Chaparral making waves at Noosa Surf Festival

Chaparral is heading to the Noosa Festival of Surfing in early March with its a trio of its new wake-surfing boats, an A-list of riders and the promise of showing the assembled surf crowd how you can carve behind a Volvo Penta Forward Drive.

An invitational Chaparral wake surf event will also pit professional surfers against each other, with Layne Beachley, Mark Richards and Tom Carroll among those on the invite list. Hopefully, they accept the offer.

Chaparral is also flying world champion skimboarder, pro wakesurfer and internet sensation Austin Keen from the US to demonstrate how to ride boat wake.

"My favourite thing about wakesurfing is having the opportunity to turn on the waves when the conditions in the ocean are not good," Keen, who is known for his extreme tricks, says.

"The biggest difference is the type of wave. A boat wake is a displacement wave that has a more treadmill-like feel with water moving toward you as you sit in the pocket.

"An ocean wave has deep water energy and you are moving with the wave rather than having water move fast towards you," he adds.

NEW 2017 CHAPARRAL SURF BOATS
Festival organisers are said to be pumped about having Chaparral's new tow boats on show. The hot trio includes the 244 Sunesta Surf (from $144,999 on trailer), the 227 SSX Surf (from $134,999 on trailer) and the 257 SSX Surf (from $164,999 on trailer).

For 2017, the new line-up features redesigned hulls, the Malibu Surf Gate system and Volvo’s forward-facing drives to specifically develop bigger and cleaner waves.

Coupled with ballast and a surf computer, the new Chaparrals will create solid and sizable surf waves at Noosa without relying on Mother Nature.

"We will have three of the five new models running during the event and can’t wait to see the surf action, with the world champions but also dog surfing, couples, and all manner of surfing disciplines, carving up behind our Chaparrals," said Scott O’Hare from Chaparral Australia.

"Wakesurfing is taking over from wakeboarding because it is more social and less punishing.

"At about 12mph, it does not hurt when you come off. It has grown massively in the last couple of years and is already looking likely to become the biggest tow and ski style sport in the world.

"The low speed gives beginners or older riders time to react when learning and I think for anyone who has dabbled trying to learn how to surf and been unable to grasp the concept and then given up, wake surfing might give them the skills and confidence to try again," he adds.

Now in its 26th year, the Noosa Festival of Surf runs from Saturday March 4 until Saturday March 11, 2017.

More at www.noosafestivalofsurfing.com and www.chaparralaustralia.com.au.