Suggestions Needed

[1fast300z]

Alright I am new to the forums but not the wakeboarding sport. I have been boating all my life and picked up on wakeboarding 5 or 6 years ago. I also got an airchair last year, those things are awsome! Anyway I enjoy wakeboarding but would only ride several times every summer behind the boat so I am really slow on my trick progress. I can 180 the wake toeside and heelside, jump the wake swtich, and I finally learned a heelside 360.

Now onto my questions.

I think I have the biggest newb wakeboard out there, Its a hyperlite (great board) but the bindings are like sandle bindings. They arent the boot kind, in fact I was searching for bindings online and didnt even see the sandle ones for sale anywhere! They suck, I basically just slip my feet under this little strap and a padded rubberband wraps around my heel and im good to go. I didnt really think about how much those would effect my riding untill now. I want to wakeboard a lot more this summer and progress on my tricks (maybe backroll). So my first question is what works best for you? And should I buy a new hyperlite board or just the bindings? The board itself is 143 cm long. I am unsure on what model but if I had to guess it would be a beginners board. Does the board make a huge difference or is it the bindings? Or both?

Next is the boat, its a Mastercraft Pro Star from '88. Its actually a really nice looking boat, great condition. Only problem is its for skiing and isnt supposed to produce a large wake. I have rode behind it for years now and have been able to jump the wake with probably around 4 or 5 feet of air. The wake is very small though and I have to cut real hard to pull off any amount of hang time. I was looking at some fat sac's to put in the back of it Do they make a difference? I found one that wheighs 725 pounds full. Also we had a fly high pylon extension on it the past 3 years but we just removed it and put on a monster tower. Anyone go from a pylon to a tower? If so can you notice any difference?

If anyone has any suggestions or tips that would be awsome. Thanks alot.

[timmyDecker]

Let's see here...
I have only been wakeboarding for a year, so no experience with the sandal bindings. I have gone from pretty basic starter bindings to much nicer ones, and I have to say it was worth the investment. I would suggest getting a new pair.
As for the board, there are a few variables to consider. Without knowing what model you have currently, I can't really tell you what you could expect with a new model, but there are some basics to consider: the amount of rocker, the type of rocker, and how "grippy" it is on the water. The amount and type of rocker are usually listed with the specs of the board on any of the websites that sell them.
I can't really tell you too much about the boat either. I just bought some sacs and haven't had a chance to use them yet, but since most wakeboard boats have them, I'm sure they make some difference. DRAGON88 is fairly knowledgeable about different boats and their hulls, so he might be able to give you more advice with regards to your specific model. The tower as opposed to the pylon should be a pretty noticeable difference. I would not expect to get more pop off the wake with the tower, but I would expect you will get a little more hang time with it. I've never used a pylon, but the difference between using the ski towing point and a tower is pretty significant.
Hope that helps.

[wakeG]

I would say that both board and bindings matter, but in your case bindings are going to matter more, right now, you will get a lot more ankle support from a boot binding, the board is up to you if you think you want a new board then get one but if you are comfortable with your current board then stay with that. the board dose make a difference but it's also about finding the right board for you, one that you ride well and can handle because then it will help you progress.

I've never ridden with a poly or a tower so I can't help you there