Heads up in the water! 2005 US Pro Tour Wakeboard Champion, Australian Josh Sanders, made a big splash when he slid the length the world’s longest wakeboard rail over a houseboat in an extreme world first event!
Starting with just a crazy idea, Josh and his father began building the houseboat last year with provisions made for a huge rail slider over the top of it. Keen to see the ‘Houseboat Rail Project’ come to life, Josh’s sponsor Red Bull, renowned for creating unique and extreme events, then jumped on board to help with funding and putting the event into action.
Transforming a dream into reality
The Houseboat Rail is 36 metres long (118 feet) and is not only the longest wakeboard rail built to date, but the first rail built over a houseboat. Built to specific angles to ensure it is user friendly for the wakeboarder and creativity of slides can be achieved easily, Josh also enlisted the help of a drafting engineer and fabrication company to assist with the overall project creation.
“Nothing like this has ever been done in wakeboarding before, it’s a world first! I’m really excited to have been able to make this happen with the help of Red Bull,” said wakeboarding champ Josh Sanders. The world-first event took place on the Shoalhaven River in North Nowra, New South Wales.