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Testimonial from Mark
Semons, Co-Founder of Rugged Creek
WOW, I have snow and water-skied for 30+ years. Air Chairs are the first product development to truly put desire back in me. As I have aged, I have found my physical abilities to play hard have diminished as well as my boredom, there’s not much new to experience on a ski. Now, in the middle of my workday, I am fantasizing about whether the kids will be able to hit the lake after school. I have loved my Air Chair for the following reasons:
-It is much more a finesse sport not requiring so much physical exertion but still offering a mental challenge to perfect.
-I can ski on the Air Chair for 10 to 15 minute without dropping from exhaustion and then do it again in 20 minutes and do it all day long. That is, if the kids let me get back on!
-I consider myself very much a beginner and it’s a blast. Every advancement I make just enhances the fun. When I look at what some people are able to do on them I realize I will not perfect my abilities for years. I don’t see myself getting bored anytime soon!
If the masses knew how fun they were, they would be in every boat in America.
www.ruggedcreek.com
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Flying on Lake Tahoe’s water
By Wendy Lautner
BONANZA NEWS SERVICE
Could 72 be the new 27?
Watching Bryce Herndon whip back and forth on his air chair hovering three feet
above Tahoe’s deep blue, his silvery hair teased by the wind, you’d be
hard-pressed to believe that he’s really too old to be doing this — he’s
ripping.
Herndon, an Incline Village resident and a retired American Airlines and
military pilot who made 45 tours of Vietnam, spends about two to three days per
week perched on an air chair pulled behind his boat, the “So Inclined.”
The group, which includes Frank and Judy Spees, Neal and Louise Riemer and
Herndon, loosely refers to itself as the Lake Tahoe Air Chair Society. They air
chair from May to October — chop or not.
That’s because the very dynamics of an air chair negate friction with the surface of the water — there simply isn’t any, which means the quality of your ride is not based on the calmness of the lake. The design concept, based on Bernoulli’s principle of fluid mechanics, includes a “wing” or “foil” that travels beneath the surface of the water. The shape of the foil displaces some water downward, creating lift. The foil is attached to a three-foot steel pole and on top of the pole is a board on which a chair is mounted.
“It’s like sitting in the
goblet of a wine glass on top of a balance ball,” explained Louise Riemer, an
air-chairer herself for three seasons now at 62 years old. She confirms the
notion that air chairing is the fountain of youth.
“When I’m on the air chair, I feel 26 — young, foolish and indestructible,” she
said right before taking a deep gulp of a murky, green mixture she referred to
as “swamp water from the golf course.” Riemer proceeded to take a nice long ride
on the chair.
Herndon picked up the sport in its infancy in 1991 at Lake Powell. He claims it
took him a week to learn and it’s obvious by the way he flies back and forth
over the wake, pulling the foil up and out of the water that he’s way past his
learning curve.
“When you’re jumping it’s kind of like a soft landing,” he said. “You can land
and never even hit the board on the water.”
That means something coming from a guy who’s had his right hip replaced — this
author would never have guessed it if she hadn’t been told. But, the viability
of the sport for folks with weak joints is that there is so little impact while
riding the chair.
“I love it when I’m up there and I can hear the foil whistling beneath the water,” Frank Spees said after his ride.
It’s like flying in a quiet, serene position. It’s like feeling 27 when you’re actually 72
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To the great staff at Air Chair,
I recently received my new toy last Friday and tried it out Saturday afternoon. I've been a recreational skier for about 20 years, but my Air Chair gave me the biggest rush I've ever experienced. It was awesome! I was up and going on the third try, and rode for quite a while before I tired out.
You have engineered a really great product and made water sports fun for an "old" guy. Thanks for creating such a great piece of equipment and making me one of the coolest guys on the water! I'll enjoy this one forever.
Thanks again,
Les D.
Austin, Texas.
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V-38 Testimonial
I usually don't write letters like this, but I had to share this with you guys. I have been riding hydrofoils for years, I started out with the original Air Chair from the early 90's that I got at a garage sale. My riding level was okay and I wanted a higher performance ski so I decided to do the foil modifications. It was work like you told me it would be, but I ended up with a better ride and my riding was improving too. Then I met a guy at the lake that had a Sky Ski and he insisted I try his, so I did. I found that it rode about like my older modified Air Chair. We get together a couple times a month and ride. One difference I did notice was how easy it was to put mine away for storage, but on his we'd have to practically disassemble the entire seat to get the foil out, not very convenient and it cuts into our ride time. The foils rode about the same. Not enough for me to change from what I had.
About 2 years ago I sold my Air Chair and got a . It rode better than my old one and better than his Sky Ski. Last summer he got an LEX and again insisted I try his. So I did, and it was better than what I had, but I did notice that both of the Sky Skis would get stuck to the water and suck down to the point at times we couldn't get either to release so we'd end up throwing the rope to get it to release and start over, not very fun. And I had to work it harder for rotations than on my . Both his would also vibrate and hum, something I never experienced on either of my Air Chairs. He has tried to tune it but has not been able to get either one to stop acting up.
I started hearing about the V-38 but I couldn't find any in my area. So I called and was guaranteed I'd like it or my money back, so I ordered one, and I have to tell you, it's the best hydrofoil I've ever been on. Now my riding is going beyond my own expectations, and I'm going much higher than before. I've never been so high without having to work it as hard as I would on other foils. The V-38 gives me the level of performance I'd been craving, and I love the flex seat addition, good you guys very good! Wow what a sweet deal and what a sweeter ride. The price and performance was way better than his LEX. As for the buddy I ride with.....now it was my turn to insist he ride my V-38, there's one more used LEX on the market now. He's gotta get a V-38 too. Thanks Air Chair for making such a great quality, great performance, & awesome ride. Every rider owes it to themselves to get a V-38, you wont regret it, I know I haven't.
Sincerely,
Tim C. NM
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Another Testimony from an
addicted rider.
IS IT WORTH IT?
The Air Chair costs so much is a reply I have heard over and over
again. Now let me set the record straight for anyone thinking of purchasing
an Air Chair and are trying to decide,
"WILL IT BE WORTH IT?"
YES! It will be worth the expense. Here is why I believe this:
After years of water skiing and not being able to get back into the boat or not being able to walk the next day is the first one. The pull generated on your arms and hands is almost non-existent. I can fly my Air Chair at thirty mph by holding on with one finger. Obviously your legs don't get tired because you are not really using them. What this means is longer rides with less fatigue and soreness, we use timers sometimes to limit hogging of the Air Chair.
Rough water is no
problem. How many times have you went out to enjoy a day on the water and
couldn't because it was to rough to ski, wakeboard, kneeboard, etc.? Those days
are gone, sure I like smooth water but if there's a little wind chop you just
fly right through it. What about boat wakes, well just jump over them, ride
through them, whatever. What this means is, more rides, because you can enjoy
Air Chairing in almost any water condition. One size fits all. Not all skis or
boards fit the whole family or your friends. Air Chair fits all. If you have
more than one high performance water ski, wakeboard, kneeboard, or each of
these, you have probably well exceeded the cost of an Air Chair and Dad's ski
doesn't fit Mom or Jr., but as long as you can sit on the seat and put your feet
in the bindings you can ride the Air Chair. This also makes partnering on your
first Air Chair possible. Get a buddy and go for it. Dollar for dollar you can
ride the Air Chair longer and in more conditions than any other water toy, so
really it's cheap considering how much you and your friends will enjoy it. I
haven't put my ski in my boat since 1996. Now if you don't like attention, don't
like to laugh, and don't want to go big, don't go foiling.
But if you like to have lots of fun, get an Air Chair. The only additional
expense has been more gas, because we play more.
Submitted by
Joe Cannon
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Ryan L. of New Hampshire wrote:
Top Ten List of Problems
with the Air Chair
10. Too many people following me
when
I'm flying the chair.
9. People on the shores yelling at me, hooting and hollering.
8. Too few daylight hours.
7. Running out of gas (never been out on a boat water-skiing all
day), never get tired, water conditions don't matter.
6. Increased traffic in front of my lake house, people wanting to see
me fly like a bird.
5. Uncontrollable laughing from a spill.
4. Uninvited company stopping in just for a beer,
they really just want to fly in the chair.
3. Fighting in the boat, who gets to go next.
2. Hard to get someone off the chair, once on,
they don't want to get off!
1. Chicks doing things to distract me while I'm flying, just to get
my attention.
Really your product is the best and I can't wait to Fly it again next weekend? It is the coolest thing on the lake and no hot shot wake boarder can compete with it. Some people are all freaked out when they see me go by, it is so funny. I've done everything from skiing to wakeboarding to skimming on a piece of plywood, but your Air Chair is absolutely the coolest thing to fly on.
I originally bought it for my girlfriend who had knee surgery from a snow skiing accident. She loves to water ski, but her knees hurt too much. So I saw your product and thought it would be ideal for her. Well now we fight over who gets to ride. She loves it and can fly for hours and house when before she could only water ski for about 5 minutes. Your product has made our weekends much more fun and enjoyable for all of us up here in NH.
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Dave Y. of Virginia wrote:
Thanks a bunch for the Air Chair, this newer version is the cat's meow.
Thanks for making a fun toy. The other day I got up on the foil when I
passed another stopped boat and I could hear the reactions of those on the
other boat. OK, so I was showing off, just a little. It's a blast!!!
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Toni M. of Texas wrote:
We purchased our Air Chair last year and my husband can't get enough of
it!!!
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Morton F. of Norway wrote:
Air Chair is something special and really made my summer here in Norway. We
are 5 families sharing the Air Chair and all of us have lots of challenges
and fun with it.
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Bubby J. Middle East
After several years of use we decided to replace our old Air Chair and get the new 99 Air Chair model. I have to tell you how much we like the new Air Chair. We have the foil in the professional position and the height of the jumps is much bigger with a lot less effort. We have also found it to be a lot more stable. The quality of the finish is superb, and a friend who still has an older Air Chair, tried ours and said it was like the Cadillac of Air Chairs. I think he will soon purchase one too. Once again, this Air Chair is wonderful and we hope to have many more years of fun flying.
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Keith
Your new Air Chair is out of this world! To this point I have been riding the old Air Chair with a tuned foil. I heard that you were coming out with a new design and I could not wait to ride it. I finally got one and it was well worth the wait! The new tricks are coming fast and furious now. The smooth quickness of the new polished foil is unreal. The three riding levels built into one chair is a great idea. The beginner mode has made it many times easier to teach my friends to ride. Then you move to the advance and pro models and LOOK OUT! the "pop" developed by the new radial foil is out of this world! Skidders are effortless...you have definitely done your homework on this one!
The new Air Chair will push the sport of hydrofoiling to a new level. Thank you for the coolest toy ever invented!!! Ski Ya!
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Joe C. from Hong Kong.
Hi Air Chair,
I am Joe C. from Hong Kong. Since I bought my Air Chair it made my life change. Amazingly wonderful with so much fun. I have been a windsurfing enthusiast for so many years. But in the summer time there is not wind strong enough for me to go windsurfing. Now this Air Chair makes me so happy. It has a feeling of speed the same as with the windsurfing. It only took me three times to get up. After just riding for an hour I can do a cut away in both directions. So wonderfully effortless. Thanks to the inventor Bob Woolley of the product.......Congratulations
Joe