Little help for an OLDMAN (40) with suggestions

So I was a huge surfer but just moved to the Southeast where there aren't many waves. Starting Wakeboarding and on my first day I am able to get across 3/4 of the Wake with 180's...I know not great but I am old. I want to get boots and board. Looking at 2007 Murrays or the 3DS..what do you say?

As far as boards...I am 5'10 194...looking at 138's? Is that too small? Thanks for your help. I missed the stoke of surfing..have to trip it now for big waves, wakeboarding might be the answer!

i say go bigger than 138 for softer landings and if its between murrays and 3ds then 3ds hands down. No boa to break. I love mine. As im sure many will say "demo demo demo". lots of good set ups out there. you just have to figure out what taylors to your likeing

in the southeast you should be able to find a shop that will demo. i wouldnt limit yourself to just hype. there's a ton of good boards and binders out there. it may take you a little while to find what's really comfortable but it's out there.

ask lots of questions to the guys at the pro shop and read up on WW reviews, there's lots of good info out there.

I've been wakeboarding for about a year and you're already ahead of me! I'm 5'11 & 190 and I ride a Slingshot Recoil 142 with Slingshot Driver bindings. It's easy on the knees. I wouldn't recommend a smaller board although lots of guys do ride smaller boards and like them just fine.

You're not old! One thing I recommend however is to take stretching out seriously prior to riding. Falls tend to be fairly harsh and will leave you sore as hell (catching edges etc,). I fell in love the sport about 4 years ago and enjoy riding with the likes of my son and other younger folks. They enjoy us older guys riding besides we are typically the only ones who can afford these better boats.

Enjoy!

Where do you live in the Southeast Jay? We could better tell you what shops etc. to go to if we knew some more info.

You are going to get so many opinions, probably equal to the # of responses, so I'll start.

I love my CWB Transcend with CWB Zeus binding. Heel lockdown for great performance, yet easy in/out.

48 and still doing inverts

Jay, I lived in California and surfed a lot. I moved to Colorado and started wakeboarding. Welcome to the sport, you will love it as much as surfing if not more! I am 37 and doing inverts and trying spins now. I take a lot of hard falls still so stretching is the key to preventing injury. Demo is the key to finding the right board. Some shops will take the money you spent demoing a board and apply it to a new one when you are ready to buy.

def. go for a 142 or 144.....the bigger the board the softer the landings......wait and see whats out for 2009.......spend money and get the best gear you can buy...you won't regret it. You will get the the support and soft landings you need for an old dude!

Plus you will get a board that can do everything.....I recommend buying a board with flex.....slingshot or some others such as the Lf Lyman.....compare the flex in the store. cwb boards dont flex as much.

I'm the same size as you plus 3 years older.

I agree with those telling you to go bigger. Last year I rode the Frontier 142, this year riding the Ibex 144 (would have used 142 if Ronix made one) and it feels good, poses no problems for me on spins.

I learned on a 135 a few years ago, and rode one again a month ago and it just felt too small.

Remember though, all boards ride differently even if they are the same length, so demo is the way to go.

Coming from surfing, a 140+ board should not be a problem for you.

Well think of it this way, Murray is 5'6" and 150lbs maybe less and rides a 140.

yeah, i'm about 5'3" -5'4" ...ish. and i ride a '08 marius 140. i tore my MCL, ACL, PCL, meniscus, and patella tendon so i ride a bigger board with a narrow stance for softer landings. plus the marius is a lot wider too.

Thanks for everyone's input. This is a great forum. I went this morning and rode a 135-friends board. Felt like I was riding a really loose FISH in big surf.

I will update everyone, planned on getting some stuff this week and will wait for 09' stuff to come out to possibly upgrade.

SHRED THE RAD

I'm 42, 5'10 190 ans ride an Obrien Natural 139 with Xenons and and still doing inverts, 3's and am working my courage up for a Scarecrow this summer. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the natural.. huge pop, great tracking and the Xenons make for a super soft landing. I do feel like an old fart when I ride with a few of the 20 somethings i ride with- but I don't care and my boat's paid for- HA!

I'm 48 5'10" 165 lbs and ride 140 Liquid Force Witness. I am a novice rider - 180's and wake jumps and I really enjoy my Witness. It is a very smooth fun board to ride.

I have two sons ages 12 and 14 who ride 132 and 136 Witnesses.

My opinion is that the right size is highly personal and you should try a lot of different boards.

where in the south east jay????

I am 55, I am 5'7" 155 lbs. I ride a 138 Ronix but looking to go a bit longer. Go find a school or someone to give you lessons... hard to break a bad habit if you learn wrong. Go Big and have fun. Aloha Joe.

I am 52 5'10" 200# and ride CWB Absolute 141 and love it. Good Pop and soft landings. Where in SE. We are in Kingsport, TN. Been riding for 9 years.

i really like the LF shane for the soft landings and great pop an tracking, the convex(?) spine on the bottom i think makes all the difference in the landings that are out in the flats,i would think a 142 for ur height and weight, me -- 44, 5'8 175, 138 07 shane,06 byerly's. basic inverts, raley's a few spins an a hammer or two ! wk brd rider since 90'

I am well into my 40s and I think that the major distinction in boards today is whether to go with a flex board (Slingshot) or a traditional board. I just converted to a flex board after riding traditional boards for over 5 years and the softer landings are pretty noticable even when landing in the flats, particularly when landing on the tail.

The differences between the traditional boards are more subtle once you start riding the higher end boards.

I'm 43 5' 10" - 205lbs and ride the 2008 Murray pro model (140).

Awesome board.