Purchase Advice Wakeboard

Wakeboarding is becoming increasingly popular in german-speaking countries. The nice thing about this sport is, that it can be practiced in many places, unlike other water sports like surfing. The places are called cable parks. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland there are a huge number of cable parks for wakeboarders and water skiers. Wakeboarding behind a boat is also possible.

The current trend is clearly towards longer wakeboards. Longer boards are preferred by many wakeboarders (both beginners and experts) and cable park fans. What is the reason for that? With longer boards you have some advantages in the modern style (cable park with obstacles). On the one hand you have more buoyancy in the water due to the larger surface of the board and you need less power when driving. On the other hand, you have a better and safer grip on obstacles and when landing.

Smaller wakeboards are more playful to ride. The shorter length makes it easier to turn and make smaller turns. However, with a smaller board you lie deeper in the water and have to use more force. If you are at an advanced level and want to jump so-called air tricks, a smaller board is again an advantage.

As you can see, the choice of length is of particular importance and can vary depending on the application and your style. Especially at the beginning it is advisable to buy a slightly longer wakeboard.

As with many water sports, the fins also provide more guidance and stability with wakeboarding. When these fins are removed, the wakeboard becomes much more agile and is easy to turn. However, this makes the board a little less stable, but this does not matter in the cable wake park. A general distinction is made between integrated (moulded-in) fins, which cannot be removed, and detachable (screw-on) fins, which can be disassembled, replaced, and even repositioned.

Beginners in particular are happy about fins, as they also ensure that you can celebrate more success and do not end up directly with your body in the water. Advanced wakeboarders usually opt for fins when riding behind a boat. Finns are almost a must have here. However, if you’re a fan of the obstacles in the cable park, you’ll have to switch boards anyway as the fins will damage the obstacles. Riding over the obstacles with fins is therefore strictly forbidden.

After you have decided on a board, you should definitely ask yourself what the guarantee and warranty are like. A guarantee is a voluntary service. Many manufacturers advertise with a board for the cable park, but exclude the guarantee when using the obstacles. You have to decide for yourself if you want to take that risk. So ask explicitly about the guarantee on your future board before you buy it.

In addition, you should also inquire about the service. In the case of minor edge damage, some manufacturers and shops will repair the damage for you, while others will not. Since your board is usually heavily used when wakeboarding and can wear out a lot, the guarantee is an important point when buying. In the best-case scenario, you get a twelve-month guarantee on essential damage such as the board breaking or the bindings being torn out.

That basically depends on how often you ride, how you ride and what materials are used in your board. If you’re on the water several times a week and ride a lot of obstacles, your board will probably last less than if you’re only on the water a few times a year. In addition, the nature of the obstacles and the water itself is crucial. If you are in a very sandy lake, there is always a little bit of it on the obstacles. This leads to increased friction and thus faster wear of your board.

You should make sure that your board has a grind base (ideally made of sintered UHMW-PE material). This material is the most durable and protects your board for the longest time compared to other materials. In addition, the edge of your board is of great importance, as your board will probably hit an obstacle more often when practicing. If the edge protrudes a bit from the board (and is at best made of robust poly-urethane), it protects your board for a long time.

As you can see, there are many influencing factors on durability. As a rule, your board should last at least two years with regular use.

A lot has happened in the wakeboard world in recent years. So every year new obstacles come onto the market, which enjoy great popularity. Almost all cable parks are upgrading and have significantly more obstacles in their parks than just a few years ago. In this context, the possibilities of wakeboarding and thus the style have changed. While many years ago you mainly jumped inverts, today most people are drawn to the obstacles. Which board do you need for which style?

The invert riders usually use a rather small, agile and very hard board. When starting for an invert you have to build up speed and pressure for the jump very quickly. A small, hard board works best for this.

For the park and modern style, long and soft boards are very popular. More board contact area on obstacles and rails and softer landings make these boards perfect for the park.

Typically, the recommendation for most drivers is a combination of the two. So you are sporty and agile on the go, but you can still playfully use the obstacles with the board.

In the meantime, you can lose your bearings with all the products and advertising texts. Which product is the best and which one do you actually need? Expensive materials such as carbon in particular make a big difference, but they can also raise a lot of questions.

Basically one can say that carbon boards are lighter and more agile with the same properties (compared to conventional GRP boards). Due to the carbon construction, the boards also have a stronger pop.

This means the board bounces back more, allowing you to jump easier and higher. Due to the material, carbon boards are also more robust and last longer.

This question is almost superfluous these days since most manufacturers use the same cores.

A basic distinction is made between foam, wood and hybrid cores. Foam cores are very light and were often used in the past. Since the material tires quickly and the board breaks faster, the foam core is hardly ever used.

The currently most common core is the wood core. Wood is a renewable raw material and offers excellent properties in combination with GFRP or CFRP. Here you have to make sure that your board has a paulownia wood core in the best case. Paulownia is one of the lightest types of wood. In addition, this wood does not absorb water and is therefore predestined for use.

More recent attempts use a hybrid core. This is the combination of a foam core with a wood core. The idea behind it is the weight saving. In practice, however, it often turns out that the core quickly breaks at the joints between the foam and the wood.

We hope to have given you a comprehensive overview with all this information. Basically, the following applies: Make yourself smart before you buy, ask the manufacturer or shop owner and pay attention to the points listed here. And now have fun choosing your board!