Thanks all for the great advice regarding our first kneeboard purchase. Seems like a topic that received a lot of interest, which is great. First thing I did was to remove the strap, had zero impact to how I was able to use it, maybe some day I'll put it back on if I find I could use it, but it's not likely that will be any time soon!
I wiped out the first two times I tried to get up, both I attribute to two things:
1) Not going fast enough, which made the board very unstable. I thought I had said to go 13-15mph, wife never got above 8mph
2) Not leaning back far enough. As soon as you pick up the board off the hook, you have to lean back and get the center of gravity on the back half of the board. I allowed myself to be pulled over the front.
After I figured out those two things, it was a great start.
1) Hook tow line into hook.
2) Grab side of board
3) Get up to 8 mph
4) Get up on knees (both knees at the same time!)
5) Get up to 13-15mph
6) Lift tow line off the hook and lean back
7) Have fun!
My wife and I both tried it and it is a blast. We've each done it like three times, so our focus is starting to explore moving back and forth within the wake, navigating turns, and having fun.
Here is a video of my third ride as I attempted to go outside the wake. It was pretty windy so that water was relatively choppy. Anxious to try again when it's a calm day.