05' Catalyst Questions

SMCboarder · Outlaw Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Posts: 111 City: Copperopolis

So I travelled down to Pleasanton to a local boardshop to get some screws for my rig and while I was there I was checking out the Catalyst 112 as I was planning on buying one and regripping it with grip tape. Well when I got there and picked it up I nearly dropped it , the skate if f*ing heavy, I grabbed a nearby wood board to compare and they were worlds apart. I know wood skates are supposed to be lighter and all, but hell this composite board is crazy heavy, it felt like the same weight as my TFD board if not heavier. Has anyone used it and tell me if the weight increase plays a large roll in how it rides, for example are shuvits and other flip trips hindered by the weight? Id like to know before I consider buying it next month. Oh and Integrity people dont worry I know integrities are good Im considering of buying the lemmons pro model when it comes out, the price is a little bit of a turn off though...

scott a · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 9810

well, in the past people havent liked the fact that the hype skates are so light, so this year they made them heavier...a lot heavier. they double glassed the core, but in my opinion they are much too heavy. i pretty much DID drop it the first time i picked it up.

weight is a personal preference. i dont like my brother's catalyst at all. im a huge fan of my integrity and i also love the cassette concave, too. catalysts (previous years) have ridden much too high in the water (similar to a wakeboard) and it just doesnt feel right. cassettes and integritys both sit a bit lower in the water and i like that feel a lot more.

one other item of note is the way the concave is set up in each of the boards. if you look at the cassettes and integritys you will notice that the concave is spread out throughout the width of the board. its like a "u" shape. the catalyst, on the other hand, seems to have concave only towards the rails of the board. this means that if you have anything smaller than an 8 or 9 size shoe, you may as well just buy a flat deck.

all in all its personal preference. unfortunately you wont be able to demo any of the boards since its winter, so hopefully you are happy with what you get. i would put the money into an integrity, but thats just me. i think the excessive weight of the catalyst might mean that you cant ollie as well as you can with an integrity, which is made to flex and "pop" up out of the water.

bilbrey82 · Newbie Joined: 17 Mar 2005 Posts: 3 City: Flower Mound

Dude the '05 Catalys is a beast of a board it rides alot deeper in the water so it tracks really well and you have great control but it is a little chore to do tricks on especially wake to wake. I personally prefer a lighter board, the catalys just seems like it doesn't want to leave the water.

scott a · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 9810

yeah, there does become a point in time where a heavy board becomes a bad thing. i mean you dont want the board to fly away, yet you dont want it to be a brick.

i'll be attending a hype and LF demo on wednesday, and i plan on riding a byerly skate just for kicks. i'll be sure to post anything worth noting...

Kento911 · Addict Joined: 07 Dec 2004 Posts: 958 City: Devore

all I can say about the weight is the Hypes weigh less than the bi at a hefty 10 lbs the hypes are 8-8.5 and the integ comes in at & as I recall correct Scott?? little food for thought, I felt lik ethe weight made the tricks more in contol but thats just me i guess, na dI ama pretty big dude fora wakeskater

03Belmont · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 19 Aug 2003 Posts: 4656

I have the 05 byerly and its rides fine, ollies fine everything... Im deffetnly gonna pick up an integ soon tho

scott a · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 9810

i wouldnt compare the bi-level to the catalyst because the bi-level is basically two flats. of course its gonna be the heaviest board out there.

Kento911 · Addict Joined: 07 Dec 2004 Posts: 958 City: Devore

scott a, ok but wieght is weight the physics don't un-apply b/c its two flats, the acting forces on it could give a ratts ass about the design details. . . . . my point was as heavy as it is people dont seem to have a problem manuvering it into 3 shuvs and ollie pokes, sooo it's personal preference do some "floor skating" with it see if you like it lol, personally I wouldnt go with the bi b/c the Hype in my opinon is at the upper edge of a good weight though, but thats my opinion