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Freestyle board recommendation

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danmol
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Freestyle board recommendation

Postby danmol » Fri Oct 08, 2021 11:05 am

Hello everyone.
I'm a 75kg rider currently riding a 136x40x5 lieuwe shotgun board which is an all-round freeride board and I absolutely love it.

However, in lighter winds (11-14knots) it starts to get really hard to go upwind so I mostly switch to my girlfriends Brunotti Dimension 144x43.
Lately I've been enjoying more and more freestyle tricks especially on those lighter days and have started doing some unhooking and some basic handle passes.

Now I'm looking to get a bigge=r board which I can use on those lighter days and that would also help me in my freestyle progression. I'm also tempted to try putting some boots on it.

In the past I've tested out a north focus 136 and found that to be really nice for freestyle however that seems to be manufacturers recommendation in terms of size for my weight. They do have a 142 size however I don't know if just going bigger helps.

Any recommendations for me?

Frank82
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Re: Freestyle board recommendation

Postby Frank82 » Fri Oct 08, 2021 1:09 pm

Most freestyle/boots boards have quite a lot of rocker which isn't great in low wind, make sure that whatever you buy works in low wind if you intend to use it in those conditions.

danmol
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Re: Freestyle board recommendation

Postby danmol » Fri Oct 08, 2021 1:12 pm

Frank82 wrote:
Fri Oct 08, 2021 1:09 pm
Most freestyle/boots boards have quite a lot of rocker which isn't great in low wind, make sure that whatever you buy works in low wind if you intend to use it in those conditions.
That's exactly why I'm looking for recommendations :)

mitchell898
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Re: Freestyle board recommendation

Postby mitchell898 » Fri Oct 08, 2021 3:42 pm

Going bigger absolutely helps. I'm the same weight and riding a 143 refraction with boots and it's great in light wind. Obviously not as good as a flat LW board but I can stay upwind in probably 11kts.

Until you have your preferences really dialed I don't think it matters much which brand your buying, as long as it's a stiff, rockered freestyle board. You could go even bigger if you wanted, the size recommendations are very misleading. I was a little skeptical of going bigger (because of the size chart brainwashing) but they offer a lot. The weight gain is minimal, they don't feel unwieldy and you gain speed, pop, and lightwind performance.

Look into the Naish Traverse, the shape and sizes are super appealing to me. Although i'm a major Ewan fanboy so i'm a little biased.

Also, give into the boot temptation you'll need them. Check out Vadatek

danmol
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Re: Freestyle board recommendation

Postby danmol » Fri Oct 08, 2021 4:04 pm

mitchell898 wrote:
Fri Oct 08, 2021 3:42 pm
Going bigger absolutely helps. I'm the same weight and riding a 143 refraction with boots and it's great in light wind. Obviously not as good as a flat LW board but I can stay upwind in probably 11kts.

Until you have your preferences really dialed I don't think it matters much which brand your buying, as long as it's a stiff, rockered freestyle board. You could go even bigger if you wanted, the size recommendations are very misleading. I was a little skeptical of going bigger (because of the size chart brainwashing) but they offer a lot. The weight gain is minimal, they don't feel unwieldy and you gain speed, pop, and lightwind performance.

Look into the Naish Traverse, the shape and sizes are super appealing to me. Although i'm a major Ewan fanboy so i'm a little biased.

Also, give into the boot temptation you'll need them. Check out Vadatek
Vadatek are super expensive though. I'm probably going to end up buying some cheap second hands boots and if I end up liking them then maybe I'll upgrade.

I haven't even heard of the Naish Traverse up till now, I was mostly looking into:
Slingshot refraction and asylum, North focus and flare, Duotone jaime and team series, Core bolt. That sorta boards

mitchell898
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Re: Freestyle board recommendation

Postby mitchell898 » Fri Oct 08, 2021 5:23 pm

danmol wrote:
Fri Oct 08, 2021 4:04 pm
mitchell898 wrote:
Fri Oct 08, 2021 3:42 pm
Going bigger absolutely helps. I'm the same weight and riding a 143 refraction with boots and it's great in light wind. Obviously not as good as a flat LW board but I can stay upwind in probably 11kts.

Until you have your preferences really dialed I don't think it matters much which brand your buying, as long as it's a stiff, rockered freestyle board. You could go even bigger if you wanted, the size recommendations are very misleading. I was a little skeptical of going bigger (because of the size chart brainwashing) but they offer a lot. The weight gain is minimal, they don't feel unwieldy and you gain speed, pop, and lightwind performance.

Look into the Naish Traverse, the shape and sizes are super appealing to me. Although i'm a major Ewan fanboy so i'm a little biased.

Also, give into the boot temptation you'll need them. Check out Vadatek
Vadatek are super expensive though. I'm probably going to end up buying some cheap second hands boots and if I end up liking them then maybe I'll upgrade.

I haven't even heard of the Naish Traverse up till now, I was mostly looking into:
Slingshot refraction and asylum, North focus and flare, Duotone jaime and team series, Core bolt. That sorta boards

They're actually cheaper than most standard boots new but if you can find a pair used that's great. I'm a fan of my refraction, I have an older model but they haven't really changed. I think the jaime is more freeride oriented, the team series is probably closer to what you're looking for. If you're in a good kite community just look for a second hand deal, any of the boards you mentioned would be suitable.

Some traverse inspiration and probably the best kite video last year:

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Re: Freestyle board recommendation

Postby Ludmil » Sat Oct 09, 2021 9:25 pm

Definitely go for bigger board if you tend to ride w/ boots.
136 is small even for straps
Boards to consider according to me (I weigh the same as you):
Naish Traverse 144 (that board seems great all-rounder) Haven't tried it so far but I am tempted to check it out. This new concept of Ewan, looks very interesting
F-one WTF 140 - that's the board I own currently. Great upwind, very smooth and an easy board. I guess the 3 stage rocker plays important role here
Crazy Fly Legend (I think that was the name) There are couple of guys around which are happy with it. Their feedback regarding upwind ability has been very positive. It's too flat for my liking although, this is probably the reason behind the good upwind performance...

Frank82
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Re: Freestyle board recommendation

Postby Frank82 » Mon Oct 11, 2021 8:21 am

I have a F-One WTF 138x42 myself for boots and it is a very efficient board for the amount of rocker it has, I've had quite a few wakestyle/freestyle boards but I like my WTF the most till now. Slingshot Asylum is a very nice board as well but the 2018 version I had was too flexy for my liking, I have a 2015 Axis Billy as well but that board is very unforgiving and not the greatest in low wind, great in 20kn though.

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Re: Freestyle board recommendation

Postby SENDIT! » Mon Oct 11, 2021 7:38 pm

You may also want to consider the Litewave Kick-S. It has a very nice concave on the bottom, which will smooth out chop and the hard landings that are often experienced with wakestyle riding. It’s also boot compatible. Rocky Chatwell rides one and what he does with one says more than I ever could. ;)



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