picking board features???

[augie]

hi, i am noob to this forum and wakeboarding in general. been snowboarding for years and tried wb last weekend and loved it. was able to get up, carve and ride switch. and I just found out i live close to a cable park, so i'll be hitting that up soon. didn't even know such a thing existed, sounds awesome!

I didn't pay much attention to the board i borrowed last weekend, just that it was a 143 hyperlite, about 6 years old and had 2 metal fins on both ends. I was hoping someone could help me understand the board features available, since I think I'll buy this week. going out the next 3 weekends and rentals would be roughly $90, might as well buy now, I can tell i'm gonna luv this sport.

so i plan on boat and cable riding, park and open water and am 6'2" - 185lbs.
what should I be looking for, continous rocker, 3 stage rocker, removable fins, no fins, toe/heel side specific boards, etc...?

thanks for any input?

edit: found this link helped out a lot.

 

[dvan1901]

Re: picking board features???

One good place to start is at wakeworld.com; they have a board wizard that will help you determine the proper size board for you. What a lot of boards have gone to now is two fins, on each end, towards the sides of the board. This alows you to cut on edge harder without slipping. Just having the fin in the middles helps, but the two outer fins give more control on cuts. Hyperlite makes one, I think the Ozone, that actually has 3 fins on each end that you can add or remove. Other than that, the bindings are very key. Want something you can get in and out of easily and that don't hurt your feet while you ride. You could always find a good deal on a board online and then go to a board shop, if you have one, and get fit for some bindings. Good luck!

 

[Liquid_force]

Re: picking board features???

Are you going to KC Watersports? If you haven't already - check out KCwatersports.com. There are a bunch of good video clips of the park.
I've been there a couple times and loved it.

For the park - my no. 1 suggestion would be don't spend much. Once you start riding rails and ramps one day at the park will wear the board pretty significantly.
I'm 5'11", around 200 lb. I ride a Liquid Force Superfly 143 behind the boat, but for the park I bought a new Free Motion Drive 139 for $100 off ebay. (I was looking for something used, but for $100 I couldn't turn it down).
It rides just about perfect for the park. I don't use fins, but it has molded channels near the rails which help it track. On edge it sticks pretty well, but off edge it's very free. You don't need a lot of tracking on the cable because you don't need that hard edge like you do when you're going at a wake.
I would avoid molded fins as those would just be an obstacle to get hung up on a rail/ramp, and when they didn't hang up they'd be getting worn flat.

As for behind the boat - something in the 140+ area seems about right for your size, but unless you've ridden a lot and know what you like, or you have a chance to go to a demo and ride several different boards it's next to impossible to say what would work best for you.

As a novice, or even an intermediate there's no way a board will make or break your riding. In my experience bindings are more important than what board you choose to ride.

 

[augie]

Re: picking board features???

yeah, i've heard of kcwatersports and checked it out online, looks awesome. Can't wait to try it.

I hadn't even thought about rails wearing a wakeboard down so much. that's good to know. I do plan on going out the cable park the weekends I can't get a boat lined up. I think i can rent there for $10 a day, guess I'll do that and just get a decent board for boat riding.

thanks

 

[Liquid_force]

Re: picking board features???

they rent basic boards for $5 for 2 hrs, $10 for the day, but if you want to try the obstacles it's $15 for 2 hrs/$30 all day.

I've only used my Free Motion there once (the other time I rented). After 4-5 hours, 3-4 runs per hour I have several significant scratches and one pretty good sized nick on the bottom. It really does beat them up pretty bad.

 

[augie]

Re: picking board features???

they rent basic boards for $5 for 2 hrs, $10 for the day, but if you want to try the obstacles it's $15 for 2 hrs/$30 all day.

I've only used my Free Motion there once (the other time I rented). After 4-5 hours, 3-4 runs per hour I have several significant scratches and one pretty good sized nick on the bottom. It really does beat them up pretty bad.

at the board shop last nite saw one type of wakeboard (maybe wakeskate) that was a thin pressed board, no raised sections in it, kind of like what a snowboard or skate board would look like from the side profile. Well whatever it was, it looked like it would hold up to rails a littler better. but you got the right idea it sounds like, buy a cheapy off ebay.

Looking around online, doesn't seem like this is the best time of year to be buying a wakeboard at a good price, but think I am just going to get a '07 liquid force omega for $130, but gonna look around a bit more.

 

[augie]

Re: picking board features???

ended up getting a '08 LF Trip 138 w/ Index Bindings for $320 at the local shop. can't wait for tomorrow

 

[Liquid_force]

Re: picking board features???

Cool, I've ridden that board -- well, an '04, but I don't think they've changed much. Pretty "advanced" feel IMO. Rides way up high on the water and is real sensitive to edge - it feels like a skate board with real loose axles vs. my LF Superfly that rides deeper in the water and isn't as responsive.

I happen to like the feel of the Superfly better, but the Trip would be regarded as a "better" board.

 

[GiMLit]

Re: picking board features???

Looking for a board for our family and friends. Nothing special just an all around set-up.
Kids will range from 70 - 160 pounds likely. 11-18 yrs old. Obviously binding versatility is important as there will be a wide range of shoe sizes using them.
Used a friends last year and worked great for all. Not sure what is was.

Can anyone give me feedback on this set up.

http://kitchener.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-sports-bikes-Obrien-Oasis-wakeboard-137-W0QQAdIdZ59282600

Looked at review at wakeWorld.com and it looked good.

Thanks

 

[Liquid_force]

Re: picking board features???

it's a nice board, but the bindings aren't adjustable.

 

[augie]

Re: picking board features???

Cool, I've ridden that board -- well, an '04, but I don't think they've changed much. Pretty "advanced" feel IMO. Rides way up high on the water and is real sensitive to edge - it feels like a skate board with real loose axles vs. my LF Superfly that rides deeper in the water and isn't as responsive.

I happen to like the feel of the Superfly better, but the Trip would be regarded as a "better" board.

Cool, I thought it felt like the board was kind of 'wobbly' this weekend. Loose trucks on a skate board describes it perfectly. at first I thought it was becuase i had bought a 138, but convinced myself that probably wasn't it. Then figured it was my buddy, whose never driven a boat, that was pulling me. He said he got it up to 30mph a few times by accident. Jackass, I told him to keep it at 20mph.

does some of the wobbliness go away if I put a middle fin in the board? all in all, i love the board. the water was pretty choppy due to the storm (we were boarding between rain intervals) and the rental boat was putting out no wake, so hopefully next weekend I can feel a little more in control of the board.

 

[Liquid_force]

Re: picking board features???

does some of the wobbliness go away if I put a middle fin in the board? all in all, i love the board. the water was pretty choppy due to the storm (we were boarding between rain intervals) and the rental boat was putting out no wake, so hopefully next weekend I can feel a little more in control of the board.

The middle fin will just improve the board's tracking. It won't actually improve the stability, but I think it would be worth trying. In tightening the tracking you can focus more on controlling the "edgyness".

I can definitely relate on the driver issue.
Casual boaters usually run it up to a certain speed, and start the chit-chat while the speed drifts dramatically up AND down. But wakeboarding is so speed specific, and at a difficult speed to maintain, even a good driver HAS to consistently feather the throttle just to keep a 3-4mph range. Especially with the average I/O or OB.

I often pass up the opportunity to ride if I know the driver's not at least a semi-serious wakeboarder.
95% of the time my brother drives for me and vice versa. That's the only time we know it will be 19-22 from start to finish.