Which board? Tribute, substance, witness or watson?

[scottybish]

Hi all,
I'm in desperate need of some help to choose my new board. I'm currently riding a Freemotion Revolver 142 which i purchased new in 1997 (thats right 13 years ago!!!) Its a bit of an antique now.
My freemotion has a continuous rocker.

I'm looking at a shorter board now as board technology seems to have changed a lot over the years. my board although long is very narrow compared to modern boards, has a very big (2inch), short fin at each end, and dimples under the base for 'suction'. tried a friends cwb the other day, a 135 inferno i think which may be an '03 model? Anyways it looks more like a modern wakeboard, and was a lot more fun to ride than mine. Rotated much easier too.

Here's the problem. I'm on a limited budget and boards are very expensive here in nz compared to US. I've found some clearance stock online in my price range... 08 Hyperlite Tribute 137, 08 LF Substance 138, 09 witness 136 or 09 watson 134. I may be able to get a watson 138, but its gonna be a bit more expensive.

We dont have cable parks here in nz, and i do all my riding behind a standard 18ft outboard powered sport boat, so dont have the luxury of a real big wake. Im 5ft8 and weigh 72kg (160lbs) and am looking to try inverted tricks. All these boards are between $300 - $400nz. Oh and i've just purchased a pair of 09 LF watson ct boots.
Any help with my dilemma would be much appreciated as i cannot try any of these boards before i buy.
Cheers.

[HHI Dave]

At 160 lbs you are probably on the heavy end of the scale for a 134, though the Watson is an excellent board. Given the choices you listed I'd probably look most closely at the Witness. I'd also consider the Substance. Both are solid choices and your Watson bindings will be right at home on either.

Of course, if you want to keep a continuous rocker vs. a 3-stage, there's always the Tribute.

[LakeIolaLuke]

Id get the Witness. Most solid choice outta those 3. Definitely the most universally user-friendly high-end board I've ever ridden. Im a somewhat advanced rider and I can say the Witness does everything well, for many different styles of riding. It leaves the wake clean when you edge all the way through, and boosts hard when you squat and spring. Landings are solid with a nice cush, but not too draggy. One of the all around best boards on the market, IMO

[savage3221]

The Substance 138 is one of my favorite boards ever, I don't think you would ever regret buying that board. I had it for many years, and I still miss it sometimes. Mellow with great vertical pop and a buttery feel on the water, I would never hesitate to ride one/tell someone to buy one.

[HHI Dave]

Luke...

scottybish, you can definitely take whatever LakeIolaLuke tells you to heart. He's definitely one of the people in the know on this forum. Glad to see I wasn't steering you wrong either.

[scottybish]

Cheers for all the good advice guys, really appreciated.
The tribute is now out of the picture as it has been withdrawn by the seller.
I think i would go for the watson if i could get it in 138, so its now down to the witness ($350) and substance($300). I'm wanting a board that will help me the most for trying inverts off a relatively small wake. Wakepro also has the 09 shane 138 for $430. i'm not particularly fond of the graphics, but if it will serve my purpose more than the others, then i will settle for that.

[savage3221]

The Substance. It's very similar to the Watson, and though I loved the Watson, I never dropped my Substance for it.

[scottybish]

My new LF Witness arrived today, cant wait to give it a thrashing this wkend

[savage3221]

Sick, that's an awesome board. I've never ridden it, and always wanted to. Benny G is the man.

[GnarShredd]

scottybish, Enjoy it. I love mine.