Looking to get into wakeboarding...

Alright, my grandpa just got a boat. We already have a kneeboard, which is cool, but I want to give wakeboarding a try. I've been reading up on a bunch of wakeboarding stuff, trying to figure out what's a good board and all, but I still need a bit more help. Here's my situation:

1. I'm not sure what kind of boat it is, but it's fast. It's not a wakeboarding boat though.
2. I'm 180lbs, my brother is about 120lbs.
3. I've only gotten up on a wakeboard once, but that was years ago.
4. I can kneeboard and waterski. I don't do tricks yet, but I'm getting better at jumping the wake and can do surface 180s on the kneeboard (not much, I know, but I've only been out once so far this summer).

So, that's all my equipment and experience information and all. I used the board wizard here, and one of the boards it suggested was the 2006 CWB SOL. There is a 135cm version and a 141cm version. I was able to find the board online with Mobe bindings (I suppose those will do fine?) for about $290. That's pretty expensive for me, but it looks like a nice board.

Is that really a good board to start with? Is there maybe a cheaper alternative that would work well? Also, both my brother and I need to be able to use it. What's a good size that will fit us both?
As for binding sizes, I wear shoe sizes between 11 and 12, and I think he is in a 10, so they are pretty much the same. Which, yea, I suppose we will need bindings as well.

Thanks for any help yall can give me! If you need any more info to help me make a good board decision, please let me know!

I'd go with a 140cm (for the both of you), and you should be able to share the same bindings.

For a board, and bindings, try looking in the Classified Ads - For Sale. You should be able to find a lot of boards, and bindings for sale, at decent prices.

-Blake

Exactly how much of a difference does the length make? And what other features should we be looking for? Fins? No fins? Weird curves and whatnot?

Also, if you could recommend any specific boards, I'd really appreciate it. It seems that theres more to a bunch of the boards than just the size, but I'm still not sure how that makes them easier/harder to ride, so if you could make a couple specific recommendations it would help a lot.

Also, I really dont want to spend more than $300 for the board+bindings, so if at all possible, try to keep your suggestions under that.

Thanks again!

(Message edited by ar1stotle on June 24, 2006)

I started out with a CWB Nirvana and MOBE bindings, I believe that is pretty close to the SOL and 290 for board and bindings, even if they're for "beginners" is a pretty good deal as you can pay 400 - 500 for a board and 400 - 500 for bindings if you wanna get top of the line stuff. Wakeboarding isn't cheap unfortunately.

oh, and to address your length question, if you ask me length doesn't matter that much, or.. if it does I like shorter stuff because i ride a 125 cm Fish and I ride a 63" ski, which is about 5 inches shorter than what I "should" be riding, according to guides. If I were you I would be looking for a board with some fins that are at least fairly deep, a two fin set-up should be alright for you, (they are upgradeable) and look for probably a continuous rocker.

Tyler,
It's not too late to find 05 boards cheap. I just bought an 05 gator cadi for 99 bucks w/o bindings. And there also deals on bindings out there. The cwb sol is a sweet starter. If you don't Know what you want you should demo a board. Most pro shops have demo boards.

Hmmm... where can I get one of these demo boards? I think the only places around here that have wakeboards (that I know of) are places like Academy and Sports Authority.

Also, where do you get these good deals? Ebay? Classifieds? Or just local stores?

try looking in the "closeout" section of places like www.buywake.com and www.wakeside.com also the classifieds or the "for sale" section on this may be good places to search, but don't expect to find exactly what you want. however, Last year I wanted some 04 parks bindings and i found a good deal on the "for sale" forum on here after looking for about 2 to 3 weeks

Tyler the CWB Sol is a great beginner setup. The 135cm is up to 180lbs and the 141 is 160lbs and up. The 135 should be ok for both of you, but you are right on the edge at 180. I dont think Acadamy or Sport Authority have demo programs. what state and city do you live in?

I live in Covington, Louisiana. I'm 16 so if the 135cm is only up to 180lbs then it's probably not a good choice. But is 141 too big for my brother? Or will he still be able to ride it? I mean, I'm doing the research, not him, so I'm gonna lean towards stuff that's in my favor and he probably won't know the difference unless he simply cant get up for some reason on a bigger board.

And yea, the buywake closeout section looks like some nice deals. I'll look into it a little more later today. Got some stuff to do now ;)

Thanks for all the replies so far!

Tyler a 141 is not to big for your brother its better to learn on a board thats a little to big then one that is to small IMO.
Good luck to you.

Alright, so the SOL 141 is looking pretty good, although it is fairly expensive. I found one for $340 that comes with Mobe bindings, a rope, and an instructional video. Is that a good price/package? Right now, we just have a makeshift rope. However, I could just get that board with the bindings for $280... so would it be cheaper to get the rope separately or is the package still a better deal? Here's the link to the package.
http://www.boatersoutlet.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2689

Now, on the buywake closeout page, I see a 2005 Flame 141 with Torq bindings for $290, and a 2005 Pure 140 with Torq bindings for $290, and I can add a rope combo to either of those for $50 (which they say is made of 100% spectra but I don't know what that means yet).

What exactly makes the Torq bindings better than the Mobe bindings? Anything a first timer would notice? And which of those boards do you think is probably the best deal/bang for the buck? Would the Flame or the Pure be easier/harder for me to start riding on?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm a computer guy and I'm used to knowing everything about everything in order to make the best decision and spend my money wisely, but I really appreciate the help!

Thats a great beginner setup I would go with that. The 05 flame and pure are more advanced and IMO it will be easyer to learn on the SOL. If you get L/xl bindings they fill fit from a 9 to a 12.
Best of luck to you with your new setup.

Alright... my brother just sorta gave me the signal that he's not really interested. This makes money a bit more of a problem. Good thing I just got a job hehe. So, would you all suggest that I get that package deal with the Sol 141? I didn't see anything like that under the classified sales.

hmm, just my thoughts, again I started on a CWB Nirvana, and thought it was great to learn how to get up on and control the board and all the basics, however, after about.. 2 months, i was wanting more, and after that i moved up to a pretty advanced board in a Liquid Force Fish. So, something to think about is how quickly you plan on advancing. While it is "easier" to get up on a sol, it's "easier" at least, for me, IMO, to learn air tricks and surface 180's etc. on a more advanced board that is designed for such tricks. I haven't ridden the flame or the pure, but have heard good reviews about the pure, if you haven't yet, check them both out in the "boards" section of this wonderful webpage. Also, the Mobe bindings were good and decent enough, however, I really think your best option would be to buy the best stuff you can for the cheapest price (pure w/ torq bindings, possibly) because, although it may be (very incredibly marginally) more difficult to learn the basics on such board, it will take you more time to outgrow it. So, what I am trying to say is that, if you have been around the water at all before and are comfortable behind a boat, you should probably go for the best board for the least money, (the pure, IMO.) It isn't really an "advanced" board, nor are the torq's "advanced" bindings, but it is an intermediate board that you won't outgrow for probably at least a year or so depending on how much you ride. If you have more questions just keep posting.

Good point... Yea, I'm probably only going to be able to ride once or maybe twice a week while I'm in town for the rest of the summer. I do, however, believe in getting the best bang for the buck. I don't want to outgrow it really fast because it's quite expensive. When you say it's harder to learn the basics, does that just sorta mean that whatever I do, the board will respond to better so if I'm trying to get my balance and lean a little I'll slid out of control? I mean, with a day of practicing I should be able to get the hang of it either way, huh?

So basically, will starting with an "Intermediate" board really be that difficult? Starting to think about the Pure/Flame deals again...

And another question... is there much of a difference between the 05 Torq bindings and the 06 Torq bindings? The 06s look cooler, but do they have the same features? And what makes them more favorable than the Mobe bindings?

(Message edited by ar1stotle on June 25, 2006)

You want the 06 torqs - they have the hinge in the back that makes it super easy to get in and out of ...

My friend who is a complete newb bought a cwb sol 141 with the 06 torq bindings for 350 including tax. He is super psyched. The fins are too large for me, but he likes them. I did really like the torq bindings though!

Tyler if you found a flame or a pure I would go with one of those instead of the sol. They are more of an int to adv boards. That way you won't grow out of them too quickly.

If you can afford it buy a rope too, not necesarily that exact rope. A good NON-stretch rope (spectra) is almost as important to your developement as a board IMO. It will be so much easier to learn W2W jumps with a non-stretch rope compared to a ski rope. Here is an economical suggestion (I have this same setup and its dope):

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-2006-75-SPECTRA-CORE-WAKEBOARD-SKI-ROPE-MAINLINE_W0QQitemZ7250678466QQihZ015QQcategoryZ740 48QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


As for board I would reccomend the HL Motive to any beginner who wants a solid proven shape that they can progress on. Throw some Torqs on there and you'll be in heaven on the lake!

(Message edited by nickdakoolkat on June 25, 2006)

Doh! This just got really complicated hehe. The only thing I could *possibly* afford with 06 Torq bindings would be the Sol. Just the Sol 141 and the 06 Torq bindings are $330. The pure and the flame that I found are the 05 versions with the 05 Torq bindings. And then, if I get the Sol 141 with Torq bindings, then I'm pretty much out of luck for a rope unless I hold off longer... maybe I should just wait till next summer when this years stuff in on sale and I can have a whole summer to ride...

Is this stuff really cheap in the fall/winter? Like easter candy the week after easter?

Oh, what to do, what to do...

In my opinion, I agree with what alot of the guys are saying on here. I started wakeboarding last summer on a Hyperlite Motive 140. I grew up on the water and was used to everything for the most part, so I quickly out grew it. Luckily this past spring I was able to sell the motive to my younger brother and step up to a HL Byerly 137. So I would agree w/ the consencus that it'd be better to go with a more intermediate board, but if price is a big issue, A board is better than NO board. good luck!

check ebay. the have some pretty good deals

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-OBrien-obrien-Oasis-142cm-Wakeboard-Wake-Board_W0QQitemZ7246130271QQihZ015QQcategoryZ47363Q QssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I started out on that board. Its a great board to learn on and you won't outgrow it very fast. Its still one of my favorite shapes

heres a good deal on some bindings
http://cgi.ebay.com/2004-Hyperlite-High-Back-Bindings-XL_W0QQitemZ150001533125QQihZ005QQcategoryZ114267Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

good deal, except those bindings blow!

Hehe, well, actually no board might be better than a board for now. Here in Louisiana, school starts up August 14th. So if I got a board now, I'd only have just over a month go go ride whenever I want. However, I'm going to a camp for 10 days in about 2 weeks, and then when I get back from that I'm going to destin (which, maybe I can get a demo board there or something), and then after that I'm going up to Virginia. So, if I'd have to settle for a bad board or bindings this year, but could get a really good board with really good bindings say, this winter, so that then I could ride more often next summer with good gear, then it might be worth it. It will also be easier to get the board later, because I'm about to have to make my first car insurance payment and Katrina sorta messed up our income so my dad probably wouldn't want me spending over $350 on a board (especially considering I just built a new computer and got a new monitor...). See what I'm getting at?

So, do yall think this is a good idea or not? I'm still wondering whether or not this stuff goes on sale during the off season...

If you are not going to ride a lot this summer, and not sure with everything. Maybe it is just best for you to wait. The perfect board will fall into your lap when it is ready to. Sorry about everything with Katrina and all. I used to live in Slidell, and I went down there in March, and it was a real shocker. Seems like the Gulf is really starting to come more alive now. You should maybe try a board out. People will tell you to buy such and such board, because they like it. but every board is different to every rider. That's why there are hundreds out there to choose from. But good luck with finding a board.

boards do go on sale in the offseason at buywake.com come january or so the "closeout" section will be full of this years stuff..

Excellent... just in time for my birthday hehe. But yea, I probably won't be able to get much riding in this summer and money is a bit of a problem. So, around January you think I could get an 06 Pure or Flame or Sol or something with the 06 Torq bindings for $300 or less? That might be best... and then I'll be able to ride all next summer (or spring, because it gets warm pretty quick here sometimes).

I always talk myself out of things haha.

(Message edited by ar1stotle on June 26, 2006)

i would say that you probably could find such a deal. also, keep in mind, buywake.com (obviously my favorite online retailer) will lower their prices if you find a cheaper price for the same product on another online site and show them the link. they are very competitve and customer friendly.

I have a Sol 141 with Mobe bindings and I love it. I only weigh 150 lbs. too. Saturday I landed my first wake to wake on it and I can do surface 180's and decent ollies on it. I've only had it for a month and I only wakeboarded twice before I got it. it's a great setup and you'll probably keep it for at least two years. so if you can get the deal with the rope too. But ultimately the choice is yours so if you choose to wait I would go ahead and get a better board, if not the Sol is a good board