Need Advice on New Board

I am currently on a Hyperlite Broadcast and would like a different board. I feel that although the Hyperlite is a good starter I need to upgrade to something that is quicker in the pocket and is a little looser allowing more freedom to try tricks. What would you guys recommend? I have a older boat (1989 Malibu Sunsetter and weigh 160 lbs. I usually run about 1600lbs of ballast. Thanks for the help.

Rob,

I was/am in the same situation you are in. I researched some and went with an INland Surfer Blue Lake. Faster board, and still seems to be a good progression board. Mine arrives this week, cant wait!

dg

Thanks Dave. I was looking into one of the Inland Surfers however I am not familiar with the differences between the models.

I have the same Broadcast 5.6. I really like the IS line up, I think all will be faster down the line than the Broadcast. If Rob is looking for a loose board you might try some of the skim boards (Including the IS 4 Skim).

I've only ridden a few skim boards, and only for a few rides so I don't feel like I'm a good skim oracle. I'm sure Jeff will chime in.

Thanks Ed - I just did some research on the Inland Surfer site and my only concern is the IS 4 Skim might not be suited for my wake. If I had a new wakeboard boat I would consider the 4 Skim but I think the Blue Lake or Yellow Loogey might be more suited to my wake size. I would like to hear what Jeff thinks.

A 1 inch Walzer will have lots more float then you're used to yet be more aggressive at the same time. (IMO-it fuses the best elements of skim and surf minus the shuv-its)

You can't go wrong with a Blue of a Yellow, but I thought that you were looking for something that will spin easier. You can spin the Blue and Yellow, but it will be harder to spin than a Slim board. I rode a Zap board last summer, it was pretty fast.

I don't know that a board with an outline similar to a Walzer or Zap spins any easier than one with an outline similar to say a Shred Stixx. The initiation of the surface spin of a Zap/Phase 5/etc probably requires less effort, but the re-entry after the spin is problematic, the board tends to want to over-rotate. The deeper fin of say a Shred Stixx or Inland Blue, makes the initiation of the spin harder, but the exit of the spin is much easier, as the fins bite.

Personally, when comparing boards of the same length, I find boards with the fin placement at the extreme tail of the board aren't as "loose" in feel as say the Walzer or the Inland Yellow. To me, the Walzer is easier to do a lip slide or floater with than a Phase 5.

Down-the-line speed, IMO, is a function of surface area and fins. Bigger, deeper fins create more drive and speed, but also make initiating surface tricks harder.

I guess that I am confused as to what Rob wants in a board. Specifically he is looking for:

"quicker in the pocket and is a little looser"

Quicker meaning faster down-the-line or rail to rail or accelerating?

To clarify a little further, I guess I would want something that is faster down the line as my wake is not overly large and if I get a little behind the pocket I would want a board that could quickly get me back into the sweet spot and is capable of some tricks. I think the Broadcast may not allow for too many tricks just basic surfing ??

Jeff, I find that my Trick Boardz, Mojo XL, and the Mojo Grange (more the right size for me) are very easy to initiate a spin. I've tried just a few times on the Yellow, but it was much more work.

I haven't tried to spin other skim boards, but I was assuming that they mostly have smaller fins and are therefore easier to spin.

If I were having trouble keeping up with the boat I'd get and IS Blue, but if I was already going too fast I'd as you suggest speed up the boat and maybe go for a skim board.

Rob- Have you tried putting a set of 1.1 A-Wings on that Broadcast? Dump the center fin and replace the outers with the A-wings. It will feel like a whole new board. That's not to say that it will make it the best board ever, but it will make it a helluva lot looser and a lot more fun. You will outgrow that set up as well, but until then, it will be worth it. I'm on my third attempt to "get rid" of my 5'6" Landlock. Both previous attempts failed with boards that just didn't work out as well as I had hoped, leaving me "Landlocked". It's still the fastest board in my rack. Hopefully this third time will be the charm.

Ed, I think that initiating a spin is easier with smaller or even no fins - remove ALL your fins and you'll see how easy it is to spin. The trouble in the no fins situation is STOPPING the rotation. On the Trick Boardz surf skate, they recommend standing up to stop the rotation - timing that appropriately isn't easy.

Smaller or no fins are easier to initiate the spin, but stopping the spin at 360 isn't as easy as with 3.5" fins. IMO, the surface 360 isn't particularly easier on boards with smaller or no fins than on a board with deeper fins. The difficulty just changes from the start of the 3, to the end of the 3.

Nick makes a good point - messing with the existing configuration can have a profound effect on the way the board rides. Probably a better first step for most folks.

Right easier to initiate with smaller fins.

Last year I removed the fins on my Mojo XL, rode like a stick of butter, more difficult to ride than Skim This!. Larry at Trick Boardz set me up with a set of smaller fins for the Mojo. The smaller fins made a fairly loose Mojo very loose, but manageable. When I rode a friends Mojo Grande a did about a 540 on the first spin attempt.

I've yet to stay in the pocket on a spin, that's high on the list for next year.

We did the whole range of fin swapping on the Broadcast, talked about that before. We removed the center, ran with just the center, put an outer small fin in the center spot, and even ran with unbalanced fins. If Rob learns to manage the Broadcast altering the fin setup loosens the board up for a fairly different feel.