The Ultimate Wakesurf Board Review Thread

[tncumminsguy]

I'm 6'0 200 pounds ( not fat just solid) and looking for a new board to just surf and have fun. I have a 4'6 ronix skim style but it's hard getting my wake big enough for it to just surf without a ton of people.I will say this board is really fast and will come up on the swim platform easily. I'm gonna invest in some fat sacs soon. Boat is a 2011 malibu LSV wakesetter with power wedge and all 4 ballasts

[Tyger]

CWB Ride: Not sure of the size or year since I borrowed this board for a very short time last weekend. However, for a beginner board I was pretty impressed when compared to the Broadcast. It was very easy to get up on and very stable, yet somewhat more agile than the Broadcast. I would definitely recommend to anyone new to the sport.

[jwl019]

Looking at buying my first board or maybe two. Here is what I'm looking at: CWB Ride ($165), Inland Surfer Blue Lake ($250 - find out today if still available), Liquid Force Fish ($150), or start bidding on some Triple X blemishes on Ebay (skim composite went cheap 2 notes ago, really would like a Nitro).

Here's my question: being a beginner and buying 1 or 2 of the ones listed, which should I get? I've been trying to keep up with what y'all have reviewed but just not sure which of these would be best choice for me and surfing behind my SSLXI, with little added weight and wedge. Will be working on the ballast soon.

My review of the Ronix Cortez; it was easy to get up on (got up first try and never wskesurfed before), only used the wedge with no added ballast, but I was able to feel the sweet spot in the wake but had a hard time staying in it. It is stable and only pearled once from my error. It seems a little slow but could ne due to size of wake.

Edited June 12, 2012 by jwl019

[jwl019]

Well, scratch the CWB Ride off the list above, seller got a more accurate shipping quote and puts it above $200, which still may not be bad but not sure!

[OldGuyNE]

Hey all. Never done this before so bear with me. We are wanting to get into wakesurfing and I've read through the all of the posts this AM. A lot of GREAT info. here. We've been on the water for 25 years on skis, kneeboards and wakeboards so the water itself isn't anything new to us.

Tried out a Ronix Cortex while traveling on vacation without a clue what we were doing. Popped up easlily first time. Whenever I found what seemed to be the "sweet spot", I was pretty much in the boat with everyone (normal?). Makes it a challenge with a 2' platform on the back. Enough about that.

There are 5 of us, 3 girls 120#, 2 guys 165#. Looking for recommendations/thoughts on getting started. I don't mind spending the money but, if boats can be a big issue for surfing, it doesn't make sense to spend anything for something that won't work.

Unfortuntely, we are not in an area where we have the luxury of trying out different models.

Any thoughts or suggestions on what you would do thinking back to the first time you jumped on a board would be greatly appreciated.

[apwrx]

Hey all. Never done this before so bear with me. We are wanting to get into wakesurfing and I've read through the all of the posts this AM. A lot of GREAT info. here. We've been on the water for 25 years on skis, kneeboards and wakeboards so the water itself isn't anything new to us.

Tried out a Ronix Cortex while traveling on vacation without a clue what we were doing. Popped up easlily first time. Whenever I found what seemed to be the "sweet spot", I was pretty much in the boat with everyone (normal?). Makes it a challenge with a 2' platform on the back. Enough about that.

There are 5 of us, 3 girls 120#, 2 guys 165#. Looking for recommendations/thoughts on getting started. I don't mind spending the money but, if boats can be a big issue for surfing, it doesn't make sense to spend anything for something that won't work.

Unfortuntely, we are not in an area where we have the luxury of trying out different models.

Any thoughts or suggestions on what you would do thinking back to the first time you jumped on a board would be greatly appreciated.

Hopefully youre not surfing the 05 interceptor, We started with a liquid force inland surfer its a big board, easy to catch and stay in the wave.Seemed to work well for beginners on the boat.

[OldGuyNE]

That is our boat. Guess my question is 2-part. A.) Can it be done behind such a boat? B.) If so, which board would be best suited for the boat with a bunch of newbies? Thanks

[Michigan boarder]

That is our boat. Guess my question is 2-part. A.) Can it be done behind such a boat? B.) If so, which board would be best suited for the boat with a bunch of newbies? Thanks

That's an I/O, so it is dangerous. If you go in to fast and fall, you are into the prop. With an inboard the prop is much further up and under the boat, and there is a rudder and often a wege between you and the prop. I wouldn't do it behind an I/O.

[Jab31169]

We rock the Victoria Factor and the Victoria Foamie for the women. Getting the 360 pretty consistently with the Factor. Got a Walker 4.7 Bullet for our surf style.

[jwl019]

Since last post, I went with the Inland Surfer Blue Lake wakesurf board and I am loving it! This past Saturday was my second time to surf and on my second ride I could have gone ropeless, I rode for a couple minutes straight with a lot of slack in the rope. Instead of throwing it back in the boat, I started working on positioning myself in the sweet spot without pulling the rope, but still need some practice.

My review on it now that I can really compare two boards:

Inland Surfer Blue Lake - fast and easy to learn on with enough curve on the tip that you can still recover should it dip down under water.

Ronix Cortez - good beginner board but should the tip ofthat the board go under coming down the wake, hard to recover from, and had to place feet close to toe side to keep up with the wake and maintain slack in the rope.

[Tyger]

That's an I/O, so it is dangerous. If you go in to fast and fall, you are into the prop. With an inboard the prop is much further up and under the boat, and there is a rudder and often a wege between you and the prop. I wouldn't do it behind an I/O.

Just to second that, surfing behind an I/O is not an option and illegal in Indiana (for a good reason). If you have a strong stomach and need further evidence, do an image search for wakesurf I/O and look for the picture from wakeworld (second picture for me).

Surfing is a great sport and I recommend it to everyone, but please do it safely so we can all share surfing stories for years to come. :D

[OldGuyNE]

Thanks everyone. I completely understand the whole I/O vs. inboard thing. I admit it was a little intimidating staring down into that prop but, it didn't bother me that much. Likewise, I wouldn't want the kids or wife to be in the same place. Just wasn't sure if being that close to the boat was the norm or if I was was doing something wrong. If I would have been 3' further back it would have seemed perfectly fine.

Seems like we should stick with our other toys until we feel the urge to go with an inboard. Unless someone has something else to add telling me there is a board that will allow you to surf 5 to 10 feet behind and I/O, your input has been extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! Thanks again.

[Gettin'old]

What is going to be the best all around board for a small wake? I am looking at Echelons, but would like to be able to recreationally surf with friends and family. Thanks.

[wakenride]

So I thrashed my second board this summer and I'm looking into picking up a board that is a little more durable this time. I've been looking into the new Lib Tech waterboards but I haven't heard much from anyone that has ridden one behind a boat yet. Anyone tried this? I hear these boards are indestructible.

[rafikijambo]

we use on it. It is 4'5", we've owned it for a month now and we can't put it down it has such great feel fast and responsive. We put our own custom traction it is kind of crazy but we love it. It has a 5 fin set-up which is so much fun to play with. We joined Finatics and right now we have the Al Merrick 2 five fin set-up. We also purchased three Von-Sol Nubsters to experiment with and all I can say is that it is so much fun with the Nubsters. We've used it with the two AM2's plus a center nubster also with the two AM2's and two trailing nubsters(quad set-up). This weekend we will be using it with the two AM2's and three Nubsters(5 fins) to see how it performs. The Nub-Step is definitely a board worth getting. Brock Dumoit just got a hold of some xps and is in the process of building us one with s-glass. It will be a new shape and we can't wait to get our hands on it.

[rafikijambo]

Wakenride lib-tech does custom boards on a base to base case. I'm interested too in how their boards would perform behind a boat.

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[FastFreddy]

I'm a beginner but a quick learner. What does everyone think of the Phase 5 squirt for a board?

[wakemitch]

Phase 5 doesnt make a board called the Squirt. Inland Surfer has a board called the squirt though

[FastFreddy]

Oops i meant inland surfer squirt.

[Lance B. Johnson]

Does anyone know how I can demo a sweet spot pro? I am really interested in this board but at 700.00 I think I had better demo it first.

[TnVols]

Hey guys! New to the site and have read a lot of great info.....need a little more help! I'm planning on buying a new board as a bday gift for my fiancé ( I know, risky) however I have done a lot of homework. He and a couple other guys that go out with us all summer learned on a hand me down 4'9 hyperlite. They're just getting comfortable letting go of the rope so still mostly in beginner stage I guess. The guys are between 5'9 and 6'0 and all in 170-180lb range. We have Moomba and are planning to add a sac this summer for a bigger wake. Nose diving seems to be the biggest issue for them and sometimes keeping up with the wake. I spoke with a very knowledgable guy yesterday at our local water sports store and I am leaning towards the 2013 Ronix Koal 5' for a little more surface area and rocker and its also super light weight.....any info or suggestions are GREATLY appreciated, Thanks!

[shawndoggy]

I'm pretty sure the ronix koal is a chinese made glass board and the shape is very similar (the same?) as the old XXX slashers. If yes, it's a great shape, lots of fun, but fragile and not one to leave in a board rack because it'll get all dented up. I really like my xxx slasher, so if the koal is the same board it'd be a good choice.

The inland surfer squirt gets a lot of good press, but I don't have much time on one. The Inland surfer blue lake would be a great board to get your crew to the next level, but it's a pretty boring ride once you've ridden it for a while. Like riding a log. But it's big, stable, and fast down the line, all of which are good traits for learning to surf.

[TnVols]

Thanks a lot! I knew some of the boards were more fragile than others, but I did not realize they could be damaged by just being in the rack! That sux, guess I'll be doing more research :/

[SouthsideBoarder]

So what board should a person get as a first board? Never surfed before but going to start this summer. I want it to be fairly durable as new to the sport but also a decent board.

[Bradley Thornton]

I start people on this board and have them riding ropeless by the end of the day. Also it is very durable. Its onsale. What is your price range.

http://www.bakesonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=2807