Board advice

[freshturk]

Looking to upgrade this year. I'm 6'3 205 and i've been riding something way too small the last few years(138). Based on what i've been reading i think i want something with a blended 3 stage rocker, but thats about as far as my knowledge goes. As far as my riding its fairly basic, can do grabs and 180s, but am hoping to progress this year as i will be riding a quite a bit more behind our new boat(upgraded from an i/o). I have a basically new set of hyperlite bindings from last year so the board is all im looking for. Would like to stay below $400 and would prefer last year model year boards for obvious price reasons. Thanks in advance

[ryan_8099]

I purchased a 2011 Slingshot Reflex at the end of last season and I love it compared to my 2011 LF Trip. Softer landings and can press out some sweet manuals with the flex of the board.

Looks like most of the 2011s in your size are sold out (unless you wanted the response which is a continuous) on the website: http://ride.slingshotsports.com/wakeboarding/wake-specials-boards

Looks like you can still get a 2012 under $400 depending on what you want: http://www.evo.com/shop/wake/wakeboards/slingshot.aspx


If you were interested in a very lightly used 2011 Reflex or Kine, let me know. A good friend of mine went SS crazy and bought 3 SS boards this past summer and then decided to keep his favorite. No slider marks

I know others will have different opinions on boards, just my .02

[KG's Supra24]

I'll be one of the guys with a different opinion, no offense Ryan. I would shy away from the 2011 Slingshot stuff. I had a SS Hooke that broke on my 2nd session, first day. Also, they have made it a point to stress they have redone the tract system for 2012.

Do you know if you like more of a locked in feeling or a loose feeling? If there is any way to demo some boards that would be ideal. I rode a 2011 Ronix One (my buddies) and my 2011 LF Watson Hybrid. Two completely different boards but I liked them both. The One is slower and the Watson Hybrid quicker (closer to a SS)

Evo usually has some great prices.

[Nobodyrides4Free]

No matter what board you get, you need to get one for your weight and height. At least a 140 in length. Most sites have a size chart so you can see what you need. You can also find several boards new and used on E-Bay for alot cheaper price. Last year I bought a Demo 2010 CWB Marius on e-bay for $200.00. Brand new it goes for $499. Decide on what kind of board, Begiiner, Intermediate, or advanced. Then look around for a good price. I always compare sites, Evo, E-bay and Google.
Three stage rockers are great and very easy to ride. Your heading the right way. Good luck

[Wake Master]

The CWB Marius is a great board it is wider and has soft landings. I purchased this board from Evogear in December for $295. Keep an eye on their discounts they change weekly. This is an advanced/Expert board but rides well at any level if you know how to edge.


http://www.evo.com/outlet/wakeboards/cwb-marius-wakeboard-2011.aspx

[freshturk]

It looks that the marius is actually a continuous rocker. Anyone have any experience with http://www.evo.com/outlet/wakeboards/ronix-ibex-wakeboard-blem.aspx Demo'ing any boards is pretty out of the question here with only one board shop for miles with a very limited selection. My riding will be all behind a boat, no rails.

Thanks for all your help so far guys

[you da man]

Ronix District is a sort of hybrid rocker so is the Slingshot Lyman. I'm sure Liquid Force has hybrid 3 stage rocker board...seems like they have a bajillion different models each year.

[KG's Supra24]

I'm sure Liquid Force has hybrid 3 stage rocker board...seems like they have a bajillion different models each year.

LF Watson Hybrid is the 3 stage hybrid

[bzubke1]

I ride the LF watson and love it, it's a very predictable board. I would say definitely stick to something 140 and up and maybe concentrate in the 142-143 range. I'm 6ft 170lbs and I ride the watson 143 so I wouldn't worry that a 143 or even 144 is too big for you.

[Nobodyrides4Free]

Freshturk

It looks that the marius is actually a continuous rocker. Anyone have any experience with http://www.evo.com/outlet/wakeboards...oard-blem.aspx Demo'ing any boards is pretty out of the question here with only one board shop for miles with a very limited selection. My riding will be all behind a boat, no rails.

I actuyally have 2 Marius boards a 134 and the 141. They are very forgiving boards,just when you think your going to loose it, you somehow pull it out (continuous rocker)(Rocker is vey mild in the middle). I let beginners ride the 134 ad it works Great.

My Buddy has the Ronix IBEX and I have ridden it. Its a very nice board and handles well. Thats a good price too. you will like it!

[Inliner]

Visit WakeWorld.com. They have reviews and can give you an overview of the boards and a large variety of opinions on the board. With your size you want a long board. I would probably use the max length for the board you choose. My girlfriend's son has a nice little 137 that I ride on occasion but it is a little short for me (6'1" at 185 lbs) when popping the wake. Works good for him at his lighter weight though.

[rdlangston13]

wanting a new board as well and was looking at the LF harley board and binding combo on wakeworld. any input on this?

[KG's Supra24]

Harley is a good board.

If I were looking for a new board right more I'd strongly consider the Watson hybrid that is in the classifieds right now

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

[you da man]

I've never had a continuous rocker board and wanted to have one without breaking the bank so I snagged up a new leftover 2011 Ronix District at Evo.com for $168 with coupon code and free shipping. I already have 2 Slingshots that are subtle 3 stage and one 3 stage.

[bzubke1]

I ride the watson and my brother rides the harley. They are very similar boards if you look at the bottom features with the difference being that the contours on the bottom of the harley are a little more pronounced. I feel like I get a little bit better pop when I ride the harley but I think the watson is a bit more predictable and I like it better for the reason. Both boards are fast on edge with the harley being a tad bit faster.

[New Guy]

You guys might talk me out of selling my watson. I was really considering the SS Kine just to try something different but KG you pulled the tracks out on a couple?

[KG's Supra24]

You guys might talk me out of selling my watson. I was really considering the SS Kine just to try something different but KG you pulled the tracks out on a couple?

I pulled the tracks out of a Hooke but maybe it was a fluke? It happened my first trip out with the board.

They told me they didn't have any 11's left so I ended up buying a Watson Hybrid instead, 2011. I wanted the 2010 for the simple fact it said "OMG" on the bottom, lol. I almost replied to your listing to see if you were looking for anything I might have laying around.

[dusty2221]

Word, fwiw, If I hadn't just done all the truck upgrades I would have bought that OMG Hybrid the second you listed it.

[wakeboarder3780]

So I have a low post count here and I'm trying to sell some SS gear so I'm sure this will look biased as all getup. I was hesitant on whether or not I wanted to even reply, but I felt compelled to because I am truly impressed by slingshot's boards. I've been riding a long time and been through a fair share of gear. In fact I'm fairly certain my friends that ride with me think I'm nuts because I buy so many boards to try.

That being said as far as the tracks coming out, I have heard of it happening in a few instances but from my impression it's rare. I personally have ridden 3 different 2011 boards and ride pretty hard. I throw tantrums, I throw 360's and I do my fair share of crashing when learning those tricks. I think the bottom line is the same as any board, make sure you have your bindings as tight as possible or you have a chance of ripping inserts, whether that's bolt inserts or the fast-track "insert".

That's all I'll say because I don't want to sound more biased than I probably already do, but I strongly suggest at least trying a slingshot for 5 rides if you can. The only rider I've seen not like them so far suffered from severe lack of board control because he was coming off a very locked in board. He rode it a few more times and even he was getting the hang of it.

YMMV.

[New Guy]

Awesome reply from the ad:


Currently riding the Slingshot Recoil. My opinions on the boards are as follows:

Reflex: I actually loved this board. Ryan can even confirm that this board was so good I bought it twice. Funny story but not what you're looking for. Suffice to say I spent a lot of money so I could continue riding a board I already owned because I liked it that much.

I liked the reflex a lot because it was the hybrid rocker. I typically like hybrid rockers because they don't plow like 3-stages tend to. The reflex also gave me enough pop that I was pretty sure I'd never find a board I liked more (hence re-buying it back a second time). Of course the other huge draw (of any slingshot) is that the board flexes.

This is what turned me onto slingshots from the beginning because I have bad knees and I want to ride long term. Although apparently debatable, I personally noticed significantly softer landings *especially* when casing the second wake. Casing the second wake would normally make me knees sting if I booted off big and came up short. On the slingshot it still doesn't feel great, but it's *much* more forgiving on casing (same concept as leafsprings on your trailer).

The other awesome part about the flex is how much more legitimately you can hold manuals. Before I could pop them up but I'd never be able to hold them. Since the slingshots flex, it is much easier to be able to hold them up. Probably a small deal for most people but I really like dinking around with surface stuff.

Finally the last part I loved about the reflex is how light they are and hence how much easier inverts / spins are with it. I actually didn't notice this until I decided to again try the 09 LF shane that I had sold to a friend who still rode with me. When I strapped the normal (non flex / compression molded) wakeboard back on and threw my first tantrum I could tell immediately after lift off that there was more "drag" from the heavier board. It wasn't a big deal I just knew I needed to huck it a little harder next time and I rode away with the second one, but still - noticeable difference for riders at that level.

For the kine, it's from the ballistic line, so you gain some channels on the bottom that are supposed to help edging a bit and it's also a bit stiffer due to the ballistic core. Otherwise it's very similar to the reflex. For me personally I like the softer flex. For someone just coming into the flex world, this would provide a bit stiffer introduction and I would recommend starting with something in the ballistic line. If you like those, you may opt to try the base lineup to see if you like the softer stuff.

The recoil, which I eventually landed on, is actually a 3-stage (which I usually don't like). I did notice more drag with the recoil, but it wasn't too bad. What I did notice is the recoil really reacted to my style of cutting. In other words, it really booted me. I had never ridden a board that reacted that well to my style of riding before in my life. So while it plowed a bit more, the tradeoff was easily in favor of the recoil for me. Still trying to adjust to this board, I don't get it to explode every time, but every once in a while I get absolutely launched which is really fun for me.

My board history in the past 5 years has been:
LF 07 Trip
LF 08 Lyman
LF 09 Shane
SS 10 Reflex
SS 11 Kine
SS 11 Reflex
SS 12 Recoil

[dru1974]

Last summer i bought a ronix phoenix project board and it is amazing...huge pop and buttery smooth landings>>>oh and its super light. i am 6'3" 240 and i really like it.

[rdlangston13]

Last summer i bought a ronix phoenix project board and it is amazing...huge pop and buttery smooth landings>>>oh and its super light. i am 6'3" 240 and i really like it.

is that a flex board? never ridden a flex board and was really looking to stay with a traditional rigid board for now. dont plan on buying really tho. no money

[dru1974]

Ya it is a flex board but if you go to the ronix website they have a video on it. It's pretty good

[KG's Supra24]

I really wanted to try a pheonix project but couldn't work out any demos. I think it is also one of the best looking boards out ... if that accounts for anything, lol

[dru1974]

ya it does look pretty good, they changed it this year :( last years looked way cooler8-)