Flex Boards?

The recent emergence of Sine Wakeboards, along with Slingshot, (maybe there's others, I just am not aware of them) has got me wondering what some of the advantages of Flex boards are vs. regular stiff boards? (from people who have actually ridden them, not manufacturer explanations) And how come it is only the small startup companies that are doing it and not any of the big companies? (Hyperlite, LF, CWB, etc.)

The COMPANIES that feature flex in every board in some way are:

Slingshot
Company
Humanoid (very soon to be releasing publicly)
Sine


other boards that have flex are
Hyperlite Roam
Ronix Covenant (recently discontinued)
Obrien Local and R5
LF Press, Mellisa, and Ennen

Soft landings
Lively pop that can be loaded like the rope can be "loaded"... or think of an archery bow maybe
more lively presses
great on rails and water (for most... some are used more on rails only like the roam for example... by the pros anyway)
overal the funnest type of wakeboard i have ever ridden on

(Message edited by wakerider111 on May 29, 2009)

which one do you ride?

+1 slingshot (mainly the recoil)

(Message edited by sidekicknicholas on May 29, 2009)

+1 Slingshot (mainly the reflex)

I ride the recoil 142

before this i rode the 2004 byerly 137
the board has really changed how i ride for the better and for the better of my overall enjoyment:
*I used to like a more gripy board but now i like a looser board with less bottom features.
*I used to prefer mellower speeds and edges, but now i have become more aggressive, probably mostly due to the softer landings
*I used to think i preferred a pure 3 stage board, but now i am thinking that i might like the reflex better (though i have not tried it yet) because i have gotten more aggressive... compared to what i was before [recoil=3 stage, response=continuous, and reflex=progressive 3 stage... or a blend of the other two]
*the one thing that has stayed the same for me is the importance of a soft landing ride, which was the selling point/ and main reason i hopped on a slingshot to begin with. low and behold i ended up with so much more than that.

will this same thing happen to others as it did me if they try flex? not necessarily. moreover you'll never know if it is something for you till you try it. its the most influential wakeboard feature since 3 stage rocker or multi/molded in fin boards.
some of these hybrid flex boards might be better for some. there are a lot of options for flex now so don't judge them all by one.

also keep in mind that it takes about 3 sets to get used to a new board so give it a 3 strikes test at least too if possible

Kinda funny, I switched from the same 137 byerly to a response.

sweet, thanks man. I definitely want to demo one this summer.