November 29, 2006
The Beginners Guide to Getting Equipped for Wakeboarding
As our sport grows, is televised, shown on cereal commercials and has managed to find a place among other respected action sports, many are interested in the requirements for getting started. The sport is still somewhat of a fringe one, but we're certainly making strides and people want in! Many people are interested in what is really required to get the most out of a wakeboarding experience. The answer is not to run out and spend $60,000 on a 2006 MasterCraft X2, and a $600 honeycomb stick although some companies may disagree with that assertion.
The items I will mention in this post apply to the most modest of situations. Not to say that a nicely equipped Super Air Nautique Team Edition or Malibu Wakesetter 247 wouldn't make your wakeboarding experience more enjoyable, but the items below apply to runabouts, IO's and even early tournament inboards; and more importantly the riders that enjoy them. Essentially these recommendations apply to just about everyone equipping themselves and their boat as wakeboarding phenoms.
So on with it.
An Equipment Build-up Plan for Beginners, in Order of Importance:
1. Get a non stretch, wakeboarding specific line (rope). Don't jury-rig your rope or use a slalom line, ever. The only exception is if you are riding somewhere far from civilization as a guest. The poor connection you'll feel to the boat, increased fatigue, and loss of control over your body while you're in the air are almost unavoidable with a standard polypropylene sectioned slalom line. Head over to Boardstop and get into a nice non-stretch line.
2. Get bindings that fit, tightly and perfectly. In our opinion it is more important than rushing into a high end board. Keep your bindings out of the sun and do not let them get shoddy & ripped - and still expect to start landing inverts in them. Bindings provide the connection to the board and are probably the most important piece of equipment in your arsenal. There is a significant risk of injury if one binding releases and the other stays in place. Remember that you have every right to guard your bindings, even if it means buying your own set that only you use and you don't let Biff & Brutus slide their size 17's into them. In my opinion it is 100% ok to be snobby and selfish about bindings. I say that as someone who has broken his leg because of poorly fitting ones.
3. Be a wise consumer when it comes time to buy a board. Look, most of the big name wakeboard manufacturers' boards made within the last 6 years or so years will do fine for most people. The shape that was released as the 'Hyperlite Fluid' from about 1998-on (otherwise characterized by the then-new Murray with the Sunburst graphic or the VW Bug graphic, depending if you opted for foam core or honeycomb) was a giant leap forward in design and is so successful that Shawn Murray himself still competes on a variant of it to this day. Also the Liquid Force Squirt/Trip lineages represent an evolutionary watershed moment, after which not a whole hell of a lot has REALLY blown me away, and one that many other manufacturers have rightly copied. Not that I don't get a new board every few years, but the Hyperlite Fluid and Trip/Squirt family lines were revolutionary, not evolutionary leaps in board design and elements of each became the norm from that point on. There have been some gimmicky attempts to push design, but I think it was at that point when boards sort of hit a plateau. Anecdotally, I learned more on my Squirt and Super Squirt Necrassen than anything else - ever.
4. Now without getting into an unwinnable brand or method argument, get a tower or extended pylon. It helps to get that rope up high, but it is not more important than the your connection to the board vis-a-vis the bindings, or the connection to the boat. That's why it is fourth on the list. Putting the pulling/attach point above the riders' shoulders allows them to learn proper body position and edging. Towers and extended pylons are not trends - they will be on our wake boats from now on - period. And though I prefer huge wakes, I have personally witnessed Scott Byerly effortlessly nailing switch mobes behind a Flightcraft Outboard with a laughable wake. All he cared about was getting that extended pylon fastened, and he took it from there. With specific regard to order of importance, it is more important to get the rope attach point up high, than to slam the boat with ballast. Get used to the high attach point and use it to the best of your ability - THEN slam the boat.
5. Now you can look into ballast and wake enhancement devices. Most boats respond well to a 40/40/20 weight ratio from stern to bow. This translates to careful weight placement in the rear, but do not forget about weight placement in the center of the boat. This is particularly applicable to boats that were designed as tournament slalom boats (and unfortunately most of our boats do fall into that category).
Get those things added as your budget permits, in that order, you will be incrementally happier with each item acquired and equipped. Get a good connection to the boat, get a good connection to your board, and your chances of success begin to grow. Complete the list and we'll see you competing in Pro-Am events in no time.
Posted by erik
