Help with 2004 boards

Want the sweet ride for the sweet water.
5’10” and 195 lbs.
I ride a
2001 O’Brien Answer (138) with 3060 bindings (2000) – Great board for beginner, just too old school. I like the speed, the edge is pretty good, pop is weak compared to newer boards, slow release, since it rides deep in water making surface tricks tough, fins too big. I just need a bigger board with the same aggressive feel that doesn’t ride as deep in the water (Surface 180’s will wear you out).
2003 LF Evolution (138) – Great board get much better pop, very forgiving board, rides high on the water. The only thing I don’t like about it is that it’s so stable that I can’t roll it on edge as easy as I can with my O’Brien. Definitely a very good Beginner/Intermediate board
2002? Hyperlite Element (138) – sucks, I hate this board and it trips me up everytime I cut out toeside. It has lots of rocker with sharp rails and fish tail style tips. My friend bought it last year at Sam’s Club and I can’t even find the same board graphics on Wakeworld, so I’m not sure about the model year, but it has spine down the center.
2002 Belmont (136) – Checked out this board last year and it was similar to the LF Evo. It turned on edge much better though and pop was probably the same.
So I am ready to buy a 2004 board and all I hear folks talk about is the Parks, Absolute, Demented, and Ricky G. I just don’t want to get anything like that Hyperlite Element from Sam’s Club (squirrelly).
I don’t want to pay more than $350 for a blank board, give or take $25.00. Any recommendations for a board would be great, since the local board shop only demos old boards. The other shop only has Hyperlite for demo ($$$). I want a 140 – 143 cm. board that can take me to the next level. Aggressive, pops huge, holds edge, soft landings, forgiving.
-Jamie

“No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

From The Karate Kid
Miyagi: Now, ready?
Daniel: I guess so.
Miyagi: [sighs] Daniel-san, must talk. Man walk on road. Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk down middle, sooner or later, get squished
[makes squish gesture]
Miyagi: just like grape. Same here. You karate do "yes," or karate do "no." You karate do "guess so,"
[makes squish gesture]
Miyagi: just like grape. Understand?
Daniel: Yeah, I understand.
Miyagi: Now, ready?
Daniel: Yeah, I'm ready.

TFD, Hyperlite TFD!

Substance.

Anyway, check out DoubleUP Nelson and Blindside Blade. Great boards w/ awesome pop, strong edge-hold, super soft landings, and low swing weight. Email me and I could let you know where to demo one, and if you like them, I could tell you where to get a good deal.

(Message edited by dakid on May 25, 2004)

these would be my choices in order.

1.Gator Gonzales
2.CWB Absolute
3.HL Era

Jamie, do you know kimball?

cwb absolute

Yeah, EQ Kimball works at the wakeboard store that won't demo any 2004 boards. Sucks that he has to work for the communists.

Thanks for all of your suggestions guys. It helps to have a fat board when your out tryin' to get all hurt up!!!!!

gonzales definately its the sickest board ever

byerly 142 ... pops like no others mother .. and lands smoooth

sry thats the 137 .. but u should get the 142 .. look about the same .. has diff graphics on the bottom

Jamie,

Here is the review I did on the Demented 141:

I had a chance to ride Shapiro’s new wakeboard from O’Brien, the 141 Demented and this board is killer!!!

Here is a little background of my wakeboard preferences: I have always ridden 3 stage rocker boards because I liked the pop and I didn’t feel like I could get it from a continuous rocker board. The thing I didn’t like about 3 stage boards is they seemed slow to me especially when cutting toeside, I’m sure it has a little to do with my technique, but after riding for 13 years I figured I just had to live with it!!

So I took the Demented out, which has continuous rocker with a slight kick at the tip and tail, I had never ridden a Shapiro signature board but I figured it would be fast but I wasn’t sure about the pop. The board was definitely fast, I couldn’t believe how fast it was coming in toeside. It got on edge and then it was off to the races with very little effort. Now it was time to see how it pops. BOOM!!!! This board pops as hard as any 3 stage board I have ever ridden (even the O’Brien Harris)!! I didn’t think it was possible for a continuous board to pop so well. My toeside jumps were insane, I was getting 6 feet of air easy and I felt much more comfortable coming into the wake toeside because I didn’t have to work so hard to get the speed. The landings were very soft because the bottom of the board has a……Instead of me trying to explain it to you here are the spec’s direct from Chris Johnson of O’Brien who designed the board with Shapiro:

The Demented 141 is 17" wide and has 2.45" of rocker. The underside is dual concave, kept full under the feet but flattened a bit in the center of the board to keep a good sweet spot. The edges are beveled. The deep-cut center channel and step down rail allow the tail of the board to sit-down while cutting to the wake. The fins are mounted more inwards than you usually see on a quad-fin board - this allows the board to roll on-edge smoothly and helps the board establish proper board angle on your approach. The raised deck is called the "Elevated Composite Deck". We have created this deck to give us precise control over the strength & flex of the boards. If you look at the contours, you can see they are significant in the center of the board, so the middle area (where 90% of boards break) is very strong and stiff (which contributes to the hard pop). Around the bindings the contours are reduced to allow flex under the feet on landings. The deck is finished off with 3 ribs running out the back of the board for snap off the tail of the board.

One thing Chris forgot to mention is that the tip and tail are much wider then any board Shapiro has ever ridden, I think this also adds to the incredable pop that you get from the board.

For those of you that are looking for a new board, you owe it to yourself to check out the Demented. This goes out to all you 3 stage riders also!!! I guess it’s true what they say “You will never know till you try it”

Later,
jjakober