Hunt for "My" ultimate kite surfboard

[Beanie008]

Finally I find I feel what each board needs from me...

So stoked on reading this after your first post...it’s not the board, it’s us!!

A lot of people blame bouncing on the board but it’s actually foot positioning and it’s called trim (in surfing terms). The same goes for turning and not being back enough over the fins...

If you think you’ve got the Vader dialled the next step would be to experiment with fin setup...you’ve got a tonne of possibilities within that 5 fin configuration and you can literally change the whole feel of the board just by throwing in a different fin set.

However, don’t just think quad and thruster, big or small, you’ve got 5 fin boxes to play with so experiment with them all using every type of shape construction and design you can find until you also have that dialled.

Personally I’ve never settled on just the one setup, I have loads of boards, in various constructions and designs, not to mention just as many fin sets, maybe more...

Knowing what works is what it’s all about. A lot of people park and ride and never consider the design aspects of their equipment. But don’t just take my word for it ask any half decent surfer...they have their preferred setup but they also let loose from time to time when the situation calls it

[daspi]

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

The Vader 4'1" has 3.7cm rocker.

[daspi]

@Beanie008 good to hear your input. Did you find out what design feature in a board makes it a better carver? Meaning you can lean about 50/50 into your edge/turn without loosing grip or stalling.

Carving: This is a subject I'd like to discuss. On some board you can just lean into the turn and carve like no tomorrow. Others wobble, skip out. Is this also just rider mistake and not knowing how much weight on front/back foot is needed? I currently think some boards have more flow and others carve better. Not sure if I use the right terminology or not. Glad to learn what it's called.

[daspi]

Just came across this website and post. It's shedding some light in my quest to figure out what shape feature does what. Hope you enjoy it too: https://kitesurfculture.com/blog/42/Kit ... them-a-try

[Slappysan]

You are an ideal candidate weight wise for the dream board, the Wave Bandit Performer 4-10. Considering the low cost and your penchant for trying boards and easy resale you should definitely give it a whirl. Also it's the best travel surfboard there is.

Mind you a huge part of what makes it such an amazing board is doing strapless freestyle airs but it seems like you are a more keep the fins in the water kind of guy.

[Matteo V]

Finally I find I feel what each board needs from me...

So stoked on reading this after your first post...it’s not the board, it’s us!!

A lot of people blame bouncing on the board but it’s actually foot positioning and it’s called trim (in surfing terms). The same goes for turning and not being back enough over the fins...

If you think you’ve got the Vader dialled the next step would be to experiment with fin setup...you’ve got a tonne of possibilities within that 5 fin configuration and you can literally change the whole feel of the board just by throwing in a different fin set.

However, don’t just think quad and thruster, big or small, you’ve got 5 fin boxes to play with so experiment with them all using every type of shape construction and design you can find until you also have that dialled.

Personally I’ve never settled on just the one setup, I have loads of boards, in various constructions and designs, not to mention just as many fin sets, maybe more...

Knowing what works is what it’s all about. A lot of people park and ride and never consider the design aspects of their equipment. But don’t just take my word for it ask any half decent surfer...they have their preferred setup but they also let loose from time to time when the situation calls it

Prone surfing, yes...... you need lots of boards for variable conditions. Or, if you only have one board, you can only deal with one or two conditions with a decent level of performance.

Kitesurfing, no...... you dont have to get a bunch of boards, but I did go through that stage. From skimboard, to wake skates, to TT's, to wakesurfers to prone surfboards - longboards, mini-longboards, mini-simmons, grom boards, to kite surf strapless specific, to strapped kitesurf boards. They are all fun and messing around with them can be a blast. Playing with fins is a must too, as it's part of the learning experience.

But a barn full of boards and a trunk full of fins is not the answer you will likely find in the end. Once you go through these growing pains, you will find one or two boards that will fit all conditions while you use different kites for those conditions. Then you can stop focusing on "gear" so much, and start focusing on "you" more.

[daspi]

You are an ideal candidate weight wise for the dream board, the Wave Bandit Performer 4-10. Considering the low cost and your penchant for trying boards and easy resale you should definitely give it a whirl. Also it's the best travel surfboard there is.

Mind you a huge part of what makes it such an amazing board is doing strapless freestyle airs but it seems like you are a more keep the fins in the water kind of guy.

Are you serious? These things actually work?

[daspi]

@Matteo V what boards did you end up with? What type of rider are you?

[Matteo V]

@Matteo V what boards did you end up with? What type of rider are you?

I went through all of those boards listed.

On the water, I started out sharing a C-kite. When I finally committed half my windsurfing time to kiting with my own kite gear, I started out with a LW twin, and a high rocker high wind twin. Even though the high rocker high wind twin was fun in waves, shorebreak, and flats, I missed the "surfboard" feel (and challenge) of windsurfing. But because I was thinking "snowboard = TT", I kind of discounted directionals. It didn't help that the junk directionals that I had access to were either prone surf longboards, or fragile (for my weight) shortboards, or 2000's oldschool Naish kitesurfboards.

But as I was about to give up kitesurfing and go back to windsurfing, I took some advice to get a modern kitesurf board. It was a North "whip" quad finned board. And it changed my life.

All of the boards which that "Whip" inspired me to try, modify, or build from scratch, still cant give me the same feeling. But I had to move on since that board did not hold up.


So I kind of feel that the following are kind of niche novelty platforms.....fun in thier own right, but lacking in the ultimate rollercoaster ride that is a medium quad finned surfboard -

Skimboards
Foamies
Longboards
Mini-longboards
Wake skates


Well performing wide range platforms that deserve more respect are -

Twin Tips
Mutants
Undersized strapless prone surfboards


But in the end, I came to the LF KiteFish with an North "Whip" inspired modified quad fin set. The board itself is indestructible.... though I did scuff it while using it to chock a tire when I had to change out a flat. I can also do rails with the board, and tap buoys with the nose. You cant do that repeatedly with regular surfboard construction! The bolt through fin set is also indestructible. I actually ride them in shallow and grind them down, then have to fill on the leading edge with hard epoxy and milled fibers. Never has the bolt through fin box broke, though I do occasionally bend the 1/4 -20 bolts. Again, never a broken fin, never a broken box, never a broken board.... with the LF KiteFish.

That said, I hated the board when I first got it. It was heavy, unresponsive, and only slightly better at upwind than much more fun "real" kitesurfboards that were stock, modified, or home built. It wasn't until I had broken just about every other board I had that I was forced to use it on the coast.

And for a month, I used and abused that board, and it never failed me. Over that time I learned some tricks to using that wide fish tail in double overhead waves, and learned to push it around to do almost everything that lighter weight "real" kitesurfboards could do..... and more! No longer was I afraid for my fins at the shallow entrance to tide pools. Nose drags were on the table again. Jibing buoys, rails, riding up to the waters edge and jumping onto land while kicking the board off, and even beach starts all were just regular riding again... except with a directional!


That said, if you get one of these, be prepared to modify it to a quad, make sure you have the weight to hold it down as a medium sized board (if you are under 210lbs or so, its going to be a large light wind board for you), and spend a month riding it in prime season to figure out how to get it to do all the things you want it to.


Oh, hey! To complete this novel, I'd like to say -

I am still jealous of TT riders who show real wave riding skills. I have never witnessed as good wave riding with a directional as I have seen wave riding with a TT - in person of course. So even though I have found my platform for now, I still wish I could TT waves like I have seen done right in front of me.

[daspi]

Thanks, but LF Fish had to go. I had one I used for foiling. Yes it is a brick. I think I am on another track with my surfboard preference. I do not like the short wide boards I rode so far. I have to admit though, you need time on every board to really learn what it does. Sure, you can make anything work, somehow.