• Select Your Wakeboard

• Choose Your Water Skis or Slalom Ski

• Find Wakeboards & Water Skis on eBay Australia

• Buy Wakeboards & Water Skis With Confidence

• Need More Help?

• Legal Disclaimer

Select Your Wakeboard

Select Your Wakeboard

There are a wide variety of wakeboards out there, in various colours and shapes. Some can even have very slick graphics. As performance matters more than looks though, make sure you thoroughly consider a wakeboard's features and choose one based on your skill level and wakeboarding style.

• Wakeboard rails: The edges on a wakeboard, that is, the rails, determine speed. If you're a beginner, look for squared edges that provide control and stability. However, if you're more advanced at wakeboarding, then choose a wakeboard with rounded edges to achieve faster speeds and get a quicker lift for tricks.   

• Wakeboard tips: The ends of your wakeboard will determine which direction it can travel. Single-tip wakeboards are pointed at one end and squared at the other, allowing you to ride in a single direction, a bit like skiing. There are also twin-tip wakeboards, designed with a rounded front and back to help you switch directions and complete tricks. Consider getting one of these if you have snowboarding and skateboarding experience.

• W akeboard length: The average length of a wakeboard is between 120cm to 150cm. Beginners should look for longer boards that offer more stability in starts and turns.

• Wakeboard fins: Wakeboard fins, located on the bottom of the wakeboard, help steer the board. Getting a few sets of fins allows greater versatility. While smaller, thinner fins work well in smooth water, you'll get more stability in rough waters with wider and deeper fins.

• Wakeboard rocker: “Rocker” refers to the bottom curves of a wakeboard. Wakeboards normally have rockers of 5cm to 6cm. A higher, or more rounded, rocker makes for easier, softer landings on jumps, while a lower, or flatter, rocker will give you better control and faster acceleration.

• Wakeboard bindings: For a good balance of control and safety, buy yourself some snug-fitting and comfortable wakeboard bindings. Underlays, the parts of the bindings that contact the top of your foot, vary in stiffness. Select a stiffer underlay for increased support. Overlays, the part of the bindings that hold your feet down, often have adjustable straps, laces, or buckles.

Buy wakeboarding supplies

It is important to ensure that you are always feeling safe and comfortable while on your wakeboard.

• Wakeboarding apparel: Wearing a full wetsuit will help to keep you warmer in chilly water or just protect yourself from rash and sunburn with a wet shirt.

• Personal flotation devices (PFD): For safety reasons, make sure you wear a life jacket or vest when you wakeboard.

• Wakeboard rope: Buy some stiff wakeboard rope made from spectra rather than a general-purpose rope used for water skiing, to help you better perform tricks. Wakeboard ropes are mostly between 18m or 21m in length and often provide adjustment loops.

• Wakeboard handles: Get a wide wakeboard handle (33cm to 38cm) to make your tricks and aerial manoeuvres easier. Wearing wakeboard gloves or general water sports gloves is a good idea so that your hands are protected and you've got a better grip.

Choose Your Water Skis or Slalom Ski

Choose Your Water Skis or Slalom Ski

When shopping for water skis, you have a choice of combination pairs of water skis, or a single slalom ski. Combo pairs generally make it easier to learn how to water ski. They have wide tips that provide control and one of the skis has a double binding that lets you slalom ski, once you have nailed the basics and become an intermediate skier.

Consider weight and speed

Determine the length of your combination skis or slalom skis by considering your weight and the speed you would like to travel. If you prefer to travel at slower speeds then buy longer skis. For example, kids and small adults who weight between 36kg and 50kg should choose 62- to 64-inch (157.5cm to 162.5cm) skis for any speed. People who weigh over 88kg, however need a 72-inch (182cm) ski to travel at speeds up to 48 km/h, and can buy 69-inch or 70-inch (175cm or 177.5cm) skis for greater manoeuvrability at faster speeds. Some other weight and speed guidelines include:

If you're shopping for a slalom ski, you will need to think about which features will help you manage sharp turns and higher speeds.

• Water ski bindings: Adjustable bindings are ideal as they give you the most flexibility and allow you to find a tight, yet comfortable fit. For enhanced control, get a double high wrap. If there will be multiple skiers using the ski, opt for a front high wrap with a rear toe plate or adjustable bindings.

• Water ski bevel: Bevels refer to the side profile of the water ski. For a higher ride, get a sharp lower bevel, or to minimise lift, get a rounded lower bevel.

• Water ski flex: The stiffness or ski flex of a slalom water ski, differs from end to end and is a key performance factor. Higher-flex skis make it easier to turn, but you will ski at a slower rate when you go straight ahead. Stiff, low-flex skis let you go faster, but are more difficult to turn.

• Bottom design: The concave water ski bottom, especially the width of the tunnel, will affect your ride. Narrow tunnels are better for skiers who stand up straight, while concave tunnels can provide better manoeuvrability to skiers who push their weight forward.

• Water ski width: Wider water skis provide more stability while a narrow tail to increase your ability to dig into the water and angle across the wake.

• Water ski rocker: Rocker is the curvature of the nose and tail, and influences your turn radius. Whereas increased rocker gives you tighter turns, too much rocker will make water skiing more difficult.

• Water ski profile: Profile refers to the thickness of the water ski. A thin profile keeps your ski deep in the water, whereas a wide profile keeps your ski on the surface, preventing it from sinking in turns.

Purchase some trick water skis specially designed for performing tricks, jumps, and twists. Trick skis are short, wide, and don't have any fins, making it easier for you to turn and slide. Buy jump water skis if you wish to try jumping off ramps.

Whatever type of water skis you decide to buy, keep them safe with a water ski bag or dry storage bag. Ensure you review all safety information provided by the original manufacturers of these products as well before use.

As with wakeboarding, make sure you wear a personal flotation device (PFD) like a life jacket or vest when you water ski for extra safety. A wet suit or wet shirt will keep you more protected from chilly waters or the hot sun, while ski gloves or general water sports gloves are also a good idea for your hands.

Find Wakeboards & Water Skis on eBay Australia

Find Wakeboards & Water Skis on eBay Australia

Once you know what type of boating and water sports equipment you want, go to the Sporting Goods portal, click on Boating & Water Sports and start searching for items on eBay Australia.

• Categories: The Categories list on the left side of each page will help you narrow down your listings by item type. You'll find links for Water Skiing, Wakeboarding, Kneeboarding, Life Jackets, Vests, and more. As you dig deeper into the site you'll also be able to narrow down your choice by item type.

• Keyword search: Search eBay Australia listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find a water ski tube, type "(water ski, waterski) tube" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay Australia's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Australia Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay Australia will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Wakeboards & Water Skis With Confidence

Buy Wakeboards & Water Skis With Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay Australia and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay Australia (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay Australia are not covered by eBay Australia protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay Australia item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay Australia sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay Australia and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorised payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to $1,500.

• eBay Australia Security & Resolution Centre: Visit the Security & Resolution Centre to learn how to protect your account and use eBay Australia's quick and efficient resolution tools.

Need More Help?

Need More Help?

Visit our help pages or start a thread on one of our Community Discussion Boards - If you have a quick question that needs answering, try posting it on our community Answer Centre - there's bound to be a seasoned eBay Australia veteran with just the information you're looking for!

Legal Disclaimer

Legal Disclaimer

Buying Guides are intended merely as a guide or review for members when considering what products or services they may be interested in bidding on or purchasing. eBay does not make, and nothing in these Buying Guides is intended to constitute, any warranties, guarantees, representations or assurances about the accuracy of the information or content contained in these Buying Guides. Furthermore, eBay does not make, and nothing in these Buying Guides is intended to constitute, any warranties, guarantees, representations or assurances about the nature or performance of the products or services appearing in the Buying Guides. Content, trademarks and brands referred to and contained in the third-party links provided are the property of their respective owners, and eBay has no control over and accepts no responsibility for their content. eBay is not affiliated with nor does it endorse the use of any particular product or service.