Boards and Knees

So I'm sure this has been discussed before, but the search function is still a little cluttered (Hint hint Dave ) I blew out my knee last fall boarding, and I was wondering what you guys opinions were on flex/rocker and knees. I'm riding a Lyman, which by no means is a stiff board, but it also goes out in to the flats pretty well. What do you guys think about a more flexy board like a Company or a Slingshot and also maybe going to more of an abrupt 3-stage to get more of a wake to wake effect than the hybrid-esque 3 stage that the Lyman uses? I'm also thinking about maybe just dropping the fins for a little less drag on landings, tell me what you think about that as well. Just trying to figure out some stuff before the season starts up here in frigid northern Wisco . Thanks!

Flex saves the knees without sacrificing performance. Take a demo ride and you'll probably never look back. I highly recomend Slingshot, and they are bombproof on the rails.

I have a fragile knee that was operated on when I was 14 (HS wrestling injury). I've babied that knee (and the other one) through all kinds of sports and activities. If I blow a knee now wakeboarding, that could likely spell the end of my wakeboarding as I enjoy it.

When I started, I decided a comfortable stance was the key. I tinkered and tinkered with width and duck of my stance til I got it comfortable. Anyway, if you already haven't, I wouldn't overlook the importance of stance.

I tore my knee up again last year and started riding the Sky Ski more. It sure is a lot less painful at the end of the day! Still have some hard wrecks though.

I'd love to demo a board, just a little tough in northern WI.

Jon: I have a pretty comfortable stance. I've tinkered with it a bit to get it where I want it. I did the whole jump test to try and figure out a good angle to set my feet. I'm thinking about talking to my doc though to see what he thinks about the angle that it's at and if it's good or bad for the knee.

I blew my knee riding my slingshot, just sayin

Yeah, I'm not expecting it to totally stop me from ever injuring it again or blowing the other one, I just wonder if the flex would possibly give me a little more of a preventative measure. They are also supposed to retain a little more speed on landing i think, correct me if I'm wrong.

Yeah a Slingshot is the answer to all your problems. If you even just rub a board on your injured knee, it will heal it like it was never injured. Jk Slingshot guys, they are fun boards, and the flex could definately help with the landings once you get the hang of landing tail heavy. Otherwise look at boards with a big centre spine or any other bottom feature designed to break the water under you on landings. As far as rocker, goes, getting a big 3 stage might not be what you want because they are more likely to pop you higher (technique dependant of course). This might cause some problems for you if you are prone to slightly overshooting the wake and landing in the trough.

Biggs,

As far as I'm concerned with knees, it's all technique and how you've got your stance set up (strength training aside). If you've got your knees set in the optimal weight bearing position, which may not be the "All the way out, ducked to the max" stance that just seems to be the norm now, they'll hold up much better than if they aren't able to flex in a way which corresponds to the compacting motion of your body upon impact. I always tell people when they're figuring out their stance to stand on their board, and replicate a weight squat. When you find a comfortable location with your feet, that's where your boots ought to be placed. I also think the comment above about wake to wake riding is very relevant to your knee situation, regardless, falls can mess things up, but the transition of the wake definitely eases impact regardless of what board your riding.

No board is going to completely stop you blowing your knee. The best thing is still working out, keeping muscles strong.
But having a board that lands with speed sure takes off a lot of pressure. (Yet another reason to ride a bigger board) board shapes like the bill, viva, lyman, response, clash.... all land with a ton speed where as slower/draggy boards like the Premier stop a lot of your momentum when you touch down, putting some odd strains on your knees and ankles. Most of the time you don't notice it, but its there. Just one more thing to keep in mind.

I rode a slingshot for 2 years now. Flex can make a landing softer, but may times it will also make it a harder landing depending on how you land. If I'd land in the flats and have my weight even over both my feet, the impact would be much more than a traditional board. I'd say a board with a center spine and flex would be the best of both worlds. Also, you definitely want a continuous rocker board, no doubt about it. A fast, continuous board will make softer landings for sure.

If you are talking about a board that will help with the day in and day out pounding, flex is an option when landed tail heavy as others have pointed out. Seems most of the bad knee injuries, like blown ACLs I have seen, the board wouldn't have mattered at all though. Bad wrecks where you do not spot your landing are when things can head for the worse for the knees. There is also a reason why most pros land w2w and never short and rarely into the flats. Getting your speed and line length dialed in so you can spot and land on that sweet spot every time will do more for your knees than any board design.