Our Story. OUR PASSION

Enthusiasts making wakesurfing easier and more fun for all

SAM DECKER

Founder, President, Director of Fun
WakeFX - 2014 - Present


Wakesurfing Experience:

Lucky for me, my mom shared her exhilaration for water & had me swimming in pools, lakes, and rivers at just 6 weeks old. Needless to say, my love for board sports and water sports developed at an early age.

We lived in Galveston Texas and began competitive swimming at the age of 5 (which I continued through high school). It was a young boys dream; we had a backyard pool and kept our 17’ i/o boat across the street at the lake on the island. My older brothers were early influencers of my passion for watersports as both water-skied for a local show and worked at marinas & surf shops on the beach. I began water skiing also at the age of 5 and long boarding in the Gulf of Mexico at age 7.

When we moved to the desert - El Paso, TX, we still had a pool, but the rest of the water sports were “on-hold”.  I vowed to make lakes or the ocean part of my life again as soon as it was feasible.  In the meantime, I found a new passion in skateboarding (street and ramp riding), snow skiing and eventually snowboarding in ’89.

In the early 90’s at the University of Oklahoma, I met a group of friends that had access to a boat and were getting involved in wakeboarding.  I was quickly hooked!

After graduation, I moved to Minneapolis, MN and swiftly found my way to Lake Minnetonka.  I bought my first boat in 1994, a ‘92 19’ i/o.  In 1996 found my way to the inboards now being modified from waterskiing to wakeboarding.  My friends and I wakeboarded until around 2000 when we decided our age and professional responsibilities were counter to the ability to avoid injury while trying harder and harder tricks.

In 2007 another friend introduced me to wakesurfing and took me several times for a few years until I pulled the trigger on my own inboard in 2010.  Since then, we have put 125 hours a year and several hundred more on friends’ boats enjoying the sport and this lifestyle. The pleasure wouldn’t be complete without my wife (Tiffany) and two sons (Jack, 19 & Blake, 16).  We have “PASSED THE HANDLE” and shared our wakesurfing stoke with hundreds of people over the years. We began to meet and host the competitive community in 2011 at the 10K Lakes Open.What a great group of people 

Tiffany and I attended the World Wakesurfing event in Lake Las Vegas 2013 & 14 which helped us meet and develop wonderful relationships with niche product vendors, athletes, and their families.  My son also likes to compete at the Amateur level whenever he can fit it in his busy sports schedule. I’ve been privileged to help judge the Pro Men and Women’s Skim and Surf divisions at several MN comps over the years. 

As soon as the new “Surf Gate®” technology was introduced, I set out to develop aftermarket surf tabs for all boats. WakeFX was officially born in 2014 when I developed a few different systems in my garage “lab”. Although I wasn't ever comfortable releasing any of them commercially after hours of riding and testing, I wouldn’t trade in any of those hours on the water with my family. I know all too well that failure happens as a business owner and entrepreneur.  Simultaneous to giving birth to WakeFx, I was in the process of the sale of my main business which, at the time, I deemed more important. Who knew 15+ “surf tab” companies would appear in an instant and make such an impact?! Rad, but bittersweet.

I’ve since spent several years working on various projects in the medical device space and other areas. I’ve also wanted to make this rope reel, well… REAL! We’ve finally found a great solution and we are so excited to share it with the Wakesurfing community 

I’ve been everything from a “busboy” to CEO and everywhere in between. I’ve cofounded and sold two companies. I know what it takes to be great; it isn’t easy and can’t be done alone. I’ve surrounded myself with caring and capable people to put this all together.


“You're either on the wave or under it”



“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf.”

– Jon Kabat-Zinn


What People Are Saying

“Please do not remove this from my life!”

— Phil, E, MD
Personal Surf buddy and overall great guy

“It’s awesome; works like a charm”

— Chad H.
Legendary Dad, Hubby and Wakesurfer and predicts the future for a living

“This would be so great for demos and lessons!”

— Scott M.
Wakeboat sales representative, seemed knowledgeable