Can't demo, I need help

elyse · Posted: Aug 02, 2005 9:06 am Post subject: Can't demo, I need help

I have been looking at the CWB Marius, the LF substance, and the CWB Absolute (I am probably going to wait until the '06 Absolute comes out before I make my decision.) I am currently riding the LF Balance and I like the way it pops, but now that I am starting to land out in the flats, it seems to land hard. Everytime I land out in the flats, it hurts my knees. So I want a board with soft landings, but I also like the pop of the balance. (It's a blended 3-stage BTW).

On the Substance, it is an abrupt 3-stage, so I don't know if I would like it because of the really agressive pop.

On the Absolute, it is a subtle 3-stage, and that leads me to think it will have similar pop to the Balance, but I am not sure. (this is based off of the '05, I am going to wait untill the '06 comes out)

On the Marius, it is a continuous, but it says it is a "variable rocker". I don't know much about it, but is there anyone who has ridden this board and knows how it pops?

Thanks in advance!

*edit* I can't demo CWB.

WakeSyco · Soul Rider Joined: 01 Jan 2005 Posts: 338 City: avondale

wakechick182, I have both the Marius and the Absolute Plat. both boards
are great boards lots of pop but the Marius has a softer landing the new graphics
for the Absolute Plat are sic. but anyways both good boards you wont be disapointed with either. good luck

elyse · Posted: Aug 02, 2005 5:45 pm Post subject:

WakeSyco, ok thanks. Does the Marius have more agressive pop or smoother?

gilby00 · Outlaw Joined: 15 Jun 2005 Posts: 216 City: Sparks

i have the lf balance and I havein't noticed hard landings????????????

elyse · Posted: Aug 03, 2005 6:20 am Post subject:

gilby00, I didn't either until about 2 weeks ago, when I started really going at it hard and taking everything big. The landings in the flats hurt my knees, and I don't wanna screw up my knees.

nathan3908 · Newbie Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 4 City: Greenville

If you take it big and land in the flats, it's gonna be a harder landing than when you land on the downside of the wake. That's just common sense.....

elyse · Posted: Aug 03, 2005 6:38 am Post subject:

nathan3908, I know that. Sometimes you can overshoot though Rolling Eyes

I want to take things as big as I can, thats sort of the point, isn't it?

madtekniques · Outlaw Joined: 23 Jun 2005 Posts: 156 City: Toronto

For the CWB Marius I beleive that by "variable rocker" they are refering to the nose and tail that have a side to side rocker therefore a second rocker measurement and their naming convention of variable rocker Smile

elyse · Posted: Aug 03, 2005 6:40 am Post subject:

madtekniques, yeah thats what I thought. But what exactly does the Variable rocker do? Just make the landings softer?

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

Maybe you should try adjusting your binding stance if your knees are hurting?

elyse · Posted: Aug 03, 2005 6:47 am Post subject:

cameraboy, I've thought about that. I have ridden all the way in, 1 from the inside, (which I like best) and I think if I go out anu farther it will be too wide. I am 5'6 and ride with my bindings at about 12 degrees on a 135.

*edit* The only time my knees hurt is when I land in the flats, and it is right when I land, and about 5 seconds there after. When I land on the downside of the wake, I am fine.

nathan3908 · Newbie Joined: 05 Jul 2005 Posts: 4 City: Greenville

of course thats the point!

WakeSyco · Soul Rider Joined: 01 Jan 2005 Posts: 338 City: avondale

wakechick182, I think the Marius is smoother and faster, the Absolute
has a harder pop, but both boards give you good pop theAbsolute is more
abrupt. move your stance out. I'm 5'9 ride 134 Marius or 135 Absolute all
the way out and ducked slighty lower center of gravity and not as much pressure
on the knees. good luck.

elyse · Posted: Aug 03, 2005 10:19 am Post subject:

WakeSyco, thanks for the input! The marius sounds what I am looking for.

wesgardner · Posted: Aug 03, 2005 10:36 am Post subject:

Hey wakechick182,

Bend your knees some when you land to act like a shock absorber, maybe duck your stance a bit more...or MAYBE its a function of just getting OLD Shocked

There was a recent article in WB mag about stance effects on knees...

Wes

JohnM_ttu · Newbie Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 46 City: Richardson

I demoed the CWB Marius 134 and the LF Fish 129 last night.

The Marius has a very mellow style to it. It must be ridden very progressively. It has great pop and really does land softer than any other board I have ridden. The Marius handles like big fat pig when you are in the water carving around, but once in the air it is really great.

elyse · Posted: Aug 03, 2005 10:54 am Post subject:

wesgardner, Yeah I read that article, and set up my stance accordingly. I try to bend my knees when I land, but I don't know how much I am bending them. I'll try to duck my stance some more.

I am still in my teens, I don't want to think about getting old!!

jhair · Newbie Joined: 18 Sep 2003 Posts: 41 City: Suwanee

I've been riding an '04 Absolute for 2 years and I really love it. It's the best board I've ever owned. Responsive when I need it to be, but very mellow and forgiving in general. It edges nicely and I can take it way out into the flats when I want to. I think the main difference between the '04 and '05 is that the '05 has more rocker. Honestly, I don't think it needs more rocker unless you're riding behind a boat with a HUGE wake (more than 2500 lbs of ballast).

I just picked up a Marius and rode it for the first time today. It's an interesting board--unlike anything I've ridden before. It definitely has more pop (without being abrupt) and softer landings than any board I've ever ridden (the Absolute already lands softly). It has more rocker than my '04 Absolute but probably about the same as an '05 (it's hard to convert rocker measurements directly because of the "variable" rocker). However, it feels strange when you edge with it--Especially if you edge hard. Because it's so wide, you have a lot of board sticking up out of the water when you're on a hard edge. This causes your feet and center of gravity to be farther up out of the water when you're on a hard edge. This makes it really unstable. It also means you need to be more physical with it to create a good edge. I'm honestly not sure if I really like it or not. I'm going to have to ride it some more and see if I can adjust to the width.

Now, having said all that, I'm not sure the Marius will really fix your knee problem. It's probably the result of having your bindings at the wrong angle, not bending your knees and edging enough when you land, or not having strong enough legs to handle the kind of abuse you're subjecting them to. You may be able to fix the problem by adjusting the angle or bending your knees and edging more, but you may have to get in the gym to strengthen your legs, too. Squats and deadlifts are great all-around exercises and will really help strengthen your legs for wakeboarding. Something to think about for the off season.

One other thought--are you really landing in the flats? Between the wake and the flats there is a section called the trough where the wake dips low, then comes back up. Landing there is sort of like casing the wake. You really don't ever want to land in the trough. Be sure if you're taking it big you're clearing the trough and really taking it into the flats.

Good luck whatever you decide.

PS - I demoed a substance and a balance when I bought my Absolute. I thought the Absolute performed as well as either but was more forgiving than both.

B_Fool · Soul Rider Joined: 15 Aug 2004 Posts: 373 City: Cen FLA

jhair · Newbie Joined: 18 Sep 2003 Posts: 41 City: Suwanee

I agree with B_Fool. I found the Marius to be very fast edge to edge. It definitely didn't feel like a pig to me. The fish is such a small board you can really manhandle it. Riding it right before the Marius probably distorted his perspective.