First trip to surf. What do I need to know?

[jap7t8]

So its a ways off but i might be going to the Florida coast for vacation next summer. I want to plan on taking the skis with me for my first surf experience. Three questions...

1. Where is a good vaca spot that it would also be legal for me to ride the ski at too. (we were thinking about renting a house around Destin possibly?) Its a two family vacation, so we need to be at a nice spot with lots to do too.

2. What do I need to do to prep the skis? We have a 90 and 93 sj (both 650s). As far as I know, they have been freshwater skis their whole lives. Ive heard some wacky things can happen when a ski sees salt for the first time.

3. Anything else I need to keep in mind to generally not look like a d-bag out there? I am experienced on flat water, but who knows in surf lol.

Thanks in advance for any info!

 

[WILKEY]

dont ride by yourself

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

Yeah, find an experienced rider near where you plan on being. Not only will he/she be your buddy system, but they can also show you the ropes.

 

[teton]

if you want "a lot to do" stay away from destin unless you your idea of fun is looking at antique shops....etc....

I don't know how destin is for launching off the beach, but I spent the last 5 years in Tallahassee, and the only time there was surf was if there was a tropical storm etc.....

so If you are mainly going to ski, go somewhere like daytona, If you are going on vacation to relax, and would like to get some skiing in...destin has some really nice beaches to relax....

get hood straps....

 

[djkorn1]

Take the hood off at night...start them up and spray down with salt water...if it stalls or sparks, you have electrical issues to fix!

Hood straps and bilge pumps and you should be good to go.

I would hit daytona.

 

[tightithrash]

do NOT LET GO. PERIOD.

 

[tipafew]

Yep, good advice so far. NEVER let go.
Hood straps and bilge pump.

Spray down engine with wd40 or silicone spray before you hit the water each day. Rinse everything off and run ski on a flush kit at the end of the day.

Before I go on a salt water trip I put a little di electric grease on my elect. connections. My ski sees almost all fresh water and I had to pull the coil and solder on new wires the first time I had it in salt water.

Keep your mouth closed. It tastes bad.

 

[jap7t8]

Awesome advice guys. Thanks so far. Keep 'em coming!

Especially location options. There will only be 2 of us riding, so the majority of the people going care more about it being a good vacation spot over a skiing spot.

What are the laws as far as where you can launch/ride? Public beaches vs. private, etc. Im obviously not very familiar. Here in the midwest, if its deep enough, we ride in it lol.

 

[yamaslut]

Awesome advice guys. Thanks so far. Keep 'em coming!

Especially location options. There will only be 2 of us riding, so the majority of the people going care more about it being a good vacation spot over a skiing spot.

What are the laws as far as where you can launch/ride? Public beaches vs. private, etc. Im obviously not very familiar. Here in the midwest, if its deep enough, we ride in it lol.

pm me when it get's close... I will get you set up.
there are a ton of good spots to ride in Fl..

 

[Idok]

Yep, good advice so far. NEVER let go.
Hood straps and bilge pump.

Spray down engine with wd40 or silicone spray before you hit the water each day. Rinse everything off and run ski on a flush kit at the end of the day.

Before I go on a salt water trip I put a little di electric grease on my elect. connections. My ski sees almost all fresh water and I had to pull the coil and solder on new wires the first time I had it in salt water.

Keep your mouth closed. It tastes bad.

salt water in the mouth > fresh water in the eyes


that stuff burns!!!!!!

 

[nightrider05]

Surprisingly, Destin is actually a pretty cool place to ride. I was there last February and they had some nice surf action(better than Daytona..I lived there and hardly ever saw surf this nice)

Hit me up if you go down there. I know a few guys in that area and I will shoot you their phone number. They ride almost every day right outside the jetty. I believe I might be going down there around the same time this next year..or maybe a bit closer to spring.

 

[jap7t8]

pm me when it get's close... I will get you set up.
there are a ton of good spots to ride in Fl..

Surprisingly, Destin is actually a pretty cool place to ride. I was there last February and they had some nice surf action(better than Daytona..I lived there and hardly ever saw surf this nice)

Hit me up if you go down there. I know a few guys in that area and I will shoot you their phone number. They ride almost every day right outside the jetty. I believe I might be going down there around the same time this next year..or maybe a bit closer to spring.

Thanks fellas. Ill keep you both posted.

 

[-XXX-]

dont ride by yourself

#1 rule!!!!

 

[-XXX-]

So its a ways off but i might be going to the Florida coast for vacation next summer. I want to plan on taking the skis with me for my first surf experience. Three questions...

1. Where is a good vaca spot that it would also be legal for me to ride the ski at too. (we were thinking about renting a house around Destin possibly?) Its a two family vacation, so we need to be at a nice spot with lots to do too.

2. What do I need to do to prep the skis? We have a 90 and 93 sj (both 650s). As far as I know, they have been freshwater skis their whole lives. Ive heard some wacky things can happen when a ski sees salt for the first time.

3. Anything else I need to keep in mind to generally not look like a d-bag out there? I am experienced on flat water, but who knows in surf lol.

Thanks in advance for any info!

Tow rope. Wacky things do happen.
Gum (big wad) mouthpiece.
Camelback hydration system.

 

[SkiDiggity]

i ride with a camelback and i love it spare lanyards are good too. i keep one up in the nose of my ski.

 

[djkorn1]

camelback? what for?

 

[yamaslut]

Surprisingly, Destin is actually a pretty cool place to ride. I was there last February and they had some nice surf action(better than Daytona..I lived there and hardly ever saw surf this nice)

Hit me up if you go down there. I know a few guys in that area and I will shoot you their phone number. They ride almost every day right outside the jetty. I believe I might be going down there around the same time this next year..or maybe a bit closer to spring.

keep dreaming..did you just compare destin to daytona??? palease....

I know daytona isn't great., but it's no gulf slop...

 

[ksarge91]

-Definately find a local to show you around.
-Spray everything down with wd-40
-Put di-electric grease everywhere, all the connections, plug caps, everywhere. Salt water conducts electricity.
-Bring a helmet
-An easily accesible tow-rope and loops in the front and rear are a must. Make it about 5 or 6 feet long, this way the busted ski and the tow vehicle travel as one through sets.
-Get hood straps and a bilge pump if you don't already have them.

 

[SUPERTUNE]

Use non-resistor sparkplugs and set the gap to .024 will help with coil wires shorting out, don't forget to use some dielectric grease on them too as mentioned in a previous post.

 

[-XXX-]

i ride with a camelback and i love it spare lanyards are good too. i keep one up in the nose of my ski.

Zip tie a "GET OUT OF DANGER NOW" Lanyard clip to your bars right by the housing.