Wake boarding and water skiing are entirely two different sports although there appears to be some similarity between the two.
The nature of the sport by itself provides the most striking difference between the two. Water skiing is a relatively straightforward sport while wake boarding is a derivative of several different games. The principle of water skiing is based on being towed around by a speed boat. Wake boarding, though it adopts the same principle also includes skills derived from other sports like surfing, snow boarding and skate boarding.
Water skiing traditionally is just a ride behind a speed boat. The size of the wake is not a factor in this sport. A water skier prefers smooth sailing over the waters. Wakeboarding is an offshoot of surfing which means that the wake boarders prefer larger waves to ride on.
The equipment and gear used in both these sports are again entirely different. Wake boarders use a board much like a surf board but include foot straps and fins for better balance over waters while a water skier uses the traditional water skis for riding on water. Wake boarders make use of a single board at a time whereas the number of skis used by a water skier will depend on the type of skiing being done.
Boats used for these two sports will also vary as the very nature of the two rides seems diametrically opposite. While the water skier may use any simple motor boat for skiing, the wakeboard boat is specially designed to create extra high waves as the thrill of wakeboarding (as in surfing) is to ride these waves without loosing one's balance. The difference in wake boarding boats is in the structure designed to increase weight at the rear which aids in creating larger wakes behind the speeding boat. One common principle adopted to ensure extra weight at the stern is to place engines at the rear. Other techniques are also used to lower the stern which will give rise to higher waves. Newer technologies are being used as manufacturers compete with each other to create boats with higher waves.
The ropes used to pull the skiers and the wake boarders also belong to opposite categories. Ropes used for wake boarding should not be of an elastic nature as this will tend to tip the balance of the wake boarder whereas stretchable ropes are needed in water skiing as the stretch factor helps in maneuvering curves behind a speeding boat.
OK, so much for the differences between water ski and wakeboards.
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