Wakeboarding

Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding the wake of a speed boat on a single board. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques. some people believe that wake boarding is a copie of skurfing but actually they have diffrent characteristics (see skurfing).

As in water skiing, the rider is towed behind a boat, or a cable skiing setup, but typically at slower speeds (16 - 23mph). Beginners start at slower speeds such as 18mph with shorter ropes(45 - 50 ft). More experienced wakeboarders use faster speeds such as 22.5 - 24 mph (speed changes can affect wake shapes drastically), but use 60 feet or longer ropes. Instead of using skis, the rider rides a single board, known as a wakeboard, with stationary non-release bindings for each foot, standing sideways as on a snowboard or skateboard.

The boards, which can float, are typically 118 - 147cm long, depending on the weight of the rider, and up to 45cm wide (shorter and wider than snowboards). Unlike snowboards, whose edges taper in towards the center, the edges of a wakeboard are widest in the middle of the board, with a 15 - 25cm taper. When viewed from the side, a wakeboard has a concave shape; this is known as its "rocker." A board with a continuous rocker has a constant curve to it, and a board with a staged rocker (e.g. "three stage rocker") is made up of two or more straight sections at different angles that approximate a curve. More rocker gives a board greater pop off the wake, as well as softer landings.

Boats

A wakeboarding boat is similar to a water ski boat except that the rope is normally mounted on a tower or a pole about 2 metres above the water line and the boat is also weighted and trimmed, with strategically placed large water ballasts tanks, to give a larger wake, or "fat sacks" filled with sand are placed at the rear. It also tends to have the engine placed in rear of the boat rather than the middle. The boats are called v-drives because of the "V" that must be created in the shaft for the propeller to spin correctly. Boats with the engines located in the middle of the boat are call direct drives because the shaft is straight. V-drives create a larger wake. The wake is used as a ramp. Steering the board by a combination of edges into the water, the rider can move outside of the wake, then cut rapidly in toward the wake, hitting it and launching himself into the air. Once the rider improves in the sport, they come to do grabs, spins, and other tricks high in the air. As the rope tightens the rider gains speed toward the wake. When the rider goes up and off the wake and into the air the tightened rope launches the rider.

Calabria, Correct Craft, Malibu, Master Craft, MB Sports, Supra/Moomba/Mobius, and Tige all manufacture wakeboard boats.

Wakeboards

Hyperlite and Liquid Force are the two leading wakeboard manufacturers. Other manufacturers include Ronix, CWB, Gator Boards, and O'Brien.

Rocker

The "rocker" is the bend in a wakeboard from tip to tail. There are two types of rocker: continuous and three-stage. A continuous rocker is a smooth curve that does not change from tip to tail, while a three-stage rocker has two distinct bend points, almost like a skateboard deck but not nearly as drastic.

Wakeboards with continuous rocker are faster to ride because the water flows without disruption across the bottom of the wakeboard. Wakeboards with a three-stage rocker push more water in front of the wakeboard making the ride slower but riders are able to jump high off the water.

Length
Throughout the years different riders have been known to ride wakeboards that may seem too big or too small for them according to the manufacturer’s sizing chart. The reason is that wakeboards a size smaller or a size bigger can help distinguish a certain style of riding. Using a smaller wakeboard will make the wakeboard feel lighter, spin faster and seem more aggressive but makes landing neatly more difficult. Using a larger wakeboard lends a slower, smoother style.

Width

The width of a wakeboard directly affects how high it sits in the water. There are three places to check wakeboard widths: Tips and tails – those are generally the same – and in the middle. Narrower tips and tails sit lower and make the wakeboard turn more aggressively. Wider tips and tails allow for more surface tricks, and a better release for spins off the wake. However, the main variable that changes with the width of the middle of the wakeboard is the height that can be gained off the water - the wider the middle of the board, the higher it will sit in the water and the harder it will bounce off the wake.

Bottom Design

There are many different bottom designs in wakeboards – it is a feature wakeboard shapers use to express their own style. On the bottom of the wakeboard you will see concaves, channels or maybe nothing at all. Each performs a different function, fine-tuning how the wakeboard rides through the water according to its width from tip to tail, fin setup, rocker and tip and tail shape.

Concaves create lift and make the wakeboard sit higher in the water. Ever so simply, concaves in different areas of the wakeboard created lift in different areas of the wakeboard. For instance, a double concave in the middle and a single concave in the tip and tail keep the wakeboard riding higher in the water overall. But the double concave in the middle will always sit higher than the single concave.

Channels act like long fins. It’s something for the water to run into and along to help the wakeboard edge harder. If there are channels through the middle of the wakeboard and not at the tip or tail, it will be a hard-edging wakeboard but will still release well through the wake, depending on the fin setup. On a wakeboard with channels running through the tip and tail, the fins will hook better and the wakeboard will not release as well through the wake. Finally, a featureless wakeboard bottom basically lets the tip and tail shape, and the width throughout the rocker and the fins determine the nature of the board.

Fins and Placement

The closer the fins are placed towards the center of the wakeboard, the quicker and better the wakeboard releases from the wake. The farther out towards the tip and tail they are placed, the longer the wakeboard will stay hooked into the wake and it won’t release as well.

Long based fins Their effect is based on their increased surface area – The more you have the better the fin hooks up. A tall fin with a short base is almost the same as a short fin with a long base because they have a similar amount of surface area. Long-based fins release better, give the wakeboard a loose, snowboardy feel when riding flat through the water, and they hold up better on rails and ramps.

Molded fins These are just big channels in the board that act like fins and hold up on rails and ramps.Molded fins are slippery, but most boards have a removable center fin.

Multi-finned setups These capture the maximum edge hold and aggressiveness into the wake and through the wake.

Canted side fins These are fins that lean out on an angle. These fins are not as active when the wakeboard is riding flat through the water, but the more you lean on edge the more the wakeboard hooks up. The inside fin digs while the outside lifts, creating leverage to help the wakeboard edge hard. Great for 50-50 grinds, nose presses and tail presses.

Cupped side fins They have the same effect as canted fins but add more of a push-pull effect. The cupped fin allows you to use a smaller fin but still get the hold of a bigger fin due to the increased surface area of the cupped side of the fin. These fins are very deceiving – they look small and loose but really aren’t.

Development of the sport

The sport is growing in popularity as it is fairly easy to pick up, but offers a wide opportunity for self-expression. A limiting factor to a beginning wakeboarder is often the cost of the boats.

Wakeboarding was added to competition in X Games II. The winner of the competition was Parks Bonifay. The next year women were able to compete. The winner of the first women's competition was Tara Hamilton. Parks Bonifay, Dallas Friday, Emily Copeland-Durham, Danny Harf, Scott Byerly, Darren Shapiro,Julie Rasmussen, Colin R. Wells, Haley Nelson, Eytan Haddad, Chad Shape and Shaun Murray are some of the well-known athletes in the sport.