What do you guys suggest for mainly good pop off the wake? I also dont want to spend too much $$ on it, so that is a factor as well. Im an intermediate rider. <BR> <BR>Im gonna have to go on reccomnedations because the local places to me only stock a few brands like Obrien and CWB. My current board is a CWB Zane that is about 6-7 years old. <BR> <BR>I keep hearing Ronix are great boards, but is there an equivelant for less money or is it worth it to spend more on a Ronix?

You could probably find a used "One" or "Frontier", both of those have great pop.

I don't have much experience (having ridden before) on either obrien or CWB boards... but from all the things i hear i suspect people will suggest the following... and most likely in order <BR> <BR>CWB: Marius, Transcend, or Absolute (and maybe some suggestions for the faction <BR> <BR>Obrien: Natural <BR> <BR> <BR>My personal suggestion: <BR>Slingshot: Recoil <BR>it is a little on the pricey side, unless you buy '07s gear... but if you buy last years then you will be FORCED to use the slingshot bindings. MSRP the board is about $400 new. You are paying for U.S.A. made quality and you are paying for the latest in flex technology. The flex of the board makes for great soft landings, and the rebounding of the energy stored in the flex of the board when loaded properly cutting in the wake will boost you higher than any previously board you have ridden... speaking from personal experience that is. <BR> <BR> <BR>good luck with your choices. demo whenever possible as always is the rule.

if your current shop carriers cwb, try the absolute, marius or transcend. they're all really good boards. <BR> <BR>also, if you can, try the liquid force shane. huge pop and super soft landings. <BR> <BR>i'm still reluctant to try a slingshot. the first thing i look for in a board is soft landings. i just can't see how a board w/ no channels or anything to break up the water land softly. i've heard that you have to land tail heavy to experience the soft landings on a slingshot. well, on ANY board, if you land tail heavy, it's going to land softly.

I can say from experience, for me the slingshot recoil was at least as soft landing as the marius. Didn't seem to matter if it was tail heavy landings or not.

If your not trying to spend to much cash but still want a really good board i would go with either the CWB Pure or CWB Kink. both very good boards for the price. if you are needing new bindings as well, ive seen package deals at about $299. crazy good price. good luck bro.

try out the Transcend its a great board and u hear a lot of good things about. great pop, soft landings, it will be a lot faster than ur current board i may of had the same board that u have now and i love my transcend. <BR> <BR>old board<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65919/541734.jpg" alt="Upload"> <BR> <BR> <BR>current board<img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65919/541735.jpg" alt="Upload">

thanks guys, much appreciated. <BR> <BR>I will probably go with an 07' board to save a little cash and get some bindings aswell. <BR> <BR>I am tempted to order online, as a similar board would cost $400-600 locally, and allot less online, even with shipping. <BR> <BR>Has any canadians bought from boardersmall before? <BR> <BR>thanks

check out the Obrien Player...it has amazing pop and is kinda to Obrien what the Absolute is to CWB. It was their flagship board for awhile...i guess you could say. Although I bet the Natural is taking it's spot. The natural was based off of the player. <BR> <BR>i LOVE my player...

keep you eye on Boardersbestbuy.com boards come on there all the time.... for great deals

I would sell my Ronix Ibex, but I have used it on rails so I don't know if thats a problem for you...

Joe, and anyone else, <BR> <BR>When you get the opportunity, Venture to taste the whole new flavor of flex to see if you enjoy its savor. But don't just taste it, let it roll on your tongue a bit till you have identified its characteristics then make a decision. its taste will be as different as continuous vs three-stage... even more so in fact. <BR> <BR>I was a little weary of the fact that the slingshots were channel-less but my curiosities far outweighed my doubts of the board's performance. The boast of softer landings made sense to me and the increased air claim excited me. <BR> <BR>True, any board will land softer when landing tail heavy, but this fact i think applies to all sports. Take biking for example. A BMX bike would land softer if you landed more on the back wheel first. Now immagine that same landing on a mountain bike with SHOCKS, lots softer. The shocks are comparable to flex. Yes there is more flex on the ends of the board than the middle, that is why it has been suggested to land tail heavy to take advantage of the flex's full potential. but even if you do land perfectly flat (which i think most landings wont be), there will still be at least a little flex between your feet which makes up for the lack of bottom features of other more "traditional" boards. <BR> <BR>I used to be a FIRM believer of bottom-center spines, but slingshot makes center spines feel like a thing of the past to me now. <BR> <BR>When it was explained to me that the main reason for no bottom features was to preserve maximum continuous flex, and that molded in fins and such would make the board rigged, I no longer complained within myself so much. Also the featureless bottom has been explained as a restoration back to the roots of surf boards and such, that features cause drag. True the board has its own "slippery" characteristics, but you get used to it and i have found that it makes the board much more fun to ride and forgiving too.

Matt, <BR> <BR>We have a few team rider boards on closeout that are not listed on our site. We can give you a performance guarantee so you can ride it for a month and then trade for other boards if your not happy. It takes me at least two sets and a lot of times a few days to really feel a board and work with binding placement. Give us a call and ask for JD or Lucas and we can help you out. Thanks for the post. <BR> <BR>Tommy Phillips <BR><a href="http://www.gettommys.com" target="_blank">www.gettommys.com</a> <BR>1-800-592-7547