WAKEBOARD FINS

A WAKEBOARD'S FINS ARE THE PART OF THE WAKEBOARD THAT KEEP THE BOARD TRACKING STRAIGHT WHILE ALSO ALLOWING IT TO TURN SMOOTHLY. FINS ARE LOCATED ON THE BOTTOM OF THE BOARD ON THE MIDDLE, FRONT TIP, BACK TIP, OR ALL OF THESE PLACES. TIPS CAN BE MADE FROM PLASTIC, MACHINED ALUMINUM, FIBERGLASS, OR CARBON FIBER. WAKEBOARD FINS WORK BY CREATING DRAG IN THE WATER. THIS DRAG ACTUALLY PULLS THE BACK OF THE BOARD TO THE WATER AND CREATES STABILITY. BIGGER, DEEPER FINS CREATE MORE DRAG THAN LIGHTER FINS BECAUSE THEY WILL DIG FURTHER INTO THE WATER. SHALLOWER FINS, BY CONTRAST, ALLOW THE RIDER TO MAKE SHARPER, QUICKER TURNS. HOWEVER, WHAT YOU GAIN IN QUICKNESS WITH SMALLER FINS, YOU LOSE IN STABILITY. ANOTHER CONSIDERATION WHEN DECIDING ON FINS IS WHAT KIND OF WATER YOU'LL BE IN. IN ROUGH WATERS, A BIGGER FIN MIGHT BE NECESSARY TO KEEP THE BOARD STABLE WHEREAS IN SMOOTH, FLAT WATER, MORE NOVICE WAKEBOARDERS MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET AWAY WITH SMALLER FINS.

TWIN TIPS (SINGLES) IS WHEN THE BOARD SIMPLY HAS TWO FINS, ONE ON EACH END OF THE BOARD WITH NO CENTER FIN. SINGLE FINS WILL GIVE THE WAKEBOARDER A FAIRLY PREDICTABLE RIDE AND ALLOW THE RIDER TO EASILY INITIATE TURNS. WITH ONLY TWO FINS, JUMPS ARE EASY TO INITIATE AND KEEP THE BOARD FROM SNAGGING TOO MUCH WATER ON LANDS. THIS IS A GOOD SETUP FOR THE INTERMEDIATE-SKILLED RIDER.

QUAD TIPS CONFIGURATION IS WHEN THERE ARE TWO FINS ON EACH END OF THE BOARD WITH NO CENTER FIN. THIS CONFIGURATION ALLOWS THE RIDER TO MAKE TIGHTER QUICKER TURNS THAN WITH THE TWIN TIPS SETUP, HOWEVER, THE TWO EXTRA FINS CAN MAKE LANDING JUMPS MORE DIFFICULT. QUAD TIPS IS A GOOD SETUP FOR THE NOVICE TO INTERMEDIATE RIDER.

SIX FINS, AS ITS NAME IMPLIES, IS WHEN THERE ARE THREE FINS ON EACH END OF THE BOARD. THIS CONFIGURATION ALLOWS FOR THE MOST STABILITY OF ANY FIN SETUP AND IS PROBABLY THE BEST WAY FOR A NOVICE RIDER TO LEARN TO WAKEBOARD.

MOLDED-IN FINS ARE GENERALLY BIGGER THAN OTHER FINS AND ALLOW FOR TREMENDOUS CONTROL OVER OTHER CONFIGURATIONS.

A GOOD IDEA WHEN TRYING FIGURING OUT WHAT FIN SETUP IS RIGHT FOR YOU IS TO TRY THEM ALL OUT. MOST BOARDS ARE BUILT TO ACCOMODATE A LARGE NUMBER OF FIN LAYOUTS SO YOU SHOULD TRY AND FIND WHAT YOU ARE MOST COMFORTABLE WITH. ALSO WORTH NOTING IS THAT IF YOUR WAKEBOARD HAS A PLACE FOR A REMOVABLE CENTER FIN, THAT FIN WILL MAKE ANY SETUP MORE STABLE AND WHEN USED BY ITSELF, LETS THE RIDER CHANGE DIRECTIONS QUICKLY.

BINDINGS

HAVING CORRECTLY FITTING BINDINGS THAT PROPERLY MATCH YOUR SKILL LEVEL IS ESSENTIAL TO COMFORTABLE BOARD RIDING. WHEN SELECTING A BINDING, THERE ARE A COUPLE THINGS YOU SHOULD KEEP IN MIND SUCH AS YOUR SKILL LEVEL, WHAT MATERIALS ARE THE BINDINGS MADE FROM, AND WHAT FEELS COMFORTABLE ON YOUR FEET. TO HELP MAKE BINDING SELECTION EASIER, IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE BASIC COMPONENETS OF A WAKEBOARD BINDING.

THE OVERLAY IS THE PIECE OF THE BINDING WHICH HOLDS THE TOE AND HEEL PIECES TOGETHER. THE OVERLAY IS USUALLY CONSTRUCTED FROM A TOUGH MATERIAL SO AS TO KEEP IT FROM PULLING APART BUT IS STILL PLIABLE ENOUGH SO THAT IT IS COMFORTABLE AND ALLOWS THE RIDER SOME MOVEMENT.

THE UNDERLAY IS THE PIECE THAT ATTACHES TO THE OVERLAY AND GOES OVER THE TOP OF THE FOOT. THE UNDERLAY SHOULD BE SNUG WHILE NOT PINCHING OR CAUSING DISCOMFORT TO THE RIDER'S FOOT.

THE BASEPLATE IS THE PART OF THE BINDING WHICH SITS BETWEEN THE BINDING AND THE BOARD. MOST BASEPLATES ARE MADE OF METAL AND ARE HIGHLY ADJUSTABLE SO AS TO ALLOW MANY DIFFERENT STANCES AND FOOTING OPTIONS. ALWAYS SELECT A BASEPLATE THAT IS STIFF ENOUGH TO NOT ALLOW ANY FLEX AND ADJUSTABLE ENOUGH TO ACCOMODATE A VARIETY OF RIDERS.

THE FOOTBED IS SIMPLY THAT PART OF THE BINDING ON TOP OF WHICH YOUR FOOT RESTS. THESE PARTS ARE USUALLY VERY SOFT TO PROVIDE THE RIDER WITH COMFORT. HIGHER QUALITY BINDINGS WILL HAVE A FOOTBED THAT ABSORBS SHOCK, PROVIDES ARCH SUPPORT, AND HOLDS THE HEEL SLIGHTLY HIGHER THAN THE BALL OF THE FOOT.

ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT BINDINGS WILL BECOME LOOSER AFTER CONTINUED USE AND WILL OFTEN FIT DIFFERENTLY AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN BROKEN IN. IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER, THEREFORE, THAT TO MAKE YOUR BINDINGS COMFORTABLE IT IS OFTEN NECESSARY TO ADJUST THEM SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL USES. THERE ARE GENERALLY LOTS OF DIFFERENT STRAPS AND TIES ON A TYPICAL BINDING SO IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO TRY A LOT OF DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS TO FIND WHAT IS MOST COMFORTABLE FOR YOU.