2013 Hyperlite Broadcast

[lalijaca]

Being new to the sport of wakesurfing, I am looking at getting a board that the whole family can use. The family consists of me being 5'11" and 220lbs, the wife 5'9" and 155lbs and the two kids both 5'5" and 90lbs
I am looking at the 2013 Hyperlite Broadcast in a 4'8" length. As we are new to the sport, do I go with this board or do I go up to the longer 5'4". Will this board be suitable to learn on? I am not really interested in buying one board to learn and then next year buying another board when we all get used to it. Will we be able to go wireless??
The boat we are using is a 2007 21i with a 650lbs rear and 300lbs floater.
Please help and any comments mostly appreciated.

[jbort]

I'd go bigger for Dad. If wakesurfing takes off w your family which seems to happen alot you will quickly learn that one board for all will go so far then u will want different boards for each preference and learning curve. We are frequent surfers and Jake gave up tubing finally now only surfs and has 2 boards - one skim and one surf style. Budget is always a factor and i get that but if u get the bug.....lots of fun coming.

[Ruger761]

Ive got a 2012 Broadcast in the 5'4" and seems to be a great learning board for just about anyone. It has a lot of floatation and pretty durable, (ya I have rode up on the swim platform). We ride anywhere from 180# to 220# on it and seems to handle it well. Traction pad is very nice and doesnt get slick. I do think I add another more advanced board in the near future though along with more ballast.

[Wood]

Once you can ride without the rope you have out grown the broadcast. Don't get me wrong we have one as a boat board, but if you want to wakesurf steer clear of the wakeboard brand names. Just my 2 cents

[davcoug]

For what it is worth, i have the 2012 Broadcast 5'4" and my 5' 95 lb son rides it as well as myself at 6' 195. Probably upgrade to a better board next year but it works for our whole family.

[Timmy!]

The Inland Surfer boards would be a much better choice. Talk to a dealer or call them up and tell them what you are looking for and you probably find something that you will be able to enjoy and grow on. You might look into the Liquid Force custom line too. The custom quad is a board that you could learn on and once you get good, you can get some nice aerials and do intermediate tricks on. It's a little more durable than a custom built board (Walker Project, Soulcraft, Mendonesia, etc) and you get a ton better performance than the Broadcast.
You get what you pay for on these boards and if you start out with a little more expensive board, you will save yourself money in the long run because you will be bored with that Broadcast in just a few months.

[trent]

I found the 2012 broadcast 5'4" to be a great starting board for learning to get up. I felt the board was very stable which definitely made the process easier. However for larger riders 220+ it was very difficult to stay in the sweet spot. Which made the process of surfing more frustrating.. If I could do it all again I would have skipped the Broadcast and gone with Ronix Cortez. Not nearly as stable as the Broadcast, but for some reason it was way easier to find and stay in the sweet spot.

[Timmy!]

I have a Ronix Cortez in a 5'4" and it's not that exciting either...also have a CWB Ride, good for getting up that first time and having some fun but if you decide that you want to do more, you are limited.

[Bogdog]

my wife has the broadcast and she is learning, she has the 4'8". I'd say the 4'8 is too small for a 220lbs dude though.

[lalijaca]

Thanks for the amazing response and comments.
OK, I do agree that I should look at a board that is probably a bit more advanced. I will do some more searching and see what else is available in OZ.

[Timmy!]

Looks like you aren't too far from Melbourne. Are there surf shops there? If so, you could see about having them make you a 4'8" to 5' quad or thruster and that would be a way to go!

[snows56]

We just started surfing this year, after much research I ended up on a CWB Tsunami board. It's 4' 7" in length and we have a similar range in weights. I weigh around 215 and we have girls around 100 lbs that have been riding it. It is a skim style board that is beginner/intermediate so it will last you a bit longer. You just remove fins to make it less of a beginner board. We have really joined it and people who are beginners learn fairly quickly on it. My wife and I were riding without the rope after about 3 or 4 trips.

Here is a link:
http://ridecwb.com/product/cwb_tsunami_surf

[lalijaca]

Hey Timmy, I am three hours away from Melbourne, and a further 2 hours away is Torquay where the Surf Coast is. I would love to get a custom board made, but I reckon that would cost a truck load, plus the surfers would not even know what wakesurfing is.
I am looking more into the Inland Surfer brand, but once again it is not a well known item in Oz. The good news is I still have plenty of time, well at least 2 months anyway before the weather starts getting really warm.