2020 Gear Guide // Wakeboard Review
As the years have gone by, the engineering and technology that goes into a new wakeboard have been steadily rising and wakeboarders everywhere have been enjoying the benefits. However, all this new tech that’s being tossed into decks makes finding the right board a bit of a daunting task. Do you want a board that’s going to be able to handle all aspects of riding? Or just a boat-specific board? What about some carbon stringers to maximize your pop? Or maybe something with a bit of flex for a more playful feel on the water? What about a cable park board? See what we mean? It can be a bit overwhelming and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The best way to figure out what’s right for you is to jump on it yourself and take it for a few turns but since that’s not exactly practical, we’ve rounded up a set of some of the biggest companies’ new decks to give you our take on them.
This year, we decided to do a “review” of all the boards rather than a “test”. What’s the difference you may ask? Well, I’ll tell you. A test implies that there are winners and losers and since all the companies are putting out quality boards, it just made more sense. So let’s break it down…
HOW WE REVIEW THE BOARDS:
We begin the board review process by reaching out to brands with credible products and ask them to submit their new 2020 board or boards that have undergone changes from the previous season. We then round-up up qualified testers to review the boards across an array of categories and styles. Keeping in mind that some people may want a stiffer board over a board with flex, we don’t count any score as a negative, this is truly a review.
WHY WE DO THE REVIEW:
Ultimately we love new gear and new boards, so this gives us a chance to ride almost every one. We put these reviews together to give you, the reader/shredder, the most insightful look into each board so that you can seek out the ones that you’re curious about. We always suggest that you go give them a try and decide for yourself, but this review will send you in the right direction.
WHERE WE REVIEWED:
Boat Review – Clear Lake, Orlando FL
Cable Park Review – Nona Adventure Park, Orlando FL
REVIEW CATEGORIES:
Boat
Speed – how fast it feels on the water (1 = turtle slow, 10 = cheetah fast)
Edging – how locked in it feels on the water (1 = loose, 10 = locked in)
Pop – explosiveness off the water (1 = stuck to the water, 10 = kangaroo hops) Swing Weight – how well the board spins (1 = broken down carousel, 10 = like a top)
Landing – touch down on the water (1 = bag of rocks, 10 = light as a feather) Overall Fun Factor – 1 = boring, 10 = super fun
Park
Tracking – how well the board holds an edge (1 = loose, 10 = locked in)
Ollie – explosiveness off the water (1 = stuck to the water, 10 = kangaroo hops) Flexibility – how well the board presses (1 = block of wood, 10 = wet noodle)
Sliding Speed – slickness on a rail (1 = sandpaper, 10 = oil slick)
Landing – touch down off kickers (1 = bag of rocks, 10 = light as a feather)
Overall Fun Factor – 1 = boring, 10 = super fun
SCORES: For each individual category, we added each score given by our reviewers and averaged them out to give a score out of 10 while the overall scores were all added up to be out of 30 so the closer a board got to that top score, the better it performed overall. Questions? No? Great! Let’s dive in.
BRANDS:
Jobe
Knox 143
Breach 139
Liquid Force
AERO Remedy 138 BUY NOW
Asym Noodle 152 BUY NOW
Butterstick 150 BUY NOW
Trip 144 BUY NOW
Prospect
Terry Bailey Pro 150 BUY NOW
Blackbeard 155 BUY NOW
Ronix
One Time Bomb 142 BUY NOW
Top Notch Pro 153 BUY NOW
Supreme 145 BUY NOW
December 11, 2019
dope on a rope!