Mountain Luxury Collection 46 Catching Waves at Pineview Reservoir As much as the technology of motor boats has changed over the years, so have the toys being pulled by those boats. Instead of seeing slalom water skiers making rooster tail spray and skipping over small wakes, the lakes are now crowded with wake surfers using the largest wake the boat can provide. The innovative Centurion Ri 237 boat, a demo model owned by Fred’s Marine, includes a feature virtually unheard of 20 years ago. This feature will fill the hull of the boat with 3,000 pounds of water in about a minute and a half. The extra weight produces a huge wake which mimics the waves found on the ocean — perfect for wake surfing. Surfers can just keep going all day on one con- tinuous wave. “You’re seeing less and less wake boarders on the water and more and more wake surfers,” said Kip Ames, a manager at Fred’s Marine. “Wake surfing is by far one of the most popular watersports.” According to Ames, the reasons for the rise of wake surfing are many. The low impact nature of the sport is much easier on the body. Unlike waterskiing, surfers are not pulling against a boat going 30 miles an hour, instead, they use gravity to surf down the wave. And if there's a crash, the boat is only traveling around 10-12 miles an hour. Ease of participation makes it much more attractive for all ages. Pretty much anyone can get up on a board and try it. “Even grand- ma can get out and surf,” said Ames. It’s also an all-day activity. Surfers aren’t affected by choppy water so they don’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn to find the glassy water. It can be done all day, regardless of the water conditions. The sport has had so much impact that boat manufacturers are moving away from wakeboarding boats and producing wake-surf specific boats. The Centurion models even have a feature that switches the wave from one side of the wake to the other with the touch of a button. “There are a lot of guys with old Bayliners (boats) trying to do anything they can to modify their boats to create bigger wakes,” said Ames. The sport has certainly opened up the thrill of cruising along the water to all ages, making it the ideal family activity no longer re- served for the expert water skier or wake boarder. Mountain Luxury Collection 46 | h2oh yeah! …manufacturers are moving away from wakeboarding boats and producing wake-surf specific boats.