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Wake Surf Boards


srud

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I am thinking that I would like to give wakesurfing a try this year. Looking for advice on a board. Also any "how to" instructions you might share would be appreciated.

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  • chathamsolutions

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How tall are you?

What's your weight?

What's your experience surfing?

Goofy or regular?

What's your experience wakeboarding?

What's your ballast set up on your boat?

Who else will be using the board?

Let's start there... :)

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http://www.howtowakesurf.com/

I like my HL broadcast. I'd try some different boards before you buy - they are not created equal. For example, some have smooth edges, and ride easy, but don't carve well. Also some fit in the board racks w/ your wakeboards and others don't (maybe a consideration for you)

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What's your experience surfing?

Let's start there... :)

I think that would be zero - none - nada.. Tease2.gif

I was referring to Ocean Surfing. I surfed in the ocean but had no wake surfing experience. It's good to know if he has any experience at all.

If he has experience surfing then he'll understand leaning forward = accelerating vs. leaning back = putting on the breaks. Without surfing experience this is a totally new concept.

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srud - check with Matt over at MN Inboard when you pick up the new Bu. He will dial you in on what you need.... heck, ask for a really good price on a bunch of stuff when you pick up the boat.

Rob

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What's your experience surfing?

Let's start there... :)

I think that would be zero - none - nada.. Tease2.gif

I was referring to Ocean Surfing. I surfed in the ocean but had no wake surfing experience. It's good to know if he has any experience at all.

If he has experience surfing then he'll understand leaning forward = accelerating vs. leaning back = putting on the breaks. Without surfing experience this is a totally new concept.

Alright - I gotcha Andy.. I don't have any ocean surfing exp - so no first hand knowledge how much really x-fers over

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just throroughly checked out www.howtowakesurf.com and now I want to get a board for those days when there are too many wallies out to do any decent skiing. I'm 6'5" 210 and will be surfing behind a Diamond-hulled VLX. I'd like to eventually be able to do spins and stuff like the guys in the videos on that site. I'd also like to not drop too much coin on this goofy thing. Recommendations?

Edited by UWSkier
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How tall are you?

What's your weight?

What's your experience surfing?

Goofy or regular?

What's your experience wakeboarding?

What's your ballast set up on your boat?

Who else will be using the board?

Let's start there... :)

5'10", 190, no surfing experience, goofy, beginner wakeboarder, 2005 vRide with 900 lbs ballast and a wedge. As for who else, that's hard to say. Possibly my wife if I can talk her into it.

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Alright good info. Lots of surfers here with good experience. Here's my $.02.

I've ridden the Hyperlite Landlock (5'8" twin large fins) and the Broadcast (4'8" 3 shallow fins/thruster) boards. I personally own the Broadcast. The taller you are, heavier you are, less experienced you are with 'pumping' a transition - the longer the board you want.

- OK, please try and refrain from the sexual connotations from the above statement. :)

Board: The longer the board the bigger the sweet spot, generally easier to get up and ride. The shorter the board the more aggressive it is, more squirly it'll be. But it'll also be easier to do things like pump the wake, floaters, spins, etc.

I'd do what Sac said, get a few boards and try them out before buying one. For a beginner though, go longer.

Weight: You need to have a significant amount of weight in the boat to get a wake that will 'push' you. You're also a goofy footer. Due to the spin of the Malibu prop our side of the wake is a little harder to clean up - so a little extra ballast may be needed on the goofy side. Here's what we do in our LSV (got this idea from someone else here).

- Rear tank in locker on side you'll be surfing on Full

- Tank on opposite side is empty

- Center tank full

- Bow tank full

- Two 'fat buddies' fat sacs (280lbs each) in the same locker that the rider is on

- Wedge down

-- If you don't have tanks in these areas then you'll need fat sacs or VAB (Voice Activated Ballast = fat friends) to help you out.

We ride between 10-13 MPH, based on ballast, VAB, and conditions.

Do you need this much weight? NO. But it's a whole lot easier to ride when the wake is bigger. Standard MLS and Wedge will give you a wake you can have fun on while holding the handle. But if you want to drop the handle it'll take a lot of skill to find that small sweet spot and hold onto it. Especially as a beginner.

BTW - surfing with the handle is easy. Anyone that can get up can do it. My 8 year old was doing it last summer. It's also fun to surf with a child between your legs. Gives them a feel for it - and they have a blast being with mom/dad.

- It's dropping the handle that's hard.

How to train to drop the handle: Have someone sitting in the rear facing seat leaning over the swim deck on your side of the boat. This is where everyone should be anyway - unless you're having them sit in the bow to help wieght the bow down. As the surfer get to the point where you are riding the wake and there's slack in the rope. Toss the handle to the person and have them get ready to toss it right back to you. Once you start to drift from the 'sweet spot' have them toss the handle back at you. You're only a few feet from the platform so this is an easy throw/catch. If you do this enought you'll quickly learn to surf without the handle for longer and longer periods of time.

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Yes get the large if yer gonna go with trickboardz.

But my favorite has turned out to be the HL Broadcast.

Now I changed mine a bit to make it turn quicker by removing the 2 outside back fins - leaving only the center fin in the rear.

I also added a fin to the front to help get grab on 180s - got this idea from our Trickboardz.

Leave it stock and its a very stable and forgiving but still has plenty a dance.

Got the new 6'2" HL Landlock - its a monster cruiser - very very easy to ride but tough for any tricks.

The fat rolled edges make it move very poredictably up and down the wave and those mile long fins grab hard and are very tough to break loose on wave crashes

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Let's start there... :)

as someone who is also considering a board this year, I'm watching this and hears my info:

How tall are you?

5' 9"

What's your weight?

185 #

What's your experience surfing?

umm - I tried it once in the ocean - poor conditions - I sucked.

Goofy or regular?

Hmm - I'm goofy and I ski right foot forward too.

I'm fairly regular, I try to get plenty of fiber in my diet.

What's your experience wakeboarding?

I can get up, jump, faceplant - you know the basics for a lowliner.

What's your ballast set up on your boat?

No fat buddies allowed. Just a wedge and whatever VAB I can find.

Who else will be using the board?

My guess is everyone from my 60 lb daughter to my 210 lb BIL.

Thanks for all the info.

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Johnie Lingo - Classic! But not as good as Sipher on the Wall.

The above info would apply to you M.R. I'd try the Landlock - it's close to 6' +. And then be ready to trade it out by the end of the season for a shorter board. Or at least look to buy another one for you next season.

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I am not he original poster but I have the same questions. My answers are interspersed with your questions.

How tall are you? 5ft 10 in

What's your weight? 210lbs

What's your experience surfing? Utter failure 20 years ago

Goofy or regular? Probably left foot forward.

What's your experience wakeboarding? 10+ years but mediocre (I am primarily a hydrofoiler) I skateboarded 4+ hours / day as a child

What's your ballast set up on your boat? None.  Have a wedge on a sunsetter 23 XTI

Who else will be using the board? wife 5-3 120lbs

Jeff/AirChair1

Edited by AirChair1
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I have owned boards form trickboards, hyperlite, cwb, phase 5, inland surfer, and shorline lakeboards.

When it comes to learning and just wanting to surf I have found that the 2 best imo are the inland surfer green room and the shorline lakeboard 6'5 fish tail. Another great board that is a little cheaper is the cwb ride. The hyperlite landlock was my least favorite board, and while the broadcast was okay, the trickboardz velocity and phase 5 oogle were much much better. Right now I am deciding if I want to use the oogle or trade it for a prop for this summer. I also have a cwb ride that I use when just wanting to cruise around and am going to get either a sholine or inland to teach people on.

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You'll have to listen to these other guys like Wkerat for board advice. I've only been exposed to HL. And since I'm happy with the Broadcast, probably won't be trying anything else for a while.

Jeff:

The above advice is good for any beginner. Just shift the weight to the observer's side of the boat for you Left Foot Forward Fools :)

If you have no MLS hard tanks you'll need to get some SERIOUS VAB to help you out or Fat Sacs and VAB. Brad B and his crew have come up with some cool ways to help bring the boat over - like the harnes aparatus. We just had our guys hanging off the tower - but a harness would be sweeeeeet.

Lots of weight in the corner of the surfer, weight in the middle of the boat and some weight to even it out in the bow. Drive slow and try to drive in a big circle turning towards the rider.

- other people on the lake will hate you for this. So only do it when it's serious chop/tubing time on your lake.

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I learned last year on a bit shorter board, but just bought a Broadcast 5'6" last week. I'm looking forward to using it. I'm 6' & 210. The board last year was a few inches less than that, I could surf fine without the rope, but I have a few buddies that are bigger than me that could not let the rope go, so I am hoping this board will work for all. Plus, more importantly, the color works. :lol:

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If you have no MLS hard tanks you'll need to get some SERIOUS VAB to help you out or Fat Sacs and VAB. 

Not necessarily. I surf ropeless behind a buddy's Maristar with no ballast, obviously no wedge, and just the driver and observer in the boat, doing about 9.8 mph. :)

But you are definitely correct in saying that others on the lake won't like you much. I have to run for cover in my Sporty when people start surfing. Shocking.gif

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The Trickboardz are a lot of fun. I'm not sure I would want it to learn on and be my only board though. I suggest one of the bigger boards (Landlock, Broadcast etc) to learn on and get the basics. Then if you like it, go for a looser board to do the tricks on. You can find most of these boards on ebay if you want to save a little money.

I'm thinking Trickboardz Freestyle in the Large size for me.  Ronnie, BradB???

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Thanks for all the input. SacRiverRat, that picture is great! :) Thanks for sharing. Hopefully I can share a moment like that with my kids later this summer.

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I've only used the HL Broadcast and thought it to be pretty fun. A good mix of easy to get up on and some manueverability.

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the new HL Coex? It seems like it is more along the lines of Trickboardz. My daughter works in a shop with access to HL, LF, and Inland Surfer, so maybe I'll try to demo some of them this year.

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