Being pulled over the water by a speedboat doesn’t sound much appealing to everyone, but for wakeboarders and adrenaline freaks, there’s nothing else quite like flying across the water at 50 km/h. It’s a sport that originated from surfing and skiing, while also taking some of the aspects of skateboarding and snowboarding. In this kind of sport, the rider is strapped to a wakeboard via bindings and is towed by a speedboat over the water. The rider can change directions and perform tricks using the pull and wake of the boat. Some courses have ramps and rails where the rider can perform daring feats and tricks.
There are generally a few factors you need to consider before purchasing a wakeboard, especially if you’re looking for a more advanced and expensive one like the Jobe vanity wakeboard, since riding style and ability levels are the two most important things to take into consideration. You don’t want to purchase an entry level wakeboard if you plan on doing extensive riding and daring feats.
However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t purchase a Jobe vanity wakeboard as your first wakeboard, even though it’s intended for skilled riders. If you can afford it, then buy a Jobe vanity wakeboard by all means. It will last more than an entry-level wakeboard. Beginner wakeboards are less expensive but are also made by less expensive materials and they don’t have features that will help the rider perform complicated tricks. The beginner wakeboards are built with stability and control in mind, as well as price.
The people who pick up waterboarding usually have a background in other boarding sports like surfing or skateboarding. Wakeboards come in twin-tip and single-tip models. Twin-tip boards are usually used by people who love skateboarding and snowboarding because the rider’s front foot can easily be switched between the right and left foot, and twin-tip boards allow the rider to perform landing tricks. Single-tip boards have a squared rear and a tapered front, which means they can only be ridden in a single direction (with the tip facing the front).
After determining your riding style and ability level, choosing the board is the next big step. The main factors to consider are: the board’s material, the length of the board, the board’s bindings, fins rocker and the type of rope used. As a general rule, the size of the board should match the weight of the rider.
The materials it’s built from need to be light enough to allow the rider to jump well above water and perform tricks, but strong enough so they don’t break after a few tricks. Honeycomb and foam board are the two most common types of materials used to make wakeboards. Honeybomb fibers are faster, lighter and provide more pop, but are also more rigid which makes them hard to control in bumpy situations. And foam boards are best in rough conditions as they’re more flexible and ride lower in the water, making the riding much more stable.
