Recommend me a wakeboard maker. I'm wanting to get one at the end of this season to have fresh for next year. I borrow my buddy's, i have no idea what it is but its very generic and heavy. I'm trying to learn and get better, but i'll actually have a full time ride next season so i want a good board.

7/25/2008 11:27:07 AM

I have been riding Liquid Force boards for the last 7 years or so. I love my 07 Watson 138. Pretty much all of the vendors make low end stuff and high end stuff and I don't really know of any company with a bad reputation. Slingshot is probably the only company that is making anything drastically different from everyone else. I've never ridden one, but I know a few people that rave over them.

Boarders Best Buy sells wakeboard gear in a Woot.com style (only one item sold per day.) They have a good deal on a Hyperlite board today. http://www.boardersbestbuy.com/ Their sister site sells stuff at good deals too. Hit the wake closeouts section for good deals: http://boardersmall.com/xcart/home.php

[Edited on July 25, 2008 at 11:57 AM. Reason : s]

7/25/2008 11:53:01 AM

what is the rule of thumb for board length? I'm 6'0" tall

7/25/2008 12:08:13 PM

It depends on the board and your weight. Some are wider and floatier than others. How much do you weigh? Most scrawny guys (150 or less) ride something like a 134, average guys (160-215) are somewhere around 138 and us fatties in the 215+ category usually go with something closer to a 142. A lot of times they have a weight recommendation chart for each size of the board.

Ha...I just noticed the board on BBB today is a women's board. Might want to check again tomorrow.

[Edited on July 25, 2008 at 12:13 PM. Reason : s]

7/25/2008 12:09:09 PM

^yeah i saw that. the pink trim on the binding was my first clue haha.



i weigh around 170. so a 138 is probably where i need to start. Thanks.

7/25/2008 12:17:39 PM

136-138 is a good place to look...Depending a little on how wide the board is. Shorter boards spin much better and turn in faster, but if you go too short you'll ride low in the water and not get much pop off the wake. I'd say to err on the side of having a board a little too long.

7/25/2008 12:21:30 PM

have always used liquid force, actually trying to sell my LF 05 trip 142.

7/25/2008 3:54:22 PM

I've only ever ridden liquid force boards. My advice is to buy the lightest one you can afford.

7/25/2008 9:00:59 PM

I'm no professional Wake Board'er, but Elections seems to be seeking paid volunteers.

http://thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=533830

7/25/2008 11:07:39 PM

7/26/2008 8:25:19 AM

I dont know if i would necessarily go with the lightest board you could afford. I do agree that the watsons are probably the best boards on the market. However, there are a lot of factors to take in when buying the board. Number 1, how much money do you want to spend, do you have boots?, do you have a certain style, what kind of boat are you riding behind?

and a 138; even possibly a 142 would work for you. i weigh 165 but rode a 142 for a long time because i take a lot of stuff out into the flats

[Edited on July 27, 2008 at 10:47 AM. Reason : ;]

7/27/2008 10:46:07 AM

A) EBay Ebay ebay; last years closeout deals are typically 50-75% off

B) By using ebay appropriately you can buy and sell for the same price... even after you have tried out your bindings all the way through the break-in period... I've ridden more bindings than I can list and never paid anything beyond my initial purchase...

C) if your a beginner DON'T GET AN ADVANCED BOARD. Beginner-intermediate boards are MUCH more forgiving for people who don't know exactly what they are doing. Advanced boards do exactly what you tell them to and do it pretty quickly, so if you accidentally tell it to do the wrong thing FACEPLANT! Advanced boards are awesome once you have a solid W2W from both sides and can do 180's pretty regularly...

I ride an '04 LF Balance 142 and '06 LF Transits (6'5, 225 and pull a boat like hell)... Really happy with both... the package would have cost $750 new but I got everything for ~$250

[Edited on July 29, 2008 at 11:44 PM. Reason : (board purchased in '05, bindings purchased in '07)]

7/29/2008 11:38:14 PM

Yeah, the new hot stuff is always way overpriced. I think I've got $375 in my 07 Watson setup which I purchased over the winter. Not bad since the closed toe Watson boots alone retail for $399.

And boat gear for wakeboarders is nuts. $400 board racks, $1k biminis, and $700 tower speakers are ridiculous. Makes me want to find some good welders/machinists and go into business.

[Edited on July 29, 2008 at 11:52 PM. Reason : l]

7/29/2008 11:40:49 PM

bttt. Thanks for the info guys. I'm gonna keep looking, I think me and a buddy are going to split the cost on a new board. We will need bindings too, pretty much the whole package. I'm gonna start keeping an eye out on the closeouts.

I'll keep this thread bumped and will ask you guys about certain products when I see something.

8/5/2008 11:12:49 AM

What can you guys tell me about CWB board co?

I've been looking at this package

http://boardersmall.com/xcart/product.php?productid=18052&cat=314&page=2




and also this one from LF

http://boardersmall.com/xcart/product.php?productid=18269&cat=325&page=1

8/6/2008 11:43:54 AM

CWB has been around about as long as any other wakeboard company. They were the wakeboard division of Connelly water skis back in the day. I'm sure it's a good board.

One of my friends rode the Omega for a couple of years. It's a good board for the price. He was throwing back rolls and 360's pretty consistently on it.

[Edited on August 6, 2008 at 12:04 PM. Reason : l]

8/6/2008 12:03:15 PM

Quote :

"07 CWB Zeus Binding MSRP: $435.00 BoardersBestBuy: $129.00 Shipping: $18.00 to USA*"

http://www.boardersbestbuy.com/

This is a sweet binding and a great price if it is the right size for you. The back hinges sort of like Flow snowboard bindings and the footbed is cushy as hell.

[Edited on August 8, 2008 at 7:37 AM. Reason : l]

8/8/2008 7:37:11 AM

damn that is a good buy. 435 MSRP for boots

8/8/2008 11:22:17 AM

They were around $330 in most online stores iirc.

Add those bindings to this board and you'll be set for a long time to come:
http://boardersmall.com/xcart/product.php?productid=17472&cat=598&page=1

[Edited on August 8, 2008 at 11:45 AM. Reason : s]

8/8/2008 11:44:52 AM

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?i=14136&pdesc=Liquid_Force_2008_Trip_Factory_Blemish_Wakeboard_With_Domain_Boots&cname=Overton-s-Outlet&aID=74&merchID=1009&r=view

These are good boards. It's what I rode up until this year.

8/8/2008 12:41:10 PM

holy crap i am sore. Spent all saturday afternoon out there. It got a little boring towards the end because we only had a jetski pulling us and the wake was a little small. But i got much more comfortable edging back and forth. I really need to do a little weight training when the season ends because my arms just don't have near as much stamina as i'd like.

we borrowed another friend's CWB Area 51 board. i dont know anything about it, its like 8 years old, but it wasn't the most responsive thing...it just felt really sluggish.

8/11/2008 12:41:39 PM

I was really sore yesterday too. I haven't been riding much at all this year. I went out at 7:00 a.m. for a Saturday morning session and then did some inland surfing later that afternoon.

8/11/2008 2:33:50 PM

Rowing with the resistance set to full works a lot of the same muscles used for wakeboarding in the same manner they are used...

8/12/2008 11:56:11 PM

pretty successful trip this weekend. Didn't ride for as long as i wanted, but the sessions themselves were a lot better. And almost not fatigue today. Was able to do some surface tricks and small air. Should be behind a boat this labor day weekend, looking forward to that.

almost all the online retailers have marked down their stuff.

I'm gonna order a LF Trip 138 w/ the Alpha bindings tonight i believe

8/25/2008 3:33:45 PM

Actually i'm struggling. what color do you guys like better, Red (138cm) or Green (142cm)??







I'm partial to the Red b/c of NC State, but wondering if the 142 would be a better size...

8/25/2008 4:10:14 PM

Anyone ridden the LF witness? Boarders mall doesnt have the trip, that i already paid for, but they are offering the witness and vantage package to me for the same price. The vantage boots arent my favorite, velcro straps. The guy said the witness rides like a snowboard but i have no idea what that means. Any experiences?

8/28/2008 3:24:28 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gM4JRUnV7g

I have never ridden the Witness, but the folks at Wakeworld seem to like it:
http://www.wakeworld.com/boardguide/getboard9.asp?ProductID=4016

Evogear has it for $350 with free shipping:
http://www.evogear.com/wakeboards/liquid-force-witness-wakeboard-vantage-boots-2008.aspx

Green looks better, but you don't need a 142. It'll just make turning in and spinning more difficult for you and you don't need the extra length.

8/28/2008 6:31:54 PM

i found the board i wanted. had to order from a smaller online shop, but i checked it out and its legit. Was actually 20 dollars less too and on the east coast so i should receive it next week.

The trip 138's design is what really sold me on it. The witness is ok, but like you said the one my size wasn't that great looking. the LF substance that the boardersmall guy wanted to sell me is just plain heinous looking. I wanted the red and white. had my heart set on it.


now i just have to call boardersmall when they open (Pacific time) and get them to credit my order.

8/29/2008 10:50:35 AM

I know a lot of people that ride the Trip. It's an awesome setup. Mine has been really good to me.

[Edited on August 29, 2008 at 10:54 AM. Reason : l]

8/29/2008 10:53:50 AM

i'm really stoked. would have liked to had it for this long weekend, but i can hang with what i've got for a few more days.


you gonna get to ride any over labor day?

8/29/2008 10:56:34 AM

Probably. Lake Gaston is a mess on holidays, so we'll probably wakeboard in the early morning and surf during the day.

8/29/2008 11:17:29 AM

any of you guys have experience with the liquid force Sphynx bindings?

9/1/2008 9:43:11 PM

Quote :

"08 Liquid Force Watson OT MSRP: $379.99 BoardersBestBuy: $179.99 Shipping: $18.00 to USA*"

http://www.boardersbestbuy.com/

I'm riding the 07 closed toe version of this binding. It is the shit. Highly recommended. So soft on landings and supportive too.

[Edited on September 3, 2008 at 12:32 AM. Reason : l]

9/3/2008 12:32:29 AM

yeah man i saw that today. I actually ordered a pair of 07 LF Sphynx yesterday. Those watsons look awesome, but i caught a bargin on the sphynx. its a defunct model now, but had tons of killer reviews for the 07 model. They are all white which should look good on the board. Should be coming in next week, i'll post pics then.

9/3/2008 6:20:54 PM

That's cool. LF makes good stuff. I'm sure you'll like them.

I got out Sunday and Monday morning. I'd give you a pull if I owned a boat, but I'm a boat whore myself.

Here is a pic from Monday morning at about 7:00 a.m. when we were heading out. My board is on top.



[Edited on September 3, 2008 at 10:12 PM. Reason : l]

9/3/2008 10:12:15 PM

nice man, that looks great. I'm sure you caught some good glass that morning.


what kind of boat were you on?

9/4/2008 8:36:09 AM

It was an 07 Wakesetter VLX. The cove we were riding in was glass with a nice layer of fog rising about 3-4 feet off the water. Hard to beat the conditions.

9/4/2008 10:08:28 AM

bad pic, was done with camera phone. Will try to get some better ones later




Skack what kind of stance do you normall ride?

[Edited on September 12, 2008 at 10:20 AM. Reason : add]

9/12/2008 10:19:38 AM

I would turn the front binding out a little more and turn the back to match it. With the back binding straight you will barely be able to turn at all once you start riding fakie. It looks like it would be awkward to have your feet turned out like that, but it really isn't.

Take a look at how far the bindings are "ducked out" on this setup:

9/12/2008 10:48:15 AM

yeah, i will definitely duck them out more.

I put them that way because i doubt i'll get a whole lot of riding in this weekend with the weather, but if i do i wanted to get a good feel of edging this board since it'll be finless.

once i've got that i'll move them out and start trying to get my switch riding down.



Do you have a degree marking on your plate to tell how much yours are ducked? Right now my front is at 10, i'll adjust it more after this weekend

9/12/2008 11:46:30 AM

I don't know about the degree markings, but I'd definitely move that front foot out a little more before riding this weekend.

Why are you going finless? Riding finless is the best way to learn to edge properly, but it makes for a lot of unnecessary faceplants. I'd use a short center fin on both ends for at least the first year or two of riding.

[Edited on September 12, 2008 at 12:09 PM. Reason : l]

9/12/2008 12:08:32 PM

I guess i'll bump this.

i widened the stance out as far as it would go, as i have long legs, and ducked both boots out. Went finless the first time and i'll never go back. That board has great control and feels so much faster than what i was learning on. I have only been able to get out on it 3 times and the season is unfortunately close to ending. I'm hooked though, its gonna be a long winter as i'm not a skier or snowboarder.

I've been helping my dad in the search for a new boat. I need to find a way to convince him to go inboard...

10/15/2008 5:16:41 PM