Wakeboard – User Reviews Harvey Dawkins2018-02-09T11:51:26+00:00 This year we have started to collect some reviews from our riders – giving you a helping hand when choosing our next wakeboard! If you want to review a board for us and add it to our blog, please email lucy@lagoonwatersports.co.uk. Please feel free to add your comments in the box below. Wakeboards 2012 Liquid Force FLX (138) – By Dmitri Osipovs First thing you notice about the board is how light and flat it is, which makes it great for cable and rails and obstacles. As one might guess ‘FLX’ is a flex, a hybrid board which means that Liquid Force have combined the best characteristics of a continuous and 3-stage rockers into one. The FLX has a clean simple bottom that is great for rails as one can jib without worrying about snagging a rail. There are no deep channels to hang up the board like on more traditional boards. It is single concave running through the middle, flowing out thinner flatter tip for a lot of flex and rebound in response. The board flexes nicely – it does not flex in the middle, just in the tip and tail so there is no “noddle” feel. You can land and press and the board does not become wobbly. At the same time it is a very responsive board with a lot of pop, which is due to the CNC core with triple stringers so it feels lightweight and lively. It springs fast and at the same time remains a flat flexy board. The FLX features Grind base with Liquid Rail perimeter which make it a very durable board for jibbing, and if you still manage to damage it can be repaired the same way as a snowboard’s base. My board shows no signs of abuse so far. I ride the FLX with the Ultra bindings for maximum flex and feel. I did take the little fins off as it gives me a perfectly smooth base without sacrificing much of control. I have also tried this board behind a boat and it rides more confidently than a few older non-hybrid boards. This is a fantastic board and I recommend to give the ‘hybrid’ technology a try. Slingshot Hooke 2012 – By Jason Mikaelsson I was looking for a board that had a lot of pop and that was aggressive on edging. This is exactly what this board delivers. I have only been riding a year and so do not have much experience riding other boards, but in comparison to entry level boards I can definitely make the following distinctions. Firstly the board feels so light on the water, as if you’re floating over it rather than sitting in it. Secondly, ollies are effortless and I immediately noticed the difference in height achieved with the same amount of effort as on an entry level board. Thirdly, there was a marked difference in how the board cut through water when cutting out for corners or building up tension for aerial tricks. Last of all, I noticed how heavy the landings from aerial tricks were on my knees on the entry level boards, where as on this board, it hardly felt like I hit the water at all in comparison and since riding it have never felt pain in my knees landing any trick again. Regarding cost, this board is at the upper end of the market but a worthwhile expense if you are serious about the sport. A good tip, buying the previous seasons model will save you alot of money. Hyperlite Union 138 – Chris Bett I bought this board at the beginning of last year as I was looking for a second board with a bit of flex to go along side my stiff board (CTRL RX). What ended up happening was me spending pretty much all my time of the Union. Board Feel – Yes it has a part wood core and is a ‘flex board’ but it doesn’t feel like an overcooked bit of spaghetti, it stiff enough to give you all the confidence and control you need but has that little big of give on rails and on the big landings without completely flattening out like some flex boards. I ride it without fins personally as I like a slightly loose feel on the water and no hang ups on the rails, it still have a hard enough edge, and enough stiffness that you can lock it on edge carve hard if you really want, and plenty of pop for air tricks. With fins on it becomes a even more responsive locked in board but still without feeling like your always about to catch an edge. The ABS Sidewall and Enduro Base hold high claims to being supper durable, and to be honest… I spent the season hitting every rail every lap, and I have to say it help up really well I was very impressed at how much of a beating it took. Whatever your level you could ride this board. Like a super responsive hard edging board, probably not for you. Want a board that can a bit of everything on the rails and in the air, then its not a bad choice. Its alright behind the boat too, most people would probably prefer to have the fins in for this but I’m yet to put them on. Overall great all round board that will stand up to a beating. CWB Vibe Wakeboard 142 – By Rob Wagner When I decided that I wanted to buy a wakeboard, I spent quite a lot of time researching the various things that I wanted. I knew that I wanted a board that was quite forgiving for a novice rider, but that I could use to progress to higher levels. Because I wanted to ride both boat and cable, a 3-stage rocker seemed like the best construction to go for, as these supposedly give you more pop off the wake. I saw some videos of CWB riders doing sick stuff in the park and behind a boat using the Vibe, so I knew that was the board I had to have! When the Lagoon sold off their old rental Vibes I jumped at the opportunity to purchase one, and I haven’t looked back! Since buying the board I’ve learnt raleys, landed a few back rolls, had loads of fun on park jumps and sliders, as well as improving my wake to wake on both sides behind boat. The flat base makes the board super fun for slipping around parks without fins, but using the durable fins provided make it rail turns pretty nicely behind the boat. If you don’t tell the board what to do it can wash a little on landing out in the flats behind the boat, or after a big air on the cable, but I have never had a major issue with this, and once you’re comfortable with. Obrien Flex 2010 – By Phil Rozier Having started Wakeboarding at Hove in April 2012, I was quickly settling into the club boards. The moulded base provided well needed stability in my early weeks of learning. The boards gave confidence on the waters surface and cornering was easy. As the weeks past, the well used club boards started to show signs of wear as you would expect. Velcro bindings began to lack the firm holding they required, laced bindings often snapped in my hands as i tried to pull them tight and the boards had several scrapes and dents beginning to appear. Being new to Wakeboarding, i didn’t want to spend a great deal on a board setup, and i also didn’t really understand the difference between boards. So i did what any other sensible person would do, and buy the £70 bargain that was the Obrien Flex wakeboard. Soon i noted that i wasn’t the first boarder to do the same thing – numerous Flex boards were seen down at Hove. This reassured me that i had bought a reasonable investment. The board was lighter than the club boards, and slightly wider. The obvious thing to note is that it had no mouldings in the base. The base of the board was completely smooth and flat. The board did come with fins as standard, but using the board for rails these would have instantly snapped off on the first ride so i chose to remove them. Having size 12 feet, and being 90 kilo’s in weight, i was using a 146 Flex. From the first ride it felt very gittery on the water. Having no mouldings meant it was like riding a tea tray on the water – no grip what so ever! Corners were faster and the board slipped over the rails with ease. But, this instantly improved my riding. I was faster, carving better, and building confidence for harder tricks. Within the first hour on the Flex, i was hitting all the rails, building speed and beginning to get some air on my ollies. After a month or so, my boarding had improved and confidence has grown with the Flex. One sunny Saturday afternoon (there was one last season i think), i was trying to Olly up onto the incline of the flat rail. Not quite getting it high enough, the tip of the board hit the rail and completely snapped off. It was at this time i heard that others riding the Flex had also suffered problems with breaks. The board only had a thin laminate finish with a foam core. Light and cheap, but not very strong. However, others still ride the Flex without issues, and overall it was a very useful and good board to learn on. Slingshot Whip 2012 – By Phil Rozer Needing a new board after my Obrien Flex broke, i wasn’t sure what to go for. I didn’t want to break another board and waste my hard earned cash. Surfing the web, i found a 2012 Whip at a great price due to it nearing the end of the 2012 season. The Whip is one of Slingshot’s top end boards. It has a wooden core, and it designed for rail and park riding. Having read a few favourable reviews online, i decided to go for it. It has optional fins to attach – they are pretty sturdy looking and stronger than the narrow fins found on cheaper boards. The base has moulded grooves to increase stability and allow for greater flow of the water to pass under the board as you ride. Whilst these grooves were present, the board was still quicker than the original club boards i rode, similar to the Flex, but it had far more stability. From the first ride it just felt great. Stable, quick and it looks awesome! Carving and handle passes just seemed natural. Still new to wake boarding, its hard for me to comment a great deal on the harder technical tricks, and how the Whip performs, but i can say that i wish i had just bought this board first. It really is worth paying the extra to get a board that actually helps you ride to a better standard. Wakeskates Byerly Revival – By Matthew Greenwood I came across my board accidentally after working my way through many makes and many materials, I ride about 3 times a week and I seem to snap them all within 3 months until now ! These boards are STRONG, made from composite each one of mine lasts about 9 months plus and that is hitting every slider going and going big off kickers. Apart from the strength the rails are great, with the sharpness you can carve like a wakeboard but this is off set in the way the edge is quite unforgiving but you soon get used to that. The bottom of the board needs no fins as there are 2 channels that smooth out any over rotated tricks quite quickly. When you first ride this board the stance feels quite extreme compared to your more traditional wooden boards but you soon get used to this and actually favour it over the traditional rocker. It is rare to find these in the UK and I have always imported mine from Florida amazingly taking only 4 days to reach the UK and for a decent price, go buy one, go shred one you will love it. Share this post Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google + Email Author Harvey Dawkins