Kneeboarding

[BoatingCop]

I've been kneeboarding for about 2 years now and was wondering why it hasn't caught on like wakeboarding? It can be just as competitive in my eyes. Any way, I have an HO board now with now fins. I like the board but since it has no fins it won't cut very well at all. I drilled holes and put a fin on it that I stole off one of my brother's wakeboards. It's better now and you can cut out further but you have to stop to take off the fin and it's a pain. Well, I found a board that looks GREAT! I found 2 boards with retractable fins!: The HydroSlide Razorback and the Body Glove Drop Zone. Now I didn't even know they had this. The one I like is the Hydroslide Razor Back becausr it look the most comftorable and it looks well built. Does anyone have experiance with the retractable fins? With the fins up, can you still do surface tricks like a board with no fins? And with the fins down can you cut out hard and steer it well? Thanks and how come kneeboarding isn't really recognized?

Eric

 

[Trevor9751]

Re: Kneeboarding

the retractable fins came out in the late 80"s early 90's as far as I seen they never caught on because of like you say the surface tricks the most popular boards as far as I seen are the thinner ones without fins if you just slow down a bit and really lean on them when you cut they will actually cut into the water and act as there own fins and you can cut really hard with them and still do all the surface tricks. I think wakeboarding caught on better than kneeboarding because it is alot easier to land the big air tricks when you are just learning because you have your knees as shock absorbers where as knee boarding you just have to take the bounce

 

[OhWellcraft]

Re: Kneeboarding

I have been kneeboarding since the early eighties back then you pretty much had the choice of the hydroslide and hydroslide pro model which was basically the same but offered in more colors. There were some off brands out there but they didn't hold a candle to the hydroslide. I have owned probably 12 different boards since then some have been awesome and some have been junk. The fins are a neat idea in theory but not all that effective in cut ability. I have liked them to teach my kids on however because they will definately track through the water better less squirrly when learning. As stated above the thinner profile design is the way to go for high performance and big air tricks. Roto molded boards are much thicker and more boyant and compression molded boards are thin,spoon shaped, with a ton of pop off the wake. Cutting hard is all about weight distribution, all of it has to be on the rocker (edge) of board and you have to push down hard with that knee as well. The fins will help a little but its hard to put them up and down while underway, also when they are down its much tougher to 360 than it should be. I can still throw out a nice run on that old hydro pro but I prefer my Joker it was not cheap but it is a awesome board for bigg air tricks and the pad is well designed to take up the shock.

 

[tommays]

Re: Kneeboarding

"Thanks and how come kneeboarding isn't really recognized?"



While i favor MY kneeboard catching air is real hard on you lower back compared to the abilty to flex your Knees on a wakeboard after huge amounts of air


Tommays

 

[tommays]

Re: Kneeboarding

opps

 

[BoatingCop]

Re: Kneeboarding

Well, I finally got a chance to give my new HydroSlide Razor Back a try today and I love it! I got very smooth operation from the fins while underway. The fins really gave great stability. I was able to cut real well and get good air with the fins down and then do 360's with fins up just like the Joker. It's a great board and very comfortable as well. I can't wait to go out again!

 

[sickwilly]

Re: Kneeboarding

I still love kneeboarding. Same old hydroslide pro from my youth. I have never used fins. Big air for me has always been about having the rope at the best length for my boat, a nice progressive cut that peaks at the wake, and the right pop right off the wake. I would rather be able to land in a slide off a big jump than worry about fins.

I think wake boarding took off at the same time as the re-emergence of skateboarding and the new dominance of snow boarding. I don't know for sure, but the link back with surfing and the more radical youth orientation of any sport on a board is why I suspect its garnered more favor -- that and I have never seen the air some of these younger guys can get on a wakeboard on any kneeboard.

 

[EricR]

Re: Kneeboarding

I started out in the late 80's with a foam boogie board, I borrowed it from a buddy. I had an old 12' fiberglass boat with an 18 horse Evinrude, and my buddy and I took turns pulling each other all afternoon up and down the drainage canals in the south Florida area, the real only places close you could do that as the intercoastal waterway was all Manatee area (idle speed only) or crowded with big cruisers.

Then one day my friend got a real Hydroslide, don't recall the model but it was orange. We had a blast with it. Also spent some time working in North Carolina at a diesel shop on the waters of the Pamlico sound. A couple guys that worked there had an older skiboat with an 85 Merc, each day after work one of us would buy the six gallons of gas and a pint of two stroke lube, and we'd all go out. Learned to do my first 360's in saltwater on an O'Brien "Magic" board.

That was about '92 or so. This year I bought a Hydroslide "Revolution" board, a entry level board with no fins. It does have the "hydro hook" you put the rope in to start out. It's nice! I still got right up like it was yesterday, not quite into the 360's again and I was always too timid to try getting air. The most problem I have is the lack of a boat driver, my wife won't do it!

 

[mike176]

Re: Kneeboarding

I suffer from the same problem EricR has. My wife will not pull me and most of the friends we take with us don't have a clue when it comes to driving the boat, so I'm always stuck as full time boat driver. i have a nice Revolution board but i never get to ride it.