Top 7 Best Cheap Wakeboards (Ronix, Liquid Force)
Wakeboarding can become an expensive sport when we add up all of the equipment. Ropes, handles, buoyancy vests, helmets, foot bindings, and the wakeboard itself. Not to mention the fuel for your boat. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by all these costs when you first get into the sport, especially with the huge array of wakeboards available. Deciding on which board to get will further confuse the situation when you realize all your choices. With different sizes, rocker styles, base designs, fins, rails, and the tips and tails, it becomes difficult to know which cheap boards are worth your time and which are garbage. Some of the leading wakeboard brands include Ronix, Hyperlite, Liquid Force, Connelly, Obrien, and Body Glove, just to mention a few. Because of all the options, we have compiled a list of the best budget boards on the market that will leave you carving up the wakes on nothing less than quality. In order to keep prices low and help you stock up on your gear without breaking the bank, all of our choices remain under USD 400. Top 7 Best Cheap Wakeboards Reviewed Ronix Vault (Best Overall) Liquid Force Trip (Best Budget) Liquid Force Timba (Best High End) Hyperlite Baseline Hyperlite State 2.0 Connelly Steel O’Brien System 1. Ronix Vault (Best Overall) An incredibly light wakeboard with edges on both the heel and toe sides designed for edging, this entry-level board is great for tricks and will see you through your intermediate stages of wakeboarding. 2. Liquid Force Trip (Best Budget) Designed with a non-aggressive shape, the trip is an ideal board for both beginners and experts alike. The Trips continuous rocker and D-I-S-C Hull make this budget board perfect for learning how to get some air while keeping a few extra dollars in your pocket. 3. Liquid Force Timba (Best High End) The Liquid Force Timba is a wakeboard to be reckoned with. This high-quality budget board is an ideal all-rounder, perfect for both wake parks and being towed behind a boat. This board is perfect for intermediate/ advanced riders, but will not make a new wakeboarder’s life too difficult as they learn the ropes of the sport. 4. Hyperlite Baseline With a continuous rocker and a wider base, this board is ideal for anyone trying to make quick progress with their wakeboarding skills. You can expect this board to be one of the smoothest rides out there with landings as soft as jumping on a sponge. 5. Hyperlite State 2.0 This asymmetrically shaped board has been specifically designed to balance out the forces exerted by the boat. With its uniquely designed toe and heel edges, and toe side foot risers this board is easy to maneuver and is ideal for all skill levels. 6. Connelly Steel Although it finds itself on the upper end of your budget, the Connelly Steel deserves a place on this budget list. The perfect cheap wakeboard for the more advanced boat wakeboarder, this board makes use of a variable 3 – stage rocker with a deep center channel that gives the expert rider optimum control. 7. O’Brien System A perfect cheap board for your kids to join you for your day on the lake or in the park, the System from O’brian is sturdy, lightweight and easy to control due to its continuous rocker. This is the perfect board for your kids to learn on and quickly advance their skills, both behind a boat or in a park. What to Look For When Buying a Cheap Wakeboard We know buying a wakeboard can be a long and tough process, especially when you have a tight budget and perhaps are not entirely sure what you should be looking for. Before you put that credit card in the machine, consider the points below and decide for yourself if you are making the best choice. Consider Your Budget Before diving into brands, quality, and the style of board you want, you should consider how much you are willing to spend. There’s no point in browsing through available wakeboards and finding the perfect one, only to discover that the board you have fallen in love with is far out of your price range. Set yourself a price limit and keep within the range while you are doing your research to prevent disappointment. Decide Where You Will Be Riding The next factor to consider is where you will be using your board. If you tend to lean towards being towed behind a boat then you should filter out any boards that are made specifically for parks. Alliteratively, there is no point in looking through boat-towed boards when you will only be making use of your wakeboard at a park. If you like to move between the two, of course, the best option is to have multiple boards, but as you’re likely on a tight budget, you may want to consider a hybrid board. Hybrid boards tend to fall right in between park boards and boat boards in terms of flex. This means they are great for locking into presses but are still good at popping off of a wake. Consider Your Skill Level Buying a wakeboard that suits your skill level is important. As you are on a budget, buying a board that is designed for a level that far surpasses yours could be a disaster as you don’t have the cash to buy a second one. You should try and find a board that is well-balanced for both advanced and beginner riders. These boards will often have a camber rocker which allows for smooth weight transfer but still maintains a high level of precision. The size of the board will also make a difference here as bigger wakeboards are more stable and easier to control, but are difficult when attempting to get some air. On the flip side, a smaller board will be easy to control in the air but may be difficult to stand up on for beginners. As you’ll … Read more