Carafino Hydrofoil Kiteboard Review

[kiteboarder@pacbell.net]

The Carafino is like gliding across perfectly soft, deep powder snow!!

Even riding on the surface the Carafino is quite smooth compared to a “normalâ€Â

[kiteboarder@pacbell.net]

On day 1 I learned:

- Tighten the footstraps, even if you like them really loose on every other kiteboard.
- Have enough wind to be nicely powered up without “workingâ€Â

[flyingweasel]

.

[cglazier]

Hmm..

I ordered and paid (about $1200) for one in mid August. I haven't seen it yet.
My requests for shipping tracking numbers have gone unanswered.


Chris Glazier

[Stubbie]

When I first saw these I thought 'very nice if a little on the expensive side', what I couldn't understand however, was how the Carafino team riders are managing to ride the foil using footstraps? unless of course they are just cruising, I ride a hydrofoil behind a boat wearing step-in snowboard boots and couldn’t see how it would be possible to control the foil without these boots. I don't ride the foil behind a kite because kitesurfing is too much fun as it is. Anyway, a friend decided to buy one of these foils and paid all his monies upfront, he then waited and then waited some more, in fact he waited for 12 weeks before the foil turned up, he then waited another 6 weeks for the board, which turned up damaged and without the footstraps.
I f anyone is thinking of buying one of these be prepared for a long wait, when it eventually does turn up the foil will not disappoint, in terms of aesthetics it really is a thing of beauty, the board on the other hand was crap, and you would be better off with a bit of marine ply.
My friend didn’t get on with the footstraps at all and is now looking at fitting a pair of step-in bindings to his board so that he can join me behind the boat when the winds not blowing.

[tautologies]

This sounds a little daunting.
I was really looking forward to this; a foilboard that was affordable. I have ridden another, and I think foils have gotten better since that board was made It was really hard to control, and then I ended up breaking the boot plate...

I tried to contact the carafino dealer in US, but no reply as Carafino were promising the board for $700 which would be great...

Where did you guys order it? I mean no reply simply isn't good enough.

[kiteboarder@pacbell.net]

The Carafino is like gliding ... (they’re on sale for $780 US until the November issue of The Kiteboarder comes out).
Mel

Well thats just great!!!!! after many enquiries, my one cost approx $1200 approx. three weeks ago ....is your T bar carbon fibre, red boot or solid red???

My T-bar is carbon, with red boot.

Other foilboards are a lot more expensive (& supposedly heavier & less stable, requiring bindings) so I didn't mind that I paid over $900 in FEBRUARY (because it was supposed to come in March) but it didn't arrive until JULY. Since I got the 2008 model ("manta" foil), which is supposed to be even better, I'd say it was worth the wait.

Mel

[kiteboarder@pacbell.net]

...what I couldn't understand however, was how the Carafino team riders are managing to ride the foil using footstraps? unless of course they are just cruising, I ride a hydrofoil behind a boat wearing step-in snowboard boots and couldn’t see how it would be possible to control the foil without these boots...the foil will not disappoint, in terms of aesthetics it really is a thing of beauty...

Footstraps are fine for cruising with a kite (for reasons I noted in my first posts), & the team riders are even shown jumping/rolling/spinning with them. Even though they will work for cruising behind a boat, bindings are recommended for that, so it's easy to understand why you would think you need them.

I agree about the awesome aesthetics of the carbon laminate. The board is a bit heavy (reportedly made to withstand big surf wipeouts!), but the current production run is supposedly nearly 7 pounds lighter overall.

Mel

[kiteboarder@pacbell.net]

This sounds a little daunting.
I was really looking forward to this; a foilboard that was affordable. I have ridden another, and I think foils have gotten better since that board was made It was really hard to control, and then I ended up breaking the boot plate...

I tried to contact the carafino dealer in US, but no reply as Carafino were promising the board for $700 which would be great...

Where did you guys order it? I mean no reply simply isn't good enough.

Oder from http://www.carafino.com I'm sure you'll get a reply immediately, from the designer himself ("Mango" Manny - info@carafino.com, or carafino@aol.com)

There was a distributor listed in a recent magazine, who ended up NOT distributing them, so that may be who is failing to reply, not the actual supplier (Carafino).

Supposedly the Carafino's light weight carbon construction, & advanced design, make it the easiest to control (which is likely why it's the only one I've seen ridden without bindings). It is quite challenging at first, but I feel like I'm getting the hang of it fairly quickly. It seems very much like riding a bike in that you're balancing on a point well below your body, but like a bike, it's only hard until you catch on.


Mel

[cglazier]

Oder from http://www.carafino.com I'm sure you'll get a reply immediately, from the designer himself ("Mango" Manny - info@carafino.com, or carafino@aol.com)

Hi Mel
I ordered from Mango himself 7 weeks ago. But I still have no board and my repeated requests for shipping info have not brought results.

He did send me an instructional dvd.


Chris Glazier