The Latest Equipment

Wakeboards That Work - An Interview With Charley Patterson
Shuswap S&B: Charley, you know we're pretty disappointed that you're not coming back as a guest coach again this year. It was a blast having you up here last year, and I know the students learned a ton.

Charley: Yeah, it would have been great to come back for another camp Mike, but my "Mission To Ride" Tour is going to keep me totally busy from April to September. Hey, at least I'll be back to visit as part of the tour.

Shuswap S&B: That's true, and I guess it's pretty cool that Captain's Village Marina is one of only two stops your tour is making in Canada. I should let people reading this know that we will be posting more info on the Mission To Ride Tour on our web site soon. In the mean time let's get on with talking about wakeboard design.

Charley: Good idea. Where should we start?

Shuswap S&B: How about by telling us how the Charley Patterson signature board manages to get rated as one of the best all around boards year after year?

Charley: Probably there's a little good luck involved, but mostly it's because we work hard at making sure the board not only suits my riding style, but we also make sure it works well for a wide range of other riders.

Charley: Well, we look at it as a continuing evolution, each year we learn more, and we discover ways to fine tune and improve the boards performance. As the third CP Pro Model in the Blind Side line, the 2000 Charley fits in perfectly with this evolution over the past three years. Don't forget, the 2000 model still shares similar characteristics to what made the 1998 and 99 CP Pro models two of the best boards on the market.

Shuswap S&B: All right, let's talk about what the 2000 model has in common with its predecessors.

Charley: All three boards have channels located in the nose and tail to create optimal tracking, allowing the use of smaller fins, and creating a forgiving ride. They are also all 140 cm, or more, in length and have enough width to generate great lift and provide soft landings for those tricks out in the flats.

Shuswap S&B: Okay we know you want a forgiving board with great lift and soft landings. Not many riders would argue with that, but what aspects of the design have evolved?

Charley: On the '99 model we sharpened the rails compared to the '98 model and on the 2000 Charley Pro we've gone a step further, cupping the rails to increase the boards tracking potential even more. Then there's the dished out nose and tail, which Blind Side call their "Gyro-Cap Construction". It was introduced on the 1999 Charley and has been exaggerated in the 2000 model, to further reduce the swing weight of the board, without giving up any surface area needed for good lift and soft landings. The other addition for 200o is the Saber Tip design to help create better lift off the wake.

Shuswap S&B: Charley, what differences have these changes made to the way the board actually rides?

Charley: After being off the water for nearly a year from my latest knee injury, I've found my new board to be the most forgiving of any board that I've ridden. The saber tip generates a better pop off the wake, and I?m able to create more of an aggressive angle coming into the wake with the cupped rails.

Shuswap S&B: I know we're talking about board design, but what's up with those new Blind Side bindings, aren?t they just copying what Hyperlite did last year?

Charley: You must be talking about the Cinch Wraps prototypes. They did look a bit like the 3060's but the production Cinch Wraps are quite different, with the Cinch style closure going around the side to interconnect the overlay. This does three very cool things. It allows the binding to open up a lot more so it's way less effort to get into. It also maintains the heel cup support very solidly. You also don't have to be such a contortionist when you're tightening and loosening the Cinch itself because it easier to reach.

Shuswap S&B: Okay so they've improved the design nicely, but this all seems a bit gimmicky to me and leaves me wondering how well they'll stand up?

Charley: I have to tell you that I'm totally stoked on these bindings. No matter what I've ridden in the past, if they were snug enough to hold me in, they would cramp my feet up and I could never ride for more than twenty minutes. Now, thanks to the Cinch Wraps and Blind Side's new dual-density foot bed, I'm riding for forty-five minutes and quitting because I'm tired, not because my feet are killing me. As far as standing up goes, I've been riding them three long sets, three times a week since January and their holding together just fine.

Shuswap S&B: Charley, it's been fun talking with you as always, but I have to ask you one more board related question. Haven't you forgotten to mention one of the other similarities between all the Charley Patterson Pro models?

Charley: Well Mike, I bet you're talking about the look of my boards, and you're right, just as the first and second Charley pro models had girls in the graphics, the third doesn't stray too far from the pack. You're not suggesting that's a bad thing are you?

Shuswap S&B: I guess not. Hey, thanks again for the interview, good luck on the Tour and we'll look forward to seeing you in July. I promise we'll have Charley Patterson 2000 Pro model available for school visitors to try for themselves, all season long!

Tige and Nautique threaten to dominate area lakes.
Well, whether you call it a revolution or an evolution the face of recreational boating is definitely undergoing very real changes. More and more recreational boaters, skiers and wakeboarders are choosing the benefits of owning a boat designed specifically for towing water skiers and wakeboarders like Nautiques and Tiges.

When we did our first clinic on Shuswap Lake four seasons ago we were surprised that our Nautique was the only competition level ski boat in the area. Now there are half a dozen moored in Captain?s Village Marina alone. On our old home lake in Washington State, these boats made up thirty, to forty percent, of the boat population. In the U.S. it's been well know for some time that these boats are no longer the exclusive territory of the competitive skier. Of course, over the past few years, the manufacturers have woken up to the potential of luring recreational boaters to their boats and now build competition level boats with families in mind. Open bows, wider beams, huge storage areas and boats as big as twenty-four feet long are all available with the look and feel of a competition tow boat.

If you don't already own one you're probably wondering what makes these boats so appealing to wakeboarders and water skiers. From the totally biased stance of someone who has only ever owned Ski and Air Nautiques I can't really describe it. You'll have to drive one or ski and board behind one to really understand. In fact they perform so well and handle so sweetly that, even driving one onto its trailer may be all it takes to have you convinced that any semi-serious water skiing or wakeboarding family should not be without one. Yes, there are some other brands of competition level boats but they aren't sponsors of the school or available for sale at the marina. So come for a ride in or behind one of our Nautiques or Tiges but be warned you may feel the need to own one.

Waterski bindings benefit from Wakeboarding
Hard core water skiers may not want to admit it, but the research and development that's going into creating stiffer, lighter weight wakeboard bindings, with a wide array of closure and support systems is definitely having an impact. Just check out this crop of the 2000 season's bindings and tell me there aren't a bunch of similarities.

KD Watersports, manufacturer of BlindSide board gear and KD ski gear, utilize their yellow, heat-moldable EVA foam materials as well as their tube covered, pull on strap in both their top-end ski and board bindings.

O'Brien International, manufacturer of O'Brien board and ski gear, utilize very similar blue EVA foam materials as well as velcro enclosure and pull on strap in both their Force ski bindings and Focus board bindings.