"Women's" boards marketing hype?

[KD4UPL]

I know I also posted this in the water ski forum. I didn't want to miss anyone.
My wife said she'd like to learn some sort of tow sport this year. We don't know what it will be. I know there are both water skis and wakeboards that are colored white and pink and supposedly designed for women. Is there any actual difference in the design or is this just to sell more boards and skis?
It seems like a ski's length and possible width need to be tailored to a rider's weight but I don't see how the ski knows the gender of who's wearing them.
Can anyone tell me if there are truly any differences in the design that would make it easier/better for a female rider to have a women's ski or wake board?

 

[rallyart]

Re: "Women's" boards marketing hype?

There might be some difference in some models but quite a bit is style. Women are gennerally lighter for their height and usually ride less aggressively due to strength and attitude so the boards can be made more flexible. That's about the biggest difference in snow skis.

Boots, on the other hand, have to be made different if done properly to accommodate different physiology.

 

[Lake Lizzard]

Re: "Women's" boards marketing hype?

Women's wakeboards will often have different "rockers" (curvature) than other boards to be more forgiving on the water. They will often be less stiff and have more flex as women generally weigh less than men. Width is generally going to be narrower too.

I don't know what kind of boat you have but if it has i big enough wake then wakesurfing would be fun for her. You go slow, are close to the boat, it's easy to do, she can easily ride your board, the crashes don't hurt, and the whole family can do it.