Grip or Foam

Im about to get this board, http://www.the-house.com/wkcf41zzcassette.html
should i get foam or grip-tape

i'd go with foam... u don't cut up your legs when you fall on the board but i still has good grip... grip tape has better grip but hurts a lot! i'd buy the new hyperlite scape... it's only $99 and has great grip even tho it's foam... i hav the scape 112... haven't tried it but heard a lot about it... i'm gunna be tryin' it out this weekend... my first time wakeskatin... i'll tell ya what i think... i dunno if maybe u'd want a more advanced board but scape is really good for beginners to intermidiates and great price! buy it from wakeside.com for the best deal IMO!

~ashley

-foam sucks, its feel like you dont have control

-scape sucks, i have it and changed the foam to griptape and took of the fins. its better now but its still pretty crappy board, way too long and heavy.

-the cassette is better than the scape. look at kampus too, they are short and super fun.

By the way, this girl hasnt ever even wakeskated so take her posts for what theyre worth....

taylor, I'd personally go with the grip. I just like the feeling of that over foam. Interestingly enough, a few riders have made the switch from foam to grip (like scott byerly). anyway, that's just an example.

I suppose one thing to consider is that if you buy the foam deck and decide you don't like it, you can remove it and buy some grip tape from your local skate shop. I know other people have gone on to remove the foam from their wakeskates and people have advised them to either use a hair dryer to help melt the glue, or to just leave it out in the sun for a bit.

I still like the foam, even with riding with my new shoes. I feel like my feet sink into it more, giving me more control.

Will other people be using your wakeskate that don't have skate shoes? If so, then you'd have to go with foam...unless you're talking about Aborigines that have developed mad callouses on their feet of course...

Myers-right on with the grip incase anybody hasnt wakeskated in a while or only been on foam or just have no clue watch the pros they all use grip and personally i think grip is better if you have ever skated its grip and thats how you land I dont know what the thing is with people and foam except for "it doesnt hurt" which is sissy talk suck it up and get some grip. P.S. don't wake skate with out shoes not smart

(Message edited by skate_tha_wake on May 22, 2005)

GRIP

hey dude....definatly go with the foam...yes grip has better control, but you wont be controlling it very well after you fall and get scraped up. plus foam you can go barefoot which is fun sometimes(it just feels different)...oh and if you want good shoes for foam i would reccomend the puma meile shoes...they're brand new and got "soft spikes" on the bottom for unbelieveable excellent grip...oh, and go with hyperlite...the catalyst is awesome!

Ive been wakeskating since the beginning and grip tape is the way to go if you have been wakeboarding for a while and feel fairly confident, but if you are just starting out you might want to go with foam because of your inability to kick the board away from you. When I started out we cut a wakeboard down and used grip and shoes. I used to get scraped up a lot. After a while you learn to kick the board away and dive after you fall(i hate life jackets while wakeskating for this reason).I liked the foam a lot but never felt like i had the same control. Untimately I am confident you will go to grip tape in the end. Ever watch any wakeskate videos? They all use grip for a reason. Any of you who use foam with no shoes please tell me how it is doing kickflips or popshovits, let alone clear the wake? It would seem very hard. For ultimate coltrol go with grip tape. Buy an inland surf board if you want to go with foam.

If this is your first board. I would go with foam. Until you do the kick flips and pop shov its foam would work best. Not all pros use grip so foam obviously has good control.

i have had a scape for over a year now and i just recently made the switch to grip. im so glad i did. foam is to sticky. it made it hard to move my feet. with grip i can shift my feet when im landing from a trick easier so i regain balance so i dont fall. i havent gotten grip burn yet and i hope it stays that way, haha. doubt it


if anyone really wants to progress in wakeskating you need to wear shoes and get grip. but hey, thats my opinion

I've never ridden grip, but I have foam and have never had any trouble whatsoever. I'd like to try grip so I could compare the two, but i'm happy with foam.