Slingshot boards???

ronix_brendo · Posted: Jan 11, 2009 2:58 pm Post subject: Slingshot boards???

hey im new to these forums but i have been a long time reader and im hearing alot about the slingshot boards and "flex" boards in general. i live in australia so we dont really have anything like these down here. i was wondering wat is the go with them is? y are so many people turning to flex boards? thanks Very Happy

LakeIolaLuke · Posted: Jan 11, 2009 3:45 pm Post subject:

because of marketing hype

Craig-R · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 19 Dec 2008 Posts: 1676

wake eater · Soul Rider Joined: 04 Feb 2005 Posts: 272 City: knoxville

flex boards are a preference thing. imo, they pop more & land alot easier. some people dont like them because they prefer the traditional style boards. these tend to be people that still use jiffy pop instead of microwave popcorn, believe that remote controlled tvs are "too fangled", and prefer push mowers over a good ol' briggs & straton.

ronix_brendo · Posted: Jan 11, 2009 4:17 pm Post subject:

ok thanx guys. but y would a flex board pop more? ud think that because it flexes it wuld absorb the wake more then a stiffer board and therefore get less pop. can anyone explain how they wuld get more pop then boards such as ronix LF or HL?

wake eater · Soul Rider Joined: 04 Feb 2005 Posts: 272 City: knoxville

it kinda acts like a spring being compressed & then let go

Zachcopp · Newbie Joined: 31 Aug 2008 Posts: 31 City: College Station

It is definitely a preference thing. A lot of people will take a set on a flex board and will immediately take it off and throw it in the boat after one jump and say that "its so different than my traditional board.. I don't like it". It is different, but you need to take quit a few sets to get used to it.

The way I like to describe it is that a Slingshot wakeboard, or any flex board, is full of potential energy. When you are coming in towards the wake, the board flexes. The flex is all of the potential energy built up in the board. Now once you learn how to use this potential energy is when you feel the huge pop of a flex board. You can feel the board spring off the wake. The flex of the boards acts like a spring shooting you off of the wake. Now every board flexes to a certain degree, but "flex" boards have MUCH more flex. Then on landings, you can land a little tale heavy, and the board acts as a shock absorber. Another example is someone doing the dance move "the worm". The energy of there body isn't just thrown to the floor flat. It is transferred from feet all the way through to your hands and is greatly dissipated as it moves all the way through your body.

I hope that the examples made sense. Flex boards are a lot of fun and add a whole new element to wakeboarding for me. Some do not like it, some do. Its all preference.

ronix_brendo · Posted: Jan 11, 2009 5:48 pm Post subject:

thanx heaps Zachcoop. good explaination, that cleared it all up for me. thanx agen Very Happy

savage3221 · Posted: Jan 11, 2009 7:34 pm Post subject:

I would slightly disagree with the fact that they pop more. I own one now (SS Recoil) and I love it to death. And it DOES indeed pop more for ME. But for different styles of riding, it may not. I don't think that there can be a sweeping statement that they do pop more, but maybe people just need to make adjustments in order to find that extra snap. Who knows if this is the future, or just another option to styles of boards. I would certainly do some more research and ask some more questions. Also, don't forget to consider the hybrid boards that are coming out like the LF model. I can't remember the model name, but it is thicker and stiffer in the middle, and has flex on the tip/tail.

What kind of riding style do you have? I personally ride a lot like many of the other flex board owners that I have seen. Although, NOT AT ALL like Randal Harris. So maybe it works for everyone.

P.S. my riding style is usually wake to wake, but that's not the important part, it's how I cut I think. I take very mellow and very progressive edges, and I think that this accentuates the characteristics of the flex patterns that have been coming out.

Zachcopp · Newbie Joined: 31 Aug 2008 Posts: 31 City: College Station

SAVAGE3221
I completely agree. I did not mean to infer that flex boards "pop" more than traditional boards. I simply feel like I can get more pop on a SS than on other boards. I do not want to generalize and stereotype and say that everyone can get more pop by riding a SS. I think that is what I meant by the its all personnel preference thing, but I wasn't very clear.

I believe the LF you are referring to is the Ennen? I think that so far LF has done a poor job of marketing that board. Not to many people have heard about it.

savage3221 · Posted: Jan 12, 2009 12:31 am Post subject:

Zachcopp, I wasn't particularly targeting you or anything. Really only kinda skimmed the posts and had caught a few statements of "more pop" that are usually thrown around in the other threads too. As a matter of fact, I agree with your post almost entirely, and think it was well put.

And I think that sounds right, I just remembered it from the dealer meeting at the end of the summer. Thought it had some potential, and they seemed to think it was going to be a big selling point for the coming season. Maybe they will press it a little harder as the summer approaches.

ronix_brendo · Posted: Jan 12, 2009 12:53 am Post subject:

savage3221 my style is probably more agressive. i cut hard and really aim for hard good pop off the wake, and like taking my tricks into the flats. i like 3 stage boards as opposed to continuous aswell. im trying to decide if i shuld maybe buy a slingshot or company board and use it as a 2nd (or if its beta then my one) first board. but first i gotta find a shop that sells them so i can demo it, i havent seen any down here in AUS Rolling Eyes

LFrider139 · Outlaw Joined: 09 Oct 2008 Posts: 184 City: Shelbyville

ronix_brendo, Get a LF Lyman...have you seen him ride? He goes about 15 20 feet into the flats on most of his tricks...insane rider..and insane board from what I hear...super light, good landings, and crazy fast. I'm in the same predicament on finding a board and that's one of choices (along with SS)...my other choice is an LF Shane which I've heard pretty good things about as well.

Craig-R · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 19 Dec 2008 Posts: 1676

LFrider139, he gets 20 feet of air 90% because of his flawless technique, not because his board is uber cool

LFrider139 · Outlaw Joined: 09 Oct 2008 Posts: 184 City: Shelbyville

yes I know..I'm just saying his board complements his riding...I guess I worded it wrong lol my bad...the guy said he liked edging hard and taking tricks to the flats so I recommended the board

savage3221 · Posted: Jan 12, 2009 10:13 pm Post subject:

ronix_brendo, well, Randal Harris likes a flex board, so it clearly works for more aggressive style riders too. I like mine. Where in AUS is Goulburn? I was just in Perth and then Sydney for my christmas break.

LakeIolaLuke · Posted: Jan 12, 2009 11:48 pm Post subject:

savage3221 · Posted: Jan 13, 2009 8:09 am Post subject:

LakeIolaLuke, so his Company boards aren't to his liking? That's interesting. Does he have a different board core? Or is it just a glassed lamination to add some stiffness?

dirtysparks · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 07 Jul 2004 Posts: 2428

LakeIolaLuke

Why did you delete that? Was it an attempt at a bad joke or just misinformation?

savage3221 · Posted: Jan 13, 2009 2:41 pm Post subject:

.... EDITED for scientifical disputation Razz

....

ronix_brendo · Posted: Jan 13, 2009 3:13 pm Post subject:

savage3221

savage3221 · Posted: Jan 13, 2009 3:48 pm Post subject:

ronix_brendo, yeah, I got one set in in Perth. Hit the WA Ski Lakes. Something like that. It was a cool compound of like 5 private lakes that people hit up. Had a good time. Didn't do any surfing though, because I'm a Taco Bell Chalupa, and there have been so many shark attacks/sightings in the past few months, especially around where I was.

I really liked AUS, I plan on trying to get back there/spend some more time in my life in general there.

ronix_brendo · Posted: Jan 13, 2009 4:44 pm Post subject:

savage3221 yer AUS is great, good weather most of the year and plenty of places to ride wat more culd a guy want haha. maybe ill see you next time u come down our way

LakeIolaLuke · Posted: Jan 13, 2009 9:52 pm Post subject:

dirtysparks, it was priviledged information

savage3221 · Posted: Jan 13, 2009 11:19 pm Post subject:

LakeIolaLuke, my bad, I'll pull that down