By Luke
Thu, Sep 1 2011 9:18 am | Comments

Plenty of trends have come and gone in wakeskating since Scott Byerly first did a 3 shove on an old cut-off wakeboard in 1995. One staple that has always been in the mix since day one, however, is the wood deck with grip tape. Sure, we’ve seen plenty of innovation in terms of board design, materials and the overall life of the boards, but recently guys who used to ride bilevel and compression-molded boards are making the switch back. Byerly, George Daniels and Brandon Thomas have gone back to their roots and are now riding single wood decks on a regular basis.

In fact, the Byerly Heritage wakeskate has been the deck of choice lately for the entire Byerly team. It’s no longer just another board in the quiver but the go-to board, whether they’re behind the boat, hitting winch spots or riding the cable. The Heritage has a blended three-stage rocker with a fairly large flat spot in the middle of the board, which reduces drag and helps it hold speed into the wake. It makes the board super-forgiving on landings as well. I’m a no-fin rider, and the pair of mellow channels at the Heritage’s tip and tail gave me a little extra grip on the water while on edge so it wasn’t so loose. If you prefer fins, the Heritage also comes with 0.8-inch Byerly Blunt fins that will give you all the traction you’ll need.

The Heritage also holds up great in comparison to other wood decks. Its 12-ply construction and variable-beveled edges are epoxy sealed and watertight so the decks keep their pop for a long time. If you have the means, I highly suggest picking one up. Words: Shawn Perry Photo: Ian Reid

Byerly Heritage

Sizes: 40, 42 inches
($260; byerlywakeboards.com)