looking for new board

[KonaKing]

The Doctor is in the house/ way go SD

[Guapo]

Thanks Surf Dad...that also helps me as well. We just started surfing this summer. We are trying to start getting air as well. The only difference is two of us share a board. I'm 5' 10" 205 lbs and my bro-in-law is 6' 4" 185 lbs. After looking into the SS, would you still recomend the thresher or comp1 or do I need the ja mako because of my weight? Or any other suggestions.

[jdj06c]

@jdj06c The depth will help, not sure if you were able to get the cant and toe in - THOSE two adjustments will make a ton of difference.

Thanks SurfDad. Not sure what you mean though on "able to get the cant and toe in"

[Surfdad]

@KonaKing - How are you?! I haven't "seen" you in ages! It's good to see you are around.

@jdj06c - On a surfboard or a high'er end wakesurfboard the fins are placed such that there is cant and toe in. Cant and Toe in refer to angles. The mass produced boards set the fins straight up and down and straight forward - NOT because this offers performance but because it's easier to mold or to have factory labor install them.

Toe in is just like the toe in on the front wheels of your car - it's the angle the leading edge of the fins have towards the center of the board. This induces a little bit of drag, but aides with drive and turning ability. Cant is the angle of the base of the fin towards the tip of the fin out towards the rails. Cant gives the board lift and some additional drive.

To give you a better visual, hold your right hand up in front of your face - your thumb directly in front of your nose and the palm of your hand at a right angle to the left. Basically that is how the fins on the mass produced boards are set - straight ahead and straight forward. To visualize toe, angle the leading edge of your hand - where your pinky finger is - towards the left. You should be able to see the palm of your hand and all of your fingers. Typically there will only be about 1/4" of toe, so it's not much.

Top visualize cant bend your hand at the wrist so that the tips of your fingers are angled more to the left than the base of your hand. Typical cant angles range from 3 degrees to 6 degrees, so that you have an idea.

Combining those two angles when setting the fins improves performance remarkably.

Hope that helps!

@Guapo - You're on track with your thinking. As I mentioned earlier it's tough to fit stock sizes and still generate the kind of performance you want. The Thresher and JaMako are the same length, with the JaMako having a wider tail. The wider tail will make the board less responsive rail to rail - your turns will feel sluggish in comparison to say the Thresher, but the board will release easier for your extra size. During the process where you're learning airs, I'd recommend the bigger board. My only concern is that once you master it, you'll want a smaller board for the responsiveness. There isn't much value in a used wakesurfer. Spend $600 now and you'd be lucky to get 200-300 next summer. The JaMako makes a good boat board for teaching bigger folks, so maybe that would make sense for you guys? You'll go with the larger one and then keep it for when you are teaching. I do want to caution you about big guys and aerials - It's REALLY hard! It can be done, but a 150 pound guy will have a much easier time of it. The process is still the same - it's a skateboard ollie - but as jdj06c points out - you have to transition it quickly and with bigger guys that transition has to be even faster. Your extra size will tend to force the tail of the boartd under water - the longer you spend pushing that tail down, the more likley it will be that the water will wrapr it and make it impossible to get up.

Hope that helps you, too.

[Guapo]

Thanks for the input...it does help a lot...

[jdj06c]

Thanks for the info! Much obliged!