Starts...how do YOU do them?

[Upper Michigan Prostar190]

I didnt want to hijack Lakepirates thread about teaching his wife to tow, so I started this one. How do you people start tows with your MC?? Full throttle? ease them up? other? I have always owned junker boats the needed every bit of push you could get, but thatts not the case with my prostar.

I have my 91 Prostar with 351 powerslot, and my buddy and I both go full throttle on take off out of the water. he is about 220 to 230 lbs. and I am 185 lbs. The boat pops us both up out of the water instantly! when he nails the gas, I just stand right up. So I am intersted in how other people take off with MCs as my limited expereince towing/skiing with mine is the only frame of reference I have.

[PeteS]

Comments usually from me to a driver when asked how I like my starts are, "Firm throttle. Don't drop the hammer, but 'squeeze' the throttle open confidently." But typically, I just jump in and let the driver pull me how he or she is going to pull me.

[LakePirate]

Full throttle in the 89 tristar. Firm her up in the Maristar.

Had to learn that with the new more powerful engine.

[east tx skier]

Nice description PeteS. Depending on speed, I have an idea of where on the clock face I'm going to end up. I try not to overshoot that as it causes perfect pass to hunt unnecessarily. Confident squeeze, all the way.

[k2mc]

I still have an open rear toe piece and I'm typically jumping off the dock or shallow water starts. Hit it hard with a little slack and hold on.

[erkoehler]

Don't rip my arms off, but don't drap me through the water.

When barefooting, quick to 30, pause then hammer down to 42ish.

[Jorski]

1993 190 with LT-1...start gentle, progessively faster on the throttle as the skier comes up. A full throttle mash will generally hurt the skier with this engine.

[6ballsisall]

Any boat, drop the hammer for me. I like em as hot as they can get. Theres a guy I have skied with a few times in our area (retired tour driver) and he has a Sportster LX with an 8.1 liter. He freaks out everytime I tell him "gimme it all and gimme it NOW" :eek3:

[AirJunky]

Being on a foil, I don't need a super hard pull to pop up pretty quickly. I prefer like 1/2 - 3/4 throttle & usually ask the driver to put the hammer down as soon as the rope is tight.
Having done hot pickups for years too, we usually get yanked pretty hard & your up in a second.

As a driver I usually ask the rider how they want to be pulled out. Bigger riders I will tend to yank harder than smaller ones.

Last note..... anyone ever see a start roll? A couple of the guys I ride with can bust out a back roll as soon as their up. The trick looks amazing if they can do it before they even get to the wake!

[Mosaic13]

I give a quick pop out of the gate with a semi-firm but not rapid acceleration. I like to top it out at about 3300 and let PP take over from there. At first I was going to 3800 but PP would run too far past set speed and then take a good thirty seconds to settle down. Truthfully with the power these boats have you really don't need it ALL most of the time. But, that's just my opinion.

[Leroy]

Last year it was slow and steady, noticed really hard pull this year. When I saw my wife pull up my son saw she was hammering it after couple seconds of gentle.:woohoo: You do pop out!


I prefer to get up with slow and steady.

[Ric]

did he say faster?

[MarkP]

I don’t care that much how my driver pulls me up, just so he pulls me up.. But when I drive I stick it a little and ease up during acceleration to end up at the appropriate speed.

[east tx skier]

When I'm in the driver's seat, confident squeeze. When I'm in the water, I'll take it how it comes, but prefer to be told how it's coming. If it's going to be an arm ripper, I want to know about it.

[LakePirate]

did he say faster?

Thanks uncle Roman

[PeteS]

Nice description PeteS. Depending on speed, I have an idea of where on the clock face I'm going to end up. I try not to overshoot that as it causes perfect pass to hunt unnecessarily. Confident squeeze, all the way.
Thanks, Doug. I feel that of course we all like our start's to be performed a certain way from the driver's seat, but really we should be able to take it how it comes.

Also of course, there are times that after getting up I'm thinking, "what the heck was that", but as a skier, being able to deal with different types of starts from different boats and different drivers I feel is good etiquette.

[BriEOD]

Thanks uncle Roman

Dude, I love that movie and that is my favorite scene. "You bastard, you bastard!!" "What, go faster."

SUCK MY WAKE!!

[Upper Michigan Prostar190]

Thanks uncle Roman


"Now really kids, do you wanna be on a pontoon with your old man cookin hotdogs? or do you wanna be scrapin' the bugs off your teeth in a kick a$$ drag boat with your uncle Roman??"" :purplaugh

[stevo137]

Give me a full throttle up my friend! ;)

[bradamerry]

Ask Farmer, he is my driver.... :rolleyes:

[milkmania]

when I ask if they're ready and they say no, I hammer down...

then I come back with a big grin and say "I thought you said go"

[jayocheskey]

Doesn't matter if you're towing with a jet-ski. The start always depends on WHO is doing WHAT. Fast and Furious for the big boy slalom riders. Nice and gentle for the first time wake-boarders. I love the fact that the boat is so versatile.

[H2OGirl]

I prefer to be pulled up nice and gentle,although I get what I get. I am still learning to pull people so when I am driving I usually give it a firm start then let the "cruise" take over (we have the MC version of Perfect Pass).

[Bert]

A smooth acceleration until ski breaks the water and then add throttle depending on the skier ability/preference. I have never failed to get people up on one for the first time using this method.
I like full throttle once my ski has begun to plane.

[Bongo]

Hard and fast. No use draggin' my fat a$$ around. I am on a fairly narrow slalow with double high wraps, so no help I can really offer and I'm not as young as I once was. Gotta get my cuts in before my arms / back / legs give out, and wasting energy on the pull up ain't my idea of fun.

When I pull people -- unless explicitly told so -- it is a firm pull, but not as quick as I myself prefer.

Bongo