INNOVATIONS
In the early days of foiling it was up to the riders to improve performance. Many of the changes came in an attempt overcome the limitations of the stock Air Chair, and some were born to avoid injury.
Modifications to the foil were the most important thing riders could do to upgrade an Air Chair in […]
TIE HIGH
Uncle Mike always had a thing for loop around the boats. He did them for years on everything from the kneeboard and slalom ski to trick skis and the hydrofoil. The loop around the boat became the standard way to turn around during Mike’s runs on the backwaters of Canyon Lake. He even spiced […]
SHOOT TO KILL
Everyone was excited for Air Chair’s first big video shoot. We all knew how important a promo video was to support a new product, and this one was sure to be hugely popular. Our base camp for the weeklong shoot was a rented houseboat on the shores of Lake Havasu, just a few […]
Here’s a little experiment…
You are free to repost these water skiing memes near or far.
I have no idea of whether or not this is gonna work, but I sure had fun making them.
Enjoy! -TK
3 NEW MOVES
After I saw Mike make those first rolls at the Marine Stadium in 1991, I was on a mission to do them too. Mike was always an inspiration to my riding, and now he had a 3 year head start. It was time to fly!
1992 interview with Mike Murphy : The father of […]
KNEEBOARD HYDROFOIL > AIR CHAIR (1983-1991)
It was the early summer of 1983, and I found myself in the midst of all the action while working full time for Mike at his “Ski Shop” on the Parker Strip of the Colorado River. Uncle Mike’s collection of rental equipment became the fodder for the next big breakthrough in foiling. […]
FIRST FLIGHT > STAND UP HYDROFOILS (1906-1989)
The first record of using a hydrofoil on a boat belongs to the Italian inventor Enrico Forlanini in 1906. Alexander Graham Bell and Casey Baldwin improved upon Forlanini’s design in 1919, and their hydrofoil boat, the Hydrodrom-4, set a speed record of 60 knots, which lasted into the 1960s. There have […]
A TURNING POINT: MIKE MURPHY’S FIRST ROLL
Our family is at the Marine Stadium in Long Beach, CA on a beautiful spring day in 1991. I usually ride first but today is different. Uncle Mike suits up first because he has a new move to show off. He tries to keep it a secret, but can’t resist […]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A TURNING POINT – MIKE MURPHY’S TITLE ROLL
FIRST FLIGHT > STAND-UP FOILS – (1906-1989): Learning to fly on water: from boats to people
KNEEBOARD HYDROFOIL > AIR CHAIR – (1983-1991): Developing the first sit- down hydrofoil
3 NEW MOVES – Strapping one on to invent the wake front roll, air wrapped 360, and Skidder.
SHOOT TO KILL – A […]
Jump! Let your feet fly back in an act of faith. Tug on the handle to ride it out. It’s commonly known as an Air Raley, but the generic term for this gravity-defying trick is the Layout. Versions of it have been performed for decades on just about everything. Here’s an inside look at the […]
