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Detailed Wake Shaper Guide + Our Top Picks

by Grant Draper
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Ready to get a bigger, cleaner and stronger wake behind your boat? Our guide to buying your first wake shaper is all you need to read to make that happen.

Below we’ll explain:

  • What a wake shaper is
  • How much wake shapers cost
  • The top brands in the industry, and recommendations for the best wake shapers.

The Bottom Line

If you’re wakeboarding, wakesurfing or wakeskating behind a boat, you want the biggest, strongest and cleanest wake possible. That’s where a wake shaper comes in. 

Alongside a quality wake boat and correct ballast setup (you can see your ballast options here), you’re going to need a waker shaper. 

We trawl through wake gear daily. And from our research you have two options:

  • Mission DELTA 2.0
  • Liquid Force Edge Pro Inline. 

For a typical wake boat, we’d recommend the Mission. However, if you have a boat with an unusually shaped hull, or have a focus on wake wave height, the Liquid Force is where you should be at. 

You can get deals on both here.

What is a Wake Shaper?

A boat will naturally provide some wake as it pushes water along the hull and towards the back of your boat. However, the wake can be choppy, weak and small. And that’s going to make it incredibly difficult to ride. 

A wake shaper improves the power, size and cleaness of the wake. That makes wakesurfing, wakeskating and wakeboarding behind boats much easier (and more fun too). 

Most wake boats are designed with a V shaped hull and use rear ballast; the lower the rear of the boat sits in the water, the bigger and stronger the wake will be. However, it’s the wake shaper that channels that energy of the water filtered by the hull, to create a wake worthy of riding. If you want the best wakeboard riding experience, then you’re going to need a wake shaper on your boat. Period.

You can find some of the best examples for sale here.

How Much Wake Shapers Cost

So, how much do wake shapers cost? 

Put simply, if you have a budget of around $400, then that’s going to get you a wakesurf shaper from a leading brand. Of course, there are much more expensive ones available (some are nearing $1000). But, looking at shapers in the $400-600 is going to buy a product that is suitable for wakeboarders of all levels.

In reality, for what wake shapers add to your wakeboarding experience they're ridiculously cheap. I mean, with many boats in the $30k range, wakeboard packages in the $500-1,000 range...a few hundred dollars to improve the wake is great value for money.

You can compare prices on some of the most popular shapers here.

Wake Shaper Brands We Like

We’ve listed what we believe are the best wake shapers below. However, the best wake shaper on some occasions is boat specific. Don’t think the products we’ve mentioned below are suitable for you or your boat? No problem. Just make sure you stick to our picks for the best wake shaper brands:

  • Liquid Force
  • Mission
  • Eight.3

The Best Wake Shapers Under $500

Looking for the best wake shapers on the market, and want change from $500? Look no further than the Mission DELTA 2.0, or, the Liquid Force Edge Pro Inline. We’ve offered up some quick reviews of both below.

Mission Wake Shaper - DELTA 2.0

mission wake shaper new 2.0 edition for wake surfing

Mission creates not just some of the best wake shapers on the market, but some of the cheapest too; the Mission DELTA doesn’t buck the trend

If you’re looking for a shaper with suction cup mounts and want change from $350, this is certainly a good shout. For that, you’ll get a quality shaper, with a 1 year warranty. In our opinion, that’s a stonking deal!

One thing Mission has focused on with the DELTA 2.0 is improving wake cleanness in comparison to prior models, but reducing strain on your boat’s hull. Cause’ let’s face it. You don’t want to spend $30k or more on a wake boat, to ruin the hull with a wake shaper. 

The front panel might look small, but the complex design means it’s able to shape the wake perfectly for all types of riding; whether that’s wake surfing or wakeboarding.

Whilst we don’t ever anticipate our wake shapers falling off our boats, the Mission DELTA 2.0 has you covered in that respect too. It floats, so in the unlikely event it does become detached, it’s easy to retrieve and refit to your wake boat.

Looking for deals on the Mission Delta 2.0 wake shaper? We couldn’t find better prices than the ones here

And, here’s a quick video of the Mission Delta 2.0 in action, including a short clip of it being installed on wake boat: 

Liquid Force Wake Shaper - Edge Pro Inline

the new liquid force edge wakesurf wake shaper

Another product that deserves considering for the best wake shaper under $500, would be the Liquid Force Edge Pro Line. It’s slightly more expensive than the Mission Delta, costing around $50 extra, but you’ll still get change from $400. So just like the Mission, the Liquid Force shaper is a pretty-good deal.

Many reviews of the Liquid Force Wakesurf Edge Pro Inline suggest that this is the shaper to have if you’re wanting the cleanest wake possible; beginners to intermediate riders will find it easier to learn. 

That said, shaper choice does sometimes depend on the type of wake boat you own, and the shape of the hull. The Edge Pro Inline from Liquid Force serves a specific purpose; to fit boats with weird shaped hulls. If you don’t have a typical V shaped hull that most wake boats possess, the Liquid Force shaper is for you; it’s going to fit snugly in comparison to the Mission and shapers from other brands. It has the same warranty as the Mission, at 1 year.

The aim for Liquid Force with the Edge Pro Inline asides fitting a range of boats, is wake wave height. So, if you’re looking for a big clean wake, then this is going to be the best wake shaper for you. 

We dug around, and the best price we could find on the Liquid Force shaper is here

Want to see it in action? Check out the video below:

In Summary

That’s it, our guide to the best wake shapers on the market, where to buy them, and why you need one. 

Like what you’ve read and want to read more? Bookmark SkiSurfWake.com and pop back soon, as we’re constantly adding new riding tips and product reviews to our site.