Wakeboards? Your opinions, what's best?

[turbonine]

If you are not an advanced rider DO NOT get the Parks board. I won't even go into all the reasons why except for one. At Shaun Murrays wakeboard camp they have every Hyperlite board there for you to demo except one, the Parks. That should say enough. I will even admit that I had the Parks board 2005 140 with the DNA core. I will sell it cheap to anyone who wants it. Check out my board room for the proof.



I like LF boards and Ronix bindings. The LF boards I like the most are the Omega and Witness. I learned the most while on the Omega. It is smooth and consistent. I just recently moved to the Witness. Most of the LF riders are switching to the Witness board this year from the Substance. Look closely at Amber's Jett board, it is the same shape as the Witness, just different graphics.

[illiniboarder88]

I have heard great things about the Valhalla. Supposedly it handles rough water really well too. I'd love to give one of those a shot sometime.

[Big Wave]

I have heard great things about the Valhalla. Supposedly it handles rough water really well too. I'd love to give one of those a shot sometime.

You are correct It does handle rough water well. Something about the bottom contour gives you soft landings and smooths out rough water. Note mine is an 05 model, not sure if they have changed. http://www.wakeworld.com/boardguide/...ProductID=2460

[dogbert]

My youngest son, who's by far our most accomplished rider, swears by his CWB Marius Platinum. We upgraded him from a Hyperlite Byerly Pro model. Seems like he got faster acceleration and more pop from the Marius.

He's got LF Transit bindings to go with his board and loves them.

[Fit to be Tige]

So now you guys have got me thinkin'... after the season had ended, I bought a 127 Jobe Jynx for my son who is 9 and super coordinated. He is picking up wakeboarding pretty quickly and had been using my 135 CWB Sol, so I got him the Jobe thinking it would be better for his size (70 lbs.). Is this a junk board or will it be ok for a couple of seasons?

He seems excited about it, but will the board limit him and would I have been better off to go with a top brand?

[illiniboarder88]

Turbonine, I agree with you that the Parks board is an aggressive board, but there may be another reason Murray doesn't demo the Parks anymore. Parks switched sides to Ronix last year. Maybe it doesn't matter, but it's just a thought.

[talltigeguy]

Turbonine, I agree with you that the Parks board is an aggressive board, but there may be another reason Murray doesn't demo the Parks anymore. Parks switched sides to Ronix last year. Maybe it doesn't matter, but it's just a thought.

I find the Parks board to be nearly impossible to do surface slides on because the fins are so aggressive. If you want to cut into the wake, it really slices, but if you want to slide at all...before your know what hit you, you will be looking at the bottom of the lake.

I love my Hyperlite Murray, it grips when I want it to, but slides when it doesn't. It has a continuous rocker, and I find the pop to be pretty consistent, a major plus for me.

Another vote for the LF Transit bindings. I have had mine for 2 years, and sort of think it is time to upgrade, but am struggling to think I can find anything better. I'll have to check those CWB's out.

[Domsz06]

I love my fish with parks bindings, so comfy!!

[Fit to be Tige]

Boarding season is just around the corner... Any additional thoughts from guys that have ridden a bunch? I am looking to get more pop off the wake this year. My guess is that it is me more than the board.

[CP3]

I have only demoed the older ps3, not sure its changed in three years, and it had lots of pop. It was almost too much at first. Now I own the ronix one that has a good amount of pop and I like the feel, its just locked in a little bit more than I would like. I hear the ibex has CRAZY amounts of pop tho

[dogbert]

Boarding season is just around the corner... Any additional thoughts from guys that have ridden a bunch? I am looking to get more pop off the wake this year. My guess is that it is me more than the board.

Demo the Marius.

[turbonine]

Turbonine, I agree with you that the Parks board is an aggressive board, but there may be another reason Murray doesn't demo the Parks anymore. Parks switched sides to Ronix last year. Maybe it doesn't matter, but it's just a thought.

Nope, there is no conspiracy theory. What about Chad's 3DS'?

They have every Parks/Proof binding. Look on the very bottom in the back, those are the Proof bindings, but no Imperial board on the rack. It is the shape of the board. When Parks went to Ronix, the board shape became the Imperial and the boots became the Proof.

[T*]

Rocker & Length

I'm in the market for a new board too, but dont have time to make the 1.5 hr round trip back and forth to the board shop to pick up demos.

It would be great to have a "sticky" thread that was a tutorial, in layman's terms, about how to choose a board and all the things associated with board designs.

3 stg V's continuous rocker

how board sizing affects riding (more then just a chart that says if you weigh this much, get this size board)

Fin: adding, removing, length?

Bindings, for me, will be a no brain'r. If they fit snug and my feet dont go numb, i'm happy.

Here's the fast and loose answer:

Rocker Style dictates the trajectory of the board's pop/flight path. If the rider edges the same into the wake, a 3-Stage will give them a straight up pop which gives lots of height. A continuous board provides a slightly lower, flatter trajectory and will carry them into the flats. Also, 3-stage boards ride slower than a continuous board, due to the 'kinks' in the bottom that give the board the buck at the wake. Continuous boards are faster, because they have a smooth or continuous bottom.

Board Length: Always look at the weight sizing chart for the board that you are considering. If the rider is a beginner, they'll likely be more comfortable on a board that is on the shorter end of their of the chart for their weight - they will be able to initiate carves and edges more easily. For more advanced riders that want lots of pop, they should try the larger or largest board that fits with in their weight range - they can likely handle the more difficult edging of a bigger board, and will benefit from the larger surface area for more pop.

Nowadays there are alot of subtle surface contours that really affect the ride of a board, so demoing is the best way to find your next ride.

Fin length is all about preference and riding style - some likes it loose, and some likes it tight ;-) Although once a rider learns to edge really well, they generally start removing fins so that they can lipslide and surface three w/o face-planting or brain-stemming.

My CWB Platinum Transcend is 3-stage and really bucks straight up at the wake, which works for my style. The CWB hinge-tech bindings are great - no break-in time required, fantastic heel-hold and super comfortable. I may move from the CWB Faction to the CWB Answer closed-toe this season.

[kko]

im new to wakebaording myself. and ask all the same questions you did. my on this subject. boards you just have to demo untill you can find 1 YOU like. bindings CWB faction is what i went with IMPO if it dont have hinge tech its not worth having. like i said im new so i crash ALOT & HARD so getting in an out of a boot was high on my list and the hinge tech system is GREAT!! i tried a bunch of different boots i had to fight like hell to get in them then id say i had about 10 minutes until my foot went numb and if i fell and my foot came out i played hell getting boot back on in the water. hinge tech fixed all this for me.

[FacePlant]

I ride an older Hyperlite Premier 140 and a Liquid Force 139 that I bought I bought last year. The Hyperlite is still my fave. It just pops like no other board I have been on......