Im trying to get my wife into boarding and she likes the 'look' of the Blindside Flower. None of the local shops have one for demo... anybody have experience with the Flower or the Five-O series boards?

I love my 134 Flower. I rode a friend's 134 flower and fell in love. Then I rode mine for the first time this weekend and I love mine just as much as hers. I don't know about it for a beginner though. It is probably fine. It is my second board and I have been riding a couple of times a year for the last 5 summers. When I teach someone on it, I will let you know how they do if no one else can tell you about it before then.

I think this board would be great for a beginner, as long as you had some fairly deep fins on there (like 2.0" on the tail would be ideal). My wife rides the 138, and it is such a better ride than the O'Brien she used to have. One of the good features of the Five-O is that the rails are bevelled (softened), so a beginner will have less chance of catching an edge and taking a brutal fall. I have taught beginners for many years, and in my opinion, there is nothing about this board that would make it too advanced for a beginner. It has a nice continuous rocker, and the cut and pop are very smooth and predictable. I have another friend who is looking to sell a 2001 model 138, which is identical to the one that my wife rides. It is in excellent condition, and she would make you a very good deal on it. Send me an email back-channel if you would like to know more about it.

My son rode the 128 tiki for about three years when he first started with 2.0's. It was good for him.