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Want to try wakesurfing


notorious_benny

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Hey guys, I have decided I would like to give wakesurfing a go.

I have lots of different sized and ability wakeboarders and skiers who come out regularly with me. I am looking at getting a board to suit a relaxed cruise after a day of boarding and skiing.

I am the biggest rider at 6'2 and 250lbs

My boat is a VTX on the diamond hull, I do not have the factory bow ballast but have 2 550lb fatsacs at my disposal.

I am not interested in spending large amounts of coin setting my boat up to surf and would like to make do with just my couple of fatsacs and the factory ballast .....

What size board am I going to need to be able to go rope less behind this boat, I have good access here in Aus to the Ronix line of boards. The big longboard (The Duke) sounds like it will surf easily behind my boat, what about the Ronix Cortez, is it buoyant enough? ...... what other boards are going to allow a nice cruisy session behind my VTX with minimal stuffing around with ballast??

Cheers

Benny.

Edited by notorious_benny
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You're not a small guy so definitely go with a surf style board (as apposed to skim style). Our board is 4'8" and would not work for you. I'd look for something about 5'8" or so. See if you can demo some boards. Good luck

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Benny, I have a friend who is about the same size an my 5'11/177cm board works very well for him. It has been a good board for first timers also and was cheap as it was a demo board that some one quickly out grew and traded up. Enjoy your summer, were hating it on this side now :(

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I've been through about 10 boards trying to find the perfect ride. Some boards are fast, but lack rocker and pearl (nose dive) easily. Some boards have lots of rocker and are immune to pearling but are too slow. To ride with bigger people you are going to need a relatively fast board. A slow board may be fine for kids and teens and wives, but will be too slow for the big guys. By the same token, a very fast board may not be easy to control by the smaller folks. A big, fast board will just take the smaller folks for a ride instead of vice versa.

So all that said, here's how I'd come down:

1. for the bigger folks, an inland surfer blue lake or maybe a red woody (I've never tried the red woody). We have the blue lake and it's super stable and very fast down the line. It's not very maneuverable though. Sortof like riding a big barn door. Bigger people can muscle through that, smaller ones get taken for a ride. I'm only 165lbs, but I can ride doubles with a 90 lb kid on a reasonably sized wave on this board. These boards will pearl, so you've got to be somewhat attentive, but once you figure it out, it's relatively forgiving. Easy board to ride when the water is rough.

2. for the smaller folks one of the smaller phase five boards, like an icon. Get the big fin on the back so it won't break loose as much. These boards aren't super fast, but smaller people don't tend to need a fast board as much. The great thing about these boards is that they are pretty immune to pearling. Yes, you can make it pearl, but it takes work. And bigger people can ride them too, as long as they know how to pump. My son won a really small phase five scamp, which is supposed to be for 80lbs or less, and I can even ride it (though I do have to pump like a madman sometimes). We've taught a bunch of people how to ride on this tiny board. It's only got one fin and it's not much bigger than a lunch tray, but it's pretty stable and easy to ride. A quick vid of my son on the little board.

The inland surfer squirt also seems like a good value but I've not ridden one.

So my take is buy one "big guy" board and one "small person" board. Yes, it's a bigger cash outlay, but it will make it a lot easier for different sized people in your crew to have fun.

Boards I'd avoid:

IS yellow loogie (very fast, but pearls in a heartbeat).

Hyplerlite Broadcast (slow, pearls easily)

Hyperlite Landlock (slow... looks big but too slow for bigger people)

IS Mucus (fast down the line and easy to pump, but also too easy to pearl...would be a frustrating beginner board)

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I have found a dealer here in Australia who sells inland surfers........ so should I be shooting for the red woody or the blue lake??

It looks like the red woody will be big enough for someone my size ........ my wife is 6'1 and about 165lbs, she is quite fit and strong, will the red woody be just to cumbersome for her or will she be able to get at least enough out of it to see if she enjoys the sport?

Most of my crew are on the larger end of the weight spectrum ...... at least 200lbs.

Cheers Benny.....

PS ...... am I dreaming about my VTX giving enough surf wake with just standard ballast and 2 550lbs sacks??? Or will she do alright.......

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I have found a dealer here in Australia who sells inland surfers........ so should I be shooting for the red woody or the blue lake??

It looks like the red woody will be big enough for someone my size ........ my wife is 6'1 and about 165lbs, she is quite fit and strong, will the red woody be just to cumbersome for her or will she be able to get at least enough out of it to see if she enjoys the sport?

Most of my crew are on the larger end of the weight spectrum ...... at least 200lbs.

Cheers Benny.....

PS ...... am I dreaming about my VTX giving enough surf wake with just standard ballast and 2 550lbs sacks??? Or will she do alright.......

The red woody is going to be the most stable board you mentioned as its the biggest, has the oat surface area, and will be the easiest for everyone to learn on. I'd go that route, I've got a bluelake as well and have tought plenty of people to surf on it.

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Inland Surfer....Red woody!! You Can't go wrong with that board. I have one for riding double.....it's a great stable board that will let you learn quickly and it will also progress with you....you won't outgrow it.

The Blue Lake is a breat board also...even for your size. It will be a little more agile and fast.

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