Things You Should Know About Wake Surfing Boards

Wakesurfing boards are becoming popular and a trend in the world of surfing because of their user-friendly and easy to use nature.

The things that are compulsory to know about wakesurf boards before buying are:

Length of the board
The shape of the board
Fin setup
Tail shape
Rail design
Rocker lines

These terms may seem unknown to you, but don’t worry we have discussed it in detail and you will not have any doubts about these after this article.

Length of the Board

The longer the boards are, the better they are for beginners to learn. But the intermediate to advanced level riders can also use these if they are taller. The longer boards are more stable but not that good for making the turns as they have more surface to turn.

Shapes of the Wakesurfing Boards

The wakesurf board usually falls in 3 general categories when it comes to its shape. The different shapes represent different riding styles and riding levels. The categories that it is divided into are:

Surf shape
Skim shape
Hybrid shape

The details of all these shapes are mentioned below so you can easily make the choice on which one is better for you.

Surf Shape

This shape of surfboards comes in a lot of different materials and fin styles. They are bigger in size and also bigger in volume which makes them a great choice for beginner level of surfers. The surf shape boards are very stable and manageable at high speed that attracts a lot of expert surfers too.

The best surf shape boards that are available today in the market are Hyperlite Broadcast and SWELL wakesurf Powell.

Skim Shape

Compare to the surf shape these boards are smaller in size and the size of the fins is also small which makes it ideal for intermediate to advanced level surfers. These boards are popular among surfers that like to perform and learn different kinds of stunts and tricks.

The skim shape boards that are popular among the surfers are Phase Five Matrix Wakesurf Board and Lib Tech Air’n Psyco Active Wakesurf Board.

Hybrid Shape

This shape combines the feature of the other two shapes. This shape is perfect for the surfers that want to have the playfulness of skim shape with the stability of the surf shape. As it is a combination of the two they might not be suitable for the beginners as these kinds of boards don’t excel in one thing.

The hybrid shape boards that are popular in the market are Connelly Bentley Wakesurf Board 2020 and Doomswell Hydro Wakesurf Board.

The next step after the shape of the board is to look at the fin styles.

Fin Setup of the Wakesurfing Boards

A few years back this feature was overlooked, but now all the companies emphasize the fin styles because it is one of the most important factors in the performance of the board.

Deciding the fin style depends on the following factors:

The riding style
The level of ability
Wave size

Single Fin

These fins are most common in wakesurf boards. The single fin is more suitable for medium to large size waves. They provide more stability and control to the rider which makes them a good choice for beginners. But these fins can also easily break free for spins and tricks.

Twin Fin

These fins allow the board to have a 360-degree turn and also to perform different stunts. The twin fins are suitable for every wave size and are also used in some of the hybrid shape boards.

Thruster

The most popular fin setup in the wakesurf boards are the thrusters, they are versatile as the fins can be easily removed for it to become a single or twin fin setup. The outer fins in this setup provide speed during surfing and the middle one is useful to provide stability. Furthermore, the thrusters are perfect for every wave size.

Wake Surfboards for heavy riders

Quad Fin

The quad fins provide more stability and this setup is usually found in the surf shape boards. Due to the extra stability, they come handy in bigger wave sizes.

Five Fin

This setup is the most uncommon among the boards and usually comes with surf style boards. They give you a choice of converting them into any kind of fin setup by removing the fins. But if you decide to use all five fins, you may feel that the speed of the board has decreased big time.

Next on the list is the tail shape of your wakesurf board.

Tail Shapes

The tail of the board is not just to provide a good look but also affects the performance of the board. You will find that some shapes are designed to ride on small waves and some specifically on the bigger waves.

Some of the most common tail shapes that we see in the market for wakesurf boards are:

Pin Tail

As the name indicates they are narrow and provide you less surface. This type of fin creates a lot of friction as they sink lower in the water. This feature makes them better suited for big waves as compared to the small ones.

Square Tail

This tail shape provides more floatation which makes them a popular option among the wakesurfers. This feature allows them to have more push and quick speed.

Swallow Tail

This tail has features of the above two types it has control of pintail and speed of the square tail. Among all the types this provides a wider surface which makes them good for smaller waves.

Wakeboard Tower With Bimini

Squash Tail

This is the one that is suitable for every wave size and type. This feels like a square tail but it has more speed and allows the surfer to make quick and sharp turns. This tail size is more user-friendly as well as responsive.

Round Tail

The round tail has the features of both pin and squash tail. It has a hold of pintail and increases the speed of the squash tail that also makes the sharp turns smooth. Due to its grip and smoothness, this is considered to be suitable for every wave size.

Diamond Tail

Same as the round tail it gives you more grip and allows you to smoothly make the sharp turns. An additional advantage is that this tail allows your rides to feel good and also provides the boards a great look.

Rail Design of the Wakesurfing Boards

The rail design refers to the edges of the board and it decides how the water waves pass through the board and how much stability it will provide you. The thinner rail design provides more speed and quick turns as they are more responsive. On the other hand, the thick rail designs are more common and known for their stability.

Full Rail

The full rail design is more user-friendly which makes them great for beginners. They are most common in wakesurf boards and provide more stability and consistency. This soft rail design allows you to make smooth turns and hold onto the water waves better.

Hard Rail

The hard rail design is more common in skim boards, the hard edge designs allow it to have more speed and spin on waves. But as compared to the full and soft rail they are not that stable and smooth and feel more slippery.

Blended Rail

This design is a blend of the above two rail designs. It provides more speed, quick turns, and stability, which makes it more suitable for advanced level surfers.

Rocker Lines

As you may have noticed, the wakesurf boards are not flat, they are curvy and that curve is known as the rocker line.

This feature determines how much of the board will be touching the surface of the water. The rocker line can be throughout the board or just at some places like the front, center, or the rear of the board.

Relaxed Rocker

These boards have lesser curves which means they will be touching more with the water surface that provides them more stability. Because of this stability, they are more suitable for beginner who wants to learn surfing.

They have more sustained speed and stability but are not suitable if you want to make quick turns, and are suitable for only smaller waves.

Wake Surfboards for Beginners