New setup advice

(tom_hampel) · (tom_hampel) **Join Date: Mar 2008** 03-05-2008, 5:12 PM

I am looking to get into wakeskating and wanted all of your advice on what types of setup to get. I dont want to be cheap about it and plan on advancing fairly quickly so I want a board that I can grow into. I was looking as the byerly legacy and the hyperlite cataltst. Shoes and handle opinions would help out too.What are you guys riding and what do you think I should go with? Thanks everyone!

(wakemitch) · (wakemitch) **Join Date: Jun 2005** 03-05-2008, 9:57 PM

how tall are you and how much do you weigh? do you want a wood board or a composite? primarily w2w riding, flats/lip, or well rounded?

(tom_hampel) · (tom_hampel) **Join Date: Mar 2008** 03-11-2008, 6:22 PM

i weigh 140 5-11 and pretty much well rounded and composite and im thinking grip tape too

(tampa_jimmie) · (tampa_jimmie) **Join Date: Feb 2005** 03-12-2008, 10:00 AM

if your thinking composite, you cant go wrong with integrity. and i have heard that 12 gauge makes good skates. you also might want to consider a good wood concave. companies like oak, new, l13, and sattelyte all make really good boards.

(sinkoumn) · (sinkoumn) **Join Date: Jan 2007** 03-12-2008, 10:27 AM

If you want an indestructible board go with an Integrity. If you want a Bilevel go with either the 08 LF SST, or a Devotid

(tom_hampel) · (tom_hampel) **Join Date: Mar 2008** 03-12-2008, 5:55 PM

how come you all recommend the boards that are not made by the top wakeboard manufactures is there a quality difference or price or why don't the wakeboard companies step it up to better compete and where can i find an integrity? thanks everyone!

(sinkoumn) · (sinkoumn) **Join Date: Jan 2007** 03-12-2008, 6:14 PM

You ever buy a pair of Nike shoes? Sony TV? Same crap with top names - half the time you're paying for the name brand (I'm sorry, $80 for a pair of Nike's is a joke).

I love LF and their products for life, but $350 for their wakeskate is a little hard to swallow for me (nine ply can't be worth that much; top deck, might be worth it, but still that's a grip of cash - especially when you compare that price to an Integrity deck, which is bomb proof).

Integrity's are pretty hard to find at the moment, Schmaltz runs the operation and he's the man! He would rather put out a quality product over quantity, so you might be out of luck for awhile to get an integ.

But if you're looking to stay on the cheap on the long run you'll learn quick that you get what you pay for. However, if you want to get into skating for a discount, checkout the closeouts on boardersmall.com, I threw this one out to a different person on awhile back:
http://boardersmall.com/xcart/product.php?productid=18837&cat=342&page=1

The board isn't the greatest, but will work just fine for you over the next year or two. But don't expect any board to have an 'easy button' on it, so just stick with last years stuff for now to save some coin; and once you step your game up then take the plunge and get a more expensive deck that you know will work for you in terms of length/concave/rocker/weight/grip/etc.