Wakeboarding is a fast-growing water sport loved by sports enthusiasts from around the world. This sport demands you to use all the muscles of your body and is excellent for strengthening the abdomen. And, besides being considered to be a full-body workout, it mainly targets your upper back and leg muscles. 

Wakeboarding combines water skiing, surfing, skateboarding, and snowboarding. Meanwhile, wakeboards look like surfboards with a blunt nose, one or more fins, and a rounded tail, and the fins allow riders to easily maneuver the boards. The uniqueness of this sport comes with the wake of powerboats which leverage wakeboarders to do gravity-defying jumps. And today, 25% of the wakeboarders are women, and wakeboard boards manufacturers design the boards to suit women’s bodies.

Types of Wakeboards

Continuous Rocker

It has a single curve from the nose to the tail to provide a smooth ride. The curve helps you to cut through the water with less friction, making it perfect for wakeboarders who like to do tricks without injuring their knees. It glides across the water to provide soft and smooth landings, and because of all these, a continuous rocker is a good choice for beginners.

3 Stage Rocker

This board has three-stage surfaces with a dramatic nose and tail. It has three distinct sections, and the base is flat in the middle. But, it creates more friction leading to lower speeds, as this wakeboard ploughs through the water rather than gliding through it. Although, its shape gives you more pop when you cut and release through the wake. The flat bottom gives a rough and hard landing, but it is a perfect board to do wake-to-wake tricks.

5 Stage Rocker

This rocker is like the 3 stage rocker but has five sections. It gives the wakeboarder an extra straight-up kick-off without much speed loss.

Hybrid Rocker

This is a mix of continuous and three-stage rockers and has the best features of both. These boards have a stiff centre and flexible nose and tail. While considering the design and ride performance, hybrid rocker takes the middle ground. And, mostly, it depends on the design and how much it leans in on one style. Meanwhile, they are best for wakeboarders who often switch between riding at a cable park and behind a boat.

Equipment Needed for Wakeboarding

Boat: A boat is essential, and it is the most expensive equipment required for wakeboarding. So, it is advisable to rent a boat.

Board: All wakeboarding adventures depend on the wakeboard. Hence, choose an excellent quality wakeboard with good fins for easy maneuvering.

Bindings: The different bindings are velcro, adjustable boot, and high back boot. Velcro bindings are very easy to adjust, and they provide good stability. Adjustable boot bindings, on the other hand, give some additional support, but high back boot bindings offer the best support, and they are preferred by wakeboarders who perform tricks on the water.

Rope: Wakeboard ropes do not stretch, and they give a consistent ride. Generally, the ropes are 55 – 75 feet long. But, beginners should use shorter ropes, and experienced wakeboarders need longer ropes to perform tricks.

Gear Needed for Wakeboarding

Wetsuit: All wakeboarders need to wear a wetsuit. This is because sometimes the water is cold, even on warm summer days. Meanwhile, the summer wetsuits are 2 – 3 mm thick, and winter wetsuits are 4 – 5 mm thick.

Buoyancy Aid: It is always safer to wear a life jacket while gliding on the water. And when you do so, if you come off your wakeboard at any time, it will keep you floating on the water. 

Helmet: A helmet is another essential safety gear needed for wakeboarding, as it is good to protect your head when you are gliding in the water at high speeds. Wakeboarding helmets are lightweight and differ from other sitting helmets.

So, anyone looking for a new and thrilling watersport can consider wakeboarding. It is an action-packed sport that can pump up your adrenalin and give you an exciting experience.