Advice on upgrading from my Natural
 

Hey all, My 06 O'brien Natural has finally met its end (My fault, not O'Brien's. O'Brien makes a great product). The Natural has been a great board and easily the best I've ever tried. I'm strongly considering going with another Natural but I thought that there might be some better boards out there now. I'd strongly considering going with the Decade but I don't have one to demo here in Az. (Anyone know anyone with a Decade in Az?)

Has anyone ridden the Natural and moved onto something they like better?

Like I said I love the Natural but think I would like something a tad looser.

I like a very fast board. I don't have a huge preference on 3 stage or continuous.

My top two contenders are the Ronix Viva or O'Brien Decade.

Thanks for the help.

The decade is faster then the Natural, so if you love your Natural and looking for a faster board, the decade is the Board for you.

i ride the decade and its looser than the natural but faster. its wayyy sickkk... my favorites of obrien are the decade and the valhalla the natural is a tad too tight for me.. obrien makes such great products im finally starting to see more people riding them again, maybe people will realise they are freaking rad

anything other than an o'brien is an upgrade.

settle down nintzel!!! i'm totally kidding!

i'm sure nintzel will be able to tell you the lowdown on what he feels will help you out, as far as o'briens go. maybe he might even know of a rep in your area.

if you're open to trying boards other than what you listed, make sure you check out the shane.

Rode the natural for the past 3 summers and switched to a company severance. The natural generates speed much quicker that the severance, but the severance is a bit looser and has more vertical pop which works better on my malibu wake. I think the natural would have been better with only one set of built in fins instead of the 2 sets on each end. I can't imagine how tight that board would ride with the center fin in! The company lands soft like the natural too.

Go for a LF Shane! It feels like the Natural but better in each aspect! I'm sure you're gonna love it! If you're ready for a bit more change... SS Recoil!
In my opinion, Obrien is 2 years behind every cie... go for a Shane... it's a safe choice! It feels lighter, faster, looser (on the flat), more pop, etc.

Josh,

The Natural was D.Watkins board after the Player. It kept some of the same things that the player had going for it but added a few extras to make is a much more progressive board. The Decade is a new board all in itself. Its faster than the Natural, I would honestly say its the fastest true three stage rocker boards on the market. Its a rocket! The main different you will notice is that its much looser than the Natural. The Decade has a rolled edge between your boots making it super loose and it wont grab on Jibs. Right after the boots it quickly tapers to an aggressive tight edge that will lock in when you put it on edge. This give the Decade a super floaty feel when your standing centered and a super aggressive feel on edge. The Delta base gives it the speed of a progressive rocker line making up for the fact it has a true 3-stage rocker line, which are traditionally slow. The last thing that it has over the Natty is the Clean V base, there is a center spine running the center of the board making it land WAY softer than the Natural. I've been on it for two years and I totally love it. I really don't think there is another 3-stage that compares to it.

2 Years behind who??? That is a bold statement I hope you back it up?

Not to hijack, but maybe Andy can fill me in on this.

I am very familiar with the Obrien brand, had a couple of their slalom skis way back in the day. But why does the availability of Obrien seem so limited? I live in the south, and I see Hyperlite, LF, Ronix, CWB, some Slingshot, and now Company, but I never see any Obrien gear. I can honestly say that I have not seen an Obrien board up close and personal, while I regularly see all of the companies I have mentioned and rode at least one model from each of those manufacturers excluding Company. Does Obrien only market to certain parts of the country? I mean I don't object to ordering off the internet, but I at the very least like to see the board personally before making any decisions.

Can you offer any insight to this?

i don't understand why obrien gets a bad wrap some times. every time i have jumped on an obrien board i have liked it better than my current board at the time... untill i started riding boards with more pronounced flex features that is u.e. slingshot. but that is just my prefference and like.

the decade (judging from pics alone...i have never riden it) has half the fins as the natural. so definately looser

its not like obrien doesn't have good representation either, they have a good team of riders and a consitantly number one female rider (Dallas Friday).

i too have noticed difficulty finding their gear in person. one reason might be that obrien is a watersports company in general. of course hyperlite (HO) and CWB(Connely) are too, but they seem to distinguish/ seperate themselves better from the skis, tubes, and stuff than obrien does. this might not appeal to the shops that try to be "board shops," but with this opinion/theory said, i HAVE seen "boad shops" carry obrien.

...

Andy Nintzel, you are gona have to come visit powell and bring a decade down. :) it is definately one of the top foam boards on my list to try. i have a feeling i'd like it better than my reigning favorite "foam" board, LF Lyman. I doubt i will ever like a foam board better, but flex aint for everyone as it is for me. i learn from every board i ride and love trying boards out reguardless of personall prefference.

I know this is turning into an Obrien thread but i thought I'd comment the Viva is a sweet board. I picked one up this year. Last year I rode a Slingshot Recoil and just didn't like it at all. I tried for the entire summer to get used to it. The Viva is great super quick and lots of pop. I'm really happy with the board.

Obrien makes a top quality product, and their customer service is awesome should you have any issues. I've encountered the same attitude with people in my area, that they think it's not a solid product, that's until I get them to ride the boards. I've converted many of my friends to Obrien boards over the years, and they've all been very satisfied with their switch. Give an Obrien board a try that fits your style, you won't be disappointed.

FYI, I've been VERY satisfied riding the Vice 136, for the past 5 years. I've even tried going to other Obrien boards, but have always come back to the Vice. I just like the way it suits my riding.

Joe you seem to hate ALOT as i have seen in many of your posts.

Nobody likes a hater.

Joe is cool! He was just making a jab at me! Dont worry about him!

I am an obrien dealer here in louisiana. I just cant get the board to catch on, but on the other hand i took company not too long ago and I just about cant keep them in stock. The people that have been out of watersports for a while and come back to buy their son or daughter a board like Obrien beacuse of the reputation had with their skis. Obrien does make some low quality boards but the price also is perfect for someone who maybe wants to give a try before jumping into a 500 or 600 dollar rig. In my opinion the only thing obrien could really use some work on is the styling on the bindings and bring back the xenon (best open toe binding ever imo. still rockin 08's right now)

hyperlite bside.

good lord j.b., did i not make it clear enough that i was messin' around? geezus!

thanks for not takin' it seriously, nintzel.

Umali,

I never do! I have been around long enough to know when you messing around! Not to mention this-

"anything other than an o'brien is an upgrade.

settle down nintzel!!! i'm totally kidding!"

Seems like you were really serious!

aight my bad il remember next time, i couldnt feel out if you were really kidding or not through text...

This is my opinion, but it is also a FACT -- there is no upgrade from the Natural. :)

I'm on my second one, bought it last summer after 3-4 years with my first one! When I bought my second Natural, there was very little info on the Decade and I didn't want to take the risk. However... I were buying a board TODAY, it would be the Decade. Haven't ridden it and don't have the option of demo-ing it... just seems to be so much consensus that it's a little looser and a little faster that I would have jumped on it in a heartbeat. I love Obrien boards -- great quality, great shapes, well-built and very lightweight. I've held the Decade in my hands, it is a beautiful board... if it performs half as well as it looks and feels, it's another winner.

j.b., it's all good in the neighborhood!

Like any new board, it will take some getting used to. I upgraded to a 09 Decade this year. The board is faster and has a bigger rocker. Both took some getting used to, but the landings are a lot softer than the Natural. I've had about 10 sets so far this year and love the board.

I gotta ride one of these decades. Anyone have one for sale?
I have loved all my obrien gear, but haven't rode any of their wakeboards.

E Johnson, you can ride on of mine sometime what part of MN do you live in???

Northern MN, (Walker area)
If I ever get to the cities I will let you know, that would be awesome.

Rode the Natty for two years. When I broke it I tried the Decade. Decade didn't hook up like the Natural for me. Rode the Vallhala and ding ding ding! better speed than the Natural, edges when I want but feels loose when I don't. Only area the Vallhala can't compete against the Decade or the Natural is soft landings..

I always found the Natural cool, especially the silver one! It ride well but there is so much ''better boards'' ( for me)! Shane ride a lot like the Natural, but feels better in every aspects. Natural is faster but heavier, less loose, etc. Whatever, it's a great board! You can't go wrong with an upgrade of this board (Decade). But you should give a try to the Recoil.... for me, flex boards are the futur! This board kicks ass! More pop, extra solid edge, loose as possible, softest landing, tough stuff, great service, bla bla bla...
Sorry Andy for the call, I know it's your family, but that's what I'm thinking !

@Nick McDonald;
I agree with you on the Xenon I wish they would bring that binding back. I have two pairs of the Xenon and when they wear out I'm at a loss as to what I can replace them with, that would give the same comfort and performance. I have about 15 boards of all kinds and 2 of which are the Player and the Natural. I enjoy both of those boards but I mostly ride the Natural as my wife has commandeered the Player for herself. I am considering upgrading to the Decade in the near future. I have to say though, that of all the boards I have ridden the worst one was an O'Brien System but I think it is a price range thingy more than anything else as the other O'Brien boards I have ridden were very very good.