V-Drive Barefoot Boom Secrets

V-Drive boats have become increasingly more popular and are now the single biggest sellers of inboard water ski boats. What is a V-Drive boat, you ask?

A V-Drive boat is a water ski boat that has an inboard engine in the rear of the boat. The reason that these boats have become more popular is that their configuration allows for more room for your family and friends in the boat. This ends up creating a living-room environment on the water.

Another advantage of a V-Drive boat is that it puts the weight of the engine in the rear of the boat.  This shift in weight makes it possible to create a wake that is better for wakeboarding and wakesurfing. What if you wanted to use your V-Drive boat to teach your friends and family how to wakeboard, wakesurf, waterski, and even barefoot water ski?

By adding a barefoot boom that is especially designed for V-Drive boats, you can now transform your V-Drive into the ultimate ski boat. Let's say you wanted to teach your kids to get up on a wakeboard or to learn any other type of water skiing without falling. With a barefoot boom, they can have the tremendous stability of the boom while being close to the driver who can give them instructions and reassurance.

Most new V-Drive boats come with factory installed wakeboard towers. These towers tend to be mounted in the middle of the boat. One of the greatest misconceptions about putting a barefoot boom on a boat, is that it needs to be mounted perpendicular to the boat. This is absolutely false.

First of all, you need to make sure that you have a written guarantee that your barefoot boom is designed for a V-Drive boat and also adds the additional guarantees of being the best barefoot boom at the best price. Do not make the mistake of going to your local boat dealer to get any old boom. You should do research on the internet to make sure you are getting the best barefoot boom at the best price.

To install your V-Drive barefoot boom, you need to first make sure that the boom clamp is securely fitted to your factory-installed rear mounted pylon. Nowadays, most ski pylons have swivel heads that swivel as the rope moves. Make sure that you never attach your boom clamp on the swivel portion or tapered section of your ski pylon.  Next, attach the 2 six-foot sections of the boom. The following step is most critical to getting your barefoot boom properly aligned.

Your initial instinct will be to want to adjust your two barefoot boom cables so that your boom is perpendicular to the boat. Do Not Do This. Your barefoot boom needs to be angled forward. The reason for this is that skiers will not be comfortable if the spray off the side of the boat is hitting them. Therefore the end of your boom must be positioned forward enough to get them out of the spray.

The best way to determine if you should install your V-Drive boom behind or in front of the wakeboard tower base, is by seeing which position allows you to angle the barefoot boom forward. If you cannot angle your V-Drive boom forward with it behind the tower, then you MUST put it in front of the wakeboard tower.

One of the single biggest misconceptions that we see among Pros and amateurs alike, is that most of them think that their barefoot boom (any type) should be perpendicular to the boat. The truth is that ALL barefoot booms need to be angled forward in order to keep skiers out of the side spray. There is no bigger hindrance to anyone than for them to be in side spray off the boat.

Some people think that having their barefoot boom angled forward creates a problem by having the skiers hands slight angled. This is simply not an issue. Since your hands should only be 12-15 inches apart when holding onto the boom, it is unnoticeable for the skier and it will not effect them at all. In addition, when the skier progresses to the five foot rope connected to the barefoot boom, this issue does not even exist.

By far the most important consideration in getting a V-Drive barefoot boom is that it creates a safe and fun atmosphere in which your family can progress. The right V-Drive boom set-up for you boat will also require adding a "boom extension." Each boom extension adds 18 inches to the length of the boom. It is common place to add one or two "boom extensions" that combine with the correct boom forward angle, to get your skiers out of the side spray from the boat.

The bottom line is that your V-Drive boat can definitely be fitted with a barefoot boom that will create years of family fun that your kids will cherish for a life time.

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