Wake Surf Board Advice

[bigdaddy_houseboater]

I've always wanted to try that P5 Danielo. Very similar to my board minus the fins. I've got two 2 5/8 on mine. I've ridden my wife's P5 Prop on several occasions. Same size and similarly shaped as mine and a little heavier, just no fins which makes it a bit too slow for me. It's amazing what a good set of fins will do. It is pretty squirrely with just that one little fin.

I really can't comment on surf style boards as I have very little experience with them. Most people however, prefer them over the skim. I always just liked the edge feel of the hard rails and the thin board. You can really edge into the wake hard. The soft rails (rounded edges) just don't have the same bite IMO. Maybe its just my slalom upbringing.

Plus they usually fit into a wakeboard rack.... saving you another 300 bucks.

[pdhj1990]

I appreciate the input. Any additional advice on model, brand and location to purchase?

I'll either spend more now or later. Thanks again

[jmitchell]

I decided that the extra $300-400 was not worth it for a beginner board that may get damaged while people are learning how to surf. Some of the higher end boards are extremely fragile as some have said they even get indentions from the surf rack forks. So I went with the 5' 6" Hyperlite Broadcast. Love the board so far. Went ropeless on second time out and two others in our bunch have now gone ropeless also. Plus many others have gotten up almost instantly on this board, both women and men. We have a Z1 with no ballast and still able to go ropeless with minimal amount of people on board.

I know by middle of next year I'll be on the hunt for a nicer more expensive surf style board, but isn't that the fun of owning all the accessories....getting upgrades!!!

[pdhj1990]

I'm going to go with a higher end board and would like to know what gear others are using. Although I like ToWanZa Wakesurfing's product line, I'd like additional comparisons before I pull the trigger.

Thanks

[pdhj1990]

Anyone have experience with the O'Brian - NALU?

[NICKYPOO]

Pop out?

[NICKYPOO]

It is interesting what they say about the rocker line. Other than that, it looks slow. However, looks can be deceiving. I didn't even know it existed until you mentioned it.

[pdhj1990]

Here's a link to the O'Brian Nalu:

http://store.obrien.com/products/pro....0.0.0.0?pp=6&

I thought this would be a good board for learning. I also thought it would be good for the kids and their friends.

The Nalu fits in the wakeboard rack. It also only has one fin.

I still plan to buy a higher end board, as noted earlier. Thoughts?

[Surfdad]

@ Nickypoo That's interesting about the apex. We did a ton of R&D on the location of the apex and moved it basically under the front foot. This post on Apex from the blog gives a great picture.

So many of the boards, whether from wakeboard manufacturers or folks with a surf background use computer models and just resized 6'2" shortboards down to 5' boards...by shrinking everything. The reality being that stance doesn't change whether you're riding a 6'2" or a 4'6" Rockers that work on a 6'2" are weird when on a 5' board.

That's good to see, not sure I like the board, but changing the apex's location is a good thing for consumers.

[NICKYPOO]

Here's a link to the O'Brian Nalu:

http://store.obrien.com/products/pro....0.0.0.0?pp=6&

I thought this would be a good board for learning. I also thought it would be good for the kids and their friends.

The Nalu fits in the wakeboard rack. It also only has one fin.

I still plan to buy a higher end board, as noted earlier. Thoughts?

Being that you are looking for an everybody board to go out and mess around on and get their basics down, it might be a good fit. At least it has some forward thinking in its design.

Is there a local board shop that will let you demo some boards? That is always the best way to board shop. Otherwise, its just a crap shoot, regardless of how smart we think we are.

@Surfdad - ...and my wife says I never listen! If she would just talk surfboard design, maybe I would.