wakesurf questions

[gus 08 mobius lsv]

ok another set of questions for you guys... first being i have a rad a cage tower and need a rack for a wake surf board anyone with this tower that can tell me where they got their rack to fit the tubing and where you located it on the tower?
second question never tried to wakesurf but wanna learn and progress what board are you guys using ? where is the best place to buy it to save a little money?
third is rope ...length of rope and knotted end or small handle?

[mmandley]

Cant help ya on the tower or board racks.

Boards, a lot of people swear by the Hyperlight CWB board. I haven't ridden it yet.

I use the Liquid Force Venture 5.6 and its a really nice board imo.

Rope length will depend on your tower, and how fare back the surf realy is. A standard surf rope is about 21 to 26ft.

Rope braids are excellent for pulling your self closer to the boat and into the surf, T handle is excellent for this also as they tend to be the same rope.

Surf Handle generally has a small single line rope like wake boarding and ski ropes. I love this handle for starting out as its easier to hold onto, but i like the knotted rope to pull in closer.

I wish i could find a knotted rope with a surf handle.

[gus 08 mobius lsv]

what would be wrong with making your own knots in the surf handle rope?

[Mikey]

I have my racks mounted on the horizontal flat bars connecting the two sides of the radacage. I have one mounted on the upper support for wakeboards and on the other side on the lowere support to spread them out further to allow me to slide my ski into it. A surfboard works in either.

[sandm]

I still swear by the broadcast as a good starter board. I have taught over a dozen in the last year to surf on that board. the 5'6 is a good entry level board, and when removing 2 fins, is somewhat maneuverable. ropes can be had at any local boat shop that has boards. I started out on a knotted rope tied with tennis balls and loved it, but it wore out, so now using a handled rope. it's not bad, but it's heavy.

can't speak to the racks as all 3 of my boards fit in the supra swivel racks. tight, but they fit.

[mmandley]

what would be wrong with making your own knots in the surf handle rope?

Mainly due to the rope being so thin tying knots in it wont help ya hold on. The knotted rops are realy thick and the knots arnt so much knots as they are braids in the rope.

Also when you start adding knots it shortens the rope and by the time your dont you might be to short to manuver into and out of the wave.

Sandm, tennis balls? Did you tie a knot in the rope and put a small hoel in the tennis ball to thread it threw? I like the idea just having a hard time picturing it

[sandm]

Mainly due to the rope being so thin tying knots in it wont help ya hold on. The knotted rops are realy thick and the knots arnt so much knots as they are braids in the rope.

Also when you start adding knots it shortens the rope and by the time your dont you might be to short to manuver into and out of the wave.

Sandm, tennis balls? Did you tie a knot in the rope and put a small hoel in the tennis ball to thread it threw? I like the idea just having a hard time picturing it

I'll snap a pic for ya late tonight. worked well..
working until 1, then on the lake by 2. hoping to not be home until 9 or 10 tonight
103 here today..

[mmandley]

"Boards, a lot of people swear by the Hyperlight CWB board. I haven't ridden it yet. "

Mike, you just made one board out of two

Gus, no one can recommend a board without knowing some specifics. For example:

what's your weight

what's your wake like

will family members be using this same board

do you have any prior surfing experience.

For safety and ease of use for everyone, get yourself a real T-Handle surf rope (without knots).

HAHA really? Well i meant the Hyperlight Broadcast. Guess CWB is stuck in my head for some reason.

[brain_rinse]

For safety and ease of use for everyone, get yourself a real T-Handle surf rope (without knots).

After using a T-handle rope we've talked about getting a knotted rope. The thought was that after getting up, the handle is never in the right spot so you're just holding the rope... the knots might make that part a little easier. Also when tossing the rope out to the rider, the t-handle is heavy and sinks quickly, and hurts if you catch it with your face. But we've never used the knotted rope, so maybe the grass isn't greener?

[kaneboats]

The Hyperlite Broadcast is one of the cheapest boards out there and very easy to find. Everyone in the boat can use it and it fits in the standard wakeboard racks. If you are going to have one board this is a great one to start with. If you are going to have 2 boards, this is a great choice for one of them and you can pick a more expensive one with characteristics you like after you learn to ride.

The CWB Ride is another great learner board. It's also pretty big like the Broadcast. I'm not sure if it fits in the standard wakeboard rack though (Stacy would know this). It's not very expensive and also a great one to keep forever to teach others with.

This page on the wakeworld site has a board buyers guide with pictures and specs on all kinds of boards:

http://www.wakeworld.com/Surf/

And this site tracks the best current deals on stuff (select "niche sports" and then "wakesurfing"):

http://www.spadout.com/

Have fun!