The mid sized board of the Wakestyle range, Goldilocks and her friend moved in with Billy recently.
The 2019 AXIS Billy continue almost unchanged from 2017. Similar to its bigger brother, the Tranq, the 2019 AXIS Billy has a deck shape which almost eliminates boot wobble, has a more solid connection, and features a slight concave. The 2019 AXIS Billy is fast and has less drag due to less channeling through the center. The added 10cm single concave running through the entire base of the board. The Billy rides higher in the water in combination with the added buoyancy and feel from a thicker mid section and rails. Its tips shape features similar tip channels, with a single 10cm concave in between two load dispersing beams in the center of the board. This concave gives better grip for air tricks and also allows you to lock into pipes and rails more easily. The beams help disperse friction for a faster and longer lasting slide on obstacles.
Last year we added a new rail shape which was successful and continues for 2019 on the AXIS Billy. The rail thickness mimics the core thickness of the board. This gives a much smoother ride through chop and additionally lets the AXIS wakestyle/park boards such as the Bootleg and the Billy to build up speed quicker and gives a looser feel which is something that makes kicker tricks like Moby Dicks (which are initiated from rail to rail edge control) easier to achieve and feel better. Lastly, the 2019 AXIS Billy has new PU rails. After lots of feedback from our team, we focused on PU rails for the wake line of boards. These rails follow the board flex a bit better than other materials, and they offer added protection from knocks and bumps on obstacles.
For 2018 the AXIS wake style boards have a new base construction which makes them even stronger hitting rails and ramps. The 2019 Billy board is now 141 x 42.5cm.
For anyone choosing between the Billy or Tranq, it’s really a decision of board size. The Tranq is for the rider who riders 142 or bigger and the Billy is for a person who would ride 141 or smaller. The Billy is narrower overall (42.5cm versus 43cm), has narrower tips by a centimeter and has a softer flex. The boards are a bit similar to ride. The Tranq is optimized for larger guys or people who like a bigger board whilst the Billy is for people who like a bit shorter and narrower board. If you are looking for a board smaller than 138 then the Bootleg will be ideal for you. All three ride very similar, so take your pick!