Liquid Force Fish Review Revisited

[Pat McCarthy]

As the new season rolls around we've been hit hard with people asking what boards they should check out this year. So we take a look back at our review of the 2005 Liquid Force Fish.

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[Wakebrad]

I bought a Fish 33 about a month ago and have had the chance to ride it 3 times now. Unfortunately I haven't ridden a wake that I know (haven't taken my boat out yet) to compare it to my '03 Substance but here's some review anyway.

So far I really like it. I have been riding with all 4 removable cupped fins in because the molded fins are tiny and in my riding spots there's usually some chop. It has a tighter locked in feel than my 136 substance did with the center fins in. This can be a plus or a minus in my book. I'm sure with the fins out it would be really loose because the molded fins are so small. I hope to find some butter in the next couple weeks and give it a try finless.

Most of the time I'm not super impressed by the additional pop on the board. I notice that I do pop a littler higher on most jumps and every once in a while I'd notice that I popped a lot higher than I would have expected.

The landings were about as rough as my Substance which wasn't too bad. So the double concave V is definitely doing it's job.

There are 2 shortcomings I’ve seen so far. 1 is Ollie height. Because there is less of a tail it's hard to get that complete rocking motion and get a really powerful Ollie. On my Substance I could Ollie 3-4 foot no wake buoys on occasion but it seems like I'm only getting a foot or 2 on the fish. Part of that is probably mental but it really doesn't seem like I can get the same height I used to.

The other thing is in chop it is really difficult. Because the board is so wide you feel the waves a lot more. So for those of you who ride choppy water consistently I might look elsewhere. We can usually find water that's not completely smooth but usually has some sort of ripples on it (so far the winds have been 15mph+ every time I've been out). It's not bad at all in those conditions but it's something to consider IMO.

Overall I really like the board. It sits higher in the water than my 136 substance which is nice and I like shorter length boards so this combination is great. The shortcomings of this board are pretty mild and well worth the benefits IMO. I will probably be selling my Substance or using it for a slider board and making the Fish my primary board. Those of you who like shorter boards (like myself) will really appreciate this board. The reduced swing weight makes it very maneuverable in the water and in the air and I feel like I have more control over the board in general. I'm sure I'll discover more things about the board for the next month or so and I'll be back to update my findings...

[Bowen]

While I haven't had a chance to ride it consistantly, I did get to ride it last weekend. I found that the performance in chop, well...it sucks, my first run on it, I didn't take the double up at the end of the course, so I just rode through the middle, I got bucked and fell (I can't remember the last time this happened). As far as 'additional' pop, I'm with Brad, I didn't notice all that much over my Substance 138 (I was on a Fish 125), although there were scattered times when I would just fly (I think the unpredictable pop was just from my not 'knowing the board'). I have to say that it was really fun, once I got used to it, and if I were in the market for a 'play' board/second board, the Fish would be it. But for a regular board...I'll stick w/ my substance.

Also, If I rode in a place where I had garunteed good riding conditions (private lake...) I would definitely consider making the Fish my daily board.