Wakesurf board - Hyperlite Broadcast or Shim

[homer12]

Looking to start wakesurfing and don't have the best boat setup in the world so don't want to invest a ton into it. Looking for a used beginner type of board that is surf oriented or hybrid, not skim. I like those Hyperlite Broadcast and Shim boards. Need at least a 4'-8" board I think. Let me know if you have anything. Thanks!


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[sgresham]

My first board was the broadcast, and I found it a super easy board to get up on, and a very stable board. I have used the shim as well, but I did not think it was quite as easy to ride for a beginner as the broadcast.

[swatguy]

The Shim is my favorite board in the Hyperlite line. It's super fast agile and fun.

With th that said just getting into the sport , not having a boat slammed to the gills I would buy a broadcast for sure in this situation. You'll most likely upgrade at some point , but it will be so much easier to learn and progress on that down the road.



Whats youre height and weight? Don't be afraid to go bigger rather then shorter .

[homer12]

Thanks for the input fellas! I found a used Shim on CL, but maybe glad I didn't end up with it now. I'm definitely going to try and find a Broadcast because of all the good review and your input now. I'm 5'10" 175#. I have a brother that will ride this board too and he's about 6'1" and close to 200#. Would you say the 5'-4" board is appropriate?

[swatguy]

I am 6ft 180. 5"6 for sure in my opionin.

[8urchvy]

I'm 175 5'11. I ride the Shim 5'4". I wish I went smaller. The board rides great, but not as fast at cutting as I would like.

[Evening Shade]

I am 6ft 180. 5"6 for sure in my opionin.

So Swat, do you ride the 5'6"? The reason I ask is I'm about the same size as you and will be buying a Shim this spring.

[swatguy]

You're on the border of small vs big much like myself. It was a tough call for me on whether to go bigger or smaller I demoed both.

I see it like this. If you're more of a skim style rider and like doing board tricks the smaller board is a bit more nimble and obviously easy to get to react for flip tricks . Keep in mind most skim riders like a wake that's little more mellow as well. Myself. I like surf style riding, I like going faster, cutting into the wake , getting small airs (can't get big ones yet) , and doing few 360's here and there. I spend maybe 25% of my water time surfing. This past season was an exception. I had my ACL done in Feb so it was slow rolling into the season. Figures let's go all in on the surf side and take on a new challenge. So I demoed probably 15ish surfboards this year and tried to take notes. I found the smaller board on my bigger steeper wake (which is a wake style I like for speed ) wanted to pearl on me just a bit and require a little more work to get down the line. For me surfing is more of my go to when the water is crap or my legs are toast from boarding , so I don't want to have to work a board to death. I also found the bigger board was bit faster for me . All things I preferred. That's why the bigger size was a home run for me. I demoed the smaller one for a weekend and the larger for a weekend. Unlike wakeboards where size plays more of a "constant" factor , surf boards are way more subjective and cover much bigger span.

[Evening Shade]

You're on the border of small vs big much like myself. It was a tough call for me on whether to go bigger or smaller I demoed both.

I see it like this. If you're more of a skim style rider and like doing board tricks the smaller board is a bit more nimble and obviously easy to get to react for flip tricks . Keep in mind most skim riders like a wake that's little more mellow as well. Myself. I like surf style riding, I like going faster, cutting into the wake , getting small airs (can't get big ones yet) , and doing few 360's here and there. I spend maybe 25% of my water time surfing. This past season was an exception. I had my ACL done in Feb so it was slow rolling into the season. Figures let's go all in on the surf side and take on a new challenge. So I demoed probably 15ish surfboards this year and tried to take notes. I found the smaller board on my bigger steeper wake (which is a wake style I like for speed ) wanted to pearl on me just a bit and require a little more work to get down the line. For me surfing is more of my go to when the water is crap or my legs are toast from boarding , so I don't want to have to work a board to death. I also found the bigger board was bit faster for me . All things I preferred. That's why the bigger size was a home run for me. I demoed the smaller one for a weekend and the larger for a weekend. Unlike wakeboards where size plays more of a "constant" factor , surf boards are way more subjective and cover much bigger span.

Thanks again for the input. I actually weigh a little less than you 170-175 so we are real close in size. I will b surfing behind a brand new GS20 so not sure what the wave will be like, but I'm told it will have way more push than my current 210.

[swatguy]

While our 210 was decent. It definitely lacks the push of the higher end wakesurf wakes