wakeboard

Wakeboarding

Wakeboarding on the island Krk between towns Punat and Krk, Croatia.

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Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques.

The rider is usually towed behind a motorboat; typically at speeds of 18–24 miles per hour depending on the water conditions, board size, rider's weight, and rider's comfort speed. But wakeboarding can also be performed with a variety of media including closed-course cables, winches, PWCs, and ATVs.

Boards

Boards are buoyant with the core usually made up of foam or honeycomb mixed with resin and coated with fiberglass. Metal screws are inserted to attach bindings and fins. The most popular wakeboards are Ronix, CWB, O'brien Hyperlite, and Liquidforce.

The configuration and positioning of the fins and bindings varies according to rider preference and is adjusted for a variety of reasons. A wakeboarder will change the type of fins they use for different types of tricks. For example, shallow fins (which do not protrude into the water very far) are better for surface tricks, such as flat spins. Many newer board models contain small molded fins on the board which allows the rider to use smaller center fins and also to create less drag.

Board hardware is often set up to allow a rider to ride "Switch" or Fakie, with either foot forward. Such setups are usually symmetrical in layout. New riders normally set up their boards to be comfortable to ride with their "natural" foot forward, which does not allow for riding Switch without modifications.

For best results and easy wakeboarding, this sport is normally done in lakes, though the intercoastal waterways are also becoming popular.

Boats

There are boats made just for wakeboarding. Some of these wakeboard boat brands are Malibu, Tigé, MasterCraft, Centurion, Moomba, and Nautique. Although it is possible to wakeboard behind nearly any boat which can achieve the required speeds (18+ mph), the best results are obtained from specialized wakeboard boats. These boats resemble an inboard runabout of about 5.5 to 7.3 meters (18 to 24ft), but with specialized equipment. Some riders use a PWC in place of a full-size boat for surface tricks or a rail session.

The most common difference between a regular runabout and a wakeboarding boat is the wakeboard tower, normally constructed of thick-walled stainless steel or aluminum tubing, which places the "pull point" about 2 meters (7ft) off the water's surface. The high tow point gives the rider more control and ease jumping up onto the board. Most boats also have a variable ballast system, which allows for water to be pumped into and out of ballast bags from the surrounding water. Adding ballast increases displacement, and consequently enlarges the wake produced.

A significant portion of wakeboarding boats utilize V-drive propulsion. These boats have a regular inboard engine, but are turned 180° such that the transmission is in front of the engine, rather than behind, which is the more common layout. The prop shaft exits the transmission towards the rear of the boat, so that the prop is placed directly under the engine. When viewed from the side, such a layout appears as a "V" lying on its side. This layout allows for better weight distribution(with the engine farther aft), and places the prop farther forward, which reduces the danger of the spinning prop near the stern of the vessel, where riders enter and exit the water.

Riding

Using edging techniques, the rider can move outside of the wake or cut rapidly in toward the wake. Jumps are performed by hitting the wake and launching into the air. This can also be done by hitting a kicker (a jump). There is also the slider (a rail bar)in which a rider approaches and rides along keeping his balance. Once a rider improves in the sport, he or she can progress to tricks high in the air. As the rope tightens the rider gains speed toward the wake. When the rider goes airborne, the tightened rope launches him. While in the air the rider attempts to do tricks.

Rocker

The "rocker" is the bend in a wakeboard from tip to tail. There are many various types of rocker shapes, but the most common are the continuous and three-stage rocker. 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, however riders are able to jump higher off the water because of the three-stage rocker which increases the "pop" off the wake.

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 also make 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 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, snowboard-like 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 set-ups 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.

No Fins Some riders say "it is better to have no fins when you become more advanced".

Development of the sport

Wakeboarding arose in the late 1980s after the advent of skiboarding. The actual sport of skiboarding is incorrectly credited to Tony Finn (supposedly thought to have invented the Skurfer in San Diego, CA). Jimmy Redmon (Austin, TX)later drilled holes in skurfers to affix bindings.

'Skurfing' was actually created in New Zealand by surfboard shaper Allan Byrne and friends such as Kevin Jarrett. Allan Byrne lent a 'Skurf board' to Jeff Darby and friends in Queensland Australia who started to make their own and who later came in contact with Tony Finn who was to later produce their brand 'Skurfer' under royalty.

Many years prior to Tony Finn and the 'Skurfer', Australian surfboard shaper and inventor Bruce McKee along with associate Mitchell Ross, launched in Australia, the world's first mass-produced plastic, roto-moulded construction 'Skurfboard' named the 'Mcski', later 'SSS' skiboard and later 'Wake-snake'. [1] The board had adjustable rubber foot-straps, concave tunnel bottom and a keel fin. Two smaller side fins were later added for greater hold and more maneuverability. McKee and Ross also applied for and were granted two patents, one in 1984 for a basic adjustable binding system [2] and the other in 1985 for a patent for their adjustable plate type foot strap system.[3]

Bruce McKee and associate Mitchell Ross negotiated with USA's Medalist Waterskis and the first American production was launched. The launch of the product, American version being named the 'Surf-Ski' was in 1984 at Chicagos 'IMTEC'show. At the show McKee also met Tony Finn who would be the proposed Californian representative. Tony Finn went on to do his own negotiations with Darby and company from Australia and the result as mentioned above were the US boards later launched under the 'Skurfer' brand name. The name was supplied by the guys from Darby who also supplied the first board designs.

The term "wakeboard" was coined by Paul Fraser(Vancouver, Canada), as well as the concept and design, along with his brother Murray and a Pro snowboarder they sponsored. Paul approached Herb O'Brien with the idea and the introduction of the "liquid force" wakeboard, named by Eric "The Flyin Hawaiian" Perez, laid the groundwork for evolution of the wakeboard throughout the 1990s.

The World Skiboard Association was founded in 1989 and the First World Skiboard Championships was held on the Island of Kauai, Hawaii, on the Wailua River. The next year Eric Perez defended his title against Darin Shapiro. This is when the Hyperlite wakeboard was introduced and blew everyone away. The first US Nationals were held later that same year in Colorado Springs, CO on Prospect lake, hosted by Tommy Phillips. Competitions began popping up around the United States throughout the early 1990s. Wakeboarding was added as a competitive sport in the X Games II. The World Skiboard Association "changed its focus" and was re- named the World Wakeboard Association.

Wakeboarding maneuvers

As with many freestyle sports such as snowboarding and surfing, there is almost a separate language of terms to describe various tricks. The more height, the more "pop". So therefore the rider's edge is very important to the height of the jump. Heading towards the wake chest facing the boat is known as a heelside edge; approaching from the other direction with chest facing away from the boat is known as toeside edge. A typical beginner to intermediate rider will tend to have an easier time hitting the wake heelside because it tends to come more naturally to the rider, while more advanced riders can hit the wake both heelside as well as toeside.

• Fashion Air - the rider curls the board behind towards butt while keeping knees pointing down, arches back, and throws back hand up behind the head for a stylish vanity pose.
• Raley - the rider hits the wake and allows their body to swing backwards, up overhead, parallel to the water. The rider then swings the board and his or her body down and lands on the other side of the wake.
• Fakie or switch - the rider rides the board with their weak foot forward (opposite of their normal stance,i.e. left foot or right foot forward).
• 911 - A raley tweaked out(shifty) with a whole ton style
• Switch air raley - the rider starts and ends an air raley in the switch position.
• Batwing - Toeside raley with Indy graw with the board perpendicular to the water as opposed to parallel.
• Butter slide - a rider approaches the wake, "snaps" the board sideways so that they can slide on top of the wake.
• Surface 360 - a rider spins the board 360 degrees while riding the surface of the water.
• Tantrum - a rider back flips over the wake on an axis perpendicular to the direction of the board.
• Backroll - a rider flips (or rolls) over the wake on an axis parallel to the direction of the board, as if he/she were following it around like a continuous loop
• Frontroll - a rider flips forward (or rolls) over the wake on an axis parallel to the direction of the board.
• Boardslide - a rider approaches an obstacle and slides the board—perpendicular with the obstacle—along the obstacle,with the obstacle in between the rider's feet.
• Half-cab - when doing a trick from your switch stance and landing it with your regular stance.
• Tootsie Roll - Front roll to blindside 180.
• Blind Judge - Backside raley to blindside 180.
• Scarecrow - Toeside front roll with frontside 180.
• Crow Mobe - Scarecrow with an extra 180 (Frontroll with a frontside 360)
• Dev-glass - Butter slide one side of the wake and from that side jump all the way to the other side of the wake landing on a Butter slide.
• Bel Air - Tantrum without using the wake for air.
• Air Krypt - Toeside air raley with 180 degree turn, land opposite direction from take off.
• Hoochie Glide - Air Raley with method grab.
• Whirlybird - Tantrum Mobius with overhead 360 (no handle pass)
• Tweety Bird - Whirlybird without using wake for air.
• Osmosis 540 - Frontside 540 where instead of passing the handle behind the back, the rider pops the handle and catches it again upon the end of the rotation.
• Backslide Alley-Oop-Huge jump with 180 turn landing on reverse butter slide on same side of wake as you hit.
• S-bend - Heelside raley with hands overhead spinng a backside 360 horizontally
• S-Bend to Blind - Heeliside raley with handside overhead spinning a backside 360 horizontally finishing with a quick 180 with one hand behind your back
• S-Bend 720 - Heelside Raley with hands overhead spinning 2 quick backside 360 horizontally landing in triumph. Chris Nolan was the first person ever to land this trick^[1]

See also

• Artificial wave
• Skurfing
• Surface Water Sports
• Wakeskating
• Water Skiing
• Wakesurfing

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wakeboarding

• Wakeboarding in Australia
• Wakeboarding Magazine
• Wake Slang and Tricks
• Wakeboarder.com
• The Wakeboard Report
• WakeWorld.com
• The World Wakeboard Association