How to Choose a Wakeboard

Watersport Equipment
- · Wakeboard

If you are wondering how to choose a wakeboard, you are not alone. It’s a task that many riders struggle with, and unfortunately, you won’t find a one-size-fits-all solution.

The best wakeboard is a wakeboard that matches your size, skill level, riding preferences, and so much more. But before you get too overwhelmed, you can simplify the wakeboard purchasing process when you consider these seven components that outline how to choose a wakeboard.

7 Tips for Choosing a Wakeboard

#1 – Rider Size

The size of a wakeboard needs to match the weight of a rider. A board too small for your weight won’t function as it should. You need a wakeboard that can float sufficiently, and a board that cannot support your physical size will not be able to get up and out of the water with ease.

When selecting the size of your wakeboard, you must compare the length of the board to your weight. Length provides more surface area, and more surface area means better stability. More surface area also offers more control and balance for beginners.

#2 – Shape

Wakeboards come in different shapes, otherwise known as rockers. A wakeboard rocker profile refers to the bend or curve of a board when sitting on a flat surface, and that shape affects nearly every aspect of how a wakeboard performs. The three primary types of rockers include:

Continuous Rocker

With a continuous rocker, the name reflects the design. The board is one single, fluid curve from edge to edge.

3-Stage Rocker

Once again, the name fits the design of a 3-stage rocker wakeboard. The curve of the board is divided into three distinct planes. The center of the board is flat, and then the tip and tail edges of the wakeboard drastically cut upward. The edges do not gradually or continuously bend up.

Hybrid Rocker

If there is a wakeboard that fits somewhere in between a continuous rocker and a 3-stage rocker, it’s called a hybrid rocker. In other words, it’s a wakeboard with variations. Titles such as blended 3-stage, mellow 3-stage, hybrid continuous, or abrupt continuous are terms that indicate a wakeboard is a hybrid rocker.

#3 – Fins

Wakeboards can include fins on their base. Some fins are deep, others are shallow. Some fins are removable, others are built into the board. Where the fins are located on the wakeboard can vary as well.

Fins provide direction and keep the wakeboard on a steady path. The control that comes with fins is one reason why beginners benefit from a board with fins. In particular, deeper and longer fins provide the most stability.

Flat boards with no fins are slippery. Fins grip the water, and a board without fins forces riders to control the board on their own.

#4 – Materials

While most wakeboards are made of fiberglass on the outside, the innards of a wakeboard vary. Wakeboards can have a foam core or wood center. Even though a foam center is an excellent material option, many experienced riders prefer a wood core.

#5 – Bindings

Although those boot-like apparatuses might seem insignificant when choosing a wakeboard, bindings play a critical role in your wakeboarding success. Wakeboards come with predrilled holes that allow you to move the bindings into a position that is appropriate for your physical size, experience level, and preference.

Where you place the bindings creates your stance. With the proper placement and correct stance, riders can maneuver in the water better. Beginners should practice with a traditional stance, but advanced riders tend to adjust the distance and degree of their bindings.

#6 – Riding Style

The board you buy needs to match the type of wakeboarding you plan to do. A wakeboard that works best when pulled behind a boat is not the right fit for a day at the cable park.

Cable parks are full of obstacles (also known as “features”) with hard surfaces, and therefore, a cable park wakeboard needs to be made of a stronger material than a wakeboard used with a boat. Furthermore, fins can get in the way and even break off when wakeboarding at a cable park.

#7 – Rider Ability

A board that is too big, too long, too wide, too thin, or too curved is not going to do a rider any favors. In addition to all of the above factors you should consider when purchasing a wakeboard, do not forget to consider the skill level of a rider.