08 an 09 Murray

I currently have a 07 Murray 138. I rode it for 2 seasons. I love the board and how it pops but never really realized how slow it actually is until I rode some other boards this season. My friend rides the Watson and he said that he had edge his ass off to get going. I'm a big fan of Murray's riding style you know fluid and smooth. I know that Murray completely changed the shape for 08. I was thinking about changing boards this year. Has anyone ridden the 08 or 09 Murray? If so have you rode the 07 Murray and how does it compare. I want a board that is little loose that is a little faster than my 07 Murray. I was considering switching over to Liquid Force and checking out the Lyman.

I haven't rode the 07 Murray but the 09 Murray (same shape as '08) rides like a dream. I would say average in speed, it's a little slower than my Monarch, but it had a very smooth feel, holds edge well, good pop and very forgiving. It's a great board. I'm considering picking up one. The Lyman feels completely different and I'm not used to that kind of board so I'll spare my thoughts.

My buddy has ridden every Murray shape since the beginning, his riding took a jump when he got the new shape. The board is so much better than the 07. A lot more fluid and smooth rail to rail. If you want a little slower with bit more pop look at the Transcend, nice and edgy with a lot of up pop.

not wanting to hi-jack your post, but I have a question about the new Murray shape too... I was riding an '07 Murray 142 and found a KILLER deal on a closeout '08 Murray 140 with my size Murray '08 closed toe boots..... Should I expect much of a difference by going from a 142 to a 140?? I am about 190-200lbs I just did not want to go to a 145.. I am looking forward to warm weather and a chance to ride it

I don't know how it rides yet, but bought one yesterday and am stoked to give it a shot!

I've been riding an Obrien Natural the past few years and absolutely love that board, but was willing to compromise a little bit of its speed for a little bit more pop. The Natural tracks like a champ... but I was willing to compromise that too for a board that is a little looser and better for screwing around on the wake and for surface stuff. And I LOVED the Double Up Nelson Models, and had all of them...

Very interesting how similar in shape the Obrien Natural and the Murray are. The dimensions of the Natural 139 and the Murray 140 are nearly identical. But the Murray definitely has more rocker. The Murray has some very unique bottom features.... trying to understand what they are and do isn't easy... and for a lack of a better term, the bottom is just crazy looking (I studied the bottom contours of the board for about 30 minutes last night trying to understand what the hell was going on...and what features accomplish which benefits).

It's interesting how the continuous and 3-stage rocker-lines were combined... At the edge, the board is mostly a continuous rocker. There is a spine in the center of the board that helps to create a diamond-shape in the middle of the board that basically creates two flat-spots that likely help the board generate 3-stage pop. I'd imagine the spine also helps with soft landings, and maybe creates the feeling of a continuous rocker-line up the center of the board once the board is on edge...?

The tips and tails are recessed deeply, likely to help the board sit a little deeper in the water and give it the 3-stage pop. And the thing is STIFF.

Very cool.

For me and what I'm looking for, I think the Murray should fit the bill... but all the crazy bottom contours are a work of art, hopefully they function as intended. From reviews, it sounds like they do. I hadn't considered it until I really studied it, then realized I had to give it a whirl. Plus, it's designed by the man himself, Greg Nelson.

Looking forward to trying it out soon.

I am ordering the 08 murray 140 and the closed to bindings on friday, i know this doesnt really help you but i thought i would let ya know. lol

Billy, you might want to size-up to the 145... I'm right on a 140, and I weigh 160 lbs. Also, the board seems more like a 137/138 than a 140... it's shorter than my Obrien Natural 139.

Well, I guess I will have to get used to the 140... Since I already got it, but the deal was too good to pass up... And I hope to shed some Lbs before spring

any way u could tell us where u got it from bill?

billy- going from the 07 142 to the 08 140 you should be fine. the surface area of the board on the new 08 140 is more than the 142 07 i believe. it stays wider through the tip and tail and is wider in the middle as well.

(Message edited by westsidarider on January 27, 2009)

I found it on E-bay, a boat dealer that I actually know was Ebaying all his old 08 inventory before Christmas and I thought that I would get that for Christmas.. I was the only bidder and I got the board and the bindings for $295 delivered!!!! So, I could not go wrong, especially since the bindings that I am riding now are '04 (I think) Temets and they are starting to show wear and the straps are pulling out a little.... You could try www.skijcsports.com and give them a call and see if they have any deals left... They are good to work with and knowledgable

wow, great buy man!

I went from an 07 Murray 142 to a Lyman 143 and it is amazing how big of a difference there is. They are very very different in my opinion. I rode my murray finless, but even with the fins in it seemed to ride looser than the lyman does (with fins, didn't get a chance to ride it without fins before winter). The pop difference is amazing, it exponentially increased when I hopped on my lyman. It doesn't have near the drag that the Murray has, and absolutely boots you like a 3 stage should, whereas the murray kinda of floated you like the continuous that it is. I'm so glad I made the jump, and definitely recommend the board. But I hear the 08 murray is every bit as sick, so try one out too if you can.

Billy.
I am 5'8 180s and went from 07 142 to 08 140 and love it. A guy I ride with went up to 145 (he is about 10 lbs heavier.. it is a little bigger than he would prefer.. I think you'll love the 08 140 vs. the 07 142. I think width, shape, etc will make up for it! I noticed late in the summer my 07 did ride slow.. 08 POP might catch you off guard the first time.. it is Nice.

shaun murray told me in an email that the scalloped-out tip and tail of the '08 model compress the water under the board and keep it there until you are completely off the wake. i have found that to be accurate. i am not a good rider but i have trouble breaking the board free from the wake until the board has totally left the wake. however, it is the first board i have ridden that has allowed me to jump the wake toe-side. it does it by holding it's edge really well. i am still riding the 08 board with the center fin on but once i start riding again this spring i will remove the center fin. i have found the 08 to be nowhere near as loose as the 07 ( i rode the 07 finless and the 08 with the center fin so it is not a fair assessment). the 07 had great pop and released really well off of the wake. it was very easy to do surface 360's on the 07 with the center fin removed. i struggle to do the surface 360 on the 08 with the center fin on. just some elementary observations from a pretty much poor rider. i own an 03 belmont dna, 04 temet dna, 06 roam, 07 murray and 08 murray. i liked all of the boards a lot except the temet and i believe that may have been because i got it one size too small. i always go one size up to have a softer landing. my 54 year old knees are one bad hit away from forcing me into retirement and i am nowhere near ready to give up my favorite summer activity.

'08 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtA6AFfLMTM
'09 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOdZIFoV3lM

only difference seems to be the carbon strips

and part of the sale goes to preserving the planet!!!

Hey Star Star,

How does that '08 Murray compare with the '03 Belmont? What's really different about the 2 boards? What's similar about the 2 boards? I've got a son that I'm going to buy a new board for this spring & I'm looking at an '08 Murray. He's been on an '03 Belmont DNA that I'm going to have to pry out of the death grip that he's got on it, but it's time for him to move up in size. I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Tracie, getting on any new board after riding a 2003 is going to feel different, but the changes have been for the better. How tall is your son? weight? not that it is an exact science, but then you can ballpark the size he should be on.

He'll be 14 in the spring. Right now he's about 5'7 & 125 lbs, but growing so fast. In addition, he's got a size 11 foot. We've had him on that board for about 3 seasons & the size seemed good for him until he shot up last year. By the end of the season he was going huge (he's more than ready for inverts, being well above the tower now), but the landings on that little board looked harsh & skittish, especially out in the flats. I know that it's technically good up to 155lbs, but my impression of his riding at the end of the year was that he needed to be on something bigger. He looked better on my 136 Absolute (more stable, especially on the landings), but he didn't like my board. He wants more of the same free ride style along with the consistency that he got from the Belmont. Does that make sense? I was thinking that the Murray 135 would be a good choice, but I'm unsure with how much more rocker that the '08 Murray has.

Sorry to the OP for the hijack, I'd be happy to take this to PM with Shaun if needed.

hey shaun, i had my one chance to be a big-shot and give some advice and you had to jump in and muddy up the water with your amateur opinion. just kidding, i always read all of your posts and take to the bank whatever you say. i await your answers and opinion on the above questions because i have all of your boards since 2002. thanks for all you do for our sport.

Agreed. But I would like to hear your thoughts as well Star Star.

Tracie I currently have the 07 Murray and the landings are very forgiving and soft. I just want a little more speed so I started this thread to find out if the 08 Murray was different. Murray shot me back an email and I think for my riding style I gonna go demo the 08 and see if its what I'm looking for. If your interested in an 07 138 I'll give you a hell of a deal.

tracie, i am a very poor-to-middlin' rider at best but i will tell you what i remember about my 03 belmont dna. it was super consistent in that i could count on it doing the same thing every ride. I thought it was the cat's meow for four years. even after i bought the 06 absolute platinum i found myself going back to the belmont because i liked it's controlability. then, i rode the 06 roam exclusively for over a year. i loved it but had pretty much quit going wake-to-wake because of the harsh landings. then i got an 07 murray and LOVED the pop and the looseness of the board without the center fin. i rode it for about a year. i got higher on that board than any other board i have ever ridden. then i got the 08 murray in sept of 08. it is faster, and more controllable than the 07 but without quite as much vertical pop. i still ride the 08 murray with the center fin because i was working on going wake-to-wake toeside and i wanted a strong, locked-in feeling. at that point the 08 murray became my favorite all-time board even though i didn't get quite as high or have near the looseness of the 07 murray. the 08 landings were soft and locked-in feeling. the thing about the 08 that gave me some problems is that i thought the 08 "hung-on" to the wake a little too long for me. remember, i am 54 and getting older every day so i don't have the strength, flexibility or quickness that you guys probably have. also, i don't have any meniscus on my right knee. also, the landings on the 07 and the 08 murray are FAR softer than the 03 belmont dna.

all that being said, shaun is dead on. there is so much difference in the 03 belmont dna and the 08 murray it is like driving an old '69 chevrolet SS-396 vs. an '09 Acura TL. the technology is SO much better that if you ever get your son on an 08 Murray and if he will give it a few sessions he will never go back. and when he does go back and tries to re-capture the glory of his old board it simply will not be there. that is when he will retire his belmont to the "collectibles" rack or starts using it as a trainer board for newbies. i can only assume that that is what shaun was saying when he said that the rides are so much different that there is no way to really compare them. it is a function of technology and research and development, not just another style that might or might not be better. the 08 is clearly without question far superior to the 07 murray and three times more sophisticated than the 03 belmont. again, the proof will be when he goes back to the belmont after riding the 08 murray for a couple of days. i hope this helps and i hope shaun knows that he is the man and whatever he tells me i always take as gospel and never question. i was just being silly earlier when i called him out. thanks for the intelligent question and i hope i gave you some things to think about, right or wrong.

Shaun is Da Man, no question. One of my 2 all-time favorites, next to Dallas of course.

I think that I'll go ahead & pick up the '08 for him. I've found a steal on a closeout, so even if he ends up hating it (which I doubt will happen) I should be able to flip it. Heck, maybe I'd like it better than my Absolute Platty.