which strapless surfboard?

[nimo]

I have almost decided to get an f one mitu 5'6". But the airush cypher has caught my eye as well. I would be interested to hear any rider reviews of either board. Have i missed any other gems.
it will be used for mostly choppy water with a few wind blown waves and occasional proper waves use. Cheers in advance.

[Starsky]

Do it! Doesn't really matter which one you go with, and yes, there are too many gems out there to even begin a list. Understand, you are cracking the seal on one of life's truly good clean fun addictions and your first surfboard is something special. Even if it were a piece of shit! Mine was oh so many many moons ago! Single fin town and country where I shoulda had a thruster/hybrid. Either way, it more than likely will not be your last! As you get into it you will learn a bit more about spotting the right shape for the conditions, and your quiver will begin to take shape!

[fcwatersports]

mitu 5'6 or 5'8 super nice strapless board, and i think one of the best selling at present

[clint2070]

If you're learning to ride strapless,width and flat tail rocker is your friend. look for a sweet potato in FST construction. Although its short the wide tail and general width will make learning a breeze. You can walk all over it ! Ive never had or ridden a directional made from a kite company that I've liked ! stick to real surfboards !

[Onda]

The Mitu will surely be a good board (I´ve never used it yet, though).
However, my clear recommendation is the Firewire Vanguard!
I´ve ridden mine a few times now, after using various other surfboards over the last 3 years. The Vanguard is so nice and does everything better than all the other boards! Expensive, but worth every buck / Euro. Also very easy to ride (even though it doesn´t look like this at first glance), thus very suitable for beginners as well.

But anyway, get into waveriding. No matter which board you should chose.

[Peter_Frank]

Do it! Doesn't really matter which one you go with, and yes, there are too many gems out there to even begin a list. Understand, you are cracking the seal on one of life's truly good clean fun addictions and your first surfboard is something special. Even if it were a piece of shit! Mine was oh so many many moons ago! Single fin town and country where I shoulda had a thruster/hybrid. Either way, it more than likely will not be your last! As you get into it you will learn a bit more about spotting the right shape for the conditions, and your quiver will begin to take shape!

Best answer I've seen.

Take the one you find looks the best, of the two you are aiming for.

No reason to think or ask too much, as this is taken from the time where you could be out riding waves.
So get "any" board asap

Starsky is more spot on than you think - you will know yourself in a few, or many years

Peter

[sarc]

Uh... strapless in chop and wind blown waves?


..... why?

If you want to become proficient you'll be better off with the right board for the conditions. If you want to make it more difficult just for the heck of it you could try riding blindfolded, or with your hands tied together, or something....

[dyyylan]

Uh... strapless in chop and wind blown waves?


..... why?

If you want to become proficient you'll be better off with the right board for the conditions. If you want to make it more difficult just for the heck of it you could try riding blindfolded, or with your hands tied together, or something....

I agree, riding strapless in windblown waves/choppiness is just aggravating. I'd look for something with removable straps that you can take off for days it's actually clean and worth surfing strapless...otherwise it's just a headache

[Starsky]

I disagree. Wholeheartedly. We have a lot of wind blown conditions. Waves and open lake chop. My kiteboarding satisfaction went waaaayyyyy up the day I started riding a surfboard with a kite. Anything under 14 knots is such aggravating work on a tt. Schlogging simply sucks! Much more fun cruising strapless on a sb where upwind in 12 knots is easy. Strapless air, slashy transitions and unhooking were all worked out in chop before I had the balls to pull em in waves. Once its windy I'll often go to a set of boots, but some of my mental highlight reel is in decent wind strapless punting off open water lake swell. Between decent waves and light conditions last summer worked out to roughly 60/40 for the surfboard. Straps? Whatever. Your choice, but they don't smooth the ride any. Speed and straight line riding especially up or downwind are what really suck in choppy conditions... the key is slowing down a little and picking the right line, or lack of line, as I rarely hold a straight line in chop. A SB has way more speed dexterity... meaning you can slow down and speed up really easily compared to the more constant speed needs to keep a tt planing. Dexterity is key to milking the fun out of irregular wind swell that comes in small sets of three to four.

I stick by my first post.

Do it!

[eabmoto]

I ride strapless in all conditions. Ride however you want.