What makes a board better or worse?

[ABoba]

TLDR; What physical characteristics make one board $200 while another is $800?

I see a lot of threads pushing particular boards and bindings, but it all seems to be based on personal feel.

What makes a board higher quality than another board?

Weight? If so, why do none of the boards list board weight.
Materials? Some of this is mentioned, but there doesn't seem to be a "best" option.

For bindings, weight? materials? other than "one lace" vs "multi-lace/strap" how does this affect performance?

If it's all down to just feel, how can one board go for $200 while another one is $800?

I have a Costco board and bindings(which most would consider crap), but having testing an expensive board, I can't really understand the differences (I'm not doing huge air/inverts yet)

[TheHebrewHammer]

BOARDS:

Yes, weight is huge. Companies don't publish it unless they're gonna claim they have the lightest board (as with the old LF Fly series and Hyperlite Sub VI). They don't want people to know that their boards are heavy.

Boards are using a lot of exotic materials nowadays to make them light, strong, and responsive. It's a genuine selling point, but also an excuse for companies to overcharge you. LF will sell you a board with carbon fibre stringers for $400 and Ronix will sell you a full carbon board for like $450, but Hyperlite will charge you out the ass for their Nova Core. It's great technology, but it's also overpriced.

The best material depends on your needs. If you're hitting obstacles, you need a solid grind base and strong sidewalls. If you're just riding boat, all you need is a board that won't break or lose its structural integrity. If you like flex, you need a flex board. If you're going for more traditional big wake riding behind the boat, you want a stiff ass board, which usually means carbon fibre.

BINDINGS:

Again, weight is important but unpublished. Same reason. Closed toe is more comfortable than OT in almost everyone's opinion, including mine, but it's more expensive and OT can fit more different sizes in the same boot. Do you have multiple people with different foot sizes using your boots? Are you willing to pay for the more comfortable, personal fit of CT?

Stiff bindings are more supportive and give you more control over your board. They protect your ankles at the expense of you knees. Soft bindings protect your knees at the expense of your ankles.

You want a lacing system that is convenient, comfortable, and durable. Again, if you have the money, Hyperlite has awesome technology with the System, which is basically a snowboard binding. But beware: it's stiff as hell, so your knees are at risk. If you're buying a binding with traditional cloth laces, make sure they're thick so that you can crank down on them without snapping them. You can always replace them with shoelaces or laces from other bindings if the stock laces are crap.

*****

As for your Costco board, get rid of it if you intend to take riding at all seriously and try to progress. "Real" wakeboards are worth the extra money. They'll make you a much better rider in the long run and make wakeboarding a lot more fun. If your budget is tight, just buy used or closeout. There is no reason why you need to spend more than $400 to get a pro model setup from last year if you know where to look. I'm talking about a top-of-the-line package with one of the best boards AND boots ever designed. That said, if you're a beginner, there's no real reason to buy a pro model board. A beginner/intermediate board won't hold you back at all. It will likely make progression easier. These boards are even cheaper. You can probably get an entry level package from last year for about the same as what your Costco board cost. Hope that helps.

[GnarShredd]

[ABoba]

Thanks for the replies

I will keep my current board for this season, I'm new so it should work for me. If I get better, next season I will upgrade to a used name brand board.

The current board will probably be kept for use by everyone else on the boat until it falls apart.

[TheHebrewHammer]

good plan