I figured I'd put up a review because my impressions of this board were a little different from the extensive search I have done.
My background: 92Kg experienced rider, want to do everything every session except freestyle: so wave riding (on and x-shore, usually skoulder/head high), simple kiteloops, some darkslides, simple tricks, big floaty jumps.
Here's the tldr: the board is off the scale, I cannot think of a better freeride board.
The standout feature is how it turns. My background is OR Mako 150, Shinn Dundee, Shinn Speedball. The Monk blows all of them out of the water, which is not really mentioned in the Shinn blurb, except saying that it's good for carving (a bit like saying that bacon does not taste too bad after all).
The board handles every imaginable kind of turn like it was built for it: fast turns, slow slogging turns, powered wide arcs, snappy abrupt 180s, rail to rail, frontside, backside, it has great precision and confidence on the turn and always seems to come out with as much speed as it came in, which means of course you'll dig the rail for a new turn right away.
I think it's the combination of flex and the channels that produces some magic. I'm snaking my way up and down a head high wave turning left, right, bottom turning, cutting back and the board is like a Labrador puppy asking for more. The grip is excellent and very confidence inspiring so you try out lines you would not do on any other twintip; and it always carries speed so well you know you'll have the momentum to complete the maneuver. And it's all effortless, you really focus on enjoying the wave, let the kite drift in the air and the board is like on remote control. I've never seen a board do that before.
Flat water speed is good, jumps are easy with good take off / decent pop and reasonably soft landings. It's not a freestyle board, nor it tries to be.
Another standout is the low end, on one session I had to work to keep my 12m on the air but the board was comfortable and kept me upwind no problem as long as I was planing. I've been well powered on a 9m Rebel and it was very comfortable. I think 43/138 was perfect for my weight.
It handles chop very competently, many reviews mentioned that it makes the chop disappear, that was not my experience - definitely I could feel the 30cm chop but in an enjoyable way.
The Shinn blurb also says that it reduces fatigue and can be ridden for longer than other boards, that was not my experience (used to Speedball which is ridden 50/50 like a surfboard): it CAN be ridden 50/50 but I was stuffing the nose and pearling every 10 minutes or so. A comfortable 60/40 works just fine and if I'm trucking upwind I need 70/30 which is tiring for me.
But I agree with the Shinn blurb about no spray in the face ever in any conditions. That is true - very nice.
Oh and the rooster tail - very nice in the flats but cutbacks on top of waves are EPIC, throwing up 10ft of spray every time without even trying. I think it's the channels doing their thing again.
All in all this board exceeded my expectations in every way. AND IT HAS A FRIGGING GORILLA FACE ON THE BOTTOM!!!
[ Edit a few weeks later: I changed my footstrap position and now can go upwind with 60/40 weight distribution no issues)