How Does a Wakeboard Work?
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What is Wakeboarding
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Wakeboarding is a unique combination of surfing, water skiing, and snowboarding. When wakeboarding, you are riding a single board over the surface of the water. A boat will pull you along at about 18 to 24 miles an hour. Wakeboarding is usually easy for surfers to adapt to. Waterskiiers will notice that the boat moves at a much slower speed for wakeboarding than it does for water skiing.
Wakeboarding and Tricks
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As the powerboat moves through the water, it creates a track of waves. This is called the wake. The trick to wakeboarding is to properly leverage the wake of the powerboat. Wakeboarders try to hit the wake at an ideal angle. When done properly, this will propel them as high as 20 feet into the air. A more heavily weighted boat will create a bigger wave. Tricks can be performed both in the air and on the surface of the water.
The Design of the Board
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The wakeboard is shaped like a surfboard. However, while a surfboard has a pointed nose and rounded tail, a wakeboard is blunt on both ends. Boards are about five feet in length, with a width of about two feet at the center. Fins on the board allow for better maneuvering. Bindings on top of the wakeboard allow the rider to strap their feet onto the board. Wakeboards are usually made from fiberglass and graphite and range from $200 to $800.
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- Photo Credit Richard Giles
