Boards...

[Juiceman831]

Hey guys Im new to the wakesurfing just this last weekend but I tried it on a wakeboard. It was my brothers Idea for me to try it this way but it was FREAKING FUN even though it wasnt a real surfin board but it did the trick. Anyways I want to get a board that just about anyone can ride my wife and me and my brother. Anyone know where I might find a good deal on a board on the internet or whatever. Im a 5'10 fatty and my wife 5'4 shorty and skinny.LMAO

[ragboy]

I would try the inland surfer blue lake as long as you are not over 250ish.

[b/w05]

Ragboy,

You have a Redtide right? Do you ride it? I'm 5'10 240 lbs. Do you think the Redtide would work well for me?

[ragboy]

I have a Red Tide. We won it, but it still has no fins, waiting for them to be shipped. The red tide is great, especially for learning, but I bet you would have more fun on the blue lake. If you have a small wake, go with the red tide, but if you have a bigger wake, I bet you would have MUCH more fun on the blue lake. It is a similar board, but not as much of a pig to move around.

[b/w05]

I have a Red Tide. We won it, but it still has no fins, waiting for them to be shipped. The red tide is great, especially for learning, but I bet you would have more fun on the blue lake. If you have a small wake, go with the red tide, but if you have a bigger wake, I bet you would have MUCH more fun on the blue lake. It is a similar board, but not as much of a pig to move around.

I don't have a large wake, 22i, no ballast. I can usually free surf even with 3-4 people in the boat. Which board is bigger? Is one longer or is it wider, heavier?

I have a Jobe that's about 5'6'' tall with 2 fins. I like it, but it's statring to fall apart and I think I'd like to try something newer.

[ragboy]

Without ballast, you prob want the red tide, it is bigger, and will float you no problem with a small wake. I REALLY like the inland surfer boards, and the quality of construction is fantastic.

[Juiceman831]

First of all I have a buddy that uses an old shortboard and it worked fine isnt that just as good? I mean whats the difference. Again I say...Im a noobie to wakesurfin.

[dogbert]

A lot of the better boards are based on shortboards, so I'd think that would work well.

[ragboy]

If you have fun riding it, and it fits in your rack/boat, go for it.

[Surfdad]

Juice,

my 2 cents.

The typical short board is 6'2" loa and 19" wide. This is about 10 inches longer than you need. When you are first "learning" and don't fully have your boat dialed, as well as your wakesurf legs, the extra length can cause you some slight issues (burying the nose in the flats and running into the transom). The other issue is that you'll need to apply some form of traction. If you pick up a used shorty, it'll have wax somewhere, in the sun that will make a huge mess in your boat.

Other than those two issues, learning on a shortboard isn't a bad option.

Progressing will be a different issue. My guess is that for your wife, it will always prove to large and if it's a thruster design, it'll always ride like it's on rails for her. If your wife is content with cruising...you're good there.

The average surfer is 145 pounds. I guess all that paddling leave sno time for snacking. Anyway...if you were trying to find a shortboard suited to you, folks would try and sell you something close to 7 feet long. You wouldn't need that for behind the boat. However, my guess is that you'll want the full 6'2" + If you can look at the Red Tide compared to a typical shortboard, you'll see a much fuller outline from the mid point towards the tail. This is why the Red Tide can be shorter. A squash tail shorty will have minimal volume where you'll tend to ride. As such, what happens is you move forward on the board to keep it in the pocket.

THAT becomes one of the worst things you can do in terms of learning, if you want to progress. You never learn to turn off your rear foot and the tendency is to just cruise in the pocket.

So...to me, learning to standup and find the sweet spot on an old shorty is fine, BUT look for a properly sized wakesurfer ASAP if you want to progress. Also, realize that any shorty that will float you will no doubt be HUGE for your wife and will limit her ability to progress. In fact it may be difficult for smaller petite rider to even flip such a board up due to the bouyancy. The folks at Inalnd discourage smaller from using the Red, due to this issue.

Again, my

[dogbert]

I dunno, here's a short board and my oldest, who'd just started riding it about 5 minutes before.




My issue with the custom boards is that they are so delicate you practically have to wrap them up in a case when you're done with them. This particular board has a harder surface like you'd find on a wakeboard. It was pretty fast.

[Surfdad]

Shouldn't require that Dog. If it's custom, ask for 3 layers of 6 oz S glass on the deck and 2 on the bottom, and Epoxy over EPS...or Carbon and Kevlar (sheesh and a new mortgage) True, you can get really easily pressure dented boards, but it isn't necessary.

The folks at Inland and now Shred Stixx are building pop outs with EPS and Epoxy that are very durable, if a bit brittle.

Regardless...I'd put a properly sized wakesurfer up against a short board SIZED for a rider in the ocean any day in terms of performance. And of course, in every wakesurf contest we have been in, you never even see a short board make the podium.

The point I was trying to make, perhaps badly, is that for smaller, petite folks thicker and longer can prove difficult to handle. We've been to so many places teaching and invariably there will be a woman, or a kid that struggles with the size. If we put them on a wooden Trick Boardz or even a heavy broadcast, we can get them free-riding.

[dogbert]

BTW, I don't think you realize how short that shortboard is (< 5'). I think we're in violent agreement on board sizing. I was just pointing out that some of the newer high performance short boards work pretty well. The one in the picture is made out of EPS/Epoxy.

I'll get the brand from my friend. It was a seriously fast board. The kids (who weigh 140 now), were riding it way into the wash.

I know you're partial to Walker boards.

[Surfdad]

A sub 5' for the ocean? Sweet...must be for a grommet. I picked up a Santa Cruz with surtech construction...that is a 5'0" I believe. The epoxy/eps is significantly stiffer than PolyU/Ployester and like you say, super fast in most instances.

The board that James is on above is Epoxy/EPS.

[dogbert]

I'm learning a lot about surf boards from you and ascboards. It's changed a lot from when I actually surfed the ocean in highschool.