Buyers Guide - Wakeboards
Hyperlite Wakeboards | Liquid Force Wakeboards | Slingshot Wakeboards | Ronix Wakeboards | O'Brien Wakeboards | Connelly Wakeboards
In the market for a new Wakeboard? Don’t know where to start with what to go for? Here at S2AS, we’ve taken the time to write a Wakeboard Buyers Guide, to make it nice and simple for you when it comes to buying your new board. So, let's begin!
First of all, we need to decide what sort of riding you’ll be doing, as depending on where you’ll be riding, you’ll need a different board. The section below will talk about the 3 Main Types of Wakeboards.
A boat specific board is ideal for anyone with a boat, and that plans to be riding it 100% of the time. Some of the main features and characteristics of these boards are as following:
STIFFNESS
The stiffness, which helps the pop off the wake, normally comes from the thick design and shape of the board. The less flexy a boat board is, the less pop it will have. Pro Model boards like the Harley will be a lot stiffer than a beginner board like the Classic, which is also something to take into account when buying a board. This Flex will decide how soft or mellow the landings are.ROCKER LINE
Boat boards have 3 Main Types of Rocker Line.
CONTINUOUS ROCKER
A Continuous Rocker will help you get across the wake a lot further than the 3 Stage Rocker. This at S2AS we believe is the perfect Rocker Line for any Beginner/Intermediate Wakeboarder looking at starting they’re first transitions across the wake. A Continuous Rocker also is more cushioning on the landings, which is also good for older guys out there who don’t want a super hard-landing board.3 STAGE ROCKER
A 3 Stage Rocker will help you get more pop and a lot higher off the wake than any other type of rocker, which is brilliant for any Intermediate/Expert Wakeboarder that is looking to go higher. This Rocker line is preferred by some of the words best wakeboarders, simply because they can get loads of Airtime in competitions.CAMBER ROCKER
Camber Rocker is somewhat rare nowadays, but for the Ronix Wakeboards that do have it, you can definitely feel the difference. This type of Rocker is brilliant at putting you in the right body position for Wakeboarding, and is aimed at the Expert/Pro Rider who have mastered boosting on a 3 Stage Rocker. The Rockerline of a Camber board will send you insanely high, much higher than a 3 Stage Board.FINS
All boat specific boards have fins. Fins are a key part of a boat board; they play a massive part in the grip and edging on the water, which helps the board feel less skatey. Channeling on a boat specific board is also another key part, which again further aids the grip and also directs you where you want to go.
A Cable specific board is a board that’s dedicated for you local cable park, hitting features and sending big tricks off kickers and ramps. These Elite boards are finless, bombproof, made to stand up against pretty much anything you throw at it. Check out some of the main characteristics of these boards below:
STIFFNESS
Stiffness in cable boards does very from board to board, but it’s important to know what you want out of a board. Stiffer, as with a boat board, will mean more pop, which is great for air tricks, but lacks on pressing into obstacles and features. A flexier board is awesome at getting locked into presses on features, but unless the board has the right channeling is not very good in the Air Tricks Category. A board like the Slingshot Terrain is awesome at locking into presses and sliding over the Liquid Leisure Pool Gap, but will feel really loose off kickers and take more energy to spin in the air.ROCKER LINE
Cable boards are super simple when it comes to rocker, and offer 2 types:
CONTINUOUS ROCKER
A Continuous Rocker is perfect for any beginner looking to get out on the cable. This Rockerline is super forgiving and soft, which makes it perfect for any Beginner to Intermediate Rider at the cable park. The pop and speed of a continuous rocker is really predictable, which again makes it great for a beginner rider.3 STAGE ROCKER
The pop off a 3 Stage Rocker is insane, and especially noticeable when popping ollies. But there is one downside; the flat spot in the middle of the board means harder landings off kickers and features. If you’re willing enough to lose a bit of comfort for harder shredding, it’s definitely worth it! This rocker is best suited to any rider that’s Intermediate to Pro, looking for more out of their board.BASE:
