"Custom Boards"

What makes the high end custom boards( IS,ShedStixx ect...) any better than the say... CWB's, Hyperlite, Ronix ect.. We want to get our own board now and we are trying to justify the extra 2-400+ for the high end brands and it's tough. We have riden some HLite and Ronix boards but I want to get the best bang for my buck. We are intermediate currently but above avg wakeboarders and will most likely progress quickly. It seems the "entry level" boards simply copy the designs of the "high end" stuff anyway?