I have heard people asking for an average Joe's opinion of Slingshot wakeboards. Well, I am an average Joe and owner of a Slingshot. First I will talk about the bindings, they are the most comfortable bindings I have ever worn. Before molding them they are pretty nice, but after I heat molded them they were amazing. Surprisingly after breaking them in (which takes only a few rides) they are quite flexible. The four hole pattern also allows for great responsiveness and no binding heel or toe lift. But the best part is the board. I now own the Recoil 142 (the three-stage board), and it is amazing. The board teaches you to ride with better technique because it rewards you for riding properly. When you use good edging technique and edge all the way through the wake, it gives you the biggest pop you have ever experienced. During my first ride I was able to get a handful of jumps where I did everything right. I was doing better on it toeside than heelside, and when I did everything right I was getting more pop toeside than I have ever gotten toeside or heelside. The landings are great as well, if you are going to land in the trough or in the flats all you have to do is land slightly tail first and the flex of the board absorbs the impact and not your knees. Before I tried jumping it I was just riding around doing butters and manuals and it was way more fun than riding the roam, you have much more control of the flex on manuals and everything else than on a roam. Slingshot is an amazing company with great products, I highly recommend that everyone try these boards because they are so great and so much more fun than anything else on the market, and they are the first truly innovative products in the wake market in recent years. In my opinion the potential for progression when riding these boards is endless, and it will take a little bit to get used to the board but when you do it is so worth the wait. These boards can and will revolutionize the industry.

With testimonials like this, who needs to buy advertising?

If only I knew where to demo one? <BR>Seattle wa?

mike we are a dealer in portland, OR we have them at our lake (koppert lake) in toledo, WA to demo or you can buy one from <a href="http://www.activewake.com" target="_blank">www.activewake.com</a> and if you don't like it return it for something else <IMG SRC="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":-)" BORDER=0>

Entrust, you've ridden the slingshot and liked it as well, yeah? Sorry I missed you on Friday, looked like fun, I'm gonna get out there soon.

With everybody who has ridden it saying only positive things they really won't need advertising! I have also heard from several reliable sources in the industry that several other companies are trying to replicate the boards (Liquid Force, Byerly, and possibly Ronix). I am telling everyone, before you buy your next new board, give these a try. I understand that there are not a ton of shops that have them yet but I know for a fact that they are getting more and more shops to carry their products everyday.

Actually, Liquid Force had two boards at Expo last year that were similar to the slingshot boards. I haven't seen them in production yet and I suspect that they may have come over from their kiteboarding line, but LF has been working with these types of boards for a while now. Oddly enough, one of their models is also called Recoil... <BR> <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65919/442880.jpg" alt="Upload">

David, you are correct, LF kiteboarding board. Slingshot is also a primarily a kiteboarding company. Kiteboards have used this type of flex for some time.

I asked for the average Joe opinion on it and thanks. <BR> <BR>I will ask my local shop to see if they have them or intend to have them. <BR> <BR>I talked some junk on them, and still wish they would show us the goods on their website, but I am most definitely interested.

I wouldn't think those LF boards would work as well just because of the binding plate... that's why slingshot came up with the 4 bolts pattern in the first place... those would have large stiff spots under the bindings which would ruin the fluidity of the board IMO... I can see that inserts have bee shifted from the center of the board on the right one... probably so that they can minimise that effect... but it won't ride like a Slingshot... they definatly own the market of flex boards right now... I would love my weak knees to ride one... there must be a way to customise my Shanes to fit on a 4 bolt pattern Recoil... never tried slingshot's boots though... ahhhhh... if money weren't a problem...

The only problem with the Slingshot is that you have to buy bindings and the board. With the LF you could just buy the board...

there's no point of buying just the board if it doesn't work as good IMO...

"The board teaches you to ride with better technique because it rewards you for riding properly. When you use good edging technique and edge all the way through the wake, it gives you the biggest pop you have ever experienced." <BR> <BR>So what would happen if all of this "technique" was applied to a standard, stiff wakeboard. Would you go even bigger?

J-Rod, trust me it works. I love my Platy as well but this board has the right amount of flex so it really does pop you up with its recoil. No noodling like a roam, this flex enhances your pop.

CIE---Yes.

No you would not go bigger on a stiff board, the flex on these boards loads on the way up the wake and releases like a spring board at the top of the wake. My roommate, who has perfect edging technique, rode the slingshot, he changed nothing about his edge or approach and he gets more pop on the recoil than he has ever gotten before. He too was sold on it and purchased one.

The technology behind the Slingshot will revolutionize the wake industry just as the "bell shape" took over the market of skis. <BR> <BR>There is no gimick about it, the board just straight up works.

Is everybody paying $400 for the board and $400 for the bindings or is there a cheaper place to get them? Their not selling them on Ebay yet. LOL

personally i think besides the recoil, the graphics and boots are kinda ugly. Also shape looks like the old double up boards... hmm.

What kind of core do these boards have? <BR> <BR>Will these boards last longer because they are made to flex, unlike stiff boards that become brittle after a few years of raleys and frontflips.

I don't know about you Jimmy, but I don't buy a board based on looks, and the boards are nothing like double ups or any other board out there.

We have had the boards in demo for a few weeks now and the response has ben all positive. We are in the Los Angeles area you want to give it a try @ Sports LTD. By the way they are a foam and wood stringer combo. For most of the people that have tried them, they said they felt a difference by their second set once they figured out the flex. We will have them for demo @ our May 19th wakeboard/wakeskate tournament @ Paradise Lakes.

So what is the real difference between this and the Roam? Can someone who has ridden both please comment. <BR>The first pull I got on my Roam was like the first day I got up on a Skurfer, it was that much of a elation for me. I love the Roam flex, I love the ability to do all the same tricks as I can on it or any of my other boards, plus the ability to mess around and pull 3x360's in a row to hotshot in front of others. <BR>Is the Slingshot like that, cause that is how I am reading this.

KG, <BR>I have ridden both and it is a different kind of flex, the roam is a very soft flex that I would compare to a wet noodle. While the slingshot flex really snaps back kind of like...well, a slingshot. To me it is a much more controllable flex, that can be used not only for butters and surface tricks, but also a great wake to wake board that will give you more pop than you have ever had.

You can demo Slingshot Wakeboards at Nortex Watersports. We are located in Dallas, Texas

The Roam is a great wake to wake board as well. Not limited to just sliding around and doing manuals.......

"I have ridden both and it is a different kind of flex, the roam is a very soft flex that I would compare to a wet noodle." <BR> <BR>I have seen this reference more than once used, and still have no effing clue what it means? Wet noodles, pasta, flex, boards, what?

I may be mistaken but what makes butter slides and manuals so easy on a roam is the fact that it has no fins, not because it flexes. I would think this would be a bit different on a slingshot, unless you take the fins off.

Chris: <BR> <BR>imagine that you have two springs (like the springs on a trampoline). One is stiff and difficult to stretch and the other is soft very easy to stretch. When you load up the stiff spring and release it, it will snap back into it's original position much quicker and with much more energy than the softer spring. This is the difference between a Slingshot board and a roam. <BR>Now imagine what these springs would do for you on a trampoline. The soft springs are very easy to stretch when you land on the tramp but they will not spring you back up into the air because they do not return to their original shape with much force. The stiff spring may not stretch as much but it will launch you higher into the air. The Slingshot wakeboards are like a stiff spring on a trampoline and the roam is like the softer spring. <BR> <BR>I hope that makes sense. <BR> <BR> <BR>Jeremey: <BR> <BR>Butter slides and manuals are two very different things. <BR> <BR>The flex is what allows the boards to manual, both the roam and the slingshots. Think about how hard it would be to manual a stiff board on land, you can't do it. But you can do it with a board that flexes, it's the same on the water. <BR> <BR>Butter slides, which is like doing a board slide on the wake, are easy on the roam because it doesn't have any bottom features or fins. You would have to take the fins off of the slingshot boards to be able to butter slide easily.

Thank you JM that is a great explanation that is easier to understand than mine. Butter slides are easy on slingshots because the bottom is smooth like the roam but it has four screw on fins. So the boards are still pretty loose and really easy to break free and slide around.

and how do they handles sliders when in competition? are they gonna bow like a banana? <BR> <BR>i understand that the concept seems great and as far as marketing to all the boners that cant use proper technique on a regular board and the advertisement of more "POP" it will surely be a gold mine.

^ I'm sure some people thought Hendrix sucked when he first came out, because he was different, and some people are closed minded know-it-alls who initially reject new ideas simply because they're rigid like that. No pun intended.

Apparently Mr. Wakeboard Las Vegas you don't understand the concept of the slingshot, or how to use a period. After taking a closer look, it's apparent that you don't understand grammar in general. Before you talk trash, you should realize that very accomplished riders are pumping these boards for a reason: they actually work. I've personally ridden the board and though I'm not the greatest rider, I immediately felt a significant difference. Try gathering some information before you make your condescending comments. My guess is the only boner here is you.

Wow, harsh words, very harsh. The boards are great for hitting rails. You can do solid presses every which way as the board has plenty of flex. You can imediately exit the rail, and hit the wake getting more pop than ever before. <BR> <BR>There is no gimicks about it!

mr.garduno. <BR> <BR> it was more in . reference to a . post that i saw about. the shane. saying that it.,/ gave you 3-4' more.'': pop and everyone wanted to,.;'? go out and get one.,=-_ <BR> <BR>and the slider./';][\=- ? was legit and /=-]\';l for real

I think that last post is going to give me a seizure. 3 minutes of review &amp; I still have no idea what is being said. Bravo! How about this Mr. Vegas, try it before you talk crap. Unfounded smack talk makes you look ignorant. Your legit question has been answered 3 times above, no it will not bow &amp; yes it will hold up on rails.