Wake Surf Boards

[brudererscr]

I am curious what is everyones go to wake surf Boards in the boat? I know what board I am going to ride(Soulcraft), but when you have a boat full of people that are learning or intermediate and don't bring their boards, love to hear what are good ones to have. I currently have two Shims(4'7" and 5'3") a Byerly Buzz(personally think this board is slow) and a Ronix Marshmellow(for kids learning). What other board should I have and what size? I understand this it totally subjective and everyone has their brands. I am looking for good all around boards that friends would enjoy surfing.

[SANonTellico]

Great question! When we lived in Michigan we were the only surf boat on our lake and taught lots of people how to surf. At first we would try to match the persons size with a board size but we quickly learned that everyone, regardless of size and weight, seemed to get up easily on our O’Brien Maha (5’).
After getting comfortable on the Maha they always switch to a different board, but for learning, our Maha is the go to board.
As a side benefit, it’s also our least expensive and most indestructible board.

[MN Ryan]

Hyperlite Broadcast was our first board and the one we teach people on. It's also pretty affordable and indestructable!

I have a Connelly Dash for the kids.

[ffmedic74]

Big fan of phase 5. Good fast lightweight boards. Many can be used for both skim and surf style.

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[bird_dog0347]

We have a broadcast for new people, and if they want to do surf style they are welcome to try my Doomswell Neo.

[brudererscr]

Thanks for the input. I have some good boards for beginners. I am really looking for that all around board for some that are actually good at surfing, just don't have their board. I am a bigger guy(250 lbs), so my board doesn't alway work. Sounds like the Broadcast might just be that board.

[bird_dog0347]

That or the Doomswell is great for a bit heavier as well. My cousin has a Soulcraft that is great, same length 4'8" and very similar shape to my Neo but the Neo is just plain faster and easier for me to ride but I'm only 185#.

[XBIGPUN66]

If the neo is faster than the soulcraft something is very wrong. Wrong size for the rider it wrong fin configuration.

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[bird_dog0347]

I'm not an expert on the shapes, speed expectation, etc... but everyone who's ridden both behind my boat says the Neo is faster.

[bturner]

Everyone that rides and is part of our regular crew has their own board so that solves a lot of the equation for us. The house board is a Hyperlite 5.3 Shim. It's easy for most adults to get up on, ride and can take a beating. Once someone is actually riding and needs something a bit more advanced we'll try to match them with one of the boards someone else has in the boat. None of us are riding $2500 China doll boards so most of us are fine sharing their board for a session or two. If you become a regular we strongly encourage buying your own life jacket and board. We've found this makes the experience better for everyone. Don't care to..... that's fine, that's what the house gear is for.

I know a lot of you guys have monster surf ships, unlimited budgets and can easily afford/store 5 or 6 custom boards with a full compliment of life jackets. We don't nor do we care to be an outfitter of ski/surf gear for the masses. Even if we wanted to we just don't have the space on our little 200 Sport Nautique. Since carrying that amount of gear isn't practical we've found past the occasional guest that needs to suit up, having your own gear that fits properly is the best way to go if that person plans to engage in the activity on a regular basis. Also with everyone having some skin in the game things tend to be taken care of better and it also makes cleaning out the boat at the end of the day easier as well. It's amazing how much better people take care of things when they've actually purchased it themselves.

If your looking to get some house gear for the boat but don't have Diamond Jim's wallet, there are a ton of deals that come up on sites like facebook marketplace, craigslist and geartrade. Don't forget that these are house boards so they don't have to be custom boards with expensive layups with airbrush skull graphics that tend to chip or crack if not taken care of carefully, they just need to provide a basis to learn and have fun with. If you're not in a hurry you'd be surprised at some of the higher end boards that you can pick up for a song off one of these sites.

[MN Ryan]

If your looking to get some house gear for the boat but don't have Diamond Jim's wallet, there are a ton of deals that come up on sites like facebook marketplace, craigslist and geartrade.

Heck yes! I got a next-to-new Doomswell El Jefe for $200 last spring. I was thrilled. I am constantly on the lookout for surf board bargains!

[bturner]

I saw a Phase 5 Diamond listed on facebook marketplace for $300 and a Hammerhead for $350 last summer. The Diamond had some scratches (didn't see the Hammerhead) but hey they all eventually get them and you don't see them when you're riding.

Spring (before the season starts) and fall are good times to look. Either people trying to move their old gear after buying something new at the boat show or got something new for Christmas. Fall is great when they've sold the boat and have a bunch of ski gear they no longer want.

[charlesml3]

Go to boards:

- Ronix Marshmellow - A surf-style board that does a LOT of things right. It carves like crazy. This board covers a lot of skill ranges. Beginners can get up on it easily and expert riders will love how it carves. A whole bunch of people have bought Marshmellows after riding mine.

- Liquid Force Keen - This board has been on my boat for many years. It's a fast skim-style board and it seems that most everyone eventually comes right back to it. Again, it does a lot of things right.

[MN Ryan]

- Liquid Force Keen - This board has been on my boat for many years. It's a fast skim-style board and it seems that most everyone eventually comes right back to it. Again, it does a lot of things right.

@charlesml3
That's one I have been considering. How big of guys ride it? I'd like to pick up a skim board, but I'm 6'2" 215 and have 2 BIL's that are 15-20 lbs heavier than I am.

[charlesml3]

Quote removed by Admin for not following the Guidelines for Quoting Previous Posts in a Thread.

The Keen comes in three sizes and across all of the crew I ride with, we have all three of them. I forget the exact numbers but you can get that from Wakemakers. I ride short-keen. I'm only 160 pounds though. For you, I'd consider the middle size one. It's really good. I've ridden it and it's awesome, just a bit long for me. Avoid the largest Keen. Again, we have one in the group and it's really not a skim-style board. It's a hybrid.

-Charles