Wakeboarding - June 01, 2018

MAKING WAVES ///FOR COMPARISON’S SAKE

SCAN ME

20 | BOATINGMAG.COM | JUNE 2018

PHOTOS: COURTESY CONNELLY SKIS (3)

CONNELLY

KATANA

THE STYLE: It’s a

surfer-style board that has

straighter rails and deeper

fins to give it more drive to

allow for pumping and gain-

ing momentum to surf in a

traditional ocean-wave style.

THE SHRED: The Katana

is an expert-level board

with sharp rails at the tail,

round buoyant rails toward

the nose, and a quad fin

setup. The board has a

blazing-fast drive and pop

off the lip.

THE NUMBERS: $600 for

a 4-foot-7-inch or

4-foot-10-inch board;

connellyskis.com

CONNELLY

BIG EASY

THE STYLE: It’s the wake-

surfing equivalent of the

classic longboard, designed

for cruising and doing tricks

such as nose riding.

THE SHRED: The Big Easy

is the longest surfer that

Connelly offers, with a tri-

fin setup and a tapered tail

design that allows for easy

maneuverability. The full-

length EVA pad on the top

provides the grip to perform

tricks along the length

of the board, in classic

ocean-surfing style.

THE NUMBERS: $550 for a

5-foot-6-inch board;

connellyskis.com

CONNELLY

BENTLEY

THE STYLE: This hybrid

board combines some of the

loose, trick-enabling traits

of a skim board with the

more predictable feel of a

surfer-style board.

THE SHRED: The Bentley

provides the best of both

worlds, making it an ideal

board for beginners trying

to develop a style that suits

them. The twin-fin setup

helps provide drive in the

wave but lets it break free

on the wave lip for more

skim-style tricks.

THE NUMBERS: $350 for

boards from 4 feet 4 inches

to 5 feet; connellyskis.com

WAKESURF BOARDS

If you’re looking to get started in wakesurfi ng, you need to know the dif erence

between the types of boards out there, from skimmers to surfers and hybrids of

both, to the soul-surfi ng longboard. Here’s a look at three types of wakesurfers

from the same brand. —Boating Tech Team

CAPTAIN’S TEST

(Answers from page 18)

1. B. Chine walking is a side-to-
   side rocking motion of the hull
   that can get violent quickly. Typ-
   ically, it’s caused by worn engine
   mounts, loose steering, poor
   setup, driver inexperience, hull
   design problem or irregularity, or
   any combination of these issues.
   If your hull does this and you
   can’t resolve it with practice,
   seek help from an experienced
   performance-boat setup expert.


2. D. All these issues can con-
   tribute to irregular and erratic
   high-speed handling.


3. E. Learning how your boat
   handles and reacts to engine and
   trim-tab angles is critical to safe
   performance, increased speed,
   and fuel efficiency.


4. D. These are age-old tips
   to learn how to master
   high-speed handling in any
   performance boat.


5. F. There are scores of YouTube
   videos of cowboy throttle jockeys
   crossing wakes at high speeds
   and causing incredible accidents
   and injuries. Don’t be one of them.


6. D. Learning how your boat
   reacts when coming out of a high-
   speed run can be critical to avoid-
   ing incident. Practice by reducing
   throttle gradually with drive trim
   and watching your surroundings
   carefully.

CAPTAIN’S TESTS ONLINE

Test your knowledge of boating with

more Captain’s Tests at boatingmag

.com/captains-test.

BIG EASY

Longboard style for

soulful cruising.

BENTLEY

Hybrid board good

for surf and skim.

KATANA

More drive for tradi-

tional surf style.

ONLINE
THIS
MONTH
Looking for the best
tools to satisfy your
tow-sports craving?

Check out our 2018 Watersports

Gear Guide at boatingmag

.com/2018-water-sports-gear-

guide-0 or scan this tag!