Handling rope in the boat ?

[Andre]

Lost a Reflex shell tonite when it got caught in the rope before tightening.

What's the proper way to jump in ?

Coiled rope in hand or layed in water or other?

We were 3 so the observer wasn't paying enough attention obviously as he was standing in the back feeding the rope.

 

Anyone has a cheap good condition Reflex shell RFF size 10 before i order from Miami Nautique?

 

[BrennanKMN]

I usually hand over and the rope out the back while I am sitting on the platform/transom just before jumping in. This accomplishes two things for me - checking the rope for knots before tightening it and being slow enough to not hook and fling anything out of the boat.

 

If I don't do the above I have a coil sitting on the motor box with the loop on the pylon and the handle in my hand. While on the back of the boat I'll fling the rope off the side of the boat holding the handle letting it fully unspool.

[Rednucleus]

We always pull/coil rope into one back corner; never hand coil; handle then handed to next skier and rope pays out as boat idles; never knots. In our Sunsetter with rear seat out the supports form a perfect box to hold the coils.

[Stevie Boy]

Definitely check your rope for knots, everytime you ski, it,s either going to break on you at maximum load point OUCH ! or take forever to get it out

[Golfguy]

Pull the rope into the boat and throw it on the floor, no coiling. Then the skier picks up the handle and the rope runs out from the floor if the boat. Skier watches for knots. Jack Horton taught me this.

[Andre]

@Golfguy

The rope was coil somehow on the floor but when the boat started moving that' when it hooked my Reflex shell...

From now,skiers will be jumping in with the rope either in water or coiled in their hands.

My 94 Prostar is a small boat and when we're 3-4,there's a lot of equipement on the floor...

[jjackkrash]

If there's equipment near the rope it is going to get snagged without constant diligence. I try and keep the equipment put away in the side saddle bags at all times or far enough forward that it is not in a position to get snagged by the rope laid hand over hand (not coiled) on the floor in the aft. If you have to have gear everywhere the only solution is to be ruthless to the crew: "watch the rope! watch the rope! watch the rope!" all day long. I do this even when the boat is clear, i.e., make sure the boat culture is one of being constantly vigilant and aware of the rope. You don't want a skier jumping in with the whole coiled rope IMO; that's a recipe for disaster because instead of equipment getting snagged, its a finger, or arm, or neck getting caught in the rope not to mention an increased risk of knots.

[UWSkier]

equipment always goes to the side. Rope coils up on the floor directly behind the motor box. Skier jumps in. Rope unfurls. Been working that way for us for ages. Never lost anything overboard and can't remember the last time I saw a knot. Even in my little RLX with 3 pax and 1 skier.

[Southside_Mike]

Definitely don't chuck the rope out before you get in the water. Once saw a wakeboarder do this and fully submerge when he jumped in - came up with it coiled round his neck. Boat was drifting away so he started to choke before the driver threw it into reverse. Ultimately no damage but a scary moment.

[BraceMaker]

Does seem more like a shell issue than a rope issue.

 

Old neighbor had a laundry basket to furl his rope into. But he liked to do lots of dock starts and barefoot dock starts.

[Chef23]

We always let the rope drop behind the engine cover and put our equipment including shells next to the engine cover. We have a few skiers that use hardshells and we haven't lost one yet.