In the exciting and extreme sport of barefoot water skiing, there is a big misconception that you should be travelling over the water at really fast and excessive speeds in order to stand on the water.
This is not the case.
I’ve seen barefoot water skiing successful done with the skier being pulled behind what you would call relatively slow pontoon boats, and speeds that you probably wouldn’t think it possible.
Barefoot Skiing Speed
It can be done even on slower water craft, but there is a formula that you can use to check to see if your boat is fast enough to pull barefoot skiers.
Take your weight in pounds / divide it by ten + add 20 to this number
The above is a safe formula that will give you a guideline of how fast one might need to go to barefoot successfully.
This formula will give you your estimated speed in miles per hour (mph). For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, then you would divide by ten, giving you 20, then add 20, and you get 40 mph as your barefooting speed.
Can You Barefoot Water Ski Behind a Pontoon Boat?
So, as you can see, for lighter people, they could quite easily barefoot behind a pontoon boat or slower craft with no issues. It is all down to how heavy you are, and how fast your pontoon can go.
It is important that your boat driver is clued up to how to drive when pulling a beginner barefooter, as too much or too little speed on the pull out of the water can make or break a deep water start.
Using the 200 lb guy in the example formula above, then a slow, steady pull out of the water is better than a full throttle rip-out.
Once a speed of around 25 mph is reached the driver can throttle back slowly and hold it there until the skier has steadied themselves in their “butt ride”.
A KSO wet suit with padded shorts is a good idea to wear, as it will make the whole barefoot start easier as well as keeping you comfortable when you start progressing in the sport.
After the skier has become comfortable with the “butt ride” they will maneuver in to the “3 point” position. When they look steady in this position, the driver can once again steadily accelerate to the skier’s final 2-foot standing position. For the skier in this case, it would be 40 miles per hour – if you have a pontoon that can go that fast of course!
Want to know more about what speeds you need depending on what water sports you want to take part in? If yes, then read this guide to pontoon boat speeds which has a list of the type of speed you will need depending on what you want to do including tube pulling and standard water skiing.
