We bought a Calibrated Lovett Pro model after James got a chance to ride Jaime Lovett's actual board at the Centurion Tulloch Resort Spring Break Wakesurfing Championships. It was James' first time on the board so he struggled a bit, but did land a 1080 at the end of his run. <BR> <BR>The Lovett Pro model is a high end board. Carbon fiber over d-cell and ABS nose and tail blocks. While this board can be ridden by pretty much anyone, it's design for the advanced rider. <BR> <BR>The first thing you'll notice is the graphic. We picked the board up, sans traction and this is what the board looks like: <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/559019/451276.jpg" alt="Upload"> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/559019/451277.jpg" alt="Upload"> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/559019/451278.jpg" alt="Upload">

The folks at Calibrated claim that the Lovett Pro weighs in at 5.5 with traction and fins. My scale showed it was 6.0. It's certainly light, no question about that. It's about on par with a NON-CARBON 1" Walzer weight wise. <BR> <BR>One of the virtues of carbon fiber is it's strength and rigidity. I always like to use the spray test to test for flex. It's certainly not scientific, but will give you a feel of flex. In this photo you'll see James has the board almost vertical on it's rail. You can feel the flex in a board while doing this. <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/559019/451312.jpg" alt="Upload">

Literally no flex on the Lovett Pro with a 150 pound rider. <BR> <BR>All of the Calibrated boards come with built in arch bars. James prefers the taller arch bars from the Board Shop, but felt the traction on the Lovett Pro was more than adequate. Also, the rear pad comes with a kick pad built in. Overall, a very nice job with the traction, without having to buy an aftermarket set. <BR> <BR>One of Jaime Lovett's nicknames was Shuvit Lovett. <IMG SRC="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":-)" BORDER=0> The pro model is true to this name sake. It shuv's effortlessly and lands with stability. <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/559019/451322.jpg" alt="Upload">

The stiffness of the board did aide in generating air. It's more of an ollie off the lip than generating speed. These pictures show it's ability. <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/559019/451327.jpg" alt="Upload"> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/559019/451328.jpg" alt="Upload"> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/559019/451329.jpg" alt="Upload">

The Calibrated boards have a unique rail design. <IMG SRC="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":-)" BORDER=0> The sharp right angle and 5/8" thickness really carve into the wake. Also, the nose of the Lovett Pro is a bit fuller allowing the board to be ridden revert as easily as forward. <BR> <BR>This sequence demonstrates how well the rails allow control of the board. James ollies into the three, then stalls the rotation while riding backside switch. Certainly a testament to his abilities, but the Lovett Pro's rails really dig into the face of the wake. <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/559019/451338.jpg" alt="Upload"> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/559019/451339.jpg" alt="Upload"> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/559019/451340.jpg" alt="Upload"> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/559019/451341.jpg" alt="Upload"> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/559019/451342.jpg" alt="Upload">

Downside? Not many, the price tag isn't for the faint of heart: $420. Compare with the non-carbon Walzer Skim Pro at $365 and Phase 5 Prop at $340. I do believe that the Daniello Pro with a 'Tex covering is in the same price range. <BR> <BR>If you are an advanced rider and can use the stiffness and light weight, you'll not blink at the price tag. <BR> <BR>I also think that I would have preferred to see some traction the entire length of the board. The pads are great, but I would have prefered to see a length of arch bar running the entire length of the board. <BR> <BR>Two final pictures. <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/559019/451347.jpg" alt="Upload"> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/559019/451348.jpg" alt="Upload">