Wally Wakeboarder – An Official Guide on How to Get Invited Back on the Water
By Jason Haines • Mar 31st, 2009 • Category: Featured, How ToWakeboarding is an expensive sport/ hobby. Not only do you need a board, bindings, jacket, and rope; but you need access to a boat (at least until Wake Nation dropped into town)! If you can’t afford to run out and spend $20k+ on a wakeboard boat it’s essential that you meet people who have one and are looking for “thirds”. Once you get invited as a third this article will serve as a guide to help ensure you get invited back. By no means is this an official set of rules and other boat owners might feel differently about certain aspects. However these guidelines are a good starting point to help ensure that when it comes time to find an extra rider you are at the top of the list.
Be Casual about Asking – It is okay to ask from time to time if the boat owner is looking for an extra rider. However you don’t want to be the guy or gal who calls or emails everyday asking when the boat is going out next. Be patient and when the time comes where extra space is available you might be the one who gets the call.
Bring Yourself Only – If you were lucky enough to be invited out don’t ask to bring friends. Most people invite enough riders so that everyone is able to get a fair amount of water time (usually a minimum of 2 sets per person although this can vary). An extra unexpected rider often means another rider gets their water time cut short. The one exception to this is non-riders. Most owners don’t mind extra people as long as there is ample room in the boat and they do not want to ride. But ask first and mention they don’t want to ride!
Bring Own Gear (if possible) – If you cannot bring your own gear make sure the boat owner knows this. This one is a toss-up in my opinion. I’ve met a ton of people who don’t mind loaning their gear but I’ve also met plenty of people that think twice about letting someone else use a set-up they’ve dropped $500 plus on. As for me I don’t mind loaning my setup. However if you borrow my gear for a month (2-3 times out) it may be time for you to invest in your own setup if you enjoy riding that much. It is imperative if you damage borrowed gear that you offer to replace it! Most of the gear carries a lifetime warranty and paying to have it fixed will be unnecessary. But make sure you offer and intend to cover the cost in the event you need to do so. If you don’t like the thought of this bring your own gear.
Bring Drinks or Snacks – The boat owner is supplying the boat, pays for the maintenance, owns a gas-guzzling tow vehicle, pays insurance, and despite the next item – usually pays for most of the fuel . Therefore it’s a really nice gesture when a third brings snacks or extra drinks to share. It’s not necessary but definitely goes a long way. If you do not bring anything don’t help yourself to the cooler in the boat unless offered. Most owners don’t mind you snagging a drink or some pretzels but make sure you make up for it next time and bring some extras to share.
Bring Gas Money – As noted above the boat owner spends quite a bit paying for and maintaining the boat. So if you ride make sure you chip in for gas! You wouldn’t expect to go snowboarding and your buddy to buy your lift ticket! With gas prices peaking at almost $5 a gallon in the summer of 2008 it was nothing to spend $100 a day in fuel on the water. If gas is $3-4 a gallon I would suggest $10 per set. If gas stays under $3 a gallon $15 for two sets might be adequate. When in doubt be overly generous!
Alcohol Use – Some boat owner don’t mind people enjoying a few drinks responsibly on the boat. However if it is your first time out I would recommend against bringing alcoholic beverages until you get a feel for if the owner minds or not. If you are unsure then ask! It’s their boat and they are responsible for what the people on board are doing. Some lakes have laws against alcoholic beverage use and you don’t want to put the owner in a difficult situation.
Smoking – In my boat I don’t mind if people smoke as long as they are sitting away from me and the boat is NOT moving. But the rule on my boat is “if you burn it, you buy it”. So if your cigarette falls and burns a hole in the seat guess what… you are buying me a new skin. Other owners may feel differently so before you assume you can light up ask!
Wait Your Turn – Be patient and wait until someone asks you to go. Always let the other riders take their turn first. You are the new guy!
Limit Your Water Time – Take note on how many people in the boat are riding and how long the owner plans on staying out. You don’t want to be the guy who takes a really, really long set – especially if you just got invited out. Just keep in mind there other riders in the boat!
Enjoy Yourself – I’ll be the first to admit I like to take a set, ride well, and progress. However there are times I go out and nothing goes as planned – I ride horrible! With this being the case if I climb into the boat all bummed out it as an effect on the entire mood of the boat. So if you go out and don’t ride your best don’t sweat it! Have a good time and just enjoy being out on the water.
Never Complain – More than likely you have not had the chance to ride behind every wakeboard boat out there. So don’t be surprised if it takes you a set or two (or three) to get used to the wake. No matter what the case is do not complain! Every boat owner is proud of their boat. The last thing you want to do is offend them by complaining about the wake size, wake shape, etc.
Clean Up – This is one of the most important items. Do not climb out of the boat at the end of the day, hand the owner gas money (see above), and take off! To keep a boat looking good it needs to be wiped down and cleaned up. Help unload equipment, pickup garbage, and wipe down the boat. If you are unsure of what you can do to help then ask!
Believe it or not good “thirds” are hard to find. Hopefully the above guidelines will make you a third that most boat owner think of first when it times to finding people to ride with. These guidelines may seem like a lot of “rules” to follow but most of it is just common sense and courtesy. Best of luck!
Jason Haines is looking for a good hair stylist...
All posts by Jason Haines
Some other tips for guests from a regular host:
I posted this elswhere once upon a time.
If you are coming out a day late to a lake house ALWAYS call twice, once in the am and once at the store to pick-up what is forgotten, that is also a small thing that helps a lot when it is 40 minutes to Wal-Mart.
If you are a first time guest you may be told to just bring your suit and a towel – that is what I tell folks.
Here are some things you can bring that have made a great impression on me, – frozen bottled water, it works for ice and you have drinks for the boat that do not stain, I allow coke etc. but some folks do not. In fact, never show up to any boat without at least a bag of ice.
Your own cleaning rag and bottle of vinyl cleaner – even if it is not Aero 303 – I am always out and will use any good brand in a pinch.
If you ride with anyone on a regular basis and they say don’t worry, I’ll clean it when I get home – find out when and stop by to help. I can assure you, you are an army of one. By this point in the summer, even the rabid boaters are tired of solo boat care.
I have some regulars that just step up and handle stuff like food planning, who will bring what – it is a huge help.
I’ve had a V drive four years, every winter I buy about 10 rash guard shirts ($15-$19), I consider them essential, and I am down to four – I do not know where they go. Rather than cash – plex goggles or a nice rash guard shirt or two will get you remembered.
If you ride tubes with someone a lot, think ropes. I switch out my 4 man lines every year and buy 4 at a pop so they are all the same length. I snapped a little rope once and it came back into the boat. I’m big on big, new ropes every year or so.
I’ve also gotten a rope swing, framed water pictures and even a toilet paper holder (a moose with a spare role box under it). If it was a gift, I know who it was from. One guy made custom t-shirts for everyone one weekend, nice design, nice shirt, very thoughtful.
All of this takes more time than an ATM but if you are hitching a ride, someone has more than a little time vested in you already. Having been a host a number of years I realize that I was never a very good guest – which may explain why I wasn’t one all that often.
Finally, watch the rope. If someone is having trouble getting suited up, ask if you can pull it in. Watch the boat traffic, if it looks odd, SPEAK-UP!
I don’t “expect” this or that from my guests, but it is remembered when they take a little time to show their appreciation.
I had a lot of help this weekend on boating projects. It was greatly appreciated.
Great post! I’ve been lucky and most of the people I’ve boated with have followed the majority of these gestures. I can say from a boat owner, if you followed all of the above you would definitely be at the top of my calling list.