I've been boarding 5 years...I really think the length of the rope has to do with your skill level and what kind of tricks you are doing. A shorter rope to start a move is better...then give yourself more and more rope to go bigger. Some moves require you to be in the air for longer and you just have to try them at longer rope lengths and bigger wakes.
I went out with my nieghbor who's buddie came along. My nieghbor says you gotta see this guy board....and he was right...this dude threw 8 different types of inverts and landed everything. He had an 80 foot rope and all the wieght in the boat he could get.
My nieghbor, on the other hand, is just starting to go wake to wake and 65 was his magic number at 21.5. He had been boarding at 70 and "top of the waking it"...I shortened up the rope and he was clearing much easier and loving life.
I'm half way decent boarder...I can hit a backroll most of the time and I've got some good grabs. I go at 80 consistently now with as much wieght as I can get in the boat. I've always tried to get the rope length so I can take a good aggresive cut and come down soft on the other wake. In golf terms, I would rather hit a hard 8 than ease up on a 7.
Don't be afraid to stop the boat and change rope length if you're not happy...you only get so many runs!
02 Sunsport 22V-Roswell Tower