy into getting the skiers moving.

It will take some effort and practice to do this, especially on a deep start. Practice first with your strongest skiers and work your way up with more skiers.

If you are having problems with enough power here is a trick to try on a deep start: Try pulling them up on an off-angle line. This will cause some of the ropes to go tight before the others and you will have some people on top of the water before the others, thus reducing drag. Put your lightest skiers on the outside lines and they may actually be able to get on top of the water by the time the inside lines go tight.

Above everything else BE SAFE! With lots of ropes and people in the water there is always an increased risk of injury.

Good luck and have fun!





Also, if you watch the boats pulling up multiple skiers, they give them a heck of a jerk to get started. For a final pyramid of over 20 people the boat may be going 20-25 mph.

[NU-skier]

It's tough holding a starting position in the 15-25mph winds of the midwest. Since we couldn't stop the winds on the plains back in Nebraska, we always tried to start directly into the wind so the lines could stay tight and it would help everyone hold their positions better in the water. All it takes is the 15-25mph cross winds to mess up your lines. We also would start with momentum as mentioned to help the boat out.
You could also move to Carolina where the wind doesn't exist in August so they don't even attempt to schedule sailing races. :cool:

[RickDV]

Another thought: For large pulls you should run the lines from your transom tow hook and not from the pylon. Attaching to the pylon will actually lift the bow causing you to push more water with the boat. Attaching to the transom will keep the bow from rising so much.

[Hollywood]

20-25 mph with 15' left is an exaggeration, but I agree you can't pull 20 skiers successfully off the dock from idle speed.

The angle technique RickDV refers to also helps, and is also used to pull skiers up from a low powered boat that doesn't have the low end grunt to get everyone up at once. I'm not going to suggest hooking up your lines to your transom tow hooks since I don't know how they are supported. I'd hate to them see them rip through the fiberglass. The twin/triple rigs you see at shows have stainless steel backing plates the size of essentially the entire (thickened) transom.

I'll emphasize Tex's point of keeping the rope coiled in your hand and letting it out as the boat pulls away. There is no need for a twink for 12 ropes, just use a clip/carabiner. Maybe 5-highs need a twink, but all our 4-highs (12 ropes) use one leader with a carabiner.

[phecksel]

We use a piece of 3" webbing about three feet long and feed it through the rope ends and attached to the pylon. REALLY IMPORTANT, make sure the ropes are all the same length, measured under load. Boat MUST be centered with square path to the skier line. You're going to need some power, one skier is the capt and will call the driver to hit it when there is somewhere around two loops left. Skiers are best to be on two skis. Can not stress enough the importance of rope safety. All ropes are to be wound by one person who know's how to properly wind ropes. Each skier is responsible for their rope and clearance to everything else. Spotter has to make sure the ropes are clear from the pylon back to each skier. skiers hold their ropes in such a way they literally fall off of their hands. Clear verbal signals are critical, no and go sound the same 75' away. Hit it and stop are the only two words the capt is allowed to mouth. Spotter has to immediately pull any loose ropes in, gloves are absolutely required.

Here's one example that shows the spotter (me) checking the ropes, the skiers getting them set, can barely see the webbing strap, and the driver getting lined up.
http://www.bellevillelakewaterski.com/Images/ski%20show/2004_harman/IMG_6204.jpg

[Hollywood]

Spotter has to immediately pull any loose ropes in, gloves are absolutely required.

Here's one example that shows the spotter (me) checking the ropes,

Where are your gloves?

[#47of100TeamMC]

Geez, all the rules...Sounds like your taking the fun out of it!

[RickDV]

The transom tow hook should be able to handle anything you can do on the pylon or more. The two lifting rings on the transom are not designed for towing and should not used be for that.

I'm not going to suggest hooking up your lines to your transom tow hooks since I don't know how they are supported. I'd hate to them see them rip through the fiberglass. The twin/triple rigs you see at shows have stainless steel backing plates the size of essentially the entire (thickened) transom.

[phecksel]

Where are your gloves?

On the floor behind me, I found it difficult to get the lines attached with them on. The few seconds it takes to move forward until we're underway was enough time to get them on and cinched. I kneel on the floor right next to the pylon so i can quickly grab loose lines.