Before buying a wakeboard: Are you a boat, wake or allround boarder?
Did you know choosing a right wakeboard can decrease fatique and hard falls?
In this edit we will ask you five questions we think you need to answer before buying a wakeboard. Having your personal, perfect wakeboard model is oh-so-important for performances, progression and fun on the water. This means you first have to explore what your personal style is and define your goals.
Where are you going to wakeboard?
This may seem like a no-brainer question. However, if you're a beginner you need to know there are two types of wakeboarding. The first category is boat riding - riding behind a boat. The other category is cable riding, which we call park riding. Deciding where you want to board (the most) gives direction which board to choose. Most wakeboard-dealers or webshops sell boatboards, parkboards or so-called allround/crossover boards - to be used behind the boat and in the park.
Boat boards: the biggest differences
Shape
The shape of a boat specific board is more contours and more features helping you to control the waves by letting the water flow along its base and edges.
Fins
A major dealbreaker in the world of wake behind a boat. Fins are molded or detachable with screws and are there because it seriously affects how the rider rides in conjunction with its board.
Flex
We design wakeboard for riding just behind the boat and allrounders. A typical boat-profile is a board with so-called stiffer flexibility from the nose of the board to its tail. Go ahead, try it out. Push on the center of a boat board and a park board and you will see a boat board isn't as easy to flex as a park board. The reason for this difference is the the fact that a stiff flex board delivers a more energetic pop of the wake when it's stiffer because you need more force to get that perfect pop. Furthermore a stiffer wakeboard can hold its rocker line better during landings because it doesn't smack flat against the water. In general, our boat-riders prefer a stiffer wake profile for boat riding.
RIDER's choice: find more about our top boat boards
here.
Park boards: the biggest differences
The world of park boards is getting bigger and bigger. More high-end park features and more snowboarders who look for a fun way of boarding during the summer. Our parkboards are based on riders and the fact that these riders prefer 'playful flex'.
Flex AND shape
Park riders like to have speedy and controllable boards. This means you don't rely on fins or channels but you're looking for different flex ranges and base designs. We built our park boards with a softer flex profile, so the rider experiences more control on park features with a shape that creates less friction on park features.
RIDER's choice: Find the specific park boards in
this article.
Style: Allround
Bases and flex profiles of allround boards are blends from both wake specific and park specific board designs. In the category of cable park riding everyone has its own style of riding. Some wakeboarders prefer a mixture of base contours to load line tension from the cable in order release their edge. The cable then pulls them up and off the water and into the air. This leads us into a category of crossover boards which are an option for riders who enjoy both boat & park riding.
Find out more about allround riding and the boards in
this article.
