Sayin' howdy, and a few questions....

[Norcalboarddude]

Just sayin hi, being new to the forums, and sport. This is my first season of wakeboarding, i don't even have a boat, or my own board, yeah pretty sad. I just bum rides out to the lake with my friend and use his board, but have picked up on wakeboarding pretty quikly and love it.

A few questions... My friends board is a hyperlite unversal series board with continuous rocker, now that we have learned much of the basics, it seams as if the board is fealing kinda sluggish in letting us push farther. He is considering getting a new board this summer. Would a 3 stage rocker be ideal? What is the main diff between a continuous and 3-stage?

Fins; Long, short, deep, shallow, what are the diffs. I have seen boards with 2 fins in the front and back, whats the point of this. And how many people out there ride with no fins. How much slipperier (is that even a word?) is the ride...

And what sorta lengths do ya'll usually run the rope at?...For some reason i run what i would suppose is long (65ft). What main diffs, besides hitting a wake with clean water VS. wash, would a longer or shorter rope make?

Sorry for all the questions.....

L8r....

[Pat McCarthy]

Welcome to the forums, and the sport!

Yeah, at some point you probably will move beyond that board. A 3-stage rocker is not necessarily something you have to have. It's not really better or worse than a continuous rocker, it's just different.

A 3-stage rocker gives you a more abrupt pop when you hit the wake that tends to kick you high instead of out as much. Some people like this, some people don't. It also can land more abruptly due to the flat spot in the middle. A continuous rocker tends to have a smoother ride, and is usually also used on "faster" boards.

Basically with fins, the longer they are, the more stable the board is in the water. As people get better they usually start using shorter and shorter fins. Once you've learned board control it's nice to have shorter fins to have more freedom, you can correct your landings better, and rely on your edges instead of your fins, which is the best way to ride. Riding with no fins at all is usually more slippery than people like or need.

Rope length depends on the boat type, boat speed, and factors like that. You basically want to find a boat speed that your comfortable with, and then lengthen the rope out to match where the wake is the biggest and cleanest at that speed. A longer rope is preferred by pros and advanced riders because they ride at a faster boat speed, like more edging time to build their edge, and a longer rope lets you float a trick longer. 65 feet is pretty standard for beginner/intermediate riders on a direct drive or a v-drive boat.