RSSWidth
Are you still with me? Hang in there. The width of a wakeboard directly affects how high it sits in the water. There are three places to check wakeboard widths: Tips and tails – those are generally the same – and in the middle. Narrower tips and tails sit lower and make the wakeboard turn more aggressively. However, to initiate spins you might have to wait longer because the wakeboard doesn’t release as well through the wake. A rider may want to load up fins on the ends of this wakeboard since it sits lower in the water. Wider tips and tails allow you to break your fins loose and slide around for lip tricks and surface tricks, and a better release for spins off the wake.
As we focus on the width of the middle of the wakeboard, the variable that changes is pop. The wider the middle of the wakeboard, the higher it will sit in the water and the harder it will bounce off the wake. You do lose some ability to edge the wakeboard really aggressively and cannot rely on your fins as much. This teaches you to use the rail of the wakeboard to edge through the water instead of relying on your fins.
Your next question might be: How does the size of the wake I ride influence my choice of wakeboard width? I find that if you ride a smaller wake you need a narrower wakeboard so you can load up the line and your tricks more. You sit lower in the water on a narrower wakeboard, so you are essentially creating more wake for yourself. For the big, mellow wakes and aggressive out-in-the-flats riding you should find a wakeboard that is wide through the middle and a little narrower at the tip and tail so you can edge longer and use your fins more. For an all-around loose snowboard-type feel and those huge, steep wakes, find a wakeboard that is wider throughout. As a coach, I would rather see a rider get on a wider wakeboard so that from the beginning the rider learns to use the edge and not rely on the fins. It may seem squirrelly at first, but it will pay off in the long run.