Skimboarding: towed into by wave by a lawn mower engine

A group of skimboarders used a lawn mower engine to get towed into the surf.

The trick is not new, but it has made many people happy.

Once and again, water sports enthusiasts adopt motor power to supply extra speed to their glides and, therefore, access new areas of the wave faster.

Surfers and windsurfers get towed into waves by jet skis; wakeboarders are generally pulled by the famous wake winch, a tool that has proved to be far better than many boats, especially in tricky natural environments.

This time, Blair Conklin and Garrett Abdulla brought the lawn mower engine to the beach. After pouring gasoline and testing the system's real pulling power on terra firma, they hit the waves.

Because skimboards don't have fins and are extremely thin, riders had to keep a low stance and try to stay glued to the board before accelerating and letting go of the rope.

But within minutes, Conklin and Abdulla were already throwing themselves into the air and landing tricks.

The lawn mower engine was set up parallel to the coastline so that they could use the cable's length.

Motor-powered winches work in skimboarding, and it can be a good idea in flatland skimming, too.

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