Hints to getting back on to a squirrely ski?

[scooper77515]

Dad fell off last time out. He is about 250 lbs, and 60 years old, and had a pretty thick wetsuit on adding another 10 lbs. I told him a few trips back he needs to jump off in fairly shallow water and learn to get back on. "I don't plan on falling off."

OK...

Well, next trip out, he falls off. He is about 200 yards off shore in waist high waves making it even harder to get on. He hops a wave and lands a little sideways, and holds on a bit, then into the water he goes.

He is struggling for about 20 minutes, getting halfway on and rolling back off, while I watch from shore and run about 1000 yards down the beach then proceed to swim out to where he is. He has a short temper, so I am thinking he is close to the point of shredding the seat with his fingernails, biting off the handlebars, or something like that.

So I get there, and to add insult to injury, I say, "did you plan to fall off?"

And of course, "I told you so!"

So I grab the nose, push myself underwater til I touch ground, and hold the ski steady as he climbs up. Then he starts it up and takes off leaving me a couple hundred yards off shore, breathing hard from the run and the swim, and kinda wishing we had a ski that could hold two people...

Anyway, we are thinking of putting on an extra rope of some sort by clipping it to the rings on each side of the handle bars, that would be closer to the front than the strap on the seat, but not as far a reach as the bars. Sort of a second grasp before having to reach up to the bars, which tends to be the point where he falls off.

Anyone have any other suggestions for making re-boarding a small craft simpler?

 

[ScubaDoo]

There is a ladder available that bolts on the rear of the ski to help step back on. I have seen them on e-bay for like $40.00 or less. It might help out a bunch, than a rope or something that might get tangled.

ScubaDoo

 

[D 5UPE]

It can be a pain, getting back on in waves.

Take him when the waters flat.

Does your ski have a grab handle on the back?

 

[kustomkarl]

It should have a grab handle, but the ladder is a great idea. I should of thought of that.:rofl:

 

[scooper77515]

It has a grab handle on the back of the seat, then a strap on the middle of the seat. He seems to lose it trying to transition from the low strap to the high handle bars for his last "pull up". That is why we tossed around the idea of another strap that rides just above or below the key, not quite so high up that it knocks his center of gravity off.

I can recover just fine, but I am 50 lbs lighter and 30 years younger.

 

[kustomkarl]

I wonder if there is a link to the age and pounds???:ack:

 

[scooper77515]

You WONDER!!!:agree:

 

[kustomkarl]

Check out a cheap ladder step. I see one at the top of the page from e-bay...but it is like $189.00...that's way to much I see them for $40.-$50. It might be worth it.

 

[scooper77515]

I could build something like this...

...or dad could, since he is the one having problems getting up, and he stills works in the machine shops...

We would have to do it in a way where it would stay out of the way of the moving water and create as little drag as possible. I don't want to slow down or "stabilize" the ski in any way

 

[kustomkarl]

That exact item flips up out of the way after boarding...

Karl

 

[seadoosnipe]

Springs....

It flips up and stays out of the way, till the springs get corroded.........Nah, don't mean to sound negative. I've seen them, but I would think if there are springs exposed to the elements, I'd be cleaning a lubricating on a really regular basis........