Here are my thoughts:
- I have the FS Radical 4. Now, if I put the same NTT North pads on my DIY board 120/41cm and Rad 126/36 I can't hold edge and go upwind as on my DIY. Simple. Coz the NTT pads a quite flat. But I like them. Why? They are very light making my board ~2.2kg. That is a huge difference.
However, put the massive pads like The Mark has and viola! The upwind and edge changes significantly. See The Mark pads, how thick the heel side is, double and more than a toe side.
This is proved here:
http://ten-kiteboarding.com/wp-content/ ... 08/4-2.jpg - look at the angle! Provided by the pads. This pads probably have 2 small screws on each side which can "grind" the board underneath.
What I do not like with many similar boards is a thick rail. The Mark has 1cm or more thick rail in the middle? Nah, sorry. Brunotti style board, probably made by them. Duno where the industry is going with this, thinner rails ride better. If could be 1mm that would slice
water like butter. Not so with 1cm rails.
Also here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZkeHBQ2lKuw
what Xenon/Bandit combination does. Xenon has really thin rails. Now you know why I'm all for it!
So yeah, as Toby says, the best board is one you've spent most hours on.