Practice buoys

[Jhucke]

What do you guys use for practice buoys? I'm on a medium budget, I would say low, but I don't necessarily want to toss out anti-freeze and milk jugs with fishing line attached to them, but I also don't need the giant buoys they use in sanctioned events. I have a couple 9" Overton buoys right now which work okay, but become difficult to see when the chop gets crazy.

http://www.leisurepro.com/p-ahdb20y...id^18283950120-sku^AHDB20YL@ADL4LP-adType^PLA

I found these^^ but I am a little worried about how long that loop is going to last. I try not to hit the buoys of course, but you know, it happens.

 

[Joel Cleveland]

Find some old rectangle plates off a weight machine. Small, low profile and already has a hole for rope. Thats what we use and they work fine...

 

[N3vrSat1sfied]

overtons has slalom bouys for 9.99 I used those, Parachute cord, and 12" PVC pipe filled with concrete. Works super well drop em in, Roll them up. Ill try to find a pic.

 

[N3vrSat1sfied]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Turtle]

@big c

 

[Jhucke]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, I actually have a couple of those small overton ones, but was considering getting 18-20" buoys instead... I really like how you can fit a bunch of those in a small tote, though.

 

[N3vrSat1sfied]

I can take about 5 at a time in the tray. The bigger ones would be a lot more difficult to set up.

 

[veedubs]

I'm spoiled cause my buddy has the bigger ones for us to use. When I'm on my own though I use the Overtons ones with Walmart dumb bells.

Your right though sometimes the small ones can be hard to see.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Big Kahuna]

The balls you find in the wire.mesh bin at Wal-Mart works good. Get shoe go and a short piece of rope. Glue the ends to the ball the keep covering leaving a little loop. Get rope and a weight.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[SUPERJET-113]

Thats what I used to do also with the Overtons buoys. Only for weights I used the small old skool round plastic weights that are filled with concrete. I like your PVC tube idea, giives you something to wrap the cord around!

 

[Sasquachcrap]

These bouncy hoppers work good. Plus that are pretty cheap.

 

[Big Kahuna]

13.99 x 10 = 139.90. The balls at Wal-Mart may have been 3.99!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[Jhucke]

I ended up buying a few 20" balls I found for 7.99 each to see how I like them compared to the 9" slalom course buoys.

 

[dose]

I like the hippy hops for buoys. they are easy to inflate/ deflate, big enough you can see them. that's what we use

 

[Cody Engberg]

These bouncy hoppers work good. Plus that are pretty cheap.

We use these with a quart milk jug with concrete looped through a carabiner on handle to a beer can full of concrete to keep the slack out.

 

[Jhucke]

We use these with a quart milk jug with concrete looped through a carabiner on handle to a beer can full of concrete to keep the slack out.

Thanks. Yeah I need to try some different ones, maybe those. I bought some 18" for like $6 each and they are suspect.. As in one came with a hole in it, seem really thin and junky but I didn't know what to expect. Definitely glad I went with buoys bigger than those 9" slalom ski ones. Way easier to see in rough and with odd sun glare conditions.

 

[Vumad]

I have 12 of the 9". Going to sell 6. My buddy has 7 of the hippity hops and they are much nicer. The 9" bouys are great for tight and technical areas of the track, or in my case, when I practice alone at the lake. The hippity hops are much better for long sections and when more than 2 people are riding.

For weights, we use red bricks with the 3 holes in them. If they move you can use the center hole but if there isn't a current, like at my lake, then you can tie in one of the end holes and they drag much easier. The bricks are cheap or free.

 

[Jhucke]

Does anyone ever have any trouble with other people when you set up buoys on some random lake? I'm not even sure what the laws are regarding this.

 

[Big Kahuna]

We use to set up bouys in a small cove, we removed them each day and hid in the woods. Did this for a season until someone started building a house and several of the balls ended up getting rips, holes etc etc......... We then use pool noodles cut in 12" sections and heavy fishing line and bricks. found another cove and got busted the first day!!!!!! The Marine Police were pretty cool then and just told us not to put them out....... Finally asked my boss if we could set up in his old Catfish pond and proceeded to use what was left of the balls, and made some more. Did this for all of 2006. The following year he went in and added all kind of crap into the lake for fish habitats......... Told me it was no longer safe to ride!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Vumad]

Does anyone ever have any trouble with other people when you set up buoys on some random lake? I'm not even sure what the laws are regarding this.

Weve never had trouble as in the police or arguing with people but we have had peoplepull tubes and wakeboard through the course like the next 2 miles oflake didnt exist.