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Old     (nickb)      Join Date: Jun 2013       12-08-2016, 1:53 PM Reply   
Hi guys,

Im pretty new to WW and this would be my first post. I'm looking for a new wakeboard for next summer. I think I've narrowed it down to 2 choices but can't decide between the two of them. I'm in Montana where it's about zero degrees and the lake is frozen now, plus none of the local shops have a very big selection and don't carry many brands so trying to demo a board is not an option. The only thing I can really do is search online and get advice from others. I was pretty sold on the hyperlite kruz 144 until I started hearing more about the humanoid boards and thought the oracle 143 might be a good board for me. I'm mostly interested in these two boards and would really like to hear reviews from anyone who has ridden one or both of these boards. I'm sure there are other boards that would work too so I'm open to suggestions as well.

Im about 5'10 and 180 pounds. I'd say I'm probably an intermediate to advanced rider. I can do all my 180s on both sides of the wake. I am confortable jumping and clearing the wake toe side. I have gotten pretty good at landing back rolls and tantrums consistently but I'm still struggling with my 360s. I've landed a few but can never seem to get the handle pass down so I'd like to get better at those.

I'm currently riding a hyperlite baseline 136 which I feel is too small for me. I like the consistent and smooth feel of the board but it just doesn't have the pop I'm looking for and the landings could be a little softer too which probably has a lot to do with the size of the board. Before that I had a liquid force S4 138 and I really liked the amount of pop that board had and the landings felt ok. It was a little loose but that never really bothered me. Overall it was a great board and I really enjoyed riding it. I had a chance to try out some of my buddies boards over the summer and got me thinking I might like something different and probably a bit longer. First I tried out a hyperlite Murray 150 and that board was awesome! It had tons of pop but was still very predictable and landings felt about the same as my board only I was getting twice as much air. Toe side jumps and 180s felt way easier too and I just felt better balanced and more solid on the board. I was able to ride with a rope 5ft longer and was still landing in the flats a lot. I could still land all my tricks on it but it did fell a bit heavy when doing inverts which took a bit to get used to. I'm sure if I had the next size down it would have solved this. Then I tried my other friends hyperlite franchise 142 and it was a good riding board. Not quite as much pop as I had with the big Murray board but still enough to have some fun with and it felt very smooth and easy to ride. I think the size was just about right for me too because it never felt too heavy and I could still throw it around without much effort. Plus the landings felt nice and soft which I liked.

I'd like to get a board with a lot of pop since I like going big and having more time in the air to do my tricks but still want something that lands soft so I can keep my knees healthy for many years to come. I like the feel of the continuous or subtle 3 stage rocker for the little bit of extra pop but still want something that's predictable and not going to kill me if I get my timing a little bit off. I'd say I'm probably about 50/50 between going wake to wake and landing out in the flats depending on my mood that day. I want something that is fast and smooth and I can get a lot of air with and still have somewhat of a soft landing but also something I can progress on and learn some new tricks with. I'm also looking for something lightweight which is what got me interested in these two boards. I feel like have something a little lighter would allow me to ride a longer board without losing any benefits of the shorter board that I've been riding. Also, is there really much advantage by going with the nova core vs the bio core on the hyperlite? I know they say the nova is lighter and snappier which sounds like a good thing but is there really that much difference between the two?

Thanks in advance for all your great advice.
Old     (T_A)      Join Date: Feb 2013       12-08-2016, 2:31 PM Reply   
I'm riding the '16 hyperlite Kruz 144 bio and am very happy with it. Advanced rider and moved up from a marek 140 and didn't really notice a difference in size or weight for spinning/inverts. I'm 5'11 195lbs and it fits really well. Never ridden humanoid so no help there. I would go with Bio core for hyperlite if it's the normal $2-300 difference. Less than $100 difference, sure go with Nova. No way it's worth $200+ more tho.
Old     (tarek)      Join Date: Jun 2011       12-08-2016, 2:34 PM Reply   
Here is my .02, I rode the 144 Kruz Nova the first half of the year and loved it. Im 6ft 200# and this board was great. I have always preferred more loosely tracking boards and rode the S4, Shane, and Harley Shapes back in the day then jumped on Hyperlite gear and rode the Franchise, Kruz, and now Byerly BP. If you want to have a stronger edge that may pull up the wake longer giving you more consistent lift the Kruz is a great option bc the rail stays sharp tip to tail... There is no variable edge which can be found in the Baseline, Murray, options. Sometimes those boards release early or slip of the wake and I don't believe those fins extend up to the tip of the board. The Franchise doesn't bevel in the middle but the center of the board is angled just slightly giving it a good neutral feel. I like loose boards but am pretty happy with how the Kruz tracked. It was locked in but still loose and forgiving which I liked. Between the two cores save the money. Im not totally convinced on core designs in wakeboard unless you feel like you need to spend the extra money. The BP has been great, its definitely a little heavy but is a very fun board to ride. Check out some of the riders and you will see quite a few guys on that board. My next board will be Trever Maurs Vegabond. I like the shape and design, haven't ridden it, but foresee that as a super fun freeride shape suitable for any type of rider. Last piece of advice... size up. its been the best thing for my riding. Having the ability to slow the boat down and shorten ropes has increased my confidence so much. Instead of feeling old and plateauing bc I'm afraid to get hurt, these big boards offer more surface area which means for me slower boat speeds.
Old     (Jmaxymek)      Join Date: Feb 2012       12-08-2016, 3:28 PM Reply   
I haaate being the guy that suggests other boards than the one the OP asks about but I've got to this time. First of all, welcome to WW Nick. I would say the Kruz Bio is the most common board among our crew, and everyone who rides it speaks highly of it. I've taken probably 10 sets on one and find that it locks down on edge easily, carries a ton of speed and pops pretty consistently every single time. I thought it was a solid board but lacked the playfulness that I personally enjoy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tarek View Post
The BP has been great, its definitely a little heavy but is a very fun board to ride. Check out some of the riders and you will see quite a few guys on that board. My next board will be Trever Maurs Vegabond. I like the shape and design, haven't ridden it, but foresee that as a super fun freeride shape suitable for any type of rider.
That said, I rode the BP all 2015 and had a ton of fun on it but wanted to go away from a hybrid continuous behind the boat without losing the playful shape, so I jumped on the Vagabond last season and it's been my favorite board since. The shape is great, it edges real smooth and predictably up the wake but still gets some three stage pop. It's a little wide which I'm cool with. I'd say I'm taking full speed cuts or raley cuts into the wake more often than not and taking things to the flats and even with knee and hip injuries I don't feel that the landings are hard. I'm 5'11, 160 riding the 138 and it's a perfect size for me.

@Tarek try that BP with the fins off for a set or two and see how you like it. They're pretty mellow fins to begin with, it was pretty fun riding without them!
Old     (Readyaimfire)      Join Date: Jun 2012       12-08-2016, 3:53 PM Reply   
I have not rode the Kruz, but i imagine it is a hard charging fast board. The Oracle is a really fun board, however it is not fast. It has a great consistent pop because of the continuous rocker, but it has a lot of rocker which makes it a bit slow in my opinion. Not a bad thing, but i did have to work harder to generate speed towards the wake. Once you get used to it though it's super fun.
Old     (nickb)      Join Date: Jun 2013       12-11-2016, 8:17 PM Reply   
Hmmm. Sounds like the kruz would be a good board for me but now you guys got me thinking about the vagabond. @Jmaxymek would you say the landings are softer on the vagabond or the kruz. This is important to me when choosing a board since I still enjoy landing in the flats but my knees don't feel the same as they did when I was 18 haha. Also, I found the kruz nova for only about $120 more than what I could find the bio core. At that price difference I don't really mind spending the extra money but I'd like to feel like I'm getting something for it. Can you even notice the weight difference between the two cores? Are there any disadvantages by going to the nova core?
Old     (boardjnky4)      Join Date: Dec 2011       12-12-2016, 4:54 AM Reply   
Chris O'Shea / Cameo should be on the list! Fast continuous rocker.
Old     (tarek)      Join Date: Jun 2011       12-12-2016, 7:49 AM Reply   
Kruz lands with plenty of speed so landings in the flats are good. If your sizing up and riding the 144 and don't mind spending the money do it!
Old     (simplej)      Join Date: Sep 2011       12-12-2016, 8:35 AM Reply   
Gt the oracle. Absolutely one of the fastest edging, poppiest, forgiving and most fun boards I have ever ridden.

Need no wall of text justification for that.
Old     (MystiikVLX)      Join Date: Jul 2014       12-17-2016, 1:58 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by boardjnky4 View Post
Chris O'Shea / Cameo should be on the list! Fast continuous rocker.
How does the cameo compare to the oracle? I have an old oracle a lot of friends ride on our boat and was looking to replace it. I was thinking of just getting another oracle but interested in the cameo advice
Old     (boardjnky4)      Join Date: Dec 2011       12-17-2016, 9:40 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by MystiikVLX View Post
How does the cameo compare to the oracle? I have an old oracle a lot of friends ride on our boat and was looking to replace it. I was thinking of just getting another oracle but interested in the cameo advice


I'm not really sure, I haven't ridden an oracle. But I'll say that the cameo is a more traditional continuous rocker that is fast and pops consistently. It's also loose and easy to do surface tricks on with the point sevens. If you like it more locked in you can use larger fins or use three fins.

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