Board Advice

LAKAWA Knowledge Base - What are your secrets to wind and water success? Share what you've learned that may assist others.

Moderator: MK

Post Reply
jfm
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2010 1:46 pm

Board Advice

Post by jfm »

So I just got a kite and now I need some advice on boards out there for our conditions. I'm new to the sport but I'm also not looking for a board that's so big that could out grow it. If that's even possible.

Thanks
jfm
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2010 1:46 pm

Re: Board Advice

Post by jfm »

Oh yea and I'm 6' and 175 lbs.
David Tomassen
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2011 9:31 am

Re: Board Advice

Post by David Tomassen »

Hey man, saw your post and thought I would tell you what I have learned.

Most riders have two boards. One low wind board, and a main weapon.

Low wind board - For the real low days, this board will feature very little rocker and be wide with squared off tips. They plain incredibly easily and designed to be as streamline as possible in order to allow the kite to work less in order to pull you. So these boards are great and can be used in all conditions (if you want) but they are hard to handle in the waves because of their shape. So in the waves due to the flat profile and squared off edges they often supply plenty of face spray and tough/bumpy ride as they are rigid. Just think, would you ever go down a mogul run on stiff GS ski's? Same principle applies here.

Main Weapon - So now you want a board that rides really well and good for almost everything but low wind right? SO what to look for......first, assess your riding area. If you ride here, you ride chop......all the time. So you want a board that handles chop well, which means it usually has a little more rocker to it and is flexible. So now we are skiing moguls and you want something that flexes and absorbs shock. Rocker is good because landing is softer and it provides more pop off waves as well. However in the kite world, rocker is not friendly because it does not plain as well. So depending on the board, a little higher kite size is required. Also, find out if a board has face spray, man that is the worst. Normally you can eliminate face spray by looking at the shape, don't get something with square edges, it is the main contributor to face spray. So you want to have a board with a rounder profile or something that clips the corner.

I ride the Cabrihna Custom, it is great in the chop and never offers face spray. I love it, but it has more rocker than some prefer. The other one is the North X-Ride. That should get you a good idea as it relates to chop friendly shapes.

Hope this helps,

Dave
Dave Tomassen
LAKAWA Kiteboarding Team
Kiteboarding Community Member
Tiny Monks Productions
tomassend@yahoo.com
C: 612-701-5070
jfm
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2010 1:46 pm

Re: Board Advice

Post by jfm »

Dave, thanks for the reply. One last thing. What size of board works for conditions around here? Is there a big difference between something in the size of a 142 vs 135 or 142 vs 146 in a main weapon kind of board?
David Tomassen
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2011 9:31 am

Re: Board Advice

Post by David Tomassen »

JFM - Sorry for the late response.

Give me a call, lets rap about it. I am more than willing to answer any or all questions you have.

Additionally, I have some great boards available for you to try out if you like

Dave Tomasen
612-701-5070
Dave Tomassen
LAKAWA Kiteboarding Team
Kiteboarding Community Member
Tiny Monks Productions
tomassend@yahoo.com
C: 612-701-5070
Matt V
Posts: 264
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2010 9:49 am
Location: My Van
Contact:

Re: Board Advice

Post by Matt V »

I am a 220lb rider and have recently acquired a "perfect for me" 2 board quiver. It contains a 144cm Cabrinha "Custom" and a 146cm Cabrinha "Plasma". Here is how they work completely different for me even though there is only 2cm difference in length.

2010 Plasma with 45mm fins- Its not really a light wind board for me as I am a heavy rider and I do not like to kite in light winds anyway. The lulls just kill you when you are my weight. For light winds at my weight, I would need to scale this board up 25% or so.
This board will go out in some high winds and handle some pretty good swell too. It has no pop and I have to force it to do everything I want it to do (but it does do it). That is except for upwind. This Board goes up wind like a dream and I have never walked this board back up the beach except on a kite malfunction or when I just should have not gone out. The most surprising thing about this board is that it handles chop more comfortably than the smaller and more rockered "Custom". With just a small amount of rocker in the Plasma, it does not want to pop off of every single piece of chop that I hit. It stays more calm and seems to just cut through the peaks and the troughs. No troubles for tip spray for me on this board although others who have used it have mentioned that it was a small issue for them.

2010 "Custom" 144cm with 35mm fins- Pop, pop, pop, slash, mini surf the swell, pop, pop, slash, then think about making up some more up-wind so I can play again. Its all fun and games until I have to concentrate on making some strait runs to bank some more upwind. Its rocker means I can get 3ft (height) jumps all day without using the kite. It also turns on a dime. But it needs lots of wind in the kite in order for me to bank big time upwind. It goes upwind fine once it has the power though. At that point, that is when the downside of a high rockered board comes into play. Here, it seems to me at my experience level, to want to jump when I want to go straight. It is almost more work to try to go straight with it than to slash with it. In the end, the board is still my first choice and I am always hoping to get on it at least once per trip.
Post Reply