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This Is How We Do It: Surf Expo 2006 Date: 01-01-2007
Author: Wakeskating.com Staff
Surf Expo…it’s everything you’ve heard about and so much more. There’s everything from free can coozies (oh yes, I stocked up), to more free energy drinks than you can stand (that’s why the can coozies came in so handy), and some of the hottest gear that’s coming out for the upcoming season.
In the world of wakeskating, the most noticeable design trend for 2007 is the addition of more strength and durability through the use of PBT plastic. Four companies have added this material to their wooden wakeskate line in one form or another.
With that being said, one of the first booths I stopped at was the Kampus booth. After skipping 2005 and most of the 2006 production season with their wakeskate line, their new high-end board construction was revealed and it looked pretty impressive. Utilizing their experience with manufacturing snowboards, they developed a unique core lay up that’s comprised of vertically laminated wood with woven fiberglass that ends 1.5 inches from the board’s edge. These new design features add strength and durability to the high-end line in order to keep up with the demands of today’s riding.
The top sheet and base on the high-end models (the late season Leif release and the new for 07 Clint Tompkins pro model) consisted of PBT plastic for more durability, which is a change from previous Kampus wakeskate designs. Both models have the new core lay up, but the Leif pro model was a flat deck, while Clint’s pro model is the first concave release from Kampus.
One of Clint Tompkins' colorways for his new 40.5" concave pro model.
Clint Tompkins pro model core lay up
Leif flat core lay up
Kampus also had their Scribble series (reminiscent of the old K series line), the City 38 and 41 (reminiscent of the Whalman line) and the architect 40 and 42 (reminiscent of the original Leif Erkila line). These boards were their standard flat decks with Kampus’ 9 ply lay up.
The city, scribble and architect decks
A city, an architect, a city and two scribble decks
In addition to their boards, Kampus had an impressive line of shoes and after market wakeskate accessories. They have two styles of wakeskate shoes that go under the KS-LE and KS-03 lines. And they also have a wide assortment of skate fins in every depth imaginable, with nearly any purpose you could ask for. From their standard fiberglass fins, to their solid skate bumps and skate fins, and then some unnamed manual jobby, their fin line is nothing short of well rounded.
Some KS-LEs on the top and some KS-03s on the bottom
A KS-03 from the top
Another company I ran into during the weekend was the Sattelyte crew. They didn’t have a physical booth set up, but with boards in hand they were ready to mingle and show off what they’ve developed for the 07 season. The new board line will consist strictly of three new concaves (no flat decks around), all of which will have a PBT base and a new fin designed to shred Mother Nature a new one. The Heartbreaker will be re-introduced for 07 with an aesthetic make over (new colors) and a few design improvements that include widened tips and tails, pre-drilled fin holes for instant traction if you so desire (no more drill bits included), that PBT base, and a deeper concave.
Sattelyte's new fin for 2007. The channels on the side are more for aesthetics and less for function. The fin itself has a depth of 0.7 inches.
Jeff Engen and Nick Harlos earned themselves a Sattelyte pro model for the upcoming season. Nick’s board is called The Success and is a 40 incher, while Jeff’s board, The Engen, is a 42. Both pro models are wooden concaves with a PBT base and a grip top (a Jessup grip top, yo). Like the Heartbreaker, they’ll come packaged with the new Sattelyte fins. And if that weren’t enough, the entire Sattelyte line is hand made in Canada.
Heartbreaker top
Success top
Another set of solid looking boards came from the Oak booth. For 07, Oak is introducing one of the funest shapes that you’ll either want to have as a sweet wall piece, or as a deck in your quiver to remind yourself not to take things so seriously. Of course, the deck I speak of is Oak’s pool deck and it’s their way of keeping a flat deck in the line. It’s shaped like a late 80s skateboard, but it’s still a high quality, rideable wakeskate with a PBT base. Even though it’s a flat deck and presumably "entry level" if you want to be like that, they didn’t cut any corners when it came to materials.
The high-end boards in Oak’s lineup came in the form of Four concaves. For 07, Oak added a new concave shape called the Team Machine. It’s 41.5 inches in length, and it’s different from their other boards in that the edges are rounder, the board is a bit wider, and the concave is stretched out towards the rails to create the feeling of more surface area. Designed by the Oak team, it’s the best of everything rolled into one wakeskate.
The 40 inch Moondog, the 41 inch LifeTrap and the 42 inch Moulder’s Blow have the same shapes as their concaves from last year. In their first season, Oak built a strong reputation when it came to the durability of their wakeskates, and for 07 they’ve stepped it up a notch by adding a PBT base to all of their boards. So jib away shredders, and do it guilt free.
Moulder's Blow concave
Moulder's Blow top
The top of a flat top
Pool Deck top
Team Machine concave
Liquid Force is also stepping up the production on their line of re-designed, high-end concaves. For 2007 the Impulse line was redesigned with the help and expertise of Aaron Reed. This line originally consisted of three pro models for Danny Hampson, Phillip Basino and Aaron Reed. However, things have since changed (even though my pictures have not) and the re-distributed pro models will feature a 40 inch Kyle Walton model, a 41 inch Danny Hampson model, and a 42 inch Aaron Reed pro model. The high-end concaves have been upgraded in construction with the use of a PBT base (with manufacturing rumored to be in Canada) and an improved marine grade sealant. The actual shape of each board will resemble the limited edition 42 inch Aaron Reed shape from last season, scaled down to each respective size. After that, Liquid Force is still hanging on to the Armadas, Factions, Anthems, and the Controls.
Danny Hampson's original 40 inch shape. A sweet piece for anyone's collection...or quiver if you like to ride your boards. OMG JK LOL!
Armada top
Impulse kicktail
Impulse top
Impulse concave
For 07 the ladies also designed a board called the Maven. It’s designed with the ladies in mind, specifically through a deep, yet narrow concave that’s designed to accommodate the smaller foot of a lady, while allowing her to shred as hard as any dude. This board will be available at a comfortable length of 41 inches.
A group of Liquid Force wakeskates
Finally, one item that’s worth mentioning but did not make an appearance at the Expo is the new bi-level design from Liquid Force. According to the specs that were provided to me, it’s a bi-level-esque design with a compression molded split tail top deck and a 9 ply maple base deck. It’s designed to be durable, yet still maintain that feeling that one can seemingly only get from a wood deck. According to Liquid Force, the shape of the top is also designed to help “lock your feet in an aggressive ollie position, as well as provide increased heel and toe response.”
A stroll over to the Hyperlite booth offered some interesting sights to behold. For 07, Hyperlite gave Scott his own sub brand, appropriately named Byerly Wakeboards (and wakeskates). All of the equipment is labeled as the Legacy series, and as far as the wakeskates are concerned, Scott and his long time shaper Butch (Scott Bouchard) came up with their own version of a bi-level of sorts. It’s actually a solid wakeskate (no split tails or separate decks), but it has a scaled up version of a skateboard’s concave and kicktails, while still allowing the base to remain unaffected by the extreme contours of the top deck. It’s designed to allow for more leverage, resulting in more pop. The board was also designed a bit wider to help accommodate those with larger feet. The Legacy wakeskate will be available in a 39 and a 42 inch shape, with standard features including grip tape and two .85 Byerly Blunt fins.
The Legacy graphic for the 42 mocked up on a Byerly 107 from the previous season.
One end of the Legacy
Another view of the bottom of the Legacy prototype
Legacy prototype base
A side view of the Legacy prototype
The wakeskates under the Hyperlite name look similar to last year, minus a few design tweaks. Brian Grubb’s Catalyst series is still available in the 112 and 116 sizes, and they have the same design characteristics as last year, minus a grip tape/foam combination traction top. For 2007, the Karma has found a home at the wakeskate graveyard, allowing for Brandon Thomas to take on Scott Byerly’s old shape. Re-named the Catalyst 2.0, it has maintained the same design characteristics like lock compatibility, a grip tape top and centerweighting (along with all of the size measurements) as the Byerly 107 from 2006.
So that’s most of what I saw at this past season’s Surf Expo, but it’s not everything. Visit back for a look at the Distortion line of boards and winches, Omen’s improved concave and new flat deck, and the entire line of GB wakeskates.
To view the 2006 Surf Expo photo gallery, click here.
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