2015 Hyperlite Shim and Byerly Buzz Wakesurf Review

Well finally got some time behind the boat. The wind has been ridiculous and the few warm days we have had i think every boat owner hit the lake. Not much wake boarding was done so left me some time to surf a bit. I was in search for my first advanced surfboard and the local shop let me demo a few. I am 6ft 180lbs. I would say and intermediate surfer. I can go ropeless all day, pump the board to recover, spin 3's regularly, and finally am getting a little air. I read a few good things about the Buzz and wanted to give it a shot. Was looking tp try and find a board in the $500 range you could push the limits on. I have been riding a Ronix Parks Thruster for a while, but feel i have progressed way past what it can offer. I am riding at 10.5MPH with 1000 on the rear surf side and 600 in the nose. I would classify my wake as medium sized behind my 2008 SANTE

I was able to get on an Inland Surfer Swallow pretty regularly. I just didn't have the coin, nor do I surf enough to drop 800-1000 on a board. Maybe surf 10-15% of my boat time. Primarily still wakeboard Love the swallows carving and speed aspects. Just not easy to spin around at all. You can recover off almost anything though with it.. It slashes and turns on a dime. Almost never pearls. I I definitely prefer a surf style board hands down, but want one little more easily to maneuver around for the 3's

Byerly Buzz
I rode both the the 4'8" and the 5'3" Byerly Buzz. I read and heard some good things about this board. Guys over at Hyperlite also steered me here first...... Was expecting some good things

Construction
The construction seemed to be super high quality. I have owned some "true" wake surfs and have friends with a ton of the higher end "surf style construction" kind. This board was way more durable than any of those. IT had a nice hard outer shell. Was really impressed with the weight of the board. I have seen and held many high end boards and this rivals them for sure. Uses future fin boxes so fins can be swapped easily and not too pricy
Performance
This board rode bigger than it was. It felt humongous on the 5'3" side. You really had to be on your front foot to keep up the speed. The 4'8' was definitely too slow for me on the medium wake I have. It just wouldn't go. It plowed through the water like a tank. I was very slow edge to edge and just really lacked any luster. I really had to work it in order to keep up. The 5'3" was a beast to move around and carved like crap. I was severely disappointed with its performance. It was really a disappointment for me at my size. It just seemed the 4'8" was too small and the 5'3" was too big. As being marketed as a "fast " board it was anything but fast. The rails had no bite and it really didn't edge well at all.

Hyperlite Shim
I again demoed both sizes. The 4'8" and the 5"3. I couldn't find one review or any info on this board anywhere. So had no idea what to expect. 2015 made a change and it now uses future fins which opens the board up to some added performance.

Construcion
In my opinion again a higher end construction. This board was extremely light. I can see this being more on the fragile side. The balance was exceptional. This board had a harder/sharper rail line than the Buzz.

Performance
Started on the 4'8" Wow was I impressed. It was lively and super responsive. I had no trouble keeping it and riding it with the boat. 3's were no problem, slashes came with ease. This board rode much smaller than its size. I was able to work it and could keep it rolling down the line, but it wasn't easy. If you have a big wake I think this would be awesome for someone at my size. So because this board was so nimble, responsive, seemed to ride smaller than it was, and my medium wake I went to the 5'3".
The 5'3' was absolutely perfect for me. Again this board handles and responds like a much smaller board. Even in the 5'3" size. The board is extremely fast. I could ride out of almost anything and float pretty far back in the wake. Almost as far as the Inland Surfer Swallow would let me. I can only compare this board to the Swallow because that's what i have ridden the most. The Shim is almost as fast, is a bit more responsive/playful, and has the same air popping potential. This was truly an impressive board at a 499 price point. Hyperlite markets the Shim as the best of both surf and skim. Honestly I think its pretty right on. It has a surf style feel to it with the Future fins and carves great, it really responds edge to edge super quick and with ease which makes it a blast. IT's super light weight which will also allow you to dabble in some skim style board tricks. The board never wanted to pearl on me, and again was just a blast to ride. All in all if you're looking for a high end feel from a board at a price point I feel this is the ticket. I am far from a surf guru though.

I know a lot of people swear by the higher end boards, in some aspect for a regular surfer I can see why a high end board would be necessary. I was just trying to meet a budget as someone who just dabbles, but is good enough to appreciate high end characteristics. After testing some boards I really think the changes made to the Shim for 2015 it make it a home run for a more surf style, performance board at a price point. Again I know people swear by the surf companies, but after riding and seeing some of the newer shapes and construction from the wakeboard "out of the box" mfg's, I think they are putting out some comparable products. It will always be hard to beat a custom board though
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The Shim is a great board and I highly recommend it. Mine is mostly used by my women riders who have graduated beyond a beginner board. It carves and will throw spins with no problems. Great bang for the buck.