Hunt for "My" ultimate kite surfboard

[daspi]

@ongwhitecloud True that. Yes, I think I just have to take any chance I have and try different boards. Demos, friends, whatever. I guess I was hoping that someone owned a Skillit and loved it too, then moved on to something else that they found as good or better. Maybe that would have been valuable to me.

[adamj2281]

Reviving this thread- I've been searching for awhile too. Started roughly 8 years ago on a heavy, huge Litewave DV8 quad. Since then, 5'3 Cabrinha Spade, OR Mako/Jester, 5'9" North Whip (the old non CSC one). And now I've settled on two boards with some overlap,a 5'2" North Whip CSC,and a 5'4" Tomo Hydroshort. What did you end up with?

[Daversj]

Maybe have a custom corevac board made. You can spec dimension and construction is hard to beat. Super light and super strong but no harsh ride of a stiff production board. I think the one i have is 5 layers of cloth on top and then he vac bags them. The light weight is great for travel as well, about the weight of a poly surf board. I have a 5’10 x 19.25” conduit and weigh 180 lbs. Am looking tom have a 5’7 x 18.5 made for high wind. These boards have mad pop with the diamond tail And light weight, but still work in high wind. I use it in light wind and worked fine in cape town with 7m.

[Onda]

This is an infinite journey
I´ve ridden many boards over the past several years (strapless only, including the infamous Skillit), and each is so different!
I love the Firewire Vader Helium 5.1 for small waves and jumps. So light, super easy jumps, it always sticks to your feet. Can confirm the rough ride though.
Last year I discovered the 2019 Duotone PRO WAM in 5.10. It is slightly too long for me (178 cm / 75 kg) but anyway it is really surprisingly impressing. Super smooth ride, super stable at high speeds, you feel 100 % confident no matter how big the wave or how bumpy the water. Despite its length it is still easy to do very tight cutbacks and all the stuff. I couldn´t get a 5.8 (sold out), so now I try to buy a 2021 WAM SLS in 5.7. I hope the 2021 model hasn´t been "flawed" compared to 2019.

[riddim1]

Enjoying reading this thread on others ideas on their 'ultimate' kite surfboards. I've been on the journey as well. I think it's nice to imagine an ultimate SB that covers all conditions but the reality is there will always be a compromise. I live 30mins from a spot that has wind generated swell only 1-2ft at best when over 20 knots etc. With my weight and height (80kgs @ 180cm) the best board for me in these conditions has proven to be one 20-22l at lengths around 5ft. I've owned/ridden Naish skaters, Skillits, Whips, Firewire and regular surfboards. For the past 4 years I've been on the Firewire Vader 5.1 in FST. It was bullet proof and had brilliant swing weight for smaller wind generated surf. The 'compromise' was that in down-the-line or cross-on surf of 4ft+ it was skittish on the bottom turn and I needed to rely on kite power as opposed to using the wave. It was also bouncy in chop (probably due to the parallel rails). I would only ride in open ocean surf of reasonable quality 3-4 time as year so it was compromise I accepted.

I recently moved it on and have been trying to get a FW Hydroshort 5.4 or 5.6. FW have said that due to COVID, they have put their Kite-line on hold. Seems strange as I believe there would be a strong market for their kite construction boards. As an alternative and based on reviews, I bought a 2020 Duotone Pro-Fish 5.2. The length works for me for my regular conditions (low swing weight) and I have been told it holds in over-head conditions. The extra volume @24.7l was a concern for me however after my first ride I can report that it is smoother in the chop (compared to Vader) and the tail is better in top turns. The tail and rails appear thinner (compared to Vader).

In a perfect world and if I could justify the spend, I would also have a longer board 5.6-5.8ft of 26-27l volume. Low entry rocker, thin rails and a bit of kick in the tail. I am sure this would suit my open ocean conditions in the 4ft+ category.

[alfredo68]

Trying also to find the Ultimate kite surfboard during the 8 months quarantine in my country i ve contact 2 surfboard shapers and went for it just with basic measurements and pics. With one tried to copy the hydroshort 5 4” and the other klockhiuse noseless. One eps the other PU. Nicely finished and light , both rode horrible. I think the clasic surfboard hand shapers with these noseless shapes didn t get along. One with lots of tail rocker and the other pretty flat and channels on the tail. Both nearly no nose rocker. The flat rocker tail hard to carve and fast and terrible in the chop The other one was super slow easy to turn but very bad upwind ability.
My next attempt will be a more classic high performance surfboard shape. (Thinking in something like 5’5” wham ) made by computerized shaper ( not fully hand shape and end with exaggerated tail rocker etc )
If someone could give me opinions on rocker and rails to transmit to the shaper i will appreciate
Might sound a bit crazy or quarantine effects doing so many custom surfboards but the cost of 5 surfboards here will be the same as 1 firewire in the US
My prefered board its a custon kite construction surfboard 5’11”which i think has less than 22 liters PU construction that after 6 years of use and abuse it still under 300 grs and rocks when things go big My other good one is a Vader 5’1. Like it, super fast but feel it bouncy in the chop and i think don t the rails so strait.

[ARK]

I have been pretty dedicated to surfboard strapless riding for the past year but started with surf style about 2 years ago. I've been kiting for 10 years. Gone through a bunch of boards with the intention to find my favorite type of surfboard. Discovered quickly that they are all pretty different. Sometimes looking at a board and reading about it gave me a certain expectation but many proved to be surprising when actually putting them to the test.

I am looking for input from experienced surfboard riders that have had a bunch of boards and found out about the different styles themselves. Not looking for "oh I bought this and I like it".

Rider Profile: I am 5' 11" and 163lbs

This is what I still own and experienced on each board:

2013 Cabrinha Skillit 5' 10" was one of my first boards and still my favorite overall. Pretty beat up by now. Very nice and calm ride, not bouncy like some of my other boards. Carves like on rails. Due to size a bit harder to do powered narrow turns. Great stability, easy jibes.
Skillit Specs: 5'10" x 18 1/8" x 1 1/2" - 20.53L Rocker 4.1cm
Review page: https://epikoo.com/kiteboarding/gear/ki ... illit-2013

Got me a Kiteloose 5'4" with 23l volume while on Sal, good for freestyle and medium waves they say. Yes, gets going very early and fun to ride. Turns best with lots of weight over back foot. When really powered, it's too much board for me. You can see the board here http://www.100piedikiteschool.com/en/attrezzatura . I like the board and it will stay in my quiver for lighter days and very small waves. Tried a Tomo Evo from a buddy as well and like it as well for this target condition. All set for the low end low wind days.

Due to the hype out there, got me a Tomo Vader 5' 1". Yes it has a very snappy, skatie ride. What I do not like much is the bounce under the front foot when edging. Also not as nice on wider bottom turns. Not enjoying it as much as I would have expected. Maybe also rider mistake? Maybe I need to spend more time on it?
Vader Specs: 5'1" x 17.375" x 2.1875" Vol: 22.9L

Saw the 2019 Naish Go To 5' 6" on sale and got me one too. I expected this to be possibly my Cabrinha Skillit replacement. When I rode it, it felt way more like the Tomo than my Skillit. It also kicks back, bounces under the front foot. Nice tight turns are fun on it.
Go-To Specs: Length: 5'6” Width: 19” Thick: 2 3/16” Volume: 23.6L

What I'd like to know is what boards have a decent low end but stay nice and calm on the water even when powered? Something I can take from small to big waves in decent to strong wind. The Skillit does all this and I keep coming back to it. I still feel my perfect board would be a bit shorter and a tad snappier. I do not like bouncy boards it seems. The kick back under the front foot just does not make it very comfort inspiring when dealing with challenging big waves or less calm waters with chop. Not sure if you guys can give me some feedback on what my next Cabrinha Skillit replacement / evolution could be? I seem to enjoy surfie feeling board more than the trendy skatie ones. I was thinking maybe the Duotone Pro Wam 5.7 could be one that is match? If they would still make the Skillit in the shorter 5' 6" version, I would get one too.

Let's have it!

Hey checkout this episode with Appletree surfboards..... I think you will enjoy this.

https://kitesurf365.com/appletree-surfb ... pisode-197

[BigZ]

Why not ask a shaper ? the way retail prices are going custom boards are to be considered again.

I am suggesting because it sounds like you know exactly the feeling you like, with reference to your golden Skillit.
And yes you have tried other boards following the trend but keep coming back to this one, that carves well, is stable,
and you are wondering could one extend the low end a bit and still not have bouncy feeling under the front foot and nice high end.

Well a shaper might answer that question, stock boards are very good but more geared at standard programs and trends.

+1 to that. I have not bought a production board in years and I don’t intend to do that in a foreseeable future. Why? You can work with your shaper to get exactly what you need. Yo can get much better construction (e.g. Varial foam and the best glassing) for less than Chinese made production boards. Just find a shaper who kite surfs or makes boards for pro kite surfers. There is a lot of them. Just a few names in US: Kazuma, FCD, Loyd, Noe, Infinity, Rawson. The list goes on. You will find that a lot of pro kite surfers sponsored by big brands ride customs from these guys. Just painted with the brand logos and colors.

[daspi]

Sorry for my absence on this subject. As my experience (and board quiver) expands, I want to give a bit of an update.

Just purchased a F-ONE Mitu in 5'6". This replaced the Naish Go-To. On paper a similar board, but as expected they do ride differently. What I can say so far, the Mitu does not like rail to rail turns. It can be slammed around with ease but weight has to be more on the back foot and longer radius in faster turns have to be with moderate edging, otherwise it skips out. Bit surprised by that. It has great "flow" though. Not as bouncy as the Go-To. Lot's of rocker and therefore needs some kite power to drive upwind. Need more time on it. I feel it is very sensitive to the right weight balance of front and back foot. If you ride the Mitu, let me know what you like to do best on it and any tips and tricks to get the most out of it.

I've ridden the Tomo Vader a bunch of times again and got really dialed in on it now. I realized I do have to put my front foot a bit more forward to stabilize when needed. Found the right balance on back and front foot pressure, needs a lot more on the back for slashing the waves. Had a nice side shore wind session with small waves and realized that this board holds a lot of power when going into a carve. You can really lean in. Wow, this board now really starts to grow on my on small wave days. Upwind drive is awesome. Powers through lulls surprisingly well too. I am growing to love it. Probably use the Vader over the Mitu on small wave days and reserve the bigger days for the Mitu.

Finally I find I feel what each board needs from me. I realize I need dedicated time on each new board before passing judgement. Granted, some will fit like a glove right away, but they might not challenge you. I think from trying to make the most of every board I am becoming a better rider too.

I'm going through the same exploring journey with wave kites. But that will be another tread. Please keep adding your experiences with your board quiver.

[alfredo68]

Any one knows rocker specs of vader , appleflap , hydroshort,koclokhouse, wam etc etc ?