Length
Throughout the years different riders have been known to ride wakeboards that may seem too big or too small for them according to the manufacturer’s sizing chart. The reason is that wakeboards a size smaller or a size bigger can help distinguish a certain style of riding. Shawn Watson has been seen in the past riding wakeboards that would seem to be on the smaller side of the spectrum according to his weight and height. Shawn is known for his off-axis 900’s and wake-to-wake 720’s, and smaller wakeboards carry less swing weight so he can spin really fast and land these high-end spins. On the other hand, Parks Bonifay is known for riding larger wakeboards to suit his style better. A larger wakeboard allows Parks to go really big and absorb those huge landings.
Sizing down will make the wakeboard feel lighter, spin faster and seem more aggressive. But your landings do suffer. There is not as much surface area to plane across the water, so the wakeboard will not float you as well. You will have to work a little harder to keep the nose from digging in and you may have to increase your boat speed a bit to help you plane. However, smaller wakeboards are great for people who like to do a lot of handle-pass flips and spins and move around the water fast. It can also be a great learning tool. If you have a selection of wakeboards and are working on a spin, for example, sizing down will help you rotate better and farther. When you get the landing and get comfortable on the smaller wakeboard, start trying to increase your rotation on the wakeboard sized for you. If you struggle to get the whole rotation, move down again. Land the trick then move back up.
Sizing your wakeboards up from your established size lends a slower, smoother style. A bigger wakeboard moves slower in the water, making you look smoother. The bigger surface area makes the wakeboard act a little like a dump truck, but really lets you spin slowly and hold on to those grabs for a long time. If you are into going big, the increased surface area lets the wakeboard land softer, saving your body from the bigger impacts. The trade-off is lugging that huge thing around in the air. But think of it like this: Have you ever seen a baseball player swing four bats before he goes up to the plate? After swinging the four bats for a while, dropping those and only swinging one makes the single bat feel like a feather. The same applies to furthering your rotation. You can use the different wakeboard sizes as a learning tool and size up or down to help you learn.
