'08 Byerly Monarch vs '08 Transcend Platinum

I just bought myself these two boards on closeout. I rode the Monarch last Sunday and it took some time getting used to but by the end of the day I was loving it. This Sunday, weather permitting,I will ride my 08 Transcend Platinum. Is there anyone here who can tell me what to expect as compared to the 08 Monarch I just rode? My previous board was an 08 Murray which I liked a lot and will still ride too but I like to experiment. I am curious how people evaluate these boards so when i am riding i can know what to look for and see if i can feel the expected effect. Btw, I am 54 years old and a mid-level rider but I do like to ride as aggressively as I can while still being careful not to end my riding career.

I haven't ridden the Monarch, but I've ridden the hell out of the 08 Transcend. That's a great board. Just looking at the bases, I would guess the Transcend will be a little faster....less drag.

J-rod I would like to know how much faster the old shape to the new one is.

thanks J-Rod. how do you have your fins set up on the transcend? No extensions? Short extensions? Long extensions? How significant is the difference in the ride with each of those three fin configurations?

Also, the Monarch is pretty fast on edge but only moderately fast when flat. The pop is as good as anything i have ridden. I would compare it to my 06 Absolute Platinum. The Monarch is VERY loose and if your form isn't good it may not track perfectly straight. Obviously, my form and just about everything else about my riding is not perfect but those are a few observations I have been able to discern. Thanks for your input.

I would be curious to hear a comparison opinion as well. I ride the Transcend which is a good board, but I would like to give the Monarch a try. That board seems really light and I guess I'm wondering if it's rocker lends itself to a little bit more "up" pop.

I have ridden my friends T-scend Platty and it is a great board. I will be interested to see what you have to say. I think the Monarch lands softer and may be a tad faster. You shouldn't need any fin extensions, on Tscend, if you got comfy on the Monarch.

Definitely no fin extensions necessary on the Transcend. I love that board. I wont change shapes till they change it on me. I can't wait to get my hands on the '09 which has some minor revisions.

Let us know how they compare. I can definitely endorse the Transcend, though. My favorite shape to date.

Too funny... I rode the 08' Transcend on Sunday. With the fins, it's way too tight for me. The '07 Marius Platty has been a great board without fins. I like the loose / snowboard feel.
From reviews, the Monarch seems to be more similar to the Marius only faster. I'll keep an eye on this for your comparison.

Some I've now read that some think the Monarch is faster and some think the Transcend is faster. Now I'm confused!

I have ridden both,

The Monarch is slower than the Transcend but I think the Monarch lands softer. The Transcend releases better and is more consistent in its pop. I would agree that the Monarch is closer to the Marius in relation to overall ride.
Now the Transcend rides different than last years model, for guys like Evan that loved it finless I think your going to find it a little more tight on the water. It has lost a little bit of that loose feel. It does land better than last year but not a night and day difference. Over all the changes I think are good. It rides a little higher in the water and that has picked up its speed. It accelerates into the wake better and with the changes to the tip and tail tracks better but still releases early and clean off the wake.

Riding the 08 or 09 Transcend with the long fins is night and day between the short extensions or finless. So depending on your style and how you like the feel of the board you will want to try it each way.

The 09 is way looser on the water for me. I've always ridden no fins on the Transcend but that might change now. With the Tip to Tail spine, the tail seems to break loose much easier. I'm going to slap the short extensions on it and try again.

Otherwise, the Transcend feels exactly like the 07-08 shape....for me. Fast, cush landings in the flats, explosive pop.

J-Rod..........Interesting.........
That was the weird thing for me, I actually had to do the opposite. I could not ride 07/08 fin less I had to ride with the short extensions but with the 09 I am fin less and loving it.


Things that make you go HHHHMMMMMMMMM!! Now Eubanks is really going to be confused.

Yea even more weird for me as i came from the 04-06 absolute platty 141 to the 07 and now 08 transscend platty 138.I always rode the absolute without the center fins but the transcend is way too loose with no fins ,better with short fins but when i try to be over agressive with it it almost slides out from under me.Most likely bad form but i had to stay with the long fins to feel comfortable but it is tad too tight.I was thinking if this board was a bit looser and tad faster it would be the perfect board ever made.


sounds like the new 09 may be perfect for me maybe short fins or finless..


Ill be getting a demo i guess this spring a long with a few other boards to see what i think of it.

Eubanks was born confused ,so dont worry about him

DRA - Hahaha!

It's actually crystal clear to me. The '09 Transcend is much looser in a grippier, tighter sort of way than the '08 Transcend, and the '09 Transcend is so much faster than the even faster '08 Monarch. No need for further clarification.

Bill - My wife is counting on you to do good work tomorrow on our crib! You better not skip out to go wakeboarding...although I would certainly understand!

Funny how opinions go. I don't remember the Monarch being much different than a Transcend.

I don't think a Monarch is anything like a Marius, which happens to be my daughters board. I thought the new Murray reminded me alot of the Marius.

Oh Well...

I think different boards strike us on different days.

The first time I rode an 08 Transcend I couldn't stand it. For some reason it didn't release right and just frustrated the hell out of me. Now I'm on the 09 Transcend and I seriously think the board is the perfect blend of the last two boards I rode (Absolute & Faction). I'll admit, if you get on edge too quick it can wash out but if you lay it on easy that board holds an edge like you wouldn't believe.

The Monarch, I felt was a little edgier than the Marius and had a pretty big Byerly pop. Way more impressive than his past shapes IMO.

You've got some good decks. That Murray is a good shape and fun to ride, I just couldn't quite get the pop. The Transcend pops way harder!!

do u still have your murray

yes, i have only had my 08 murray since my wife gave it to me for my birthday in september. i have ridden it exclusively since then with the exception of the past two weeks on the monarch. i like the 08 murray a lot. prior to it i rode the 07 murray, before that the 06 absolute platinum, 06 fish, 04 dna temet, and started with the 03 dna belmont.

rode the 08 transcend platinum today. really nice board. tremendous pop. i rode it first with the long extensions on . it tracked beautifully but was a little too tight on the water and had a little too much drag. next ride i took the long extensions off and rode it with no extensions. very fast and very loose. i was not totally dialed in so i had a little trouble getting it to track well. (due to my poor riding ability). i didn't have time to ride again with the medium length extensions but i suspect that is where i will be riding it (at least until i get dialed in). second ride today i rode the monarch, it rode similarly to the transcend. it was a loose board also but not quite as loose as the transcend with no extensions. they are both fast boards and loose with no extra fins and have exceptional vertical pop. both are very light and have very soft landings. i now own three VERY good boards, the 08 byerly monarch, 08 transcend platinum and 08 murray. i love all three boards and will have a lot of fun swapping out and riding each one. i suspect that i need to pick one and stick with it so that i can get it dialed in but i really like riding different boards and noticing the differences. i will report back in a few weeks after i have ridden each board a few more times. i will say that as of today these are the three best boards i have ever ridden (no surprise here as i have never read or heard anything but praise for these three boards.)

"08 byerly monarch, 08 transcend platinum and 08 murray." You got it rough don't you?? lol!! You just need to add a Sub 6 and maybe some Dark Core Ronix boards to that line up. ;) Maybe some gold or platnum hardware. lol!! JK!!