The 2010 Watson or 2009 Watson Fly??? HELP!

dirtydave · Newbie Joined: 15 Mar 2009 Posts: 30

gday all.... can u help me out... im either gonna get the 2010 Watson 143 or 2009 Watson fly 142 .. either way im gonna get the 2010 watson boots... what should i do? i found the 09 fly for $400 so similar price to the 2010 watson (not classic) any advice??? cheers

Chattwake · Posted: Apr 04, 2010 4:23 am Post subject:

I rode my s4 fly with the 2010 Shane limited bindings yesterday and I was shocked at how lite the setup was and how much I personally noticed the weight reduction over my 2008 Shane setup. I don't know how much it will actually help me but I loved the light setup. Plus those fly boards are pretty rare and it's nice to have something unique.

STANG KILLA SS · Posted: Apr 04, 2010 5:41 am Post subject:

the fly will save you 1 lb.

LakeIolaLuke · Posted: Apr 04, 2010 9:30 am Post subject:

STANG KILLA SS, A little more than that, closer to 3. But it's not the weight reduction that's the big deal, it's the added springyness off the wake that a pvc core gives you. The weight is a beneficial side effect of pvc cores.

Chattwake · Posted: Apr 04, 2010 9:32 am Post subject:

There's a huge difference between the weight of my Shane setup and the s4 fly. Feels lime much more than one lb...

STANG KILLA SS · Posted: Apr 05, 2010 7:14 am Post subject:

goofed, from my research is about 2 pounds
flys = 6 lbs
standard = around 8.

Chattwake · Posted: Apr 05, 2010 9:54 am Post subject:

A 2009 S4 fly weighs 5.9 lbs. I'll go by my friend's shop and weigh a non-fly s4 this week and report back. They are advertised as "almost" half the weight of the regular boards. Maybe I'm crazy, but I'll be surprised if a stock s4 weighs 7.9lbs.

Mcane6 · Criminal Joined: 31 Aug 2009 Posts: 78 City: Whitesburg

rode my 2010 watson hybrid 139 with 2010watson boots yesterday and i was very impressed with it....i was getting huge pop and landing 3-4ft out in the flats. Very impressed with it!!!

ky1e · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 31 Mar 2008 Posts: 2693

**EDIT-DISCLAIMER- WHILE I WAS WRITING THIS I THOUGHT IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE S4 BOARD, NOT WATSON. MY OPINION STAYS EXACTLY THE SAME AND EVEN LEANS MORE TOWARDS THE REGULAR CORE BECAUSE OF HARLEY AND BOB. AS FOR BINDINGS, STILL GO WITH THE SOVENS**

There is a reason you never see the pros riding the FLY series. Out of all the special cores companies have, it is by far the most gimmicky and they still have that stupid balsa technology which ended up in a lot of broken boards. LF boards are pretty light to begin with. Unless you are really struggling with getting your 5 to a 7 or 7 to a 9, a lighter board will actually end up being more negative than positive. When a board is too light, you will lose a lot of the control you have in the air and also experience much bouncier landings. The only board that I really thought made a huge difference was my premier 140 DNA because the 140 premier was a really heavy board. The Marek also seems to be a board that people are really being drawn to its light weight. But watch the videos of Harley and Bob Soven spinning on their watson's and you will see that there is no reason to get the board in a FLY core. It was like when Hyperlite came out with the sub-6, the only person riding the board was Jimmy and I think it was more of a had to then want to kind of thing being that I know that Jimmy prefers 3-stage boards. I never asked him why he was on the sub6 because i didn't want to piss him off but I can tell you that he always had a premier in his bag as a backup at the cable if he broke him sub, which he did quite often.

And also remember, the core of S4 is the the core that Phillip wanted for his board. That is how he designed and tested his board. When you change the core, you change the feel of the board. I have held the regular S4 in person and it is a pretty light board. Even if it is 7.5 pounds, you will not be able to feel the difference between it and the FLY version at 5.9. If you really want to start cutting weight off the board, go with the bindings. My relik's are 1.9 pounds and my Sine is 5.6lbs and it is the lightest setup you will ever lift. Now when I am riding can I tell any difference, ABSOLUTELY NOT and I am a pretty advanced rider.

Now looking at it price wise. You can get two s4's for almost the same price as one fly s4. The fly is $600 and the s4 is $380. Now you have a boat board and a slider board both in the shape you were looking for. Or you can put the $220 towards the soven bindings which I rode last season and are great bindings. They are $400, more expensive than the board you are riding but in my opinion more important than the board you are riding. Either way it would be like spending only $180 for the bindings if you went for the regular core.

STANG KILLA SS · Posted: Apr 05, 2010 12:57 pm Post subject:

Chattwake · Posted: Apr 05, 2010 4:19 pm Post subject:

Well to each there own. I'm not a very advanced (thee inverts and a 3) but I can tell the difference. Is it worth 700? Nope. But if it's the same price for a 09fly or a 10 regular board I'd buy the fly - which is what I did.

Wakeboarder3780 · Posted: Apr 05, 2010 5:15 pm Post subject:

I bought an expensive core board once, and I likely never will again. Typically the will say lighter, more pop, blah blah blah. The basic gist is - it will be weaker, and it will cost you more.

*If* you were worried about the weight thing you could take a sh*t before you rode and drop the same weight. Yeah the board is more towards the outside of your body making the weight difference more pronounced, but a couple pounds?

Don't even worry about those special cores. Those are for the rich kids. Rich kids don't ask what board to get, they just get the most expensive thing they can because it's "the best". Hence you aren't a rich kid. Hence you should buy the normal core boards just like "everyone else". Wink

Chattwake · Posted: Apr 05, 2010 6:40 pm Post subject:

Well, the S4 fly cost me under $200 because my dealer was/is blowing out inventory (plus my board wasn't completely new - it had been used in a LF photoshoot and didn't have the shrink wrap on it) so I didn't buy it because I'm a rich kid - I bought it because it was a pretty cool board, and it was a little cheaper than I could get a 2010 for. I just really liked it alot the first time I rode it. I'm not sure how many of you have actually ridden a fly series board and are talking from experience. I don't really care, except I think it's unfair to judge a product if you haven't even tried it yourself...

toothpick · Posted: Apr 06, 2010 5:50 am Post subject:

I prefer a heavier set up. I'm not sure why there is so much hype about light weight stuff. Get a fly if you want to feel like you're riding a shorter board and like dealing with warranties. Otherwise save time and money and get a real board. Mr. Green

toothpick · Posted: Apr 06, 2010 6:02 pm Post subject:

Also of note: The 2010 Watson is a completely different shape than the 2009 Watson. If you're looking for last year's shape, then don't get the 2010 Watson. They made the Watson Classic this year for those who like the old shape.

Wakeboarder3780 · Posted: Apr 06, 2010 6:27 pm Post subject:

Now now no need to get your undies in a bunch. My rich kid statement was just saying I think they're a waste of money. If you think it's worth it, then by all means buy it. Buy them all if you want, I won't stop you. Nor am I looking down on you for owning one - I just think they cost more than they are worth.

I was simply stating I don't think the special cores are worth the money. I buy 1 or 2 year old boards and get normal cores so I can afford to buy one fairly often.

Is it unfair for me to think a 175 dollar burger is unreasonable even though I haven't tasted it? (see: http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/food/2008/05/20/2008-05-20_the_175_burger_is_a_haute_handful_for_ra.html) How about a 3 Million dollar car isn't worth the price no matter how fast or awesome it is even though I haven't driven it?

I think in some case it *is* fair to judge even without trying it because it doesn't make financial sense for most people.

Chattwake · Posted: Apr 07, 2010 4:24 am Post subject:

Well, what you're really saying is something to the effect of: I can get a perfectly good burger for $5, so an $8 burger that might be made of a different grade of beef, but shouldn't really taste any different, is not worth the money..... even though I haven't tried it; or, that I can get a corvette for $45k and it's plenty fast for anyone who wants a fast car. I've got one and it's amazing. There's no realistic reason to buy a z-06 for $70k. I've never driven one, but it can't feel much, if any faster, than a stock vette.

To say that you, personally, don't see spending the extra coin on a fly series board is your opinion and you're entitled to have it.

Anyway, the OP said that that it wasn't about money anyway. He can get both boards for the same price. Accordingly, this thread should be about the performance of both types of boards - Fly watson '09 vs. non-fly watson '10. I haven't ridden either, so all I've mentioned is that I've ridden an '09 S4 fly and really enjoyed the weight reduction. Now, for you to say that a board you've never ridden will perform a certain way or feel a certain way is unfair. To say a particular board is "weak" when you have no experience with it is unfair.

Maybe someone who has actually ridden an '09 watson FLY or a '10 watson will chime in here.