Murray NOVA vs BIO

Was wondering if anyone has any input comparing the two (BESIDES WHAT CAN BE READ ONLINE). What I am asking is for a true performance measure and wear and tear. Does the boards have much difference in how they handle on the water and wake (release and pop). Does anyone have experience using both boards for a while on/off the water and cable wear. Thanks

Hey Randy,

while i do not have direct experience with the murray shape, I have ridden both the biolite core and nova core of the same board from hyperlite and I can say that there is definitely a noticable difference. The nova is obviously lighter, but beyond that, i think it recoils back to its original shape much faster off the wake, giving it a crisper, more abrupt pop. the release feels faster too. this is also evident in its life of the board. all board's pop or snap off the wake wear out over time, but the way the nova boards recoil so quickly, they keep their "freshness" for many seasons as opposed to just one (or less if you are an aggressive rider)

I should add that the nova board I rode were pre-strata track system, which ive heard makes the boards even stiffer and recoil even harder off the wake.

I would NOT recommend their use on cable though. they are not designed to handle the abuse from contact with rails and kickers. I understand guys like Rusty hit rails on their nova core's, but as with any board, rails void the warranty and I'd much rather void the warranty of a cheaper board than one of the more expensive ones.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Tom it does. I know this sounds a bit snotty but all I have ridden for a long time is the NOVA series boards - and I love the way the Murray NOVA rides. I have a few NOVA models- and I am wanting to keep one at my house, and one down in Florida when I visit a few times a year. My problem is I want a board down there that I can ride well behind the boat, but also use at the cable and wont tear it up (too-bad). Sounds like my NOVA's might be a bit soft.

I guess I'll try and swap a nova for a bio. I have one of my Murray Nova's up for sale on Ebay now - http://www.ebay.com/itm/2012-Hyperli...item3f18754b00

I have the Nova and love it. I also have a Vigilante I was planning on using at the cable park along with my Roam, but Desert Wake has been temporarily shut down due to California Bull S#! But once it gets going again I plan on picking up a Union. I talked to Scott Stewart at the boat show and he said the Union is his board of choice for the cable and boat along with the Murray Nova.

Randy -

As matt had mentioned, you might want to look at the Union. This has many of the features you're looking for. It has the strata track and part PVC/part wood core, which keeps the rocker line stable to pop great off the wake, and it also has ABS sidewalls and enduro base, which makes it extremely tough for taking abuse at the cable. Some friends of mine ride this board for both boat and cable and have been very stoked on the results.

While this may not solve all you predicaments in one fell swoop, its certainly an option worth looking into.

And as far as the nova core boards being too soft for cable - that is certainly not the case. They are much stiffer and stronger than the bio core, but the catch is the warranty will be void. Since no board is warrantied after hitting rails, most people would rather slide an old beat up junk board that is already out of warranty anyways. The nova should hold up to the same amount of punishment that a bio core would, its just that no one slides them cuz of how expensive they are and it kills the warranty.

Also one last bit of personal experience. A few years ago, I was hell bent on finding a board that I could legitimately ride on both boat and cable, even though the nearest park was 5+ hrs and my boat/cable time was about a 90/10 split. I rode the Conspiracy, which really did excel in both areas: awesome pop on the boat and tougher than nails at the cable (still my current cable board even with a small crack by the rear boot, after 2+ years of sliding it keeps goin strong). After switching to the Franchise for the boat board (much faster and a tad looser), I realized that I didnt notice the differences on the conspiracy at the cable park other than the obvious (speed and grip) but it wasnt enough to significantly affect my riding on cable or when i got back to the boat. Now I am happy to beat the tar outta the conspiracy and have been learning new tricks all spring on the Franchise, needless to say, stoked on the outcome.

Hope this helps out.