Surf kiteboard favorites

[Kitemanmuc]

Has anyone ever tried Lukes Leaf from Appletree vs the Applino and can compare?

[RalfsB]

My personal favorite is Machado Moonbeam

[peppedurso]

Has anyone ever tried Luke's Leaf from Appletree vs the Applino and can compare?

Hi, I’ve been riding both, one season each, both carbon construction.
Quite different boards for different targets. I love luke’s Leaf 4’9 for flat water freestyle and up to 1/1.5m wave (especially if mellow ones). Compact, stable, spinning it it’s a piece of cake, great for freestyle but very enjoyable in small waves. Using Futures Blackstix Small, great pop.
Applino is more wave oriented, enjoyable and predictable thanks to thruster set up. Thinner and wider than Luke’s Leaf. At 65kg a 5’3 felt great at 20/22 knots, still very good up to 26-28 knots. Using Futures Control Small.
For fast waves and strong wind I love the Appleflap 5’1.
My personal preference is to ride small volume board between 19 and 20 liters.

[scottnorby]

Yes I am biased because I own one.
But so do my friends I kite with.....and kite foil with....tow foil.... surf foil....and wake foil ....a few of us on our island riding this same board and it 's magic.
Soft shell too.
Designed as a surfboard for moderate waves---and rips kiting---and can get the foil track convertible option. Been riding it for two seasons so stoked no dings at all.

Why not have one that does all and travels well?
Great for boats...and tow in foil...memory foam rails bounce off bangings.
No dings

https://spacesticklab.myshopify.com/col ... ucts/micro

[scottnorby]

I'm also interested in PU core boards now, having been learning with an airush bamboo flytec for the last two summers i'm really now noticing the harsh feel through chop.

Money no object, the 5'1 core 720 would get a demo.

Check out spacestick -- cush surfboards
That dampening you are speaking of is 4 times with a skinned board

[omg]

What’s the weight of Cush boards?

[scottnorby]

A little more than the same board made up of EPS and Epoxy.

The fact that there is no glass on the rails makes it lighter.
And then the weight of the skin adds a little. The skin is durable so It has to have density to it.
So dense that the skin does not absorb water.
The structure inside is EPS and epoxy/glass. But the glass is Basalt. Tesla bumpers basalt.

My 5'4 micro is 6.25 lbs but it has a divinycell foil track "box" and duty futures tracks.
Also is set up as a tri fin with Futures Fin boxes.
One smack on the rail and the memory foam and skin suddenly make sense
Being able to grab the board and feel the skin sink it gives it a more animated feel
Hard to explain ,but good.
Hard boards now feel 'old'

[BigZ]

I'm also interested in PU core boards now, having been learning with an airush bamboo flytec for the last two summers i'm really now noticing the harsh feel through chop.

Money no object, the 5'1 core 720 would get a demo.

You can get even better feel than PU with Varial Foam. Varial Foam with epoxy glassing is IMHO the Holy Grail of kitesurfboard construction. I have two customs from Buck Noe and David Boehne and I will never go back to EPS or PU cores.

[John Doe]

I've been surfing for 30 years, kitesurfing riding waves for 20, have had a dozen boards. Right now I have-largely love my North Pro Session 5'8" & Cabrinha S-Quad 5'8". Both are bulletproof. But the North with the cork deck makes a huge difference in handling. It's like the board has shock absorbers. The North is a great boad. Squad is really good but I prefer the North hands down when I'm on a small kite in high wind.

[tautologies]

It depends a bit on wave shapes.
My personal favorite is Naish Global, but its maybe not as good for freestyle. I tend to like that board powered up in medium to large beach break waves. The Naish skater is for more sloppy waves..they can be pretty clean but not 2xoverhead type. The Skater is the lightest and best for strapless freestyle IMO. It is light and very strong.