Recommend Gear

[Dr Silverworm]

I thought it'd be a pretty good idea to start a gear recommendation thread, no? My sister wants to get into wakeboarding, and I could use the help. She needs a board that will be good for both cable and boat, so I could use a little help. Especially since the site I usually rely on, Wakeside.com, has kind of a weak slider selection.

I'm looking for a without molded fins so it won't get banged up when she starts hitting sliders, but one that can also cut hard enough to be worth using behind a boat on real wakes. We're willing to pay for quality, but it'd be awesome if there were any previous year models that we could buy on sale that fit my description. She says her shoe size is 7 or 8, we're going to need bindings too. I'm willing to buy those separately if there's a killer deal on board/bindings alone, but the bindings have to be easy to put on and off. She's 17.. Any help is appreciated

Edit: OK, so after much research, I've found two that I'm in love with: a high-end choice and a low-end choice. I guess it comes down to price for us, now.

For $300 - http://www.wakeside.com/product/wakeboard_gear/womens/wakeboard_packages/liquid+force+angel+plush+wakeboard+package+2009.do #

For $600 - http://www.boardstop.com/product_info.php?products_id=3758&ref=35

My question to you all now is this: will buying a high-end set-up like the Melissa package be any harder to learn on than a beginner-focused board for any reason? Furthermore, the board is advertised to be "great for rails as well as wake-to-wake", but will the molded fins on the '09 Melissa really hold up under the stress of sliders? I'm thinking for the future, here.

Thanks!

[07Malibu]

If I were you I'd look for a board on ebay or boardersbestbuy.com! You can get an 06-08 Hyperlite Eden for heck of a lot cheaper on there. It is the female version of the State which is a great all around board. You don't need the center fins as it has shaped molded in ones. I rode a 140 State for two years and loved it and bought an Eden for my wife a few years ago and she loves it! You can get matching Eden bindings with for them too but there not as comfortable as the Noise model bindings. My wife wears a 6 and has xsmalls so you may want to go with a small and depending on her size a 130 or 135 board. There's on 07 setup on ebay right now for $199. I've learned over the years you'll save a ton if you buy the last year or two's model.

The only true "slider" boards are the Hyperlite Roam and Ronix Covenant and you wouldn't want those as your primary deck. Hope this helps!

PS. Nothing against Liquide Force, I've just always rode Hyperlite and Slingshot and are more familiar wth there lines.