Water skiing is a popular watersport that can bring a lot of fun while you’re out boating with the family, but it’s not an activity that you can just jump in without being prepared.
In this sport, a motor-running boat pulls behind one or multiple skiers. In case there’s more than one water-skier, a common question you may come across in boating exams is: a boat is towing two skiers at the same time. How long should the tow lines be?
Here’s the answer: the tow lines should be the same length when a boat is towing two skiers at the same time. In fact, the boat operators should maintain the same towline length no matter the number of skiers they pull as well as their ski board size and weight.
If the tow lines are of different lengths, accidents are nearly inevitable for the water-skier on the shorter towline. For example, getting cloth-lined by the skier on the longer line.
What to do Before Towing a Skier
As a captain of the boat, your top priority is the safety of the skiers. So, having certain skiing skills, adequate knowledge of safety precautions, and a basic understating of the rules of waterskiing courtesy is a must.
If you own a boat and you’re planning on towing skiers behind you, here are a few essential safety tips that you should follow before even putting the key in the ignition:
- Have a person on board at the back of the boat to keep an eye on the skiers and act as an observer.
- If you have beginners involved, make sure that everybody knows the meaning of the hand signals so there’s to avoid communication issues between the skier and the boat operator. Even if you’ve been doing this for many years, you should refresh and update your knowledge of the hand signals before getting into the water.
- All water skiers are required to wear a personal floatation device (PFD) approved by the US Coast Guard and designed specifically for water skiing. A PFD with a high-impact rating is the safest choice. Note that ski belts are not USCG-approved.
- Be thoroughly familiar with the area you’re skiing and towing in while also keeping a sharp eye out for potential hazards such as shallow water, other water users, rocks, bridge pilings, and other boats.
- If towing two or more skiers at the same time, make sure that the tow lines are the same length.
- Never tow a skier at night. Not only is this illegal, but it’s also extremely dangerous.
What to do While Towing a Skier
The following are some safety precautions you must stick to during the actual towing of one or more skiers:
- Ensure that everybody is away from the boat’s propeller before you start the motor and engine.
- As soon as the skier falls, they should look behind to make sure there’s no danger of being run over. To confirm the safety of the situation and to inform the boat operator that there are no injuries, the skier should give a hand signal.
- Slowly start to pull away until the ski rope becomes tight. When you have a clean line of sight in a straight line, increase the speed once the skier signals you to do so.
- When the skier stands upright, you can adjust your speed depending on the signals they give you.
- The skiers should be kept at least twice the length of the towing rope from any hazards such as the shoreline, other boats, and other water users.
- Avoid towing the skiers into a waterway where there’s a possibility of encountering congestion. Towing requires a lot of room, some lakes even have areas just for this sport.
- Watch out for anything that might interfere with your and the skier’s course. The observer at the back of the boat is responsible for keeping an eye on the person being towed.
- Always respond to signals from the skier. Even if you’re simply going to make a turn, signal to them your plan.
- In case the skier falls into the water, circle them slowly to return the tow rope or pick them up. Don’t approach the skier from behind and always have them in clear view on the operator’s side of the boat.
- In some US states, the boats are required to fly a skier down flag while retrieving the skier
- While waiting to be retrieved, the skier should hold up a ski out of the water. They can also wave their hands if necessary.
- Always turn off your boat’s engine before you let the skier climb back on board to reduce the risk of a propeller strike injury.
- Unless you’re towing two skiers at the same time, wait until the skiers are back on your boat before you retrieve the tow line.
Important Hand Signals
The recommended length of a waterskiing tow line is 75 feet or 23 meters. When you’re being towed at such a distance behind a motorboat, you should be able to communicate with the boat operator and the observer.
For this reason, you must learn the following hand signals before participating in this sport:
- Thumb up — Speed up the boat
- Thumb down — Slow down the boat
- OK signal with hand — signal understood or OK
- Circle motion with arms over-head and then pointing in the desired direction — turn the boat (also used by the operator)
- Slashing motion over the neck — Stop (also used by the operator and the observer)
- Hands clasped over the head — skier is alright after falling
- Pat on the head — Return to the dock
Wrap Up
So, a boat is towing two skiers at the same time. How long should the tow lines be? The answer is that the tow lines should be the same length when a boat is towing two skiers at the same time regardless of their ski board size and weight.