Phat Wakes makes a splash

Author: Michele Lawson

Date: Jun 02, 2008

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Michele Lawson

Tanned from a trip to Germany with Wakeboard Canada Magazine to feature the European craze with cable-wakeboarding, Ruttan is now back at Wasaga Beach getting read to open his Phat Wakes Wakeboarding School for the season.

Jason Ruttan, now 28, has been making a splash since he was 17 years old.
That’s when the owner of Wasaga Beach’s Phat Wakes Wakeboarding School bought his first business.
After working for four years on the beach renting out paddle boats, rafts and chairs to tourists, he was looking for a different summer job. He asked for employment from the family friends who owned the Sea Doo rental shop in the village, but got more than he expected.
“When I approached them for a job, it turned out they were interested in selling,” he recalls. “At the time there was a government incentive where you could get a business loan.”
Although the then-high-school student realized the program was likely intended for college students, the idea stuck. So, he accessed some saved inheritance money and applied.
“It was a little overwhelming, but once I got it in my mind, I couldn’t get rid of it, so I put $5,000 down and got the loan.”
He says his entrepreneurial mother, the regional Re/Max broker, was encouraging.
After a few years running the rental shop, his attention was caught by the growing wave of wake boarding popularity. An activity much like snowboarding, Ruttan enjoyed it himself and was ready when Wakestock came to the beach looking for a new venue.
The international festival required permission from owners along the river before making any other plans. Ruttan not only gave permission, he gave the organizers his whole-hearted support.
He headed to the municipal office and worked for months to get the approvals necessary.
“It’s a world-class location,” he says of the area’s appeal to the sport. The event was a huge success and brought tens of thousands of visitors to the southern shores of Georgian Bay.
“So that’s what I needed to know a wakeboard school would be a success in Wasaga Beach,” Ruttan says.
About that time he also got his real estate licence and started working with his mother.
“I knew I was going to be too busy to run the Sea-Doo rental shop, so I eventually sold it to staff,” he explains.
He likes having more control of his equipment.
Now when a family comes in, they all go out on a boat together.
“The father skis, the kids board and the little ones tube,” he smiles.
But the new endeavour carried a big investment.
“I have two boats right now,” he says. “They’re about $100,000 each.
“There are specific boats for the sport with a special hull design. The width and shape of the wake are really important.”
Both boats have internal ballast tanks that can be filled and emptied at the flip of a switch, “so from beginner to advanced, you can control the wake.”
The tanks work independently so when the boat’s loaded, they can balance the weight to get an even wake, he adds.
He recalls learning how to drive a boat when fishing with his grandfather. When it was time to buy his own boat, the older man was there to help.
“I could have gone to the bank, but my grandfather was pretty excited – we went together to pick out the boat.”
In return, Ruttan went along when it was time to replace the old fishing boat.
“It’s something I’ve always done with him.”
Watersports have been part of the family tradition for years.
In addition to fishing, Ruttan is a third-generation waterskier. The urge to pass on his knowledge and love for his water sport might be a genetic trait.
“We make the sport accessible to the public and provide regular lessons,” he says of his school, which starts teaching children from about the age of eight (it depends more on strength and co-ordination than age, he says). “Some have never done it before.”
For four weeks this summer children can attend day camp.
“It’s a lot of fun for us and for the kids – they learn a lot,” he promises.
Regulated by Wakeboard Waterski Ontario and its national counterpart, the school has qualified instructors and full insurance.
Although advanced practitioners do ride out of the school, it also caters to birthday parties, corporate days and families.
“We get a lot of beginners just coming off the beach looking for things to do,” he says.
Wakestock might have moved on to a larger venue at the Toronto Islands, but Ruttan and Phat Wakes are still involved in the international scene.
Last year he was the shop host for the 2007 Canadian Wakeboard Nationals, which are held in Ontario only every five or six years.
And he was been instrumental in bringing Toe Jam to Wasaga Beach this year. It’s the wake board pro tour.
“We’re the first international stop ever,” he says of the August date.
Ruttan just returned from an exploration trip to Germany that will be the main feature in the summer edition of Wakeboard Canada magazine.
There he visited cable parks. The constructed lakes are created with a tower system allowing boats to be replaced by a cable and pulley system. Conceived in the heyday of waterskiing, now it’s primarily wakeboarders and wakeskaters pulled through the obstacle course.
With only one other cable park in Canada, the entrepreneur in Ruttan is starting to see the possibilities.
If he puts his mind to it, it’s just a matter of time.
For more information about Phat Wakes Wakeboarding School, call 705-429-9991.