What Are the Different Types of Wakeboards?

No curve or edge of a wakeboard is accidental or aesthetic. Every part of the board serves a purpose. For this reason, it’s important to make the right choice for what kind of wakeboarding you plan to do.

There are three main types of wakeboards: boat wakeboards, cable park wakeboards, and hybrid wakeboards. To determine which one is best suited for your needs, ask yourself whether you’ll be spending more time behind a boat, at a cable park, or a mixture of both. Whether you’re dipping your toe into a new hobby or ready to invest in your own wakeboard, we’ll break down what you need to know about the types of wakeboards.

Boat Wakeboarding

A boat wakeboard is towed behind a boat. It has a stiffer, less flexible body. This gives you more lift off the lip of a wave and better control on rough landings. You have more when you go with a boat wakeboard, which can improve your balance and certain tricks.

The best wakeboard for boating is a 3-stage rocker, which refers to how the wakeboard is shaped. Its flat base and distinctly angled nose and tail will deliver serious speed and air. What goes up must come down, so be ready for hard landings.

Wakesports, a maker of wakesurf boards, says the best wakeboard for beginners is a surf style board. With a rocker shape in mind, this wakeboard is thicker in volume with larger fins to lock into the water better. This gives the rider more control and keeps them in a steady direction.

Cable Park Wakeboarding

A cable park is like a skate park for wakeboarding. There are long cables overhead that tow you at a consistent path and speed. The best wakeboard for cable parks is the continuous rocker cable park wakeboard.

With a gentle curve from nose to tip, this wakeboard style is flexible enough for tricks on rails and kickers. It may have small molded fins or no fins at all. While it is more forgiving with recovery, it takes more expertise to get the same height a 3-stage rocker can. It does great with speed and smooth carving through the water.

Hybrid or All-Terrain Wakeboard

All-terrain may be a bit of a generous term for this wakeboard, but the idea is sound. A hybrid wakeboard looks like a 3-stage rocker, but with its sharp angles softened to give a smoother ride. A hybrid or all-terrain wakeboard is the best wakeboard for someone who plans on utilizing both a cable park and a boat for wakeboarding.

Knowing the Types of Wakeboards Will Make or Break Your Wake

Knowing the differences between the types of wakeboards can make or break your wakeboarding experience. So what are you waiting for? Find your wakeboard of choice, Google some wakeboarding how-to’s and lingo, and do some tricks on a rampy wake.

For more great tips on recreational activities and staying healthy, check out our Life and Sports archives.