wakeskating?

Hey all, I've been wakeboarding about 4 years now and still haven't stepped foot on a wakeskate. I've been skateboarding for almost 8 years (been sponsored, did competitions,etc.) so I imagine I could pick up wakeskating fairly quickly. As of right now, I know nothing about wakeskating. What should I look for in a board? Does it really matter if I go cheap and get a 'beginner' board, or should I spend the extra cash on a spendier pro model or something? What does that duel deck thing do? What size? I'm 6' 175 lbs. Thanks for any help

get a size 40 to 42 depending on what you like. Best thing i can say is demo or try other ppls skates. Some ppl love bi-level skates and some hate it. Everyone has their preference. Also some skates are better for behind the boat as opposed to winching.

One board that comes to mind that everyone seems to love and is rider friendly is the 08 liquid force control. Comes with foam top when your first learning but once you get the hang of it you can regrip it. I think wakemitch rides that board. I also really like my hyperlite vinyl but that board tends to be a love/hate thing for ppl. If you want to fork out some money and get a really really good composite board check out integrity wakeskates cause then youll be supporting a rider owned company thats done soo much for the wakeskating community.

(Message edited by goride on April 22, 2008)

(Message edited by goride on April 22, 2008)

why would you want foam when you're first learning as compared to just regular grip?

there is no beginner or advanced board in wakeskating. wakeskating is all preference. a "beginner" board is a wood flat deck with foam typicaly. they are 100 bucks so they are cheap and have foam which which recreational people favor because they are afraid of scraps and for some reason dont want to use shoes.

if you are thinking about getting a flat deck imagine riding a skateboard with no concave. it will still ride fine, but you dont nearly have the feel and control.

bilevels are just a preference. I currently ride the SST and i love it. i tried a lot of other bilevels before and this is the only ive liked. its hard to describe the difference, but when you ride one youll know. with all wood bilevels you can also get a more skateboard like concave because the top deck can be pressed like a skateboard.

just get anything and shred. youll figure it out as you go. have fun

Foam VS Grip is a personal preference, I like Grip, feels more like skateboarding. However, after a day on the water learning/working on new tricks I am busted up right good, Usually no skin on my ankles by the end of the day. Wet skin and griptape do not mix well.

I would say just start trying out your friends skates and you will figure out real quickly what you like.

Bi-levels have a flex, and it gives them a certain energy which allows the board to stay with your feet. from my experience, the best way to describe the ollie is how it feels on a skateboard. before I was really able to start rocking a bi-level on a regulard basis, I was riding a cassette flat deck. I cannot complain about it because I could not take any short cuts, but the one thing was that it would not always stay with my back foot. At times I felt like i had to be careful becuase I did not want to do the splits.

With a bi-level (I ride the cassettes), I never have to worry about that, or I don't feel like I have to worry about it. the first time i rode a bi-level, i could immmediately tell the difference. And like mitch touched on, I loved the shape of the top deck.

Bi-levels are traditionally heavier, and while I don't notice this weight on ollies and such, my shuvs definitely rotate slower, but feel amazing. and in the end, it is definitely a preference thing. If you're really into wakeskating and progressing, the one thing I always say is there's no replacing the feeling and confidence you get once you find that board that you feel like you can really trust. If you have that confidence, you're not going to feel like you have to hold back...you will learn once you ride more.

As for other boards, it really is best to just go out and try what you can. Boards feel different--wood is super dense and the rails are generally rounded so it's going to sit deeper in the water...a lot of riders prefer the feeling of a wood deck. I agree with this--to me, there's just nothing like it. Otherwise, there are compression molded foam boards like hypes or the legacy from hyperlite, which will also last longer than most wood boards.

anyway, your best bet is to just experiment--hopefully you will have access to a few different boards so you can start to see what you might like. as a beginner, you may not have a huge grasp on this, but the more you ride, the more you will figure out.