Earlier this year, I demoed a LF Fish 133. <BR> <BR>Wasn't my favorite board, but I really liked the concept of going shorter and wider. I thought there was something there and that this would be the future of new wakeboards. I expected to see many more 2006 models going shorter, but so far nothing. <BR> <BR>Has anyone heard about or seen other models going shorter like the Fish? Or do you think this is a dead Fish?}

I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that Watson's and Shane's new shapes are going to resemble the fish. <BR> <BR>The only other board that I can think of that would slightly resemble the fish is the CWB Marius, because of the width.

watson's isn't going to be anything like the fish. it's more similar to the substance than anything else.

Check out the O'Brien 06 Vice. It's Josh Sanders new ride. It's about 18" wide comes in a 131, 136, and 141. It has a nice center spine but not as much as the Fish, and plenty of rocker for great pop. It can be ridden with or without the new Crook fins so it is very versatile. Check it out if you get a chance. <BR> <BR>Later, <BR>jjakober

Jakober - are you the marketing director for O'brien? You're the strongest representative for that company that I've seen...by far.

All I know about the Watson board is it is black on top with lots of linear designs and the bottom of the board is a really unique plaid pattern. <BR> <BR>but I'm not sure of the shape, just the graphics.

oh please someone show me Waton's new board!!

Thane, <BR> <BR>Nope, just someone that started riding O'Brien stuff over 8 years ago. I've always had good results with there stuff and I guess I just want people to try the stuff out before dismissing it because it says O'Brien on it!! <BR> <BR>Later, <BR>jjakober

Paul, <BR> <BR><a href="http://www.wake.com.au" target="_blank">www.wake.com.au</a> <BR> <BR>You can also check out the O'Brien Vice and the Natural at that site. <BR> <BR>Later, <BR>jjakober

thanks Jakober but still no Watons

JJakober, <BR> <BR>The Watson isn't online anywhere. I'm just able to describe it. Best I can do is describe it as I did above, heh. Sorry Paul!

Both Watson's and S. Bonifay's boards are a blend of the fish and substance/subjekt respectively. Should make for some interesting boards if you ask me

Here you go, straight from wake.com.au!! <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65919/252800.jpg" alt="watkins"> <BR> <BR>Later, <BR>jjakober <BR> <BR>PS: the pictures are in the Forum

very interesting.

thats some ugly boards

oh the forum........ thanks jjakober..... what do you think Thane????? reminds me of a team.... and i HATE the team. im going to have to ride it!! Shanes board now please!!! <BR> <BR>(Message edited by wakeriderixi on September 06, 2005)

alright looking over it more...... substance middle, PS3 ends, with the old TFD very end..... I like the plaid

I don't know. I think I'm gonna stick with my Substance with the Man's landing unless they put a center beam in that new shape.

paul - why do you hate the team?

Chris Stack- for me and I've had a few others notice this, the team board nose dives. Maybe it's just an adjustment I need to make in my riding but with all the boards I've ever ridden, including the Fish, the team nose dives. Pop was great though. <BR> <BR>Well I saw the Shane but don't know how to do pictures... it is SICK! And for Thane and the rest of you...... "Basically Shawn was happy with the way his Substance rode but wanted it to go bigger and land softer.....so number one they made it wider, both in the center and at the tail, but to improve its ride they also incorporated many design elements from last years Fish, the rounded siderails to help it roll further on its edge and to ride smoother, the double concave inside the single concave to soften the landings together with the variable edge rail and spiral vee tunnel..... <BR>So the idea being if you liked the Substance you will probably LOVE the Watson....."

Also the final Shane boot is out and it's Closed toe. It has like 6 different sizes as well. With a 9-10 just for me!

sorry Paul here again.... just found the final Watson boot as well..... Open toe and close to the one we all saw before just more leather looking like the 05 team.

.......And for those that love the Subjekt (like myself) you will be stoked....imagine a Subjekt that is just as fast, just as much pop....that lands soft.....heaven my friends pure heaven <BR> <BR>Oh and they are doing some crazy graphics on the Shane board

Not sure the question has been aswered... <BR> <BR>The Fish is a board that's ridden roughly 10 cm shorter than a conventional board. The thinking is that it makes spins and other tricks easier. Think of what happened to the (snow) ski industry - most advanced riders are riding around 175 cm these days, whereas we used to be on 210's. <BR> <BR>Are any other makes or models of wakeboards going to follow the path of the Fish this year?

the watson and shane board take alot of design elements from the Fish, mainly the width... No one is thinking they want their pro model that short as of yet though. I kinda agree. <BR> <BR>The shane board has a picture collage on the bottom of things in shanes life and the top is white with gold pin stirping along the edges with one of the bottom pictures randomly stamped somewhere on the top sheet... For example.... 8 137 Subjekt/Shane boards can be in a shop but no two are exactly the same top sheet design.

the fish seems a bit of a red herring if you'll pardon the pun - at least with the whole 'ridden shorter' rhetoric. obviously for length one could just ride a shorter version of the model they're currently on. <BR> <BR>the real question seems to be about width. how much experimentation has been done with board width? what is the effect of greater width? <BR> <BR>and paul - how does the team nose-dive?? that seems very odd. it has at minimum a 2.3in rocker! i know it's an (aggressive) continuous rocker board, but still...

width is all shane and watson seems to really take from the Fish... and somehow both got their old rides to land softer while still going huge. <BR> <BR> <BR>Chris.... nose dove as in olling off of one wake and wake jumps.... it rode perfectly fine attached to the water. I normally don't say why I hate the Team because alot of people love it and aside from a few of my buddies actually witnessing what it does to my riding, and to some of theirs no one seems to understand it.

cool - thx for the info on that. im hoping to demo one soon.

I haven't rode the team, but I have rode a Balance, and it didn't seem to nosedive but when I would hit the wake it would pop the tail up.

that could be it... pop the tail up... but as most people on here know.... I'm an avid supporter of the LF Trip and I like the Balance..... All coming from the same general design and I only dislike the Team.

I am anxious to see some of the new boards also. I am going to demo a Marius later this week. Like I need another board! Most reviews have been pretty positive. We'll see.

I like it, but I'm goign to stick with the Substance

Here are some pictures of the 06 O'Brien Vice <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65919/252871.jpg" alt="Vice3"> <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65919/252872.jpg" alt="Vice4"> <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65919/252873.jpg" alt="Vice5"> <BR> <BR>Check it out!! <BR> <BR>jjakober

I can't get enough of my fish, I absolutely love it.

alot of the LF boards this year are going to be fish based...the new ps3 is very much fish based....

I would say the PS3 is very much Substance based myself.

its supposted be a cross between the fish and the substance....

watsons new board looks like a modded substance, which I guess is what it is?? That obrien resembles an older byerly a little...

I here LF is adding a 137 to the fish line of boards

I wouldn't say that the PS3 is based on the Fish. As Paul said, it is based more on the Substance. The length of the molded fins toward the center of the board is almost identical to the Substance, along with how deep they are. It looks to me that the molded fins on the PS3 are canted outward vs. straight up and down on the Substance. There are some subtle shaping differences down the center of the board (I assume to make it land softer), and the 3 stage rocker is very obvious on the PS3, as it has a pretty wide flat section in the center. I have ridden the 137, but will reserve final judgement on the PS3 until I have an opportunity to ride the 142, as the 137 is really too small for me (200lbs and 6'2"). I did like the way it rode, but since it was a bit short for me, the landings seemed hard (that's what I'm guessing anyway). From what I have heard, Shane's new board is going to be somewhat wider than "traditional"- a little Fish-y. Unless my info is incorrect, I was told that you would ride Shane's board 2-3cm shorter than you normally would, whereas the Fish would be around 10cm shorter. Watson's board is to be ridden at whatever normal length you would choose, as it isn't exceptionally wide. Again, as Paul stated above, the Shane graphics will be just slightly different on each board. <BR> <BR>Mike Dick <BR>See Dick Ride Wakeboards <BR><a href="http://www.seedickride.com" target="_blank">www.seedickride.com</a> <BR>(701)682-5515 <BR><a href="mailto:mike@seedickride.com">mike@seedickrid e.com</a> <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65919/253130.jpg" alt="Shane top graphic"> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65919/253131.jpg" alt="Watson top graphic"> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65919/253132.jpg" alt="Shane Base"> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65919/253133.jpg" alt="Watson 142 Base">

nice! simple and clean. tech boards lurking, with style that'll creep on you. the new look is good.

Yea, the new look looks better closer up.

that watson board looks like it's going to be sick.

Thane man..... im telling you...... leave your substance for the slider park, this watson here lands softer.... sounds like its right up your alley! hahah I want one! <BR>Thanks for the pic Mike!

Can anyone tell if the Watson board here is going to have a removable center fin or just the 4 molded fins? From what I can tell, it just looks like a molded fin board...can't see any holes to where removables would bolt up. Also, anyone know when this board will be available?