Board and rope advice
 

Getting back into riding, my 99 san has been down but will be back up in a week..... looking for a new board and line.... looking at the lf trip and hyperlite franchise not sure which boat to use... im 135lbs 5'8" inbetween beginner and intermediate riding skill.... any advice or suggestions... thx

You should look into trying RONIX as well. Look into the LF Super Trip, demo if you can.

Which Ronix? Does it matter which rocker I ride? how much lighter are the new boards compared to the older boards?

You cant go wrong with the Trip - I rode one for over 10 years. very different from the franchise(which is what I ride now). The trip is a very fast deck & holds edge incredibly well(very sticky).
The franchise is not as fast & a very loose feeling deck(squirly).
You can "cheat" with the trip because its so quick and grabs edge right away that you don't have to have great form to clear wakes especially toe-side.
The LF Witness is also a very stable and great deck - something in between the trip & franchise.

+1 for the Trip and Witness. Witness is still my favorite board.

Accurate Jacket Series rope, best you can buy. I've had mine for 12 years now, no fraying, it floats, it's strong, it doesn't stretch... Guys with ropes with the PVC coating... that coating gets hard and cracks in sunlight... Not a fan anyway

The super trip seems like an awesome crossover board. It has some nice flex to it like the slingshots but still has some bottom features.

Besides length what is the difference in the a line and the x line. ... how long are accurate handles?

Length is the only dif between the a & x

The witness is discontinued ad i cant find a 134 anywhere so what is the new witness? The a line says 80ft 3 5ft sections. I would think i could ride at 65ft but then the handle adds 5ft so the shortest line would be 70ft?

If you want to ride at 65 you should get the xline

I don't really know what length to ride right i haven't had the boat in the water

70 is a good starting point.

Ok cool thx

Where can I find a witness?

The witness was discontinued after 2013 and now they only supply the witness grind. Depending on how sticky you want the board to be you could go the grind version, it has a tougher base and no centre fin. My wife got a Jett (ladies witness) on a closeout sale but it was damaged in transit. The shop did not have another in stock at her size so she took a jett grind. she is only a beginner but really likes the board. The Fusion is similar to the witness but a little more high performance. You may be able to find a witness on ebay though

Can boards hold u back from progressing? If so wouldnt it be a good idea to buyva peo board to start with?

Can boards hold u back from progressing? If so, wouldnt it be a good idea to buy a pro model board to start with?

find a board you can grow into instead of out of. Derek Cook rides the witness and he kills it.

"pro" boards is mostly marketing. If you watch edits many pros are riding boards that arent considered pro models

Yes a board could hold you back from progressing, which is why you probably shouldn't start on a pro model.

Try before you buy... Consistency is key for beginners. Can you jump toeside and heelside regular and switch?

Uh no ;) but I've been wakeboarding on and off for 10yrs... I can ride great but no toe side w2w its been about 5 yrs since I have been on a board but I'll get right up no problem... what about a abrupt cont or a hybrid?
Nowhere around here to try before I buy

Get a witness

Witness it is...Any advice on bindings?

I recently went from a Liquid Force Omega, beginner board, to a Ronix One Modello. I am still a beginner myself but actually find the One easier to ride than the omega. It locks on edge better but still has a rolled edge through the middle to make it more forgiving. Still not as forgiving as the Omega though.

Does anyone know thre difference in the trip and witness? The rocker sizes are basically the same. One says abrupt continuous the other says hybrid 3 stage sounds the same to me but I could be totally wrong

Yeah - I rode both. Get the witness.
The witness is a bit slower - but has more pop & is much easier to ride & more predictable.
The trip is a rocket on the water - but has less pop.

bindings - just make sure to get Closed toe bindings. Don't get the old school ones where your toes are exposed.
Ronix ones & cells are super comfy. Im sure all the other brands are too, just don't have any experience with them.

Closed toe are just so expensive compared to open toe

watch dealdaywake.com . they had closed toe LF Vantage bindings for $199 yesterday

you can buy used in the wakeworld classifieds too, theres some good deals in there right now

I have the cells and LOVE THEM. Nothing worse than a bad pair of bindings. As for a rope go to your local shop and just see what feels good in your hands. I love my cheapy aerial rope/handle that I got for like 35 bucks but others hate it. All about what feels good in your hand.

LF Trip is a really good board (I'm in the same boat as a beginner/intermediate) had one for several years until I damaged a fin and got tired of bandaiding it with some store bought epoxy.

Then I bought an LF Lyman before he was cut from the team which was even better (for me anyway) Ronix is a good type, I think the Schnook is a good mid level rider board if I'm not mistaken.as far as Hyperlite I'd say a Tribute (if they're still in production, not sure if they are or not) is a decent one. Franchise seems like a bit much (but that's just me) in handling, speed, and rocker.

Watson's are a good closed toe option had SEVERAL of those over the last few tears. good feel on the board and easy transition from heel to toe when riding.

The cwb twelkers are a great boot as well. I have special pricing on 2013s ($220) if interested.

Have any of you guys tried the ronix preston bindings?