What's a mock lineup, and why are we doing it? These are my ramblings on each brand and what I think will happen for the upcoming season before we get range releases, along with inklings that I hear around the traps. What benefit are these? Not a lot, it's fun speculation to keep the waterski industry interesting and to see how accurate and tuned I am with the industry, which means I can also be wrong. Still, you will also find little notes about what I think should happen after over 15 years in the industry.
How is this going to work?
We will post about each brand, going through each major category and estimating what could change completely, be updated, or remain the same based on movement and changes in previous seasons and the estimated lifespan of models and shapes. For instance, the Liquid Force One and RXT models generally undergo near year-on-year refinements rather than a complete overhaul. In contrast, some models, such as the Liquid Force RDX, have remained unchanged for several years and may undergo a complete overhaul or be replaced entirely. But that's enough of an explanation, as all the details and speculation will unfold below!
If you don't want to read all my ramblings, we have a TL/DR section at the bottom!
Liquid Force Overview
Liquid Force is the face of consistency, rarely releasing something new, shape- or tech-wise- into the market without it getting put through its paces and having the knowledge that its products will hold up to the rigours of the days out on the water. Over the past few years, they've also positioned themselves as one of the most affordable brands of the bigger names, while not having a super budget-friendly option, which is par for the bigger brands, they have always offered a price-friendly mid-range. They can come cheap by comparison, depending on your boot options, while also being more affordable in their top-end lightweight range than Ronix and Hyperlite. As for their boot range, they have consistently offered a phenomenally fitting closed-toe boot in the $650 bracket, which is nearly untouchable for other brands. The only pitfall is the higher and tighter price bracket in their closed-toe boots, which range from $400 to $600. If the Index came in at $350, it would make significant strides in positioning itself as the premier entry-level open-toe boot in the market. The Surf range also positions itself as an extremely well-rounded range, with the Foamie collection offering exceptional value for performance, while spanning a price range that extends from a neat high-end option that is both durable and performs well.
Liquid Force Wakeboards
As we've mentioned, Liquid Force has positioned itself extremely well since COVID, keeping the pricing on their mid-range models well priced by comparison and allowing riders to step up without shelling out high pricing, but this isn't just an analysis. What do we think is going to change? Well, I can't say I see a monumental amount shifting here as Liquid Force has found a resurgence in Aus as of late, and it's because of both value, ride style, and the conciseness of the range. This is the clearest range in the industry, with little fat that could be trimmed. Starting with the Trip, it is a board that has performed for years, and while it could do with some minor changes to freshen it up, it isn't broken, so why fix it? Next is the RDX and the Remedy, which honestly fit a need in the mid-range here, the RDX could be on the block if the Remedy slides down the range and a new shape tied into a Aero slots in above it, but that's a 50/50 chance, this would also relate to the M.E., though if the RDX goes the M.E. will end up with a new shape allround rather than dissapearing. Up next is the higher ends, beginning with the Ethos, which, after one year and a big upgrade ride-wise from its predecessor, the Rhyme, isn't going anywhere. The Aero boards are an interesting prospect, with the Unity being Sam Browns shape, i don;t think it will shift for another year or two, while their.
And now for cable boards, we'll quickly give a blow-by-blow over each board and what we think the potential for shapes and changes are. The illusion we believe has a 40% chance of getting a change as it's now been around since 2022, but after some initial friction from team riders, has found its place in the market with riders loving the board which could give it another year in the market before a change, while the Peak is going to be sticking around after getting a recent shape overhaul last year to take it to the next level. The Butterstick Pro has been a darling of the cable industry since its inception, but after so many years, it is nearing the point of an overhaul and is likely in line for a complete change. The Tao, like the Peak, had its birthday a year ago and got a freshen up rather than a complete do-over, and while Daniel Grant is riding for LF, the Tao name won't be disappearing anytime soon, much like this shape for the next season. The last of the boards that are safe for the next year is the Apex and the Holiday, 2 years in, and as a true lower-level cable-specific design, it's going to get an updated graphic, and that will be it. Now to the other boards in the range, the Virago has had a cult following throughout the years and will probably get one more spin of the dice, but then I could see it either getting a top-to-bottom makeover or being gone completely to tighten up the range. Speaking of being gone completely, the Noodle is a board we're putting at a 65% chance of going one and done. It was a reimagining of the asymmetrical shape thats name it adopted, but the Noodle is a very specific board that may not meet the numbers worth keeping in the range. Finally, the FLX is the hybrid experiment that most companies have let go of, but LF let it keep rolling. Without being in the room with Liquid Force, it's hard to say where this goes, but it's 50/50. Maybe they will roll it over again with the same graphic, but I think its days are numbered.
Liquid Force Boots
With a large majority of the high-end closed-toe range undergoing an overhaul in the past 18 months, let's look at what is likely to remain the same first. 4D boots. They've all had a refresh to an updated design, and as Liquid Force continues to cling to these as their park boot of choice, which handcuffs you to an LF cable board, they aren't going anywhere. In the 6X range, the boots that have undergone the newest facelift are the Aero, Vertex, Tao, Vida, and all-new Terra, which have altered their fit to suit various foot styles and stiffness preferences, while the Velcro Hook design was the first to lead the overhaul charge. Finally, the Index is the last boot I expect to live out its days in peace as one of the best fitting, best value for price, and best looking open-toe boots on the market; the boot simply makes a lot of sense. Now, what should you expect from the changes? The Classic 6X has to be the most overdue boot for a facelift in the history of wakeboarding. This boot has had more comeback tours than John Farnham. It shouldn't be a matter of if they should change, but it needs to, as the boot that once held its place as the better value for money closed-toe boot around, it needs something to bring it back to its pride of place. The next few boots that could do with at least a new coat of paint are the Classic OT and the Scan. 2 halves of a whole, both these boots were at the same price mark and similar fits, but with different lace closures, but what I expect is for one to be cut from the team. With the distrust of Velcro, it could be the Scan making way for the refreshed Classic OT to be the top dog of the open-toe range. Finally, the Transit is the last boot that could be due for a total open-toe overhaul. As this boot is designed to be unisex and cover the most sizes, the boot could go a ways to representing that, more neutral balances of both colour and fit, that can cater to the ankle and lower leg design of both men and women without creating too many odd spots, I would also use this overhaul to focus on bringing the price down to the $450-$500 mark to better suit the market and fit the pricing brackets better.
Liquid Force Wakesurfers
This is a line that Liquid Force has recently made some big changes and updates too in the top end of the line, with the new Quattro Quad and Twin Turbo replacing the Quest and Twinzer of years past, while also creating a linear skim line, with the addition in 2025 of the Ace, for that face paced do it all skimmer, through to the pro model shapes in the Blade and the Reign. These boards are most likely not to see any changes as they've all had remodels in the last two years, while the final two of the mid to high-end range have the hybrid Synchro that is a do-it-all weapon, with down-the-line freedom to let loose. The flyer thruster, a downhill charger that will allow you to tear through turns and launch off the wave, is the final one of the newer shapes that won't see too much happen to them. At the lower end, we could see some changes, as boards with the likes of the Pod, Primo, Rocket, and the foamies haven't seen much change in a long while. While the foamie shapes are what they are and provide a less expensive option in the sport that handles super well, they are about to enter their 5th year, while the likes of the rocket haven't seen a change in nearly ten years. This could mean that we see a transition to a newer compression-molded entry point to fill the gap of the lowest end of the market and benefit wakesurfers getting started. This principle could also apply to the Pod and Primo, though most companies don't like to make too many changes in this area when the functions of the boards are to make both Surf style and Hybrid style, respectively, surfing easily accessible without being too taxing on the body to ride.
Liquid Force Foils
Where do we see Liquid Force's foil range heading? The Nebula and Horizon package with the Fuselock wings has maintained Liquid Force's position at the front end of the grid for boat foils, and as this has just seen its major update for the 2025 season, this is all but set to continue into the future for at least another year. But the Horizon is no beginner foil setup, and the range below this is where Liquid Force is due for an overhaul, and the inkling I get would be to both shift and add. So I think the Launch Foil Set is going to be sent out to pasture with the Launch board to be packaged with the Flite 120 set. This makes logistical sense as both packages utilised the same front wing, with a different stabiliser and an inch longer mast on the Flite set. This isn't going to be a significant step for people to progress from and is a short, natural progression for many beginner foilers. This means we should expect the hybrid Pod Foil/Wakesurf board to make way to offer a whole new setup that we can assume will find itself sitting between the Launch/Flite and Nebula/Horizon to provide the perfect mid-range setup that will sit in ththe low to mid $2,000 range that will compliment the Launch package at the sub $1k mark and the Horizon range starting at the $3k mark.
Liquid Force Pricing
This is the strongest point behind Liquid Force as they set themselves up for success by coming in the cheapest of the big brands with high-quality and high-performing products in a line with little dead weight. If they can maintain their pricing in a volatile world market that now sees trade wars in the shape of tariffs, volatile inflation data, increased freight costs, and, for Australia, an eclectic US dollar rate, then this is a win. I'm still a firm believer in that for watersports to harken back to the glory days, we need to position entry board packages in the $800-900 dollar range, so if Liquid Force can bring the pricing down on the likes of a Trip and RDX and a pair of Index boots by $50 per model, this would set them up as the family market high end brand that would be hard to keep up with. Across all categories, the minimum here would be to maintain pricing as the surfer brackets sit from $900 through to $1700 at the high end, which is a wide gap, but doesn't extend into the upward $2k realm that competitors do.
Final Changes - Otherwise known as TL/DR
Wakeboards
Remedy Aero - This will be available in Australia only next summer. LF wants to move on to something newer, but we don't want to let our Aussie pro riders go!
Prime Aero - Also known as the Bullox, I'm unsure if this remains the same as LF's pro team changes, so it could be their high-end 3-stage board.
Unity Aero - New Stickers
New PU Core Board - Because LF's range was so tight and concise, a new board arrives here to marry to the Prime or its replacement at a budget price.
Remedy - New stickers, rumour going around is it could come down in $
RDX - This could be the board that gets the flick if the price on the Remedy comes down, or it could stick around with a new coat of paint. This one is a 50/50 split
Trip - I would like to see a slight update to this shape, but it's not broken, so why fix it? Probably staying the same
M.E. - This is directly tied to the RDX as it comes from the same mold, which means it could stay the same or get an entirely new shape!
Angel - As the RDX is tied to the M.E., the Angel is tied to the trip. As such, I would like to see a tweak, but I can't see it happening.
Illusion - There is a 40% chance of getting an update, so I am leaning more towards new graphics.
Peak - Just updated, so different look, same great taste.
Butterstick Pro - Is due for a change and potentially coming in hot. We're guessing a new shape and stickers.
Tao - Probably one year left before an update, just a new coat of paint.
Holiday - Like the Tao, probably one year left before an update, just a new coat of paint.
Apex - Same board, new graphic. This will be back again next year.
Noodle - This could be a one-and-done and be out of the line entirely.
Virago - A crowd favourite with a strong following, I'm giving it one more year before a change.
FLX - This experiment may be at its end.
Boots
Peak 4D - The wheels will keep turning in a new colour.
Hook 4D - The wheels will keep turning in a new colour.
Aspect 4D - The wheels will keep turning, but maybe in the same colour.
Aero 6X - Same great fit, new colourway.
Vertex 6X - Same great fit, new colourway.
Hook 6X - The more I think about this, the more it might go, though it serves more of a purpose internationally than in Australia, so I may be biased.
Terra 6X - Same great fit, new colourway.
Classic 6X - New Boot, for the love of God, give it an update.
Tao 6X - I misspelled this as Taco, and I wish they had called it that. But. Same great fit, new colourway.
Classic OT 6X - New Coat of Paint
Scan 6X - Collateral Damage, this velcro option has hit three strikes and it's out.
Transit - Overhaul, New hybrid shape
Index - Carryover colour, it's a black low-end boot, it doesn't need to change.
Surfers
Twin Turbo - Different Look, but same great taste! (It's only getting a new graphic)
Quattro Quad - Different Look, but same great taste! (It's only getting a new graphic)
Reign - Pro shape built for performance, new colour, same shape.
Blade - Pro shape built for performance, new colour, same shape.
Flyer Thruster - New Graphic, one or two more years in the line.
Ace - 50/50, I don't know if this range needs this with a low-end foamie skimmer and two higher-end ones that aren't all that more expensive.
Syncro - New to the range last year. This could be a candidate for a full carryover, graphic and all.
POD - Been in the range for a long time, and I would give it a 25% chance of a freshen up to the hybrid, do it all.
Guapo - Everyone needs a longboard in the range, and LF aren't different. This guy isn't going anywhere.
Primo - Been in the range for a long time, and I would give it a 25% chance of a freshen up to the hybrid, do it all.
Rocket - Due for a change, and it may finally happen.
Foamies - These realistically don't need to change, maybe a new colour that isn't piney limey and tangerine.
Foils
Nebula Board - Same, same but new graphic? Yeah, new graphic.
Horizon Foil Set - Stay the same.
Insert New Foil Set Here - Something should come here with the Flite 120 going down the range.
Pod Board - Out to Pasture, new board inbound.
Flite 120 Set - Stay the same.
Launch Board - Staying the same, but also maybe a new coat of paint.
Launch Foil Set - Can join the pod out with the cows in the pasture.
Pricing
The pricing should stay the same for most products as boards come out of the UAE and not Taiwan or China, but if they can bring pricing down, they would buck the trend and make themselves the envy of the industry.