Help me pick a board

[mtnsmith]

What sold you on that one??? I too am interested in that particular board but in the same boat, I hate to wait 4 weeks.

[Surfdad]

Is Mike out that long? The last time I spoke to his rep's he was supposed to be getting the turn around to 2 weeks. You might give him a call. The Comp X 5-Oh is a fast board, still cheap at $299, will store in a standard wakeboard rack and with futures fins is pretty easy to customize. I've spun 3's on it and James can air it out. It's just a good solid all around surfstyle board that is easy on the wallet...well as easy as any out there.

[mtnsmith]

I didn't talk to them, I was just quoting the warning on his site. Would a x-5-0 be close in durability to the Epoxy NSP? I want something that will last decently and that's the biggest difference I noticed between an epoxy board and poly board.

[farmacist]

Don't want to be a pest but I am very interested in Surfdad's input from my previous post on this thread. Your opinions are obviously very appreciated from all on this site and others as well. Any suggestions?

[Surfdad]

Farmacist, sorry I didn't mean to ignore you. I'll come back and address your question specifically, but to answer the one question about the SS's. They won't fit in a standard rack, so that would be the only reason I didn't include them. I think somewhere above I mentioned that the rack issue would limit selections considerably.

Mtnsmith, we just got back from Ohio and so I may be suffering some jet lag, but I'm confused. The WP Comp X is EPS and Epoxy construction. All of the other boards that Mike makes are available in Poly U and Polyester Resin or EPS and Epoxy construction. Futher, Mike can build any board out of your selection of core materials: Dcell, corecell, etc. So long as you are willing to wait and pay for the customization. Did I misunderstand your question?

[Surfdad]

1-No
2-No
3-Yes
4-No
5-No, not "training" but others at my level would like to try on "better" board as well.
6-No
7-Carving, aerials, and would still like to spin some. (if I need a second board for spins what would that be?) Can't figure out the shuv's !

Ok farmacist, back to your request. There is a LOT of misunderstanding about doing surface 3's. Many folks believe that smaller fins are the key to a successful 3, but really it's just proper technique. If you can imagine, I am routinely doing surface 3's at 51 years old on a board with 4 inch deep fins. You won't need a separate board for doing surface 3's.

Your height and weight is just at the borderline for most of the smaller surfstyle boards. In my experience, the 6'ish footers have a pretty wide stance and that can make riding a smaller 4'6" inch board more of a challenge. What happens for folks is that they tend to want to ride with a stance that is just a tad wider then the board will allow. Your weight isn't so much an issue, at 185 pounds.

I would put you on a board that is close to 5'0". I think probably anything 4'9" and up would work for your stance and weight. The SS CH Pro is right around 4'8" and that might work for you, but I'd recommend a demo before punking down any money on it...it's on the lower end of the boundary. The SS Thresher Shredder would work also.

A WP Comp X 5-Oh would be a good choice, although aerials will be a bit challenging because of it's weight. Alternatively, a 4'9" Bullet would give you the best ride of your life...if you can wait for it to be built and are willing to work with Mike.

I'm not a big fan of the shoreline lakeboards for aerials, the other options work better.

I haven't seen the final Johnny Stieg pro model yet, but that has promise.

The Placebo Josh Sleigh 5'0" model is an exceptional board and folks can generate huge airs on that board. Although, I am still old school and prefer the feel of non-molded boards.

My recommendation to you, would be to have a custom board manufactured, if you can wait. If you can't, and you don't mind the price tag, look at the Placebo. If you can't wait and the Placebo's sticker price gives you a coronary...look at the SS's or WP Comp X 5-Oh.

Hope that helps!

[mtnsmith]

Good to know, I guess I should just call and talk to them. On the website it was not all that clear what each board was made from. It mentions that everything is custom made so I figured everything could be specified. Thanks for the clarification, I'll give them a call or e-mail.

[farmacist]

Thanks for the info Surfdad. I don't mind waiting, just want the right board. After much research on message boards and recommendations from you, I am feeling very comfortable with the WP company and the service they do for their customers. With that said it sounds as though the WP bullet would be the correct choice. What are your thoughts on the F18? What are the main differences between it and the bullet? Again, thanks for your insight, hope I am not wearing out my welcome.

[Surfdad]

You're right. I just went to Mike's web site on the Composite X page and there is no mention of what it's made of! Anyway, the stock board is an EPS core and Epoxy laminate.

Mike's a great guy, easy to work with. I'm sure that he'd appreciate knowing that he doesn't mention the construction material on the Composite X description.

Let us know what choice you make with the board.

[Surfdad]

Hey farmacist, no problem.

There are quite a few differences, between the two models, but they aren't easy to see. The first is the outline. The F-18 has it's wide point closer to the nose, the Bullet's wide point further back right about at the middle of the board. The Bullet also has wings, or steps just behind the fins.

The most significant difference is the bottom of the Bullet. It has a significant concave, about 3/8", whereas the F-18 is flat. The concave does two things. First is that it provides additional surface area and therefore more speed over a comparably sized flat bottom board. The other aspect is that the rails sink quicker and so this board is VERY responsive rail-to-rail.

Lastly the fin toe-in and locations differ between the boards. The Bullet is designed to allow surface 3's almost effortlessly, it does give up a bit of drive for this ease of rotation.

The Bullet is the more performance oriented board between the two.

James on the Bullet from Wakefest back in Ohio this past weekend.

[dogbert]

BTW, Larry Mann came out and rode with us last weekend. He brought a couple of boards along, including a prototype of his new fiberglass surfskate. It looked really fast when my kids rode it. They were able to ride really far back in the wake and get back to the swim platform...I've never seen anything like it. They were having a really good time with it.

[bentone]

anyone looking for a new board should definately have a walker, i have both a bullet and two f-18s. they are the favorites with everyone that steps foot on my boat. super fast

[wakeboarder247]

Wow you are a lucky guy. 3 walkers! I wish I could fork out the cash for just one Walker. If I had it I'd definitely get a Walker Bullet! What size are the 3 boards?

[bentone]

the bullet is a 4'6 and the f-18's are a 5' and a 4'9. it is amazing the difference between the two lengths. the 4'9 is def a shredder and the favorite

[Surfdad]

I just want to clarify for those that aren't familar with Mike's work. You can order a Bullet in any length from 4'0" up to 6'0" on 1/4" increments. I've got them all, Fast 50, Bullet, F-18, and both Comp X's and I always come back to the Bullet as my fav.

Have you tried the Comp X series Bentone? The 5-Oh is seriously fast.