I am not a small framed individual - 6' 2" 255lbs. My body wasn't built for gracefully flying through the air, more like crunching bodies on the grid iron. But never-the-less, God granted me with the soul of a wakeboarder and therein lies my problem. Wakeboards were never built for guys my size. They were built for people who fall in the 100-180lb range, with the exception of a handful of riders. So needless to say, when I saw this giant board pulled out of the wrapper I was immediately attracted to it. I mean how could you not be? This thing comes in a 150, 155 and 160!
First off, this board isn't just designed for Sasquatches like me (I just happened to be the first to take it out on a test drive, so that's why I'm writing the review on it). This board is a perfect board for adults learning how to wakeboard or a hardened veteran looking for a different approach to his/her riding. But because of it's large size, it definitely has its advantages for a husky individual such as myself.
So here's my experience on it...
Upon first glance, I would've assumed because of its size that this board would be a lot heavier than I'm used to. However, because of the Future Response Flex Technology (fancy lingo for thinning out the tip and tail) this board is surprisingly light.
After strapping the board to my feet and getting in the water, it was a bit more cumbersome to float in the water with, but I'm assuming that's because a woodcore board does not have nearly as much float as a traditional foam core board. Once I grabbed the handle and yelled "hit it" the extra surface area made getting up a breeze, and I noticed very little strain on my arms and shoulders when casually carving around. The wood core made carving around feel very similar to snowboarding, in the fact that I could feel the board flex as I edged back and forth. It was very playful, and a completely different feel than your traditional foam core board. Also, the board has a ton of glide speed. I didn't feel like I was fighting against the boat to get out into the flats. Because of it's continuous rocker, I figured the board would not pop as much as the 3-stage rockered board I am currently riding. But because of it's huge sweet spot, the board popped surprisingly well and consistent. The giant sweet spot also made landings super soft. Even on the rare flight out into the flats, it didn't feel like my knees were going to shoot through the tops of my thighs. All-in-all, I was very pleased with how the board performed behind the boat. If I had one thing I could change, it would be that the board be a little bit stiffer. I got to believe this would increase the consistency off the wake even more.
I had ambitions of driving 6 hours to my "local" cable park to test it out there as well, but unfortunately the weather crapped out on us. If you look the board up on Slingshot's website it categorizes this board specifically as a "boat board," but I think this plank has a lot of potential in the cable park as well. The board does not come with the ES Base (Slingshot's newest slider base), but it does have a dura-base. This was Slingshot's slider base from 2012-13. The thinner tip and tail profiles look to be the makings of a fun, pressable board. Plus, all that additional surface area would make riding at slower cable speeds a lot less exhausting.
So there you have it, a wakeboard review from a former offensive lineman. I know giant football players and wakeboarding generally don't go hand-in-hand, but thank God Slingshot devised a product that made it possible. Now don't take my word for how well this board rides, get one yourself and take it for a spin.