Another board question

Orange Peel · Newbie Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 37 City: Gilbert, AZ

Hi all, I'm new to the forum and somewhat new to wakeboarding. I started last season and can't get enough of it. I had a friend that worked at a local sporting goods store that got me a board setup to use last season (free Smile

) but I want to buy one permanently. I was looking for some help, here's what I used last season and let me know if I should just get the same setup.

It was my first time out last season, I was able to get up everytime and got the hang of it pretty quickly, still getting the hang of it as well Smile

First off my stats for the board...

Height - 6'2"
Weight - 235 lbs
Shoe size - 12

I used a 2006 Liquid Force Substance 142 for the board...
http://www.liquidforce.com/archive/2006/boards_substance.htm

I used the 2006 Element bindings....
http://www.liquidforce.com/archive/2006/boots_element.htm

The combo was pretty sweet I thought, but keep in mind I NEVER did this before on another board combo, it was the same combo all season. I did use the fins but this season I will be going finless.

Now, what would you recommend for my scenario? I liked the bindings, all though I did get a foot cramp a few times with them, maybe I had them too tight since I didn't know how tight they should be, etc. But ANY help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

nickl011 · Posted: Apr 16, 2007 4:04 pm Post subject:

Elements arent the best bindings, I wouldnt recomend them. LF transits, Watson OT, Watson CT, Shane CT, Shane OT, Ronix One, Ronix Cell, CWB Zues. The substance is a good board.

LakeIolaLuke · Posted: Apr 16, 2007 4:19 pm Post subject:

LFPIMP, there's absolutely nothing wrong with elements. get something comfortable that suits your riding style. You don't have to buy pro-model everything. I mean Greenwood still rides the exo sucs. However, I will say that you will probably find liquid force and ronix bindings the most comfortable. I've never had a good experience with CWB bindings, but different strokes for different folks. just make sure what you get is what you want, not what everyone says they like.

I know that sounds hypocritical, but I'm trying to give advice and a little bit of product knowlege

nickl011 · Posted: Apr 16, 2007 4:22 pm Post subject:

The above post was more comfortable bindings IMO. I didnt say there was anything wrong with them though.

LakeIolaLuke · Posted: Apr 16, 2007 4:31 pm Post subject:

LFPIMP, ok, sorry, for some reason I'm on a roll of calling you out tonight. I'll play nice now

Orange Peel · Newbie Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 37 City: Gilbert, AZ

Thanks for the tips, I thought the board was decent, but like I said, I don't know squat about them and it was my first time. And now the '06 Substance can be had for a good price, the board was expensive to buy when he let me use them last season.

I wasn't a huge fan of the bindings, they were snug, but I got some foot cramps, not sure why, it could have been bad riding style since I'm new, or the bindings were too tight. I will look into some of the bindings mentioned above, can you just go to a shop and try these on like shoes? They seem hard as hell to get on with Slime, I can't imagine them with nothing Sad

Any other board you would recommend comparable to the Substance or should I just stick with that board until I get better?

Thanks so much for the info!

colefooter · Posted: Apr 17, 2007 3:03 am Post subject:

Orange Peel, Elements lace up don't they? Just how you described how hard they were to get on seems like they are a bit to small. And you can go into stores and try on bindings, and also some stores will let you demo wakeboards. If your local shop will let you do this, then just demo a few wakeboards and purchase the one you like the most.

pet575 · Posted: Apr 17, 2007 7:10 am Post subject:

If you are looking at LF bindings, I have a pair of '06 LF Sphinx bindings that I love. Very comfortable, very supportive, nice big pad on the sole, and they lace up with two different lace locks so that you can really customize them to fit as loose or as tight as you like. They are a little expensive, but I'd buy them again in a second.

Orange Peel · Newbie Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 37 City: Gilbert, AZ

colefooter - Yeah the Elements lace up, they weren't hard to get on really, Slime let them slip right on, they were the XL's for my size 12 foot. I probably pulled the laces too tight and it could have caused the foot cramp, I don't know how tight or loose they are supposed to be. Even with them that tight I wiped out and my feet actually came out of the bindings. I have a ton of local shops but I would feel bad demoing a board and buying it online, the stores can't compete with the online prices, so I don't know what to do right now.

Pet575 - I don't really have a preference on the bindings, whatever fits right and doesn't cramp my foot would be nice Smile

I will look at the Sphinx bindings and see how they stack up for me.

Thanks for the replies guys!!