Tell me about the Slingshots

I was really skeptical at first, but after seeing all the big name freeride pros that have changed over i was wondering what everyone thinks. i currently ride the watson but am in the market for a new board. i snowboard and love playing around and manueling. Does the board flex alot? does it pop consistent or buck off a little? any feedback will help

the search button will do a lot for you

i liked it a lot. I could definitely feel the flex when i buttered on it, but it wasnt overwhelming. I dont own one because it just wasnt my bread and butter but the pop was surprisingly consistant.

I looked at them yesterday and was amazed just how thin and light they are.

i saw they have the ABS sidewall on them but it looks almost too thin to stand up to a beating. Anyone had any probelms?

I personally have never used one for sliders (nor do i do sliders much for that matter) but it seems from the comments of other people that the boards stand up very very well. I remember a post somewhere towards the end half of 2007 where someone (i belive affiliated with slingshot but not sure) said only like one board had been reported "broken" and even then it was just a piece of the abs sidewall and it was due to a slider crash... sooo... sounds good to me. but i am just a second hand quote person take it for what its worth

as for my personall wake experience comments check the review guide... you wont find too many more in depth opinions than mine ;)
http://www.wakeworld.com/boardguide/getboard8.asp?ProductID=3885
and for the bindings
http://www.wakeworld.com/boots/getboot8.asp?ProductID=3889
F.Y.I. i recently tried the '08 boots in the store... BIG IMPROVEMENT!!! especially on the laces, foot-bed, and overall bulkiness

I ride the watson and I tried the 138 Recoil. I liked it a lot, when I break the Watson I will change over i think. its definitely a flat water board tho, in anything but glassy conditions I didn't feel very comfortable on it.

I recently purchased a new '07 Recoil 142 with '07 Slingshot Driver boots. I'm a beginner who's only been out 11 times, so my comments are probably not too helpful.

However, I met a couple of experienced riders yesterday. Despite the fact that the bindings were several sizes too big for them, they were both jumping wake to wake in very short order with my board. Both of the guys said that they liked the board but they did not like the bindings.

It was also my first ride on the Slingshot. The only other board I've used was an '06 CWB Marius 134. I had no trouble with the Recoil on smooth water although I did hit some fairly rough water a couple of times and I struggled a bit going through that.

However, I had not been out for more than 2 months, and if I had hit that water with the Marius 2 months ago, I would have had trouble then also.

I expected to feel the flex of the board, but I never noticed it. I did get the impression that I need to be somewhat more conscious of the board edges with the Recoil.

With respect to the bindings, I did not like them, either. I found them to be slow and tedious to put on, and very hard to remove in the water. They seemed easy to put on and take off at the boat show where I bought them, and in my living room at home. It seems that once they are wet, its a different story, however.

On the other hand, the boots seemed okay while I was riding. They are closed toe, which is nice in cold water.

My main purpose was to buy an American made board. I had been looking at the higher end CWBs and when I stumbled onto the Recoil, I was impressed both by its price and the novelty of it. All in all, I'm happy with it so far, and I expect to get along fine with it.

Slingshot boards are a little bit more slippery than most boards due to the fact that they are channel-less on the bottom. One of the reasons for this is that channels or any other bottom feature would make the board riged in areas that would disturb/ rob the board of its potential flex. I also read somewhere in Aliance that a featureless bottom is a way to get back to the roots of the sport, surfing, and that all the molded-in-fins and stuff add a feeling of traction at the expense of drag...
Because of the "slipperiness" it could be said that the board would be difficult in rough conditions. But the flex absolutely SAVES you knees... or so i believe. The first time i rode one was in rough conditions. Normally my knees would be aching afterwards in the conditions that I was in, but i felt hardly any such discomfort... that was impressing point to me.

Slingshot is a completely different ride, it takes time to get used to (up to 3 sets) The "slipperiness" takes time, the flex takes time, etc. BUT the journey to getting used to the board is still unbelievably fun too IMO.

Paul Ross mentioned having to be more conscious of the edges. I would agree with this statement. Some have used this idea (along with statements about pop) to belittle slingshot(not saying that paul is belittling it), saying that "unless you edge properly you will not get as much pop" or other similar statements... If you ask me, this sounds more like a good thing. Would it not be better to have a board that rewards you for good technique? Anyway, I felt that the board really taught me a lot about my edging and i think i improved my cutting. AND just for the record i thought the pop was still pretty amazing before and after my edging lessons taught to me by the recoil...

Rhett said they did great at Odub... And they seemed pretty sturdy...and bendy
Demo it.

i rode them and liked them a lot. i wish the local shop carried them so i could check them out more

is there any difference in the Recoil from 07 to 08 except for the fact the 08's will take any binding and the graphic change????

i have not heard of any, nor does it appear to be any

The only differences for 08 are the graphics and the addition of traditional binding inserts.

Btw, Rhett said next year they're adding another board in addition too the Recoil and Response. I forgot what kind though... I think he said its gonna be a change in the flex...

ooo that sounds exciting... but at the same time it makes me a little depressed... the kind of depressed that you get when new technology comes out shortly after you bought the last updated stuff.
I have only demoed the gear... demoed it a lot! I plan to get my gear probably in april... hopefully i won't have a desire to replace it when '09 rolls around ;)... especially on the "newly wed, newly father, just moving on from college to full-time job life- budget" that i'll have