Getting your boat on the water is only a part of the fun. The real challenge begins when you decide to try to water ski on combos, a slalom ski, a kneeboard, a wakeboard, or even on your bare feet! If you really want to cut the learning curve dramatically, you will definitely be looking into outfitting your boat with a bare foot boom.

The bare foot boom is no longer just for barefoot water skiing. It has become an integral part of learning any type of water skiing because it dramatically reduces falling and injuries.

The boom attaches to the boat so that the skier can ride holding on to the round metal bar while getting instruction. By using the upward pull of the boom and slower speeds that the boom allows, the skier gains confidence by having the increased stability that the rigid boom provides instead of a 75 foot rope. By keeping the skier safe, the learning process speeds up along with their confidence.

A bare foot boom has three different parts;

1. the boom clamp which attaches the boom to the boat

2. the first extension arm which attaches to the boom clamp by a pin

3. a solid aluminum bar with cables attaches to the bow eye at the front of the boat

Choosing the best bare foot boom can be tricky. The first decision you will need to make is based on where you can attach it. If you have a tower, you can use a tower boom which clamps to the tower. If you have a boat designed for water skiing, you can use a standard boom which attaches to a ski pylon which is a solid aluminum pole that extends through the floor of the boat up to a height of around 3-4 feet above the water level. If you do not have either of these attachment points, there is a boom called a gunnel mount boom which is designed to mount its clamp on the inside of either side of the boat and extend out the opposite side.

If you have a tower, then the only information you need is your tower tubing's outer diameter. If you are going to use a gunnel mount boom, you only need to decide where on your boat's gunnel you will attach it. Boats designed for water skiing all have ski pylons. The only information you will need is where your windshield ends on the side where your boom will go out.

A windshield that ends in front of the pylon, requires a straight boom. Any windshield that is less than eight inches beyond the pylon can use what is called a contour boom. When a windshield extends more than eight inches past your pylon, you will most likely need what is called a quad boom. Make sure you use a supplier who guarantees that their boom fits your boat or you get your money back.

Knowing the insider secrets of getting the best bare foot boom for your boat should not discourage you. There are suppliers who will figure out exactly what you need. Once you have your boom set-up, you will have a dramatic improvement in the fun that you have while learning to water ski. The confidence of knowing you will be learning safer will be worth all your effort. In addition, find a boom manufacturer who has a money back guarantee that their boom will fit your boat.

How great will it be not to have to keep turning your boat around over and over again to pick up your skier when they can't get up on the long rope? With the aid of the boom, your percentage of success and safety will sky-rocket. Water skiing at 10-12mph, wakeboarding or kneeboarding at 8-10 mph, and barefooting at 25-30 mph will open up an entirely new side of water skiing that you would have taken years to figure out without the aid of the bare foot boom.