The Evolution of the Wakeboard
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Posted On :
Mar-15-2011
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Article Word Count :
768
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Today’s wakeboards are designed to take into account every aspect of a rider’s ability, with technology and construction techniques to match every style, weight of rider and desired speed and performance.
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The progression of wakeboard technology design has come so fast and furious, flooding the market with varying board shapes, sizes and characteristics.
With factors like rocker type, amount of molded or removable fins, board dimensions and shape, construction material, binding type, and brand and graphics making a selection for the perfect wake board can e overwhelming. This is especially applicable if you are a beginning rider, but even seasoned wake boarders are having to make more careful considerations.
Your riding style, weight and skill level should be the determining factors behind your board selection, and with the right selection your riding will benefit significantly. Here is a sample of the different wakeboard features and styles that are out there to choose from and what each component is responsible for.
Rocker type- The rocker is the curve in the board from tip to tail and the type influences how the board rides, the speed of the board, the amount of pop (height gained when hitting the wake) and the hardness of landings. There are two types of rockers.
Continuous rocker (continuous arch, smooth) These type of rockers provide a smooth, fast ride with predictable pop and softer landings. They are a more relaxed board that suits many riders great for carving. Beginners are encouraged to start with this type of rocker.
3-stage rocker-(angled with flat spot) The 3 stage rocker have 2 defined angles at the tips of the board with one a flat spot in the centre. This type of rocker gives an aggressive (more) pop however is not always as predictable as the continuous rocker.
With the growing popularity of the sport, many new companies are emerging to cash in on the masses. Among the biggest brands in wakeboarding are Liquid force, Hyperlite, Obrien, Ronix, Double Up, dGator Boards, CWB. And each of these companies are into their own wakeboard construction. As the wakeboard construction technology advances, and it’s doing so rapidly, many new types of materials are being used in the manufacturing of wakeboards, each with different characteristics be it strength, weight, or flex. The two main ways of constructing a wakeboard involve having a solid polyurethane or foam core wrapped by fiberglass, or a honeycomb fiberglass/graphite core wrapped in the same material. The honeycomb fiberglass option is a bit more expensive, but the benefits included getting a much lighter board, which is more easily maneuvered and gives a smoother ride. The base of the board can also be made in different materials to give extra strength for hitting hard objects like rails and kickers.
Two edge types are also now available in today's market: uniform edge and variable edge. A uniform edge has the same thickness throughout the entire rail from middle to tip, while a variable edge as the name suggests has a thicker and rounder edge in the middle and progressively gets thinner and sharper towards the tip of the board. The thickness of the rail dictates how aggressive the board will track. What does that mean? Well, essentially it determines how fast the board accelerates and overall speed when on rail. Thinner and sharper edges are more aggressive and faster, however they are less forgiving and are easier to catch an edge than a thicker rounded one. Therefore, it makes sense for beginners to select a wakeboard with thicker rounded edges.
One of the benefits of having a variable rail is that it combines the best of both worlds: a thick and thinner edge. It has a more forgiving rail whilst keeping aggressive tracking when on rail. Most companies today incorporate this into the manufacturing of their wakeboards.
There are two types of fins that are on the modern wakeboard, molded (which cannot be removed) and removable (which can removed). The size of your fins will pretty much dictate how well your board tracks the water. Large fins give a more stable ride but makes it harder to break traction for surface tricks and can sometimes catch the water more often if you don't quite land your trick right. Smaller fins offer the opposite wakeboard experience, with the ability to break traction more easily for surface tricks. . Removable fins give the flexibility of changing how hard the board tracks as they can be removed to give a looser feel on the water. They can also be removed if you are hitting rails or kickers to prevent board damage.
Today, instead of one basic shape, there are four: concave, channels, v-shaped/spines and featureless.
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Article Source :
http://www.articleseen.com/Article_The Evolution of the Wakeboard_55893.aspx
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Author Resource :
For more details please visit www.onlyinboards.com/
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Keywords :
Wakeboard Towers, Wakeboard Tower, Wakeboard Racks,
Category :
Recreation and Sports
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Recreation and Sports
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