Board size

[aintskeered]

I am wondering about wake boards..... I have a 136 drifter now which is working fine, looks pretty rough 5 seasons on it. I have som bigger friends who struggle with it as it was rated upto 180lbs. I found a smoking deal 270$ les 20% on a 144 obrien pro model.

1 is this a good board (all white)

2 if I buy and ride this 144 can I just run slower speeds and have simular preformance as my 136 going faster? prehaps better pop of the wake? I am 170 lbs
Lotta board though?


3 how dose obrien compaire to the other manfacturers?

4 the shop also has 3 118 boards with bindings? Not sure which bindings 199.00 less 20% Can I do better for my kidos first board they are 6 and 9 just getting intrested And dose any one else want one of the obriens

Thanx Seth

[lowdrag]

At the end of the day you need to buy the board that is the best size for you. It's nice that you're thinking of your friends with your purchase, but you'll be the one who rides it the majority of the time. If they get into it enough, it'll be up to them either to use a board that's a little bit small for them or buy their own. Personally, I wouldn't want to buy a board that's too big for me and run at a slower speed. If you need to slow down too much the wake will get soft.

I've also seen people run into problems when things break while their friends are using their gear. Inevitably, something will break sooner or later and the issue usually comes up about who should pay for it etc, but that all depends on your friends. That's the reason I keep one of my old boards and sets of bindings in the boat for other people to use.

I can't comment on the board you're looking at. Best bet is see if you can find someplace that will let you demo some boards to see what you like best. I will say though, that I just bought a CWB absolute earlier this year and and love this board.

[aintskeered]

Thanx lowdrag, I agree with you on the friend thing. although I must say the crew I am running with right now would most likley steal my current board and replace with a new one just how they are. gotta luv em. As of current I have no set speed..... I think it changes with how much I have drank and which out board I am behind. GURRR. I was just wondering if wider and longer is any better, I would imagine the spins would be tougher but the jumps could be pretty sweet....... any one ran on a larger board than the weight recomends and enjoyed it?

[Wake Master]

Check out Evogear.com they have some good deals.

http://www.evogear.com/default.aspx


Unless you are very tall I would stay at a 138-140 board. A 143 is a large board. Make sure you get good bindings that fit well.


They have several youth boards on this site also

[gotmyboat]

I am 6'3" and 230lbs and I ride an Obrien Oasis 142. It is a beginner/intermediate board tha I learned on. The board feels a little big to me sometimes, so I can't imagine a smaller guy on it. I use a Jobe 139 that I bought at Costco for my boat board. That way if it breaks, my day is not ruined :p

I agree that you should try to demo some boards of various sizes and shapes before you make the choice. Better to spend a little more now, and to be a better happier boarder.

Dave

[aintskeered]

You guys are killing me..... I was hoping to get a defenative anser and recomendation on boards! But kinda figured everyone would have there owne preferance also. I guess being remote has its disadvantages..... no demos around here! Q for you all what are they talking about intermediat,advanced,expert? What is the differance in how the boards preforms. I bought a intermediat-advanced to learn and start with? I am looking for good pop off the wake. I like the jumps and have almost landed a Tantrum behind a outboard 17'with no ballast. figure just a little better lift and I can pull it off Intell my Moomba arives then ........oh the fun! and Okay you have me talked into a 140-142

[Smrtz]

there is no right or wrong answer.. but as for demos... even many online companies will allow you to exchange a board if it isnt the right setup for you...

I told all my buddies last year when I bought the boat. You can try my board next season you get your own! I now have no less than 7 boards in my garage.. each one different size shape whatever... Maybe it would be worth your time to find out if tehre is a demo day in your "relative" area. Go and try a bunch of boards...

One thing is forsure buy for yourself not your friends!

[aintskeered]

Yep it will be for ME! they are mostly skiers but kinda starting to like my board. I was mostly thinking wider/ longer would jump better/higher and on the same note be a bit better for the big guy's to get hooked on

[Smrtz]

I can tell you a couple of awesome boards that will give you tons of pop and are tons of fun would be either the Obrien Vice, or the Liquid force fish. You ride them about 10" shorter than the usual length and because they are wider the pop on them is awesome. they are very different boards but built around the same premise of shorter and wider.

If lift is what you are looking for they are a great place to start!!

[aintskeered]

Sweet I will look that direction for my first demo choice, When you say 10" shorter?

Do I look at a 148 if I am normaly riding a 138? Or is a 138 still a 138 and just 10 shorter?

[Smrtz]

If you ride a 138 you would ride say a 128. I know they come in 3 sizes. I know the largest they make is 133 thats for people that usually ride 140-144

the Vice isnt quite as short but short enough but its the width you will notice right away... Great thing about it.. anyone that wakeboards knows what it is like to be up in the air and realize you are comming down in the wake instead of in the flats just beyond. Its a much harder landing (knees feel like they are gonna pop through your skull...lol) with these boards it makes all landings feel so much softer. They really are awesome.

[TN_Boarder]

Check out WakeSide (http://www.wakeside.com/page/w/CTGY/obrien_wakeboards). They do a good comparison of the O'brien boards. If you hoover over each board, you'll notice the meters for pop, feel, and ability change to show how each board compares to the others. They do the same thing for other manufacturers, but I mainly stick with O'brien. Generally they have cheaper prices for high quality products that match up to any other manufacturer. I ride an O'brien Vision 135 with Link bindings (my first board) and I love it. Wife just got a Liquid Force Diva 134 with Element bindings. Definitely a different feel, but great board as well. I like mine better but that may have something to do with me having a complex about riding a pink board. I was just trying it out guys to compare!!

Some board knowledge 101. Wakeboards are measured in centimeters not inches. Thats metric. If I recall highschool math correctly, there's 2.54 cm in an inch. When you see numbers on boards thats the length in cm, which means my board is 135 cm long or about 55.1 in. Think about it guys. If the numbers were inches, that would make the board like 11 feet long. Also, most people say that the weight ratings for different length boards are just ratings. You should ride what is comfortable to you. Down fall of smaller boards is they may be harder for larger poeple to get up on in deep water starts. Once you're up to speed and planed out, it should be no problem. Now, should a person weighing in at 225 lbs try to ride a board that's 121 cm? Probably not, but stepping up or down say one board size (usually +/- 5cm) is not unrealistic. I mean thats only about 2 inches either way, and I know most men exagerate on size but in reality that's not all that much. ;-)

One last thing. The amount of Pop, or type of Pop I guess I should say (length vs. height), is not always about the length or width of the overall board. Its more about the size, shape, and molding technology of the rocker. Thats the center section on the bottom side of the board. The two main types of rockers are 3 stage and continuous, and some boards today are hybribs or a little bit of both. There are continious advances in board technology and tons of information on the internet, so don't be scared to do some research to educate yourself before making that big decision.

[Smrtz]

I cant wait to see what Ronix brings out this fall for their initial product lineup. they are promising among other things shedding 2 pounds or weight off the average board!!

[aintskeered]

Hey TN_Boarder , Thats what I was trying to find.... what each board is designed for! at least that gives me a jumping of point. THANX

[ben624]

I did a search for wakeboard size... I found a lot of info... They told me everything I needed to know on wakeboards... Size, bindings,fins, length, rockers,width, design, etc.... It was well worth a little time... Good luck and wake on dude.