Canada was.

Running up to that last tour stop in Connecticut, I saved around $500 for exclusive splurge purposes, knowing I would not have many chances like this to get wakeboarding and boating items that aren't normally carried in catalogs. I wanted items that were sold exclusively at events like Surf Expo and Pro Tour stops. That weekend I purchased a 500lb ballast bag, a zero-stretch line, and an original Liquid Force Squirt from Tony Finn Himself. He literally handed it to me. OH YEAH IT'S NAME CHECK TIME! I met, as mentioned, Tony Finn, Tara Hamilton, Thomas Horell, Darin Shapiro, and Gregg Necrason that weekend. I also saw a super young Shane Bonifay raising hell with a squirtgun. Last, I met Chris Bischoff and he asked us if we were competing - and we were. I think that made him think we we're cool. Fooled you Chris!

For the better part of the first morning of the event, I walked around with that red, original press Squirt all sorts of proud of myself. A young, very punky Scott Jobe made a wise crack about the board as we walked by a booth he was staffing. I think it was Scott Jobe anyway. But enough about that.

After the event, and witnessing a level of wakeboarding that we'd never seen before, we were severely excited. We got home, filled the ballast, linked up the new zero stretch rope and headed out on my old Ski Nautique 2001. I instantly felt at home on the Squirt - almost bizzarely so. That week I got half cab rolls down solid. And in the next 2 years, I learned every single invert I've ever managed to ride away from on that board, except for backside backrolls which I landed first on an original run Hyperlite Pro, the very day my high wrap bindings arrived via FedEx. The original Squirt is also the platform on which I learned various spins including wrapped and handle pass 540's (I prefer wrapped thank you very much).

I later replaced the Squirt with a Super Squirt - Gregg Necrason pro model and swiftly snapped my tibia and fibula on a roll to revert gone horribly wrong behind a horribly weighted "Wakeboard Edition" Tige with "Taps" set to "Wakeboard" .

Now, in anticipation of my 2008 Liquid Force Watson limited setup from Liquid Force and Boardstop, I gave my 2007 setup to a good friend who upon taking his first set on it, immediately reported that he'd be unwilling to part with it. In short - he loves it (a 138 Substance).

Now essentially boardless, I checked the rack of blank decks from years past. 1992 Hyperlite Pro? No. Skurfer Rage? No. Skurfer Blast. No again. What about that Super Squirt on which I shattered my leg? No thanks. But the red, lonely, unused original Squirt was sitting there and I decided to set it up, and give it a whirl. I would have taken out the 138 Liquid Force Helix on which I did my rehab riding, but it is wall mounted and signed and thus too sentimental to take out just yet.

As I've said on here before, I worked as the Pro Shop manager at a waterski/wakeboard shop during summers through college and had a chance to demo - and pro-form everything that most of the top manufacturers have to offer. Despite that, I am a Liquid Force guy - 10 years strong, and we did not carry Liquid Force. It is amazing to me that a board nearly as old as the company itself was still up to snuff when it came to mildly difficult tricks and a compliment that I could not extend to other manufacturers' offerings from 1997. A lot of people will drag their old boards out for funzies, but in this case I really had nothing else to ride, and I am not complaining. What Jimmy Redmond designed in 1996 or so, remains a board that I can take out and quite literally use as a dependable backup until my new equipment arrives.

Bottom line - the board is still phenomenal. I can do all of my difficult (for me at least) stuff on it without any issue. It has a pretty unforgiving rail and rides a bit squirrely, but I can throw that thing around like it's literally nothing. There's no question that it is one of the of the best wakeboard shapes ever made. Not unlike what I said about the Correct Craft Sport Nautique - maybe it was all we ever needed, not to say that very important improvements haven't been made. We of course like our new boards and fancy boats as much as the next guy. I've toyed with the idea that perhaps I am perpetually caught in a wakeboarding time-warp that makes me assert that board and boat design started getting it just right in the late 90's and thus keeps me happy because that means a lower point of entry for new people entering the sport. I'd love to ride my Squirt behind a brand-new Super Air Nautique 230. Would the advanced, new age design of the 230 and the old-school vibe of the Squirt collide like matter and antimatter in a breif flash of light leaving me with nothing but my Boston Whaler and a pair of burnt boardshorts? I won't know until 2010 when I take delivery of my 230.

In the end I kept my bindings, but handed over my 2007 board. I am very much ready for my 2008 Watson Limited Setup, but before it arrives, I have to say that I am quite pleased with the Squirt after all these years. It is a board I can say with 100% honesty, is still relevant today, 11 years after it was designed. You can't say that about many wakeboards. Hell - you can't say that about some boats! Once again, thanks to Jimmy Redmond and Liquid Force for shaping and building boards that clearly stand the test of time.

Welcome to the era of the $10,000 used Sport Nautique.
I am sure that has already happened here and there but I am now officially claiming it as here. And with that there is no better budget option, specifically for wakeboarding. It is an option that balances paying good money for a good boat.........but not too much. $10,000 is a perfect sweet spot. I am really happy for people entering the market with this sort of option. It is going to be rare for now, but not long-term. Year by year there will be more $10,000 Sport Nautiques entering the for sale market, and that is fantastic.

What's so special about the Sport Nautique?
I'm glad you asked. If you look down the corridors of wakeboarding history, you'll see a common legendary player in many legendary films, photos and riders' back yards. The Sport Nautique was the boat of choice for early trend setters like Greg Nelson, Dean Lavelle, Scott Byerly and Gregg Necrason, and received plenty of exposure this way alone. The length, beam, open bow, and general design heritage led riders to choose the Sport Nautique because it was the highest quality (almost singularly so) large inboard on the market. It was also more accommodating to not only large groups of people, but to ballast weight in the form of water bags, lead and concrete ballast (ah we were so crude back then). Add a tower to the Sport Nautique and you have your coveted Air Nautique. See where I'm going with this?

The Sport Nautique's run (or Crossover 216 as 2008 Correct Craft marketing literature indicates) began in 1989 and has not yet ended. It has seen several design changes (big ones for 1993 and 1997), mostly to the interior, but some hull changes were made along the way after Bill Snook first designed it. You need to be happy about the $10,000 Sport Nautique because it was a common denominator during an era when wakeboarding was progressing at an incredible pace. In some ways it was all we ever needed, and professional wakeboarders can undoubtedly do the same run behind a properly weighted Sport Nautique as they could behind a brand new, $70,000 wakeboarding-branded boat. If a pro rider flew to some remote island for a paid clinic and upon arriving at his or her destination learned that a Sport Nautique was available instead of a beat-to-death outboard, they'd breathe a gigantic sigh of relief (click here for an exception to the above and general display of professionalism under poor boat-related circumstances ). Also, the fact that it exists today tells us a tale about the longevity of the boat.

The $10,000 Sport Nautique should be of particular interest to my good friends in the wakeboarding community who seriously consider spending $10,000 on 82-89 Ski Nautique 2001's. Some of you know I run The2001.com and have a deep-seated love for the 80's era Ski Nautique and many other Correct Craft models. But I cringe at folks asking $11,000 - 13,000 and more for 2001's and cringe even more melodramatically when people actually pay it. I've learned to avoid the classifieds sections on some of my favorite Web sites.

We'll edit this once the auction is over but presuming this boat, like most New England boats, is a low-hour well-kept example. This one is from Connecticut and the total hours are not listed in the auction where they should be but a photo shows 157 hours on the tachometer. Why so low? Original engine? I don't know. With a few questions like this answered I'd almost buy it sight unseen if I was a buyer (and that's sort of how eBay works anyway)

Happy Bidding!

** Update **

• It is the original engine.


• It has a single axle trailer.


• I bid.


• I was outbid.


• I lost.


• The $10,000 Sport Nautique sold for, yes, $10,000.

Boom.

With a set of rainy days forecasted for this weekend and the water at a painful 59.4 degrees last weekend (which I rode in sans wetsuit by the way you southerner crybabies who whine at 73 degree water), I will likely be watching this puppy and living vicariously through Ambassador Murray instead of actually wakeboarding this weekend. Finally I'll be able to dial my off-axis 900 in my mind! I am getting so close.

So, the full review is coming soon but first I'd like to extend a big thank you to Shaun Murray and Bill Byrne Public Relations for the love.

It seems that the focus has gotten away from the actual wake, and yet I still see countless instances of people bragging about their phenomenal brand-new wake boat that cost them $70,000, and then make the mistake of showing the wake. Whoops! I have certain loyalties to Wakeboarder.com, their advertisers, and the people that post there, so generally I need to hold my comments to myself. But clearly making the best wake is not the top priority it would seem, in some instances, for some wake boat manufacturers.

So I have decided that The Wakeboard Report's new entrepreneurial venture is in boat building, since all we're really apparently after is accessories - and as for the wake, heck, to a person who has never seen a wake before, I am pretty sure I can convince them that the wake on the WAKE DRAGON 9000 has the best SHAPE ever. Today we introduce the WAKE DRAGON 9000! It comes with everything that our focus group tests have determined a wakeboarder wants.

F e a t u r e s

Best shaped wake ever
As for size - well - just open the valves on the built in, chrome ballast "tanks" that the boat sits on and get all the ballast you need. That will make the wake bigger - promise.

Awesome Graphics
Your choice of Buzzsaw plate, tribal star, or Alien spaceship logo (reflective tape on alien spaceship logo, add $250 USD).

LED-enhanced swim platform and glow-effect rubrail
Find the boat in the dark, incase that ever comes up.

3 articulating mirrors arms
Each flip up to reveal an LCD screen.

Rope retractor with on-boat landing platform
Never fall again. Never need to. Hit the retractor and slide back on board for a beer and a slice of quiche.

GPS/Lowrance Satellite Navigation and Triangulator
Does not interfere with rope retractor.

Personalized nameplate
Suggested names "Sshyeah" "A-ite" "Aquawesome" "Melted Ice".

Storage Tubs.
17 storage tubs actually. People are apparently bringing their entire record collection onto their boats now. Why leave your stuff at home when you can load it up onto your WAKE DRAGON 9000.

Comes with Manta Ray Flying Tube
Come on. Stop it. Just stop. You know you wanted to try one of those things.

Super Loud Hi-Fi Stereo System
You will win those on-water SPL contests, FINALLY!
Stereo details:
- 8 Infinity 6x9s powered by 2 600 watt Planet Audio 4 channel amps
- 3 18" Planet Audio subwoofers
- Alpine CDA-7995 head unit with remote
- Two 7" LCD Screens in upholstery with PS2 mounted in bin
- 7 Street Glow Neo-Blue Neons throughout boat....4 under seats, 2 in front console, and one in the port of the sub box
- Stock throttle removed and covered with flamed plastic with red light and skull knob
- 4 Street Glow strobe lights and 4 APC strobe lights throughout the pontoons...sorry - ballast tanks
- Blue Plasma Lights in Highs and lows

Dual Axle Trailer on 22's
To match your cliche white Yukon/Tahoe/Denali which ALSO rolls on 22's

Taking preorders now for our 2007 North America release. One of our prospects is already offering the following testimonial:

I think the wake dragon 9000 is the most extreme wake boat out there.

Indeed! And it isn't even out there yet.

Custom Upholstery

Spinner Racks

Hydrogate

Here's another instance where I, as a member of the emerging enthusiast press in wakeboarding, have to be careful with the hyperbole and just report the facts though I do reserve the right to gush over a few things. If you're familiar with this site you know we tend to gush a little about Liquid Force, Helium Wake products, big wakeboard boats and Correct Craft in general. So before we get into anything overtly subjective let's start with what Correct Craft has to say on the matter. From the official press release I received today:

Byerly's custom-designed Super Air Nautique 210 - Icon Edition is decked out with a variety of features that can only be found on this particular boat. Byerly's very own signature Byerly logo is located throughout this 210 including the teak platform and the windshield header. It also sports detailed pieces in metallic fury red and jet black along with the unique Byerly logo embroidered on the upholstery. This 210 even includes LED cup holders and LED grab rails that illuminate fury red. Additionally, Byerly's personal signature is inlaid on the back of his 210 - Icon Edition in fury red which truly places this boat in an exclusive class all its own.

True. And now off comes the "press" hat and on comes the "enthusiast" hat.

Yes. From my perspective Correct Craft has parked it yet again ('parked it' is the newfangled way of saying knocked it out of the park) with this boat and the concept of doing a pro model for such a loyal and deserving athlete. Yes to the powder coated tower. Yes to the skull graphic. Yes to the black deck (good God is that a black deck... does that mean...) Yes to the font used for the Byerly text. Yes to how understated the whole composition is while still making a huge statement. That sounds familiar doesn't it? Good because this is exactly the same reputation that Scott Byerly himself has earned and his likeness is quite well represented with the Icon Edition - Correct Craft has done a superb job of capturing the understated domination for which Byerly is known. I don't know how many of these Correct Craft is making but if you're in the market for a 210 and you don't seriously consider this thing, you're a madman or madwoman.

A big congratulations to Scott Byerly for this much-deserved nod from his long-time sponsor Correct Craft. The press release mentions that this may not be the last Icon Edition we'll see, but we're glad this is the first.

Exclusive photos inbound thanks to our friends at Correct Craft. Please stay tuned.

On with the letter.

Dear ShelterLogic LLC,

We purchased a very expensive canopy/rounded garage directly from your company, ShelterLogic, LLC, out of Watertown, CT in June and immediately began writing a detailed article about it. The article is not only quite detailed and positive, but it is now complete. We decided it is so thorough, that in addition to posting it here on The Wakeboard Report, we would submit it to Wakeboarding Magazine for consideration in an upcoming issue. I have been published in Wakeboarding Magazine before - and had been in talks with Matt Hickman to write a series of consumer advocacy articles. Let's come back to that in a moment.

My round garage was erected in little over 6 hours and was rock solid until portions of the lower base of the structure gave way and the structure collapsed on one side, bending many of the large diameter tubes. As the structure collapsed, the fabric punctured through the tower on my Super Air Nautique but by some miracle no metal made contact with the boat. The gel coat and the aluminum fascia on the boat remained unscathed. We got lucky on that - otherwise this would be an insurance claim. However our $600 canopy, which was assembled by no less than 3 college educated people and appropriately secured to the ground, stood in place for just over 30 days. 30 days. Your warranty goes a bit beyond this time period if I am not mistaken.

So, we contacted you, ShelterLogic, explained the problem and wrote a letter explaining what had happened expecting you to honor your warranty. It seemed a pretty open/shut case to us. When we call and are put on hold, we listen to the tagline and official messaging about your products (800.932.9344). "...That's why we like to think our products are standing between the weather and your world. ". Hmmm... We informed you that we had drafted a glowing review of the product which was to be posted here on The Wakeboard Report, and at several other outlets - among them the submission to Wakeboarding Magazine. Not as a threat - not as ransom, but as a good reason to honor your warranty. I didn't ask for a discount on this product, I walked in, paid, and was poised to give you some fantastic FREE advertising and Google search hits.

Things were looking good at first. We spoke to a nice lady named Candice, sent the required documents to go along with our claim, along with our letter. Maybe that's where things went wrong. You, ShelterLogic went dark - and soon I found out that rather than call me to negotiate a buyback of the materials (some of which clearly could be reused), you called Wakeboarding Magazine. And Wakeboarding Magazine with a new editor (Congratulations again, Kevin) had no knowledge of any work I had done with the magazine in the admittedly somewhat distant past, or was in the process of negotiating/angling for either. Three days later I received a rather curt, but very final sounding email from ShelterLogic's President, Mr. James Raymond. In it, he canceled/voided and basically said "No" to my warranty claim. I am not a lawyer - but is that even possible?

This action put me in a bad light with Wakeboarding Magazine, which I have since remedied. But ShelterLogic, before taking any further actions I would like to offer you an opportunity to make this right. I offered to round up everything I had, rent a Uhaul trailer and lug the remains of my $600 garage to your door. I have received no reply on this. I've sent mail to you explaining the situation with Wakeboarding Magazine and again, have received no reply. As I stated in those email messages I am at this point even willing to meet you halfway on this financially.

I want to work with you on this. As I said in my previous mail I see this ultimately benefiting both parties. Please consider these issues carefully - we do want to work this out with you.

Thank you - you know how to reach me,
Erik Jernberg
Editor - The Wakeboard Report

Whoever concepted and designed that jacket deserves a raise. There are real business reasons why making aesthetically pleasing personal flotation devices is a good thing - not the least of which is that it can serve to motivate your customers to actually wear one. Survivalist wakeboarders who like, and wear, life jackets can live to buy more of them.

Helium Wake's new Web site is now available.

We're serious about that Daisy vest. Buy it now for your wife, girlfriend or favorite female and see her look incrementally cooler while wakeboarding upon its arrival (you're welcome).

The Air Nautique Wake Games is a unique experience in that pro and amateur riders alike are able to compete individually in their disciplines as well as come together to form teams that vie for a cash prize. This is especially exciting for the junior riders who are able to compete alongside the pro riders and contribute to their teams' successes.

At the 2007 Air Nautique Wake Games, Team Murray, led by Nautique pro rider Shaun Murray, won the team competition and Murray took third overall. This year, team riders J.D. Webb, Shaun Murray and Danny Harf will represent Nautique as captains during the team competition at the Wake Games. These three along with many other Nautique athletes will compete against each other along with top riders from around the world.

"We are excited to begin the 2008 wakeboard season with the Air Nautique Wake Games as one of the premier professional events of the year," stated Correct Craft's President/CEO Bill Yeargin. "The Wake Games showcases a unique blend of individual and team competition that can only be found at this event. The Nautique team is proud to be a part of such an interactive event that is fun for the entire family."

Bill Yeargin's blog entry regarding the 2008 Air Nautique Wake Games can be read in the "Nautique Insider" section of the Nautique website at www.nautiques.com.

The Nautique line of boats is produced by Correct Craft, a family-owned manufacturer celebrating 83 years of excellence in the marine industry. Correct Craft, Inc. is known for delivering superior quality product, cutting-edge technology and exceptional service experiences. To see the complete line of Nautique boats, visit www.nautiques.com.

This video was released in 1997 by FLF Films. Please always buy your full-length wakeboarding films and support the industry. If we don't buy these videos, they don't get made. Fortunately for the industry there isn't a strong wake video pirating community. If one exists at all, we are not aware of it. Boardflix.com is where we recommend you buy your videos.

Video Copyright 1997 - FLF Films, presented by Launch Wakeboard Magazine.

Note everyone's reactions as Mr. Byerly warms up. The word 'bewilderment' comes to mind. I say about 10 words the entire time, mostly asking people in the boat to move around so the man could have a balanced boat. The rest of the commentary was from some of the other gents on board. I hate the sound of my voice when recorded so I'm quiet for the most part throughout this (you're welcome). You may hear me make a certain colorful comment when Scott lands the first mobius I had ever witnessed with my own eyes. My apologies, Mom. I don't talk like that very often.

The video you're about to see includes some harsh language mostly "holy sh**s" and holy craps, so please check your delicate sensibilities at the door. Please note that Scott is about 21-22 in this video and almost completely devoid of tattoos. For you wakeboarding historians, this was filmed about 2 months after Byerly cut his hair, and about a year and a half before he won the Pro Tour. And about 30 min after this video was filmed, I shared lunch with Scott and watched the man eat about 4 hot dogs faster than I thought was humanly possible. An impressive man both on and off the water indeed.

I have been wanting to get this to you all for quite some time, so please enjoy. I edited and mastered this video as a super high quality AVI, then encountered difficulties both with the length, quality and hosting difficulties for this video. YouTube seemed the best option, but this video is 24 minutes long and YouTube restricts uploads to 10 min segments and I didn't want to cut this up. Google video ended up being the best option at this time, despite the stairstepping and artifacting you'll see during some of the faster segments, and the compression almost completely destroys our wonderful "The Wakeboard Report" logo watermark at the lower right of the viewable area.

I am going to continue to work on this to provide a better quality version and when that happens this post will be bumped to the top. Until then please enjoy this early footage of the legendary Scott Byerly.

Last year I wrote a lengthy review of the site and I have no plans to do the same thing this year. It is a different time for me, I am not quite as interested in how solid Correct Craft's Web site is as I am now full-on enamored once again at the boats themselves. And truth be told they just aren't making any entertaining mistakes that make for a good snarky post. It is also not a moon-shot improvement from the 2007 iteration like the 2006-2007 jump was. That's not to say this new version isn't good; it certainly is. The boat builder is once again the best that the industry has to offer and I immediately put it to good use like I do every year and design my dream boat and then send it to my wife. What else can we say? It is good. I'd lose the sound effects - each and every one. Aside from that, the site looks nice.

In closing, Correct Craft corporate heavyweights, please build and send me this Super Air Nautique 230 and we'll be sound as a pound.

Sorry that I don't have much else to say on this iteration of the site. There's not much to make fun of, it is quite good, and serves its purpose. It gets an A grade. Visit the new CorrectCraft.com at your earliest convenience. Correct Craft, send me that 230 even earlier than your earliest convenience.

When wakeboarding first got respectable enough to be screenprinted onto a shirt, we had only a few options. Most of the cool ones were cool by accident or became cool over time by way of entry into the vintage catgegory. Not the $60 "vintage" clothing found at Abercrombie or any of those other techno club mall stores that sell shirts that are meant to be worn with the collar popped or have women's sweatpants with things like "butt" written in an arc on the... butt. I'm talking vintage, like the shirt that was given to us when we bought our 1986 Ski Nautique 2001, in 1986 (don't skip ahead!). Soon after, Barts, Ski Limited and Overtons all had their entries into this foray with such gems as "Go Big or Go Home" or the remarkably idiotic "Big Johnson" themed shirts that featured wakeboarding, beer drinking, and being an ass.

So, over the 16 years that we've been wakeboarding, we've managed to avoid the cheese, compete in tournaments and seek out t-shirt gems that represent the sport better than a "rad frog" doing a fashion air behind a cell shaded cartoony version of a Glastron outboard. For fear of damaging them, we wear most of these threads as rarely as possible so that they'll last. And to my wife who will surely outlive me - I would like to be buried in my Denny's Marina Ski Nautique 2001 shirt. And now, on with this highly anticipated and riveting countdown!

10. PlanetNautique's Longsleeved T-Shirt
Though I pulled the CafePress store down completely from The2001.com due to product quality issues (everything was crap and I was so overcome with guilt for the few sales I made on my CafePress store that the few hundred dollars I made from the whole ordeal felt hollow), PlanetNautique seems to be on a different quality tier than I was. The items I have ordered from the PlanetNautique CafePress shop have been excellent. Though this is not a vintage shirt nor is it rare - it is classic and I like the design. This shirt gets worn a lot, as it is comfortable, displays the Correct Craft Super Air Nautique likeness, and refrains from being in any way obnoxious.

9. MasterCraft CSX Promotional T-Shirt
Handed to me by Zane Schwenk himself, this shirt (along with a few stickers, a promotional DVD and a MasterCraft backpack) remain some of my favorite items simply because they came from Zane. The shirt is a very comfortable, sweat-wicking material and I received it the day the CSX was unveiled. So the combined historical value, product quality, and celebrity impact combine to put this at #9 in the list.

8. PlanetNautique's Boats of PlanetNautique T-Shirt
Yes another PlanetNautique entry. Well - Jeff and Luke from PlanetNautique.com are smart marketers and did the right thing. They pulled at their registered user base's heart strings and put some of the more vocal members' boats on the collage seen on this t-shirt. My old 1986 Ski Nautique 2001 is on there. So to make a long story short, I own this design as the t-shit shown in the photo, a mouse pad that goes with me on every business trip, and a I also own a giant sign that says "I am a sucker for stuff with a picture of my boat on it".

7. Tantasqua Regional Water-Ski Tournament T-Shirt
This shirt makes the list because it brings back a funny memory. You see, I never actually had a chance to compete in this contest. At the time I was the manager of a wakeboard and water-ski pro-shop. I convinced my boss to let me pack more than half of my inventory into the back of one of the marina's F250's, drove to the tournament and even enlisted a friend to run the shop while I competed. I submitted my attack sheet/trick list and was disqualified from the tournament immediately due to the fact that my run contained three inverts (backroll, roll to revert, halfcab roll). Much like snowboarders weren't allowed on mountains for a period of time after the sport went more mainstream, this particular tournament didn't allow anyone to do flips on their wakeboard so they sent me, and my proshop, packing. I sold a kneeboard that day, if it is any consolation (to my boss, it was not). For my trouble I got this t-shirt. It really should be an oil rag but it has a story so I keep it around and wear it from time because it is actually quite comfy and the story is kind of fun to tell.

6. Rainbow Fins T-Shirt
This poorly fitting shirt made of 300 grit sandpaper redeems itself by being the first shirt I remember seeing that contained the likeness of a real wakeboarder-style pose, without embarrassing me (see rad wakeboarding "Barts Bullfrog" or "Go Big or Go Home" crap that is still available in the Overton's catalog and on eBay even now). The vector graphic of a wakeboarder in the midsts of an OHH or tantrum, being pulled by what looks a hell of a lot like a Sport Nautique with an extended pylon was enough to get me to order this directly from Rainbow the moment I saw it. Once it arrived and I realized it was meant to fit a 370lb semi-professional Pringles eater and not a 165lb competitive wakeboarder I was pretty disappointed. I still, occasionally swim wear this shirt and when my wife was pregnant it made for a very cute maternity/sleep shirt for her. She claims to love the shirt. As of today I declare it as now belonging to her. Enjoy, B!

5. 1998 INT Amateur Tour T-Shirt
Another one with memories and baggage. Imagine inviting your family and girlfriend to a tournament, and absolutely failing in every aspect in front of them, and a crowd of onlookers. While I didn't take last in this contest, I did have my ass handed to me by the likes of Mike Mclin, and Ben Greenwood. Yes, the Ben Greenwood and the Mike Mclin. It was almost immediately following this abysmal showing when I witnessed an early Malibu Wakesetter have almost its entire transom torn off while pulling Ben Greenwood through a shallow part of the lake. The boat sat idle as the damage was assessed, and Mr Greenwood stood, with his bindings on, still holding the rope, in about 10 inches of water. It was not until 2005 that I changed my mind about Malibu after that. I disliked the wake on that direct drive Wakesetter and seeing a wedge virtually total the boat due to an errant run in with a log was a horrible, horrible advertisement. Now my second favorite boat available happens to be a Malibu so things sure do change!

4. 1997 Hyperlite Tour T-Shirt
Now we're getting to the nitty gritty - the final countdown if you will. Jason Weber and Eric Davis from Hyperlite were on hand to deliver a clinic and then judge a Pro/AM tournament that by some miracle I won. At that tournament and expo, I was introduced to the magic that is the original X-Star/direct drive Prostar 205. After this tournament, my name and the name of my #1 riding buddy who took second, both appeared in Wakeboarding Magazine. Thus this t-shirt breaks the top 5 and nears the top 3!

3. Wake Tech Byerly
Throughout my college years I ran the wakeboard and waterski pro shop at a large marina in Massachusetts. Between fielding phone calls from ...ehhh, frugal... owners of 1972 Evinrude 25HP outboards seeking the best deal on a $.75 (cents, not a typo) float pin for their carburetor, which involved about 20 min worth of work and a microfiche projector (wish I was kidding), I was thinking of ways to bring people into the shop, keeping them there, and selling enough stuff to convince my boss Russ to up my budget and let me order more goods for the the shop. At that time Wake Tech was still around and both Erik Lutgert and Scott Byerly were heavily promoting the Flight 69, and we were a dealer. In our second year of carrying Wake Tech, Scott Byerly was awarded a pro-model, and I was awarded the privilege of ordering 3 of them along with 2 t-shirts with his name across the back. Which I promptly applied my employee discount toward. Is the shirt comfortable? God no. Is it awesome? I think the photo speaks for itself. As a side note, I wore my Byerly shirt to a clinic with Scott Byerly and have never felt like a bigger dork in my life. That aside, this is my third favorite wakeboarding related shirt, and has been worn in the presence (embarrassingly, albeit) of The Byerly himself.

2. 80's Era Ski Nautique Promotional
When I was 9 years old, and my little brother of just 7, we were faced with a difficult decision. My Dad was in Orlando, FL for business and we had a day to do one of two things: visit the old Correct Craft factory on Orange Boulevard or go visit Mickey Mouse & Pals at Disney World. Being Warner Brothers' fans, the choice was easy. Easy for me anyway, but with a little bit of negotiating (atomic wedgies, punches, swirlys, random threats) my brother decided that the Correct Craft factory tour was the correct option. During that tour, we received lots of keepers from the good people at the factory, most of which I would love to have retained - among them a fiberglass cutout from a bilge hole that had just been drilled out on a 1985 Ski Nautique, which blew my mind. The one relic that remains, and the shirt at the number 2 slot is this amazingly kept shirt that actually still fits, not that I would ever wear it in the vicinity of such things as cranberry juice, dust, or air.

1. Denny's Marine Ski Nautique 2001
Having decided that it was time to sell the 1973 Correct Craft Mustang, my Dad visited the Correct Craft dealership local to my hometown, Denny's Marine. He fell in love with a 1985 red & blue Ski Nautique 2001, but it wasn't quite right for him, aesthetically. We then visited the late Bob Warner of New England Correct Craft, now owned and operated by his son and friend of The Wakeboard Report Craig Warner, and picked out the boat of my Dad's dreams - a red, ivory and maroon 1986. The boat was still sold through Denny's Marine, but marked the second boat we had purchased from the Warners, and in 2011 when I buy my 2008 230, it will mark the third. Craig, I hope you're reading and making sure to sell an all white 230 this year so that I can pick it up on the used market in a few years. Thank goodness the folks at Denny's Marine were not heavy designers, as this shirt could have been flashy, it could have undergone design revisions that introduced such 80's design themes as tie-dye, but for the most part Correct Craft has always been about timeless, lasting design and this shirt shares these characteristics with the boat that served my family for nearly 20 years with not a single major problem. The only problem with this shirt? I barely wear it.

Slow news day. OK? Perhaps. But we're making the best of this with this article which has been in draft mode for some time. So being in the doldrums between the Boat Show season and the early signs of the 2008 wakeboarding season, we hope you enjoyed this featurette as we showed, and ranked, and explained the shirts & other items of clothing that we basically consider to be priceless and even more importantly - ours and reasonably unique!

That's far. Even farther in those kilometer things!

Only a still from Mr. Smeele's feat exists publicly right now but some details are available. Evidently his induction into this very exclusive club was by way of a regular-stance toeside punch off the double up, after which he spun thrice (might I say so off-axis, that at one point in the sequence he's clearly inverted) and landed his way into history. Yes 1080's are still history making as now Parks, Rusty, Danny and Brad are the only confirmed members of this club, while I fully believe the people that say the late Mark Kenny is in that club too. So let's call it a nice even 5 that have managed this feat. Kicker and cable efforts will never, ever count, at least as far as this Web site is concerned.

As there have been now a handful landed, each unique in their own right, this one is being called the only regular stance 1080 landed to date. I was under the impression that Rusty landed a regular stance 1080 in a warm up run before an event, but this could be just foggy memory from a wakeboarding industry journalist who hasn't had his feet in a pair of bindings since late September and gets some of his news, like we all do, from the information superhighway and its bizarre offspring, the message board. I'll assume the folks at The Liquid Circus have their facts straight.

Congratulations to you Brad! This is an amazing achievement.

» Via The Liquid Circuis.
(Image property of The Liquid Circus and Jeff Weatherall)

Recently 2 articles were published to this site that had minor grammatical errors. I caught them while riding up to New Hampshire with my wife and daughter and edited them on my mobile phone, saved them - and assumed all went well. Today I caught wind that they had essentially been blasted from the site. I discovered that while they had not been entirely blasted, they had been severely clipped.

So, with a heavy heart I had to pull the articles from the site and put redirects in place. One of them took me about 3 hours to compose, late one night. I am speaking of the article about the wakeboarding industry's keys to success in 2008, and my top 10 favorite wakeboarding-related shirts (which is the one that, while seemingly boring, took me the longest to complete). I don't know how it could have all gone so horribly wrong. After all I composed this entire entry on a Windows mobile device, and I think you'll agree - it's long winded! Saved just fine.

The culprit? Me. Of course my Motorola Q is guilty of aiding and abetting a bored passenger on his way to a 2 year old's birthday party.

My Apologies,
Erik