I had a thread going about the fish and liked what I heard but I still can't stop thinking about the natural. I'm 6' 230lbs intermediate rider. Once again I live in Alaska and cannot demo so I depend on wakeworlds input. Thanks for the help!

fish for life.

Obrien Natural for life. The fish is nice, but adjusting to that short of a board is weird. The fish is a slower wider board with good pop. The natural will be faster and release really smooth. You might need to work a tad harder to get the same pop on the natural. However, I think the natural's pop is huge though. Since you live in alaska I will also add the natural is really flowing ride and could be compared to snowboarding cause the chevrons make it sit higher in the water. Just my opinion.

Yeah the riding like a snowboard thing sounds really nice. Thats why I love the roam. No fins to get between you and that perfect edge on a glass morning.

wow...this is a great comparison..go with what's natural

I would go with fish...but thats me.

i would have to say the fish all the way. i have never ridden the natural but i have a friend that has a fish and a natural and he likes the fish more than the natural. he says that it just isnt as fun to ride as the fish.

Yeah the Fish is sounding better and better

What type of conditions do you usually ride in? <BR> <BR>All my friends who ride the Fish say that it has to be butter or it is not fun at all to ride. <BR> <BR>Personally I far prefer butter too but the Natural still handles great in chop. <BR> <BR>Although "fun" one friend quit riding his Fish for the most part because he felt it was too loose. <BR> <BR>One of the things I love most about the Natural is its ability to lock in solid but also break loose easily. I just did a bs surface 360 on mine yesterday! <BR> <BR>Do you expect to share your board much? Beginners always prefer my Natural to my buddy's Fish. (Fish is too loose for them.) <BR> <BR>From what I've seen with the Fish and the Natural the Fish is fun and the Natural is fun but the Fish is not really a board that make it easier to progress while the Natural will really help you progress. If you're just looking to go out and have a good time the Fish may be better (although even that I'd argue as the Natural is crazy fun) but if learning new tricks is the goal I'd take a Natural any day. <BR> <BR>Good luck deciding. At least you'll never know if the one you don't get was better. ;)

We always get glass in the morning and night but during the day it can get a little crowded and choppy. Its ok though since during the summer its light out all night. We've had sessions run till 2-3 in the morning and rode glass the entire time. Nights like that make the 7am wake up hard, but its still worth it.

Natural, Natural, Natural. There is no comparison. Actually those are very different boards, they ride totaly different

A friend has the Fish 133 and I have the Natural. I thought I would really like the Fish, but I hate it. And I really like a LOT of different boards. To me, it is really sluggish, not very responsive, and I have to work more to get the pop out of it. I have a harder time rolling it on edge. I just dislike the board. It doesn't suit me very well. The Natural on the other hand has everything I have ever wanted in a board. To me, it is a combination of all the great parts of the great boards I have ridden. <BR> <BR>That's just me and my opinion and we all know what that is worth.

I am looking to get the Natural as well, how is the landing on this board? I would like to get one that has a soft landing, getting a little old and need all the help I can get

the fish, shane, and watson are the softest landing boards that i have fond so far. i first rode the fish and had no knee pain what so ever, but bad lands are a little hard to ride out on the fish. the watson was a little loose for me. but the shane is amazing. it is what i ride. it has never broken off edge, and is loose only when i want it to be. the pop is very consistent, w2w or in the flats, it is wider than normal boards and shorter that normal boards so you still get the fish charateristics and a board that you can progress on. since i got the shane i have learned 4 new inverts and 5 new spins. it is awesome

The shane is shorter and wider, but not as much as the fish. On the shane you should only ride it 2-3cm shorter because it's only about .5inch wider than most boards its size.

yea it is not much shorter and wider but i could fell a difference. just that little bit helped me with a lot a grabs to. i have short arms and i just couldnt reach that little bit extra and make the grabs but now i can. that is just my experence from it.

The Natural has very soft landings. It has the "double concave hull" or center spine that makes it cushy on your knees. I have bad knees but with the Natural I almost always take it big and into the flats without any pain.

Thanks Josh, How does it hold the edge and does it have good pop. Is it easy to break loose to butter slide or spins on the water. I am riding a 2000 absolute and I think it is time to trade up. Just trade the boat to an 06 xstar so the board has to go.

I'm thinking that I might go with the natural and hope my brother gets the fish. The natural was my first choice anyways and another bonus that nobodys brought up yet is that its friggin chrome!