Connelly Woodro Wakeboard 146 Review: flexy cable board for riders who like a loose, playful feel

I rode the Connelly Woodro 146 for a handful of cable sessions and one boat day to see what it was really about. I’m an intermediate-ish rider: I hit features, do basic inverts, nothing crazy. I’m around 80 kg / 176 lbs, so 146 cm is right in my usual size range for park boards. I normally ride a Slingshot Recoil and occasionally borrow a Liquid Force park board from a buddy, so I had some decent references in mind.

First impression: this thing feels like a proper full wood cable board. It’s got that soft, bendy flex you notice as soon as you press on a rail or even just bounce it on the dock. On the water, it feels loose and playful, especially when you take the small slider fins off. If you’re used to stiff boat boards with a lot of built-in bite, this one will feel pretty different at first — in a good way if you like pressing features, a bit weird if you mainly carve and jump wake to wake.

Over a couple of weeks, I tried to use it for everything: laps at the cable, butter slides on flat water, a few kicker hits, and some boat riding. It’s clearly built with park riding in mind, but I wanted to see how annoying or manageable it was behind a boat too. Spoiler: it works behind a boat, but that’s not really where it shines. The continuous rocker plus the flex makes it smoother than punchy.

Overall, my first takeaway is simple: it’s fun if you like a flexy, forgiving feel and spend time at the cable, but it’s not the most aggressive or explosive board. It does the job for intermediate and advanced riders who know what they want from a park board, but if you’re after hard edging and big pop at the wake, there are better choices. It’s good, just not some magical all-round solution.

Value really depends on how you’re going to use this board. If you’re spending most of your time at a cable park, hitting features and doing surface tricks, the Woodro makes more sense. You’re paying for a full wood core, decent sidewalls, and a park-friendly base. In that context, it’s a pretty fair package. You get a board that feels nice on presses, holds up to rails, and doesn’t feel like a cheap plank.

If you mostly ride boat, though, I think the value is more questionable. It works behind the boat, but you’re not really using what this board is best at. There are other boards in similar price ranges that will give you more aggressive edging and better pop specifically behind the wake. With the Woodro, you’re kind of paying for park features you won’t fully use if you rarely go to the cable.

Compared to other park boards I’ve ridden, I’d put this in the “pretty solid but not standout” category in terms of value. It doesn’t feel cheap, but it also doesn’t have any crazy tech that justifies a huge price premium. If you can find it on sale or at a decent discount, it becomes a lot more interesting. At full price, it’s fair, just not some bargain.

So, if I’m being honest: good value for intermediate to advanced park riders who want a flexy wood board and don’t care about hype, average value for mostly-boat riders. It gets the job done, rides nicely in its element, and seems built well enough to last a few seasons if you don’t abuse it completely.

Visually, the Woodro has a multi-coloured graphic that’s pretty neutral. It’s not ugly, but it’s not the kind of board you stare at on the rack either. I’d call it “fine.” If you like loud graphics, you might find it a bit tame. If you don’t care and just want something that doesn’t look cheap, it does the job. After a few sessions, the base had the usual scuffs from features, but nothing dramatic, which is what I expected from a Ti base and ABS sidewalls.

Shape-wise, the design is more interesting than the graphics. The board has a continuous rocker and a fairly slim profile through the middle, with meatier sidewalls for impact. The flex pattern feels softer between the feet and stiffer towards the tips, but overall it leans to the soft side. When I pressed on a flat box, I could really feel the board bending, which is what you want if you’re into jibbing. If you’re used to very stiff boards, you’ll probably notice how easy it is to over-press at first.

One thing I did like is the independent channels near the edges under the feet. You don’t see them from far away, but you feel them when edging. They give just enough grip so the board doesn’t feel like a complete bar of soap, especially if you ride it without fins at the cable. It’s not super locked-in, but it’s not totally loose either. Behind the boat, those channels help a bit when cutting in for jumps, though the board still feels more like a park board than a dedicated boat shape.

From a design standpoint, I’d say the Woodro is built with a clear purpose: park features, presses, and smooth riding. It’s not trying to be flashy or overcomplicated. If you care a lot about graphics, you might find it a bit bland. But in terms of shape and functional design, it makes sense for someone who spends most of their time at a cable park and likes a playful, flexy board.

Comfort on a wakeboard is mostly about how it feels under your feet and how predictable it is. With the Woodro, the flex and continuous rocker make it pretty forgiving. Landings feel softer than on stiffer boards I’ve ridden. When I cased a kicker landing, the board absorbed a good chunk of the impact instead of smacking my knees. Same thing on flat-water landings behind the boat: it doesn’t punish you as much for slightly off-balance landings.

That said, the downside of this flexy, smooth feel is that the board isn’t super locked-in. With the small 0.75" slider fins on, you get a bit more grip, but it still feels more loose compared to a stiff boat board with deeper fins. For surface tricks and butter slides, that’s actually nice — it breaks free easily and doesn’t fight you. For aggressive edging into the wake or cutting hard at the cable, it can feel like you’re riding something a bit more playful than you might want if you’re really charging.

Another comfort point is how stable it feels at speed. At the cable, at normal speeds, it felt stable enough. When I pushed it faster behind the boat, the continuous rocker and flex combo made it feel a bit “bouncy” compared to my usual boat board. Not scary, just a bit less planted. If you’re mainly park riding, this won’t bother you at all. If you want a board that feels rock solid at 23–24 mph behind the boat, this wouldn’t be my first choice.

So comfort-wise, I’d sum it up like this: very forgiving, easy on the legs, and fun for presses and surface tricks, but less reassuring if you’re into super hard edges and big wake jumps. For cable riders and people who like a mellow, playful feel, it’s pretty good. For boat-focused riders, it’s okay but not ideal.

The main thing with this board is the 100% Paulownia wood core. You really feel that under your feet. Compared to foam-core or hybrid boards I’ve ridden, this one has a more “alive” flex. When you load it up on an edge or press on a rail, it doesn’t feel dead or snappy; it bends in a smooth, predictable way. If you like that natural flex feeling, this is a big plus. If you prefer a stiff, explosive response, you might find it a bit too mellow.

The board also has 0.7" ABS sidewalls, which are there to take hits from rails and kickers. After smacking it into a metal rail a few times (not on purpose), I checked the edges and they only had small marks, nothing structural. That’s pretty much what I want from a park board: it can take abuse without chunking out immediately. The Ti base slides well; on plastic features it felt smooth and didn’t catch in weird spots. I didn’t notice any major drag compared to other park boards I’ve used.

One thing to keep in mind with a full wood core is weight. This board isn’t super heavy, but it’s not ultra-light either. When you carry it around the park, it feels solid, not like a feather. On the water, the weight isn’t really an issue, but if you’re obsessed with having the lightest setup possible, you’ll probably find lighter boards in higher price ranges. I personally don’t mind a bit of weight if the flex and durability are there.

Overall, I’d say the materials are pretty solid for a park-focused board. You get that wood-core flex, decent sidewall protection, and a base that handles features without feeling sticky. It’s not using any crazy high-end carbon or fancy inserts, but for what it’s meant to do — cable laps, rails, and jibbing — the build feels appropriate and reliable enough.

I only had the Woodro for a few weeks, so I can’t talk about multi-season use, but I did my best to treat it like a normal park board: rails, boxes, a couple of sketchy landings on the edges, and some dragging on the dock. The ABS sidewalls are the first thing I checked after each session. They picked up small cosmetic marks, but no chunks or cracks. For a board that’s meant to hit features, that’s pretty much what I expect. If a sidewall chips badly after a few hits, that’s a red flag; this one didn’t.

The Ti base also held up decently. After several sessions, it had the usual scratches, but nothing deep. It still slid well and didn’t show any weird wear patterns. I’ve seen cheaper boards start to get rough spots or little burrs on the base after repeated rail hits; this one stayed fairly smooth. That’s a good sign if you’re planning to ride it mainly at the cable and don’t want to baby it.

As for the wood core, there’s always a bit of concern about long-term waterlogging or soft spots. I didn’t see any signs of that in my short test period. The flex felt the same from first session to last. Obviously, long-term durability depends a lot on how you treat the board (leaving it in the sun, storing it wet, etc.), but from what I could see, it’s built to handle regular park use without falling apart quickly.

So, in terms of durability, I’d say the Woodro is pretty solid for a park board in this category. It’s not indestructible, but it doesn’t feel fragile either. If you’re buying it to ride features regularly, it seems up to the task. Just don’t expect it to look pristine after a season — but that’s true for any board you actually use on rails.

On the performance side, the Woodro is clearly more at home in the park than behind the boat. On rails and boxes, the soft flex and Ti base are the main strengths. It presses easily, so you don’t have to muscle it to get a nice nose press or tail press. As an intermediate rider, I found it actually helped me commit more to presses because I could feel the board bending and it didn’t feel sketchy. The base slides smoothly; I never felt it catch weirdly on plastic features, which is important if you’re not a pro and still messing up occasionally.

On kickers, the continuous rocker gives a smooth, predictable pop, but it’s not explosive. You get a nice, consistent takeoff, but if you’re chasing big height, this isn’t the most powerful board I’ve tried. It’s more about control than raw pop. For spins, the longer 146 size feels stable in the air, and the soft landings help when you come down a bit nose-heavy or tail-heavy.

Behind the boat, the performance is more “it works” than “this is great.” You can definitely ride it, jump the wake, and do basic tricks, but it never felt like it wanted to really load and release hard. The independent channels under the feet help with tracking, but combined with the flex and continuous rocker, it still feels more on the mellow side. If you’re used to three-stage rocker boards with more aggressive edges, you’ll notice the difference right away.

Overall, I’d rate the Woodro’s performance as strong for cable/park riders who like flex and jibbing, and just okay for boat riders. It’s not bad at anything, but it clearly favors a certain style: presses, surface tricks, and smooth, playful riding over aggressive edging and huge wake-to-wake airtime.

On paper, the Connelly Woodro 146 is a park-focused wakeboard with a 100% Paulownia wood core, a continuous rocker, and a jib profile. It’s aimed at intermediate to expert riders, and it comes with five bolt-on 0.75" slider fins, which is a bit unusual — most park riders I know usually go finless or with two small fins max. The board has 0.7" ABS sidewalls, which are there to take the beating from rails and kickers, and a Ti base that’s supposed to help with smooth sliding and durability.

In practice, what that means is: this is a board that’s mainly built for cable parks and hitting features, not so much for hardcore boat riding. The continuous rocker gives it a smooth, predictable feel. It doesn’t have that aggressive three-stage kick that throws you up hard off the wake. Instead, it feels more like a long, even arc when you edge and release. For flat water butter slides and presses on boxes, that’s pretty nice. You can lean into presses without feeling like the board is fighting you.

The size at 146 cm fits adults in the average to slightly heavier range pretty well. I’m around 80 kg and it felt stable, not sluggish. If you’re lighter, you’ll still be fine, but it might feel like a lot of board until you get used to it. If you’re heavier, the extra length helps with stability on landings and makes surface tricks easier. It doesn’t feel like a plank; the flex keeps it from feeling too long or dead.

So, on the spec sheet and in the water, I’d describe it as: a flexy, wood-core cable board with a smooth rocker, made for riders who like to jib and press. It’s not pretending to be the ultimate boat board or a beginner-friendly all-rounder. If that’s what you want, look elsewhere. If you’re starting to spend more time at the park and want something that feels more like a park tool than a generic wakeboard, this fits that role pretty well.