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Les on the theory behind kneeboard starts. Everything below follows the video.
The short answer. A kneeboard start is not a strength contest. The boat drags you along on top of the board like a toboggan until the board climbs out of the water and flattens — and that moment is your signal that there is finally enough support under you to pull yourself up. Everything else is about making that moment easy to reach and easy to read.
The three things that make the difference: a purpose-built hook handle, a gentle boat speed, and getting your knees into the right part of the board before you unhook.
This is the companion piece to the on-the-water run-through. If you just want the sequence of moves, that is the getting up on a kneeboard demo. This page is Les explaining why each part works, which is the bit that makes the demo stick.
There are three ways to start a kneeboard
- Deep water, using a hook — the board has a tow hook on the front.
- Deep water, without a hook.
- A shallow or bank start — the board is on a sandy beach, or you are standing in water about knee deep.
Les covers the two deep-water starts here. The bank start gets named but not taught, so if that is the one you want, ask us rather than guessing at it.
How a tow hook actually works
Hooks are not new. They have been around for many years and come in a few different styles, but the principle is the same in all of them.
The part that matters is the handle. A purpose-built kneeboard handle has a small bar on it designed to connect to the hook. Because the bar is what sits in the hook, the actual grip the rider holds ends up much closer to their knees.
This is why hooking an ordinary handle is a worse option. Two things go wrong. It is much harder to get your fingers under it. And you have to lean a long way forward to reach the grip — particularly smaller kids, who end up out of position before the boat has even moved.
A proper kneeboard handle puts the grip close enough to your knees that your body position is right when you go to take it.
The hook start — and what the board is doing underneath you
You lie on the board holding the handle, with the small bar hooked into the hook at the front. When the boat pulls, it pulls the board along, and you are merely being dragged along on top of it as if you are on a toboggan. Nothing is being asked of you yet.
Then the board climbs out of the water and starts to flatten. That is the change you are waiting for. Once it happens there is enough support underneath you to pull yourself up onto it.
Hold the handle, or hold the board
Either is fine, and Les says it is totally up to you. What it comes down to is your grip strength and the amount of water running past you at the time.
Les is tall enough that he holds the front of the board instead. Some bicep action and he pulls himself up until his chest is over the top of the front part of the board, further forward than his elbows — he is not lying on the board anymore.
Knees up, with your weight on your elbows
With his weight on his elbows, he can then draw his knees up onto the back of the board. From there, two options:
- Continue to pull them through equally — this is what Les prefers.
- Or gently walk them forward until they are in the correct position.
Get your knees right before you unhook. This is the critical part. Once your knees are in the correct part of the board, the board behaves and responds the way it was designed to. If you are too far back when you go to recover the handle, you are in a poor position to do it.
Knees where they belong, and you can readily grab the handle and take some load. Now you are kneeboarding.
Where the handle sits once you are riding
Keep it low, down closer to your thighs or the crease in your waistline. That gives you the most control.
Leave the handle a long way out in front of you and it is much more difficult to have any control over your destiny. Turns get harder. Spins become near impossible.
Les is realistic about it: not everyone is strong enough to hold it there the whole time. The point to carry with you is that any time you want to move, the more strongly you can hold the handle low, the easier it is to rotate and sort out your direction.
Boat speed — slower than you think
It does not take much speed at all to bring a kneeboard up onto the plane. Even for a moderately sized adult, the speed is still quite gentle — slower than pulling a skier on double skis.
You do not have to guess when you are there, either. The board tells you:
- The wall of water in front of the board drops away and moves gently out to the side.
- It becomes much easier to see what is going on.
- There is a lot less drag, so bringing your body up onto the board is easier.
- The board itself is more stable and less likely to roll, because the water underneath is firmer.
Starting without a hook
Same theory, a little more work for you, because nothing is holding the handle for you.
- You hang on to the handle and the front of the board at the same time.
- Your body is extended across the deck of the board.
- The boat takes off smoothly and progressively.
Once the board climbs and settles flatter on the water, that is your signal that it is properly planing and it is time to get into your riding position.
Pull yourself forward onto the board so your weight is on your forearms. From there you can pull your knees up onto the board and work them forward.
At some stage you will run out of flexibility. Your knees will be close to the correct position but you will need to get upright to finish the job. If you can get your knees all the way forward, well done. If you are, as Les puts it, stiff as a board, you will get so far and then need to let go of the front of the board, get your body upright, and work your knees into the correct position from there.
Once you get there the board behaves, the handle comes in closer to your thighs rather than stretched out in front of you, and you are more stable with much easier directional control.
What this lesson does not cover
- The knee strap. Les treats using the strap that holds you into the board as a separate learning session, so nothing here tells you how or when to do it up. Strap fitting and removal is covered in how to set up your kneeboard.
- The shallow or bank start. Named as one of the three options, but not taught in this video.
Common questions
How does a kneeboard tow hook work?
The hook sits on the front of the board. A purpose-built kneeboard handle has a small bar on it that connects to the hook, so the boat pulls the board along and you are dragged on top of it rather than having to hold your whole weight through the start. Once the board climbs out of the water and flattens, you pull yourself up onto it and then take the handle out of the hook.
Can I use a normal handle in a kneeboard tow hook?
It is a much worse option. It is harder to get your fingers under an ordinary handle, and you have to lean a long way forward to reach the grip, which puts you out of position before you start. That hits smaller kids hardest. A purpose-built kneeboard handle puts the grip much closer to your knees.
How do I know when the board is ready for me to pull up?
When it climbs out of the water and starts to flatten. The tell is the wall of water in front of the board dropping away and running gently out to the side. At that point there is less drag, you can see what is going on, and there is enough support under the board to take your weight.
How fast should the boat go to pull a kneeboarder up?
Slowly. It does not take much speed to bring a kneeboard onto the plane, and even for a moderately sized adult it stays quite gentle - slower than pulling someone on double skis.
Should I hold the handle or the front of the board when getting up?
Either. It depends on your grip strength and how much water is running past you at the time. Les, being tall, holds the front of the board and uses his biceps to pull his chest up over the front of it.
When should I take the handle out of the hook?
Only after your knees are in the correct part of the board. Get that right first and the board behaves the way it was designed to. If you are still too far back when you go to recover the handle, you are in a poor position to do it.
Where should the handle sit while I am kneeboarding?
Low, close to your thighs or the crease in your waistline. That gives you the most control. Held a long way out in front, turns get harder and spins become near impossible.
Why does my kneeboard feel like it wants to roll?
Usually because the board has not settled onto the plane yet. Once it flattens out, the water underneath is firmer, there is less drag and the board is noticeably more stable and less likely to roll.
What if I am not flexible enough to get my knees forward?
Very common. Get your knees as far forward as you can with your weight on your forearms, then let go of the front of the board, bring your body upright, and work your knees into the correct position from there.
Where to go from here
The on-the-water version of this lesson is how to get up on a kneeboard — the signals, the strap and the hand placement, start to finish. Setting a board up for a rider, including tow hooks and straps, is covered in how to set up your kneeboard, and the differences between board types are in the breakdown on kneeboards. Getting the rope onto the boat or ski is here, and vest fit is here. More lessons in the how-to guides.
If the handle is the thing letting you down, the kneeboard ropes and hook handles are the ones built with the bar. Tow hooks, straps and replacement parts are in kneeboard accessories, boards are in the kneeboard range, and everyone in the water needs a properly fitted life jacket.
Not sure whether your board takes a hook, or which handle fits it? Come into the shop at Moorooka in Brisbane, give us a call or send us an email — tell us what board you have and we will sort it out.
Presented by Les at Waterskiers World — Australia's dedicated towed water sports retailer, family-run for over 20 years from our Brisbane store and online. Talk to our team.