The Problem with Wakeboarding

Do you know the only thing better than having a boat?

Having a friend with a boat.

Wakeboarding is still a relatively new sport, but it is fueled by a passionate community. The core problem it faces has always been high barriers to participation. Even if you are one of the fortunate few to own a boat (better yet, a wake boat) it comes with the constant headaches of maintenance, storage, transportation and fuel cost to name a few. Not to mention needing a body of water that has boat access, but not so many boats that the water is too rough to ride on.

Enter the cable park. In theory, this should get around the problems that come with boating- you can show up with your board, take your set, and hang out or go on with your day. All for less than the fuel cost of 20 minutes behind a partially weighted wake boat. Sounds great right? Yes and no. Cable parks are expensive to build and come with logistical challenges. On top of that, full size cables need a large enough piece of land with a body of water suitable for their operations. In order to make this venture economically viable, many parks opt to purchase land where it is cost effective. Translation: many people are forced to drive hours away to their nearest facility.

After years of thinking there must be a better way, we found inspiration internationally. If you look at Europe and parts of Asia, there are wake parks that seamlessly integrate with the urban landscape. They provide access to the community and build on local culture. We’re not saying this is an easy problem, but it is one worth solving.