Nautique Surf System Media Day
Words: Craig Kotilinek
With the wake surf community buzzing amid rumors of a new instant-switch surf system by Nautique, Transworld Wakeboarding was invited out to Nautique President/CEO Bill Yeargin’s house to get a firsthand look. With Nautique athletes Scott Byerly, Jeff McKee, Tommy Czeschin and Shawn Watson in attendance, we knew we’d see the best the Nautique Surf System (NSS) had to offer, and we weren’t disappointed.
Byerly was up first, and The Legend lived up to his moniker. He transferred easily from side to side, landed some shove tricks, then almost got a side-to-side shove transfer. Watson made it look equally easy to transfer, even though none of the athletes had spent much time getting used to the system at that point. McKee was prominently featured in Nautique’s original video, so we knew he would deliver the goods with the NSS, but the real treat was former-pro-snowboarder-turned-wake surfer Tommy Czeschin shredding skim style. Tommy had spent (relatively) quite a bit of time with the NSS, so his skill in both skim style tricks and transfers was really impressive.
The NSS works in conjunction with the LINC system to instantly create a wake on either side of your Nautique with the touch of a button. Simply load the boat evenly, like you would for wakeboarding, and dial in both the side and the intensity of the NSS through the touch screen. For even more customization, you can bring the NCRS into the mix and dial in the perfect settings for your style of riding, the conditions, and the amount of weight in the boat, then save it to a rider preset for instant recall.
The wave-creating system itself is a small plate that comes down from the bottom of the hull on either side to create a wave on the other side. It’s an elegant addition that allows for a full platform and looks completely integrated with the boat, even allowing for transom straps to be used while trailering. Of course, there are fail safes built in that disallow use of the NSS until you’re up to wake surf speeds, but below wakeboard speeds so it doesn’t affect your wakeboard ramps.
For more info on the NSS and the whole Nautique line go to nautique.com
