Wakeboarding is a popular summer pastime in areas with lakes and rivers. You might be familiar with the gear you need for wakeboarding, but what if your wakeboarding boots break or they don’t fit someone else? Can you wakeboard without boots?
When wakeboarding, you will have a board with boots or bindings connected to strap your feet into. You cannot use a wakeboard without the shoes because you won’t stay on the board while pulled by the boat. Wake surfing is another watersport with a similar board that doesn’t have boots.
So, if you’ve seen someone doing what you thought was wakeboarding but didn’t have boots, it’s likely they were wake surfing. This article will explain why you cannot wakeboard without boots and the differences between wakeboarding and wake surfing regarding gear needed and riding technique.
Why Can’t You Wakeboard Without Boots?
A wakeboard gives you maximum surface area with the lightest materials possible. This design makes it possible to do jumps and tricks when wakeboarding. Wakeboards are designed to be used for regular stance (right foot behind), goofy stance (left foot behind), or switch stance (wakeboarding in reverse).
However, wakeboards require boots or bindings to strap you onto the board. This ensures you stay connected to the board while being pulled by the boat and do some tricks. Not all wakeboards are sold with the boots attached, allowing you to choose the type of wakeboarding boots you like.
Bottom-range wakeboarding boots are one size fits all. These boots are great for beginners who don’t require as secure a fit. They are also perfect for multiple users. These boots have open toes and tie around your foot with straps and clips. They are more challenging to get into than the other types of wakeboarding boots.
Midrange wakeboarding boots offer more footbed support and therefore give you more control over the board. In addition, they have a lacing system that connects the bottom and top halves of the boot. While this gives you more ankle stability and control, it is harder to get into the shoes.
Hinge-style boots are the most expensive boots. However, these boots are designed to give you rear entry, meaning you can easily put them on and take them off. These boots aren’t one size fits all, so each wakeboarder needs their own pair of boots.
In addition to choosing the type of boots you want, you can also decide how you would like to mount the shoes on your board. For example, some boards have drill holes where you attach the shoes. Other boards have ABS plastic blocks to lock the boots into place.
As you can see, there are various styles of wakeboarding boots to choose from. However, one thing is certain. You must use wakeboarding boots for wakeboarding. If you don’t have the boots, you will not be able to stay on the wakeboard, and the sport will become near impossible.
Now, you may have seen people doing something similar to wakeboarding. Still, their boards look slightly different and don’t have boots. This is known as wake surfing. While the two sports look similar, there are a few key differences between wakeboarding and wake surfing.
Wakeboarding VS. Wake Surfing
While wakeboarding and wake surfing may look similar from afar, these two watersports have a few core differences. One difference is that wakeboarding has boots to strap you onto the board, while wake surfing doesn’t use boots.
Wake surfboards can be a similar length to a wakeboard, but surf-style wake surfboards are longer than wakeboards. Wake surfing also requires a shorter rope than wakeboarding because you aim to stay as close to the wake as possible.
Wakeboarding uses a longer rope that allows you to edge to and from the wake when doing stunts and tricks. Wakeboarders also hold onto the rope the entire time while wakeboarding. The boat pulls them forward and allows them to move and do tricks.
Wake surfers can hold on to the rope the entire time, or they can let go of the rope and surf the wake once they have their balance and have enough speed to do so. Finally, the boat’s speed is also different for wakeboarding and wake surfing. When wakeboarding, the boat should be going fast enough to create bigger wakes for the wakeboarder to jump over.
However, when wake surfing, the boat’s speed isn’t that important, and the boat usually drives slower to create smaller wakes for the surfer to ride. As a result, wake surfing is slightly more challenging than wakeboarding because you need to keep your balance.
Now that you have seen the differences between wakeboarding and wake surfing, you might wonder if it is possible to wake surf on a wakeboard? In this case, you wouldn’t need to have boots or bindings, and this might be the solution to your problem.
However, wake surfboards and wakeboards differ in size, weight, and purpose. In addition, they are designed differently for their own efficiency. Therefore, wake surfing on a wakeboard will be extremely difficult to do. In addition, it will not be a comfortable ride.
Therefore, we recommend investing in a pair of wakeboarding boots if you have a wakeboard or buy a wakeboard with boots. This will ensure you get the most comfortable and safest wakeboarding experience possible.
Choosing The Right Wakeboarding Boots
So now that you know you cannot wakeboard without wakeboarding boots, we can discuss how to choose the best boots for you. As mentioned before, there are multiple styles of wakeboarding boots available, and which boots you buy will mainly depend on your budget.
Generally, low-cost wakeboarding boots cost anywhere from $100 up to $300, and the other styles of boots are more expensive. However, if you buy the correct wakeboarding boots, you won’t have to replace them for a long time.
Ensure the wakeboarding boots are comfortable. They should sit snugly, so your foot doesn’t slip out of the boot while wakeboarding. However, the boots shouldn’t sit so tight as they squeeze your feet. This will make putting the shoes on and taking them off more challenging, and they might hurt your feet.
We recommend hiring wakeboards with different boots and testing them out to see which style you like most. If you are not the only person who uses the wakeboard, an open-toe style boot is the best option because it can accommodate different shoe sizes.
Conclusion
This article has determined that you cannot wakeboard without boots. The boots help you stay connected to the board and allow you to do various tricks when wakeboarding. A similar sport to wakeboarding that doesn’t require boots is wake surfing. However, wake surfing uses a different board altogether, and you cannot wake surf with a wakeboard.
Fortunately, there are many styles of wakeboarding boots to choose from, and you can test them before deciding on the best type of boots for you. You also don’t need the most expensive pair of wakeboarding boots, especially when you first start wakeboarding.
