Reviews on North Race LTD Board ...

[Gioro_T]

Hey everyone,


I've been trying to find real-life reviews on this board but to no avail ...
Please share some insight if you ride this; I can imagine most racers go the custom way and that's fine, but I'm sure a lot of us 'regular' racers must be riding this production board.

Cheers !

[EvanOR]

Actually, most (if not all?) racers, from weekend warriors to pros are riding customs or semi-customs. The North Race is a nice board but it is a season old design that is considerably smaller with less volume than the current " norm ". We've got about 50 racers in the Cabrinha series in SF and I've never seen anyone racing the North production board....and I doubt we'll see anyone with one in a field of over 60 at the Worlds next week.

And I'm not brand bashing, just being blunt and giving you the straight goods. Even as an amateur you want to make sure your board is competitive.

Cheers,

Evan

Ocean Rodeo
Hyperflex Wetsuits

Performance over Hype

[gbleck]

I picked up mine at the end of last fall. I am a noob so it doesn't really make much difference if I am riding a new NJS designs or a log. I am still likely to come in last place at the king of the great lakes in October. My goal for the season is being competent enough to not pose a threat to my self and others and finish. I'm hitting around 20% of my jibes now and still end up in a yard sale on fast down wind reaches in moderate chop. That said I'll give you my impressions with the 09 north race LTD. It goes best up wind driving off the rail. Build up apparent wind and then dig in the back heal and it really drives up wind. It's a real session saver for light wind days. If I could reliably jibe I could stay upwind in any wind large enough to keep the kite in the air. That said though I can see the advantages of a higher volume board that drives off the fins less then the rail. That would be really nice for light wind days that are more on shore and would make doing true tack's simpler. It's probably not going to keep you competitive at the front of the fleet but if you can pick one up used or on sale it will make a fun cruising board, training board or fun race board. Oh and my favorite part. It's supper supper light. This makes it the ultimate training board. Wipe out on your face trying to learn to jibe? No problem! Don't stop and spot your board just continue body dragging for a few seconds then turn and spot your board. It's now down wind of you. I almost always end up body dragging down to the board after a wipe out.

[mleng]

I've been riding the North Race Ltd since the spring. Overall, I like the board. No problems with build quality or workmanship. Is it competitive? From the limited racing I've done this year I seem to hold my own against custom boards. I may not beat them everytime, but I definitely worry them. If they make too many mistakes they will be chasing me down. If I make a few mistakes, I have to settle for chasing them around the course. Against any directional that is not made for racing, the North Ltd is faster, both up and downwind. Lightwind specific twin tips can hold a very high angle on the upwind but sacrifice board speed, especially on the downwind. That said, gear is only part of the equation. Rider skill makes alot of difference. Blow your tack/jibe, make a bad decision at the start or at a mark rounding and it doesn't really matter what board you're on, you'll fall back a position or two. Tacking the board is difficult but doable. I've been working hard to be consistent with my tacks but I'm not as profficient as I would like to be. The lower volume of the North board may be the issue. My skill is likely also contributing! It's a very challenging skill to master. In short spaced chop and gusty winds with other riders all around you it's risky if you can't afford to miss the tack. I tend to be conservative in these situations and jibe. On the upwind, I've found that the board can point higher than is optimal for speed. It seems faster to the mark if you flatten the board, don't ride the rail as much, move your back foot forward and to leward to keep the board flat and concentrate on using the fins to hold your upwind angle. It's also alot less tiring on the body. Dig the rail in too much and I find I'm fighting the kite instead of letting it breath (nicely sheeted out). Once the apparent wind is there (i.e. good board speed), the board can point as high as it would if I was relying on the rail. However, using the fins instead of the rail gets me travelling over the water much faster without too much compromise on the upwind angle. Being overpowered is slower than if using a more modest kite size. I've tried some TFC fins that are slightly less canted, a bit longer and asymetrical. These seem to improve upwind performance but tend to slow the board a bit on the downwind. They whistle at speed which seems to indicate turbulence and efficiency issues. However, it's very difficult to tell if there is an improvement without an equally skilled rider on a similar kite to match race against. Where the board seems to be fastest is on the downwind. The higher volume, 3 and 4 strap, 4 fin boards appear to be hard to ride controlled and fast at deeper downwind angles. I've been practicing this alot over the last few months as it seems to be the strong aspect of the board so I try to take advantage of it where I can. I bought the North board over a custom because I really didn't know how to spec out a custom, I didn't know enough about what I wanted. Two fin, four fin, canted fins, straight fins, symmetrical or asymmetrical fins, high volume, lower volume, two, three or four strap, sharp rails, rounded rails...! It is all a bit overwhelming. Also, I generally sell my gear each year and North gear tends to be easy to sell at a reasonable price. I'm hoping this will also be the case with my board. Will I buy a custom for next season? Maybe. If North comes out with a new board I would take a long look at it. Let's hope North makes this option happen. In my opinion, North makes good gear. They've met my expecations for a good product. As for the Worlds next week, there will be at least one Race Ltd in the fleet! Who knows, I may even worry a few riders on custom boards!

[Gioro_T]

Sweet;
thanks, guys !

[gbleck]

I think they are making a 2010. 4 fin with 3 straps. I think it's on the PKRA now.

[srq kiter]

Sean Farley is riding the Nils Stolzlechner designs. I don't think the LTD has been competitive on the Pro circuit for sometime.. It is a great All Terrain Board. Upwind/downwind,. freeride, etc.

[gbleck]

The 2010 in Germany.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitesurfwo ... 761845996/
The 2009
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitesurfwo ... 765707754/

[Faber]

the revenge of the carbon fiber....

[lezo]

I started racing with the 2009 North LTD this spring in the French Championships and I was competitive (finishing in the first half, and most importantly, beating my mates, amateurs like me ) starting from 16-18 knots using a 14m kite. I think it is a nice light board, very fast on the down-wind track but it's surely too small for my 78-80 kgs on the upwind track. Not easy to switch feets after jibes in choppy conditions.
It should be still a nice raceboard for a light racer, I would say for 60-65 kgs.
Now I sold the board and will try an 175/50 cms quad custom I developed with a shaper friend for the autumn races.