Just in case Facebook and MySpace didn’t offer enough social networking options, a new company by the name of LifeFitter, has announced their new social skill numbing site, WetRope. Details are sparse, but it appears the aim of the project is to allow a way for wakeboarders throughout the US (sorry everyone else) to find other riders in their area. Different from the giants that are Facebook and MySpace, this site appears to put a focus on actually interacting with people you connect with, and not just endlessly poking each other back-and-forth.

The site is getting ready for a private Beta right now, and if you give away some of your personal information, you can even score a free shirt for taking part in their trial period. Release is set for sometime towards the end of this year, so stay tuned for more on this wakeboarder-uniting site.

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With comparisons between another major manufacturer, and reader opinions running rampant, we’ve finally got some information on Tigé’s line of boats for 2009. It looks like it’s been a pretty busy year for the R&D department and their OEM suppliers, as Tigé has made a number of substantial changes. Read on as we outline the 2009 Tigé model year changes.

Gallery: 2009 Tigé Boat Photos

The 2008 Tige Pro-Am is just around the corner, and Tigé is upping the ante in an effort to draw some more attention to the inaugural event. With the number of riders that have landed a 1080 in practice closing in on a half a dozen, Tigé has put $10,080 on the line for the first rider to land three spins at the Tigé Pro-Am.

The potential for a five digit payday for an amateur rider that can pull of The Ten is huge. Sure, the likelihood that a local rider will land the elusive 1080 is small. It’s much more realistic to expect a Danny Harf or Rusty Malinoski to walk away with the big check, but even then, that’s quite a bonus for an afternoon of work.

If you’re in the Pacific Northwest, make plans to check out the Tigé Pro-Am at Blue Lake Park in Portland Oregon. It’s a great venue that was cut from the pro wakeboard tour this season for no apparent reason, and is a great place to watch a wakeboarding event.

Check out the full press release after the break.

It’s no secret that Rusty Malinoski’s new Hyperlite MAREK pro-model is getting a lot of attention right now. It’s definitely the most anticipated wakeboard of 2008, and with the world release coming up on May 15th, wakeboarders won’t have long to wait until they can ride the MAREK themselves.

If you can’t wait for the official release, we’ve got your MAREK wakeboard fix after the jump. Hyperlite released a video showcasing the construction process of Rusty’s new pro-model, everything from designing the graphics to pressing boards is detailed, and backed up with an awesome soundtrack.

Hit the jump to check it out.

Sanger has worked hard ove the last three years to not only improve the performance of their boats, but also polish their marketing efforts to better showcase their wakeboard boats.

The latest result of that increased effort is a new 360 tour of the new flasgship V237 wakeboard boat. So far Sanger is the only company to use this kind of technology to make it easier to experience a boat over the internet. Although the rendering does distort the view slightly, it’s still easier to get a feel for what the boat is like than a couple of pictures, which is all that most manufacturers are offering.

Maybe it’s expected that if you’re seriously shopping for a boat you’ll got look at it in person, but with the richness of media on many websites today, it’s nice to see Sanger making an effort to get people in the boat from the comfort of their own homes.

Head over to the Sanger Boats website and check it out for yourself.

What do you think, should more manufacturers adopt this kind of “tour” so wakeboarders can check out their boats online?

Liquid force is sponsoring a new contest and wants to send the winner on an all expenses paid trip to Texas Ski Ranch for the 6th annual cable stock event. The contest is pretty simple, just design a rail that’s suitable for use behind the boat or in the cable lake, and if you win, your design will be unveiled at Cablestock, followed by a session from the Liquid Force pro team.

Entries must be received by Liquid Force before April 11th, so get working on it now for your chance to win. You can read the full details of the contest on the Liquid Force website.

Got a good idea for a design, but too lazy to submit it yourself? List it in the comments and maybe someone will bring it to life for you. Hit the jump for more details on the contest.

The A-10 competition vest from Jetpilot has long been the industry standard as the most comfortable, and stylish, wakeboard vest. Now, with their new Raven model, Jetpilot aims to shrink the gap between bulky USCG vests and their non-legal competition brethren. Similar in design, the Raven will feature a new type of closed cell foam, which offers more buoyancy from less volume. This new foam is the biggest advancement in the design of the new vest, and has allowed Jetpilot to remove most of the bulk associated with a US Coast Guard approved life jacket.

Dbot5 has a pair of new wakeboard tower speakers systems in the works. Initially there will be two models available, both of which will pair a horn for the high frequencies with either a 6″ or 8″ mid-bass driver for full spectrum reproduction. Compared to some of the other similar choice on the market, these new speakers will be housed in an anodized aluminum enclosure, so those of you that want metal and not “composite” should be satisfied.