It’s Only Sporting: Finding the Right Gear for Summer Fun

For many of us, boating means getting out on the water, feeling the wind and sun in our hair, cruising around some of Colorado’s most scenic lakes and reservoirs, anchoring in a protected cove and breaking out the good food and drink for families and friends.

Sounds great, right?

Well, other boaters have other ideas for what constitutes a day of perfection on the water. Some of us use our boats to go in search of those wily fish lurking beneath the lily pads or down in the fathomless depths. Yeah, that sounds like fun, too.

And still others–usually boaters with young kids, tireless teens or even those of us seasoned citizens who still have some life left in our knees, hips and arm sockets–enjoy spending the summer months dragging passengers around behind the boat, on tubes, water skis, wakeboards or even those newfangled hydrofoil things.

Yes, watersports come in all shapes and sizes but the basic concept is the same: being pulled at speed behind your boat. 

Colorado Boat Center not only sells the best in new and previously owned boats, but our Pro Shop carries all the sporting gear you need to spend the summer towing, dragging or creating leapable wakes all around Boyd Lake, Horsetooth Reservoir or Carter Lake.

Here’s a list of watersports activities, from easy to challenging, and the gear you’ll need.

Tubing.  Pretty easy to do–all you have to do is hang on! This sport gets its name from the old-fashioned method of using an inflated inner tube tied to a tow rope affixed to the stern of your boat. These days, the ‘tubes’ of tubing have gotten a lot more sophisticated. They come in all shapes and sizes, most with handy hold-ons, but they are still inflated, the rider sits on them and holds on for dear life. And it’s still good fun on a hot summer afternoon.

Colorado Boat Center sells several different brands of ‘tubes,’ along with tow ropes and life jackets.

Waterskiing. Do you remember the first time you ‘got up’ on skis? Tow rope between the skis, wait for the signal, hear the boat engines roar, feel the pull of the rope…resist the momentum and … yes! You’re up and skiing!

And then, after skiing with two skis for a while, you tried the single ski. If you mastered the knack, you found you could carve great turns on one ski, jump the wake and impress the young lady sunning herself in the boat watching you behind her sunglasses! Oh wait, a long forgotten memory just snuck out!

CBC carries the HO Sports Hovercraft line of skis. These extra-wide skis (the surface area is comparable to two skis combined) are great for learning on yet still super fun for advanced skiers.  Getting up on one is much easier than on a wakeboard and once you’re up, it rips turns like a surfboard. Our customers tell us they enjoy the excellent control, improved balance and effortless low-speed skiing.

Wakeboarding.  Wakeboarding has become hugely popular in the boating world. It takes a little practice to learn how to get going, but once up and running, boarders find a whole new world of sporting fun. Pretty soon, almost everyone can carve beautiful turns, catch some air jumping the wake and performing lots of other impressive tricks.

We carry the Hyperlite Wakeboards, and the Hyperlite Shim is our best selling model. They are ideal for intermediate to advanced riders looking to take their skill to the next level.  The fast rocker line allows the board to carry speed anywhere on the wave, and the short profile makes it super maneuverable and great for spins and bi air. And Hyperlite’s DuraShell construction combines buoyancy and durability.

Kneeboarding.  This skill is a degree or two harder than tubing, which means almost anyone can do it. Starting from a prone position, you hook the tow rope onto the front of the board and once you’re moving along, you pull yourself into a kneeling position (there are holders to slip your knees into), grab the tow rope and you are kneeboarding! You can maneuver and do tricks, but it’s generally pretty easy. And lots of fun.

Wakesurfing.  This sport is similar to wakeboarding (and the boards you ride are also similar) but the difference is once you get going, you drop the rope and ride the wake of the boat. It’s like surfing on a wave that never ends. And that’s a good way to get a good mellow on!

Hydrofoiling.  This relatively new technology is fascinating to watch and fun to do. Usually, either a wakeboard or a wakesurf board is modified with a hydrofoil fin that raises the rider above the water. Once you get in motion behind the boat, you drop the tow rope and glide along above the wake (which propels the rider). This skill definitely takes some practice to perfect, but is said to be a truly exhilarating ride. 

So stop into the Pro Shop at Colorado Boat Center and let us help you outfit your boat for the sporting life this summer. We’ll get you the best gear at the best prices. And our experienced crew will patiently explain the difference between a fakey and a railie.