Today is a special day for us at BuyWake.com. Not only does today have numerical significance (11/11/11) but it also is Veteran’s day. On this day we honor the 24.9 million military veterans in the United States and the 1.5 million active duty troops.
It is no secret that long-time BuyWake.com pro rider Keith Lyman retired from wakeboarding last Spring to pursue a career in the Armed Forces. Keith’s last contribution to his fans is the 2012 Slingshot Lyman, a kind of tribute designed to carry on Keith’s legacy in wakeboarding and Slingshots progression of wakeboard technology. Keith is known for his overly-aggressive style of riding that he ultimately built his wakeboard career on. That is exactly what his board is designed to accommodate.
The 2012 Slingshot Lyman is the brand’s first stab at making and marketing what Keith describes as a “big wake riding” wakeboard. It’s a flex board that you can take into the flats and really charge without getting that “wet noodle” feel on hard landings. We were recently given a chance to examine the board up close.
Upon first glance you can definitely see how Keith and Slingshot went about creating a flex board for aggressive riding. The board is wider, stiffer, thicker, and more reinforced than any Slingshot we have seen. Plus the bottom of the board has four asymmetrical molded fins, almost reminiscent of jump-ski fins, that add stability, edge hold, and stiffness. The top graphic depicts an eagle soaring over a camouflage backdrop (for obvious reasons) and the bottom shows the clean, vertically lined Slingshot font-logo over a woodgrain background.
With size ten 2012 Slingshot “KTV” boots, the board weighed in at 13.2 lbs, which is a bit heavier than the Slingshots of the past, but puts the package in-line with other top pro combos.
We are proud to say we have supported Keith since his days of rocking “Nice” bindings (remember those?). Here is a great video of one of Keith’s final sets on a wakeboard. In the video he discusses his decision to join the military and gives the reason why he chose to release his last board with Slingshot.
Video via Transworld Wakeboarding Mag
Note: All 2012 Slingshot Lymans are manufactured in the USA.
