Water skiing is a fantastic sport that involves coordination and skill. Beginners will want to travel at slower speeds to get some comfort as they learn, somewhere around the 20 mph mark. Once you get the hang of it, you could be travelling as fast as 36 mph like the pros. We put together our guide Best Water Skis For beginners to help you find the right water skis for you.
Radar Vapor Graphite Waterski
The Radar Vapor Graphite Waterski is perfect for beginners to gain experience from. It has additional length through the tail, which not only allows the waterski to sit level on the water, but also allows the speed to be carried throughout your ride. The place where you set your feet have an increased taper, which will enable you to turn in a much easier way and even results in the tip height remaining constant. This may also increase the overall efficiency. The body of this ski is made from polyurethane, which is a damper foam, allowing for those crisp clean turns. The waterskis also utilize CorFlex, which give an optimized flex on your ski’s turning.
Radar Union Waterski
The Radar Union Waterski is considered a favorite among the customers. This might be heavily due to the fact that it can ride easily without sacrificing any performance in the process. Since this waterski has extra width overall, it allows you to ride the ski at slower speeds while also allowing the opportunity to advance a rapid pace. It has an all-terrain core, which means the waterskis are forgiving and effortless. It comes in four different sizes depending on your preference and weight: 65, 67 69, 71 inches, and all have a maximum speed of 32 mph. The Radar Union Waterski allows for endless turns and lots of fun.
HO Sports Hovercraft w/ Fin Waterski
The HO Sports Hovercraft w/ Fin Waterski has the surface area equivalent to two skis combined, which means that once it is up, it rips through the water just like a surfboard. There’s no doubt that this type of board is perfect for those beginners that want surf-inspired rides. Moreover, this ski has great control and better balance and even works perfectly at lower speeds. The fuller ski outline means the ski is less wobbly, and less water is sprayed on you while skiing. The HO Sports Hovercraft w/ Fin Waterski has a wide track frame, which provides an extra stable platform for easy deep water starts. The lightweight high-flex build allows you to steer from the tail to maneuver or cruise, just like a surfboard dynamically.
Radar Katana Waterski
The Radar Katana Waterski has revolutionized open water skiing. With its extra width under the foot, you can now pop out the ski from the water with relative ease. The width, grip rails and flat channel allow the skis to have a greater surface area, which means it will be easier to control. The grip rails are desinged to give you even more control while turning. It comes in three sizes: 65, 67, and 69 inches, whose maximum speed is 32 mph while there are three other sizes: 67, 68, and 69.5 inches whose maximum speed is 36 mph. Moreover, it even has an all-terrain core, which is the most forgiving construction.
HO Sports Fusion Freeride w/ Fin Waterski
The HO Sports Fusion Freeride w/ Fin Waterski specifically allows you to carve smoothly through the water with unrestricted flow. Since this board has a larger surface area, it allows you to pop out of the water even at lower speeds. It even has a three-dimensional fin for more lift and lower drag on the water. This almost resembles an airplane wing and even increases the glide speed. The HO Sports Fusion Freeride w/ Fin Waterski even has a spoon tip making it a more buoyant and an easier planing surface. The wide platform makes it incredibly stable and easy to progress without sacrificing those smooth as butter edge to edge transitions.
Radar Butter Knife Waterski
The Radar Butter Knife Waterski has a Bent Vee Shape that allows it to have a greater surface area making it easier to pop out of the water than regular skis. The grip rails that are attached to the board allow for sharper turns without much effort from the skiers part. The flat channel alongside these grip rails and the large width of the board assures that you have a smooth ride on the water. Since it is made up of 100% carbon, the ski is nimble while the inside radius allows you to make tight turns on both on and offside. The Radar Butter Knife Waterski is great for beginners because it creates light line tension and allows for almost effortless ups.
Radar X-Caliber (Blue/Black) Combo Waterskis
The Radar X-Caliber (Blue/Black) Combo Waterskis embraces the concept of combo skiing as the future of enjoyment behind a moving boat. This is a great way for someone to learn how to ski with the excitement of the boat carrying them until they are ready to switch to a single waterski. These X-Caliber combos are designed explicitly with high-end tech for the most efficient sidecut found in two skis. Moreover, since there is an additional surface area from the two skis, it allows you to have a more effortless and stable ride throughout. This ski does come in two sizes: 59 and 67 inches with a maximum speed of 26 and 28 mph respectfully.
Radar Graviton Trick Waterski
The Radar Graviton Trick Waterski might look like it is small, but the features will astound you. It is specifically built to assist both hand and toe tricks by utilizing the dual placement. This allows you to stand centered on the ski alongside, making it easier for you to edge continuously through the top of the wake. It has a slightly shorter flat spot, which develops into more of a rocker shape towards the tip and tail. This ultimately gives the ski a lighter sensation. Since this results in less contact with the water, it means faster surface turns on both hands and feet are possible. The new sidecut lines of the Graviton have one smooth radius from the center section of the ski through the tip and tail, which give the ski a smoother carve to the wake after you land a trick.
HO Sports Carbon EVO Slalom Ski
The HO Sports Carbon EVO Slalom Ski has a core made up of lightweight, high strength Paulownia wood in a thinly sculpted manner. This provides the ski with the ability to make effortless turns and to glide across the water in a much more stable manner. The added CarboNetX, which is a layer of diagonally woven carbon fiber that stores and release energy progressively throughout the ski, allows the ski to become one of a more advanced level. Although it may seem like this ski has a lot of features which might be difficult to work with, this is considered one of the best skis to practice on since it gives optimal performance but is easy to ride as well.
HO Sports Freeride Slalom Ski
The HO Sports Freeride Slalom Ski is perfect for any experience level, any water condition, and even speed. The Clean Edge technology allows the ski to give an effortless ride even while cutting through some of the roughest water and allows you to have a smooth ride. This same Clean Edge Technology is bevel-less, and the sidewalls are rotated inward like wakeboard edge, which causes water to release cleanly off the ski’s bottom surface. This technology leads to 50% less drag than conventional skis. Moreover, this ski even has a 3-dimensional fin, which enhances the versatility by increasing the gliding speed and resulting in cleaner turns. Additionally the board has rounded edges, which helps you to ride more in-depth into the water for further stability if skiers need it.