Conclusions:
* Mike has least flotation relative to his weight but is probably
travelling fast!

I admit it does become a little more tricky to float at lower speeds, but
not *that* tricky! My wife bought me an OSin 4807 178 for my birthday last
year (steeply discounted) which is a fish-tail board with a long powder
nose... can't wait to find out how *that* floats in the powder. (It's
almost as wide as my 161W, too)

* I think 160 should float Robert

I'm sure there are other factors to consider, but yeah, given Robert's
weight versus mine, I suspect the Incline 160 does provide adequate
flotation for him...

.... but the stiffness could be an issue too. I've some frustrating
experiences with really stiff boards in powder, for example my old Salomon
FRS 165, which makes the Incline/Wide/Sasquatch feel like a noodle. I love
super-stiff boards for carving on hardpack, but in powder, without the
resistance of the hardpack, they are mighty difficult to bend at sub-light
speeds. Robert, I don't know what your experience level is, but at your
weight the Incline 160 is probably quite stiff. (Jason Watkins - any
comments? You're lighter and ride a 161W...). If the board is stiffer
than you'd like in powder, mistakes get magnified since you can't bend the
board as easily to correct. On the other hand, in your mistake-free
comfort zone, you can just weight your back foot and enjoy the ride...

* Robert moving to a 156W gains 5% more flotation and reduces stiffness by
4.2 to 3.4 (but still a lot stiffer than the Pheonix). But other than in
powder, the extra width will be a disadvantage with US 9.5 boots

My wife has the Incline 150, so I have a pretty good idea how stiff the 156
would be, and the answer is, still pretty stiff. (lonerider has the
Incline 155 - same stiffness as 156W - comments?).

IMHO, if you are looking for a dedicated powder / trees board, you want
something noticeably softer than what you use to carve groomers on. (That
OSin 178, despite being quite long, is by far the softest board I own.
It's a hair flexier than my wife's Incline 150). I haven't ridden the
Fish yet - but I agree with lonerider, it's worth a serious look. (BTW I
bought my wife a Fish 150 via eBay so she can keep up with me when I ride
my OSin :; )

Mike T

P.S. IMHO, with a 9.5 boot, the Wide is as good a choice as the Incline on
average, better for some, worse for others. The last time Iain and I
engaged in a calculation-intensive thread, it was on this very topic