Kitefish

[Mike W]

I had my first session on the Liquid Force Kitefish today in 10-15mph conditions on White Bear. I try a lot of different gear and I don’t often offer reviews, but this board is somewhat unique and I think lots of riders in our area would benefit from knowing about it. I am not affiliated with any shops or companies, and I am not trying to sell this board. Many of us who have been kiting for some time have grown tired of mowing the lawn on a big twin tip in lighter conditions. Some have tried surfboards, but surfboard rocker and larger fins sacrifices low end. Another solution is a skimboard, which lots of fun, but skims can be challenging to ride and it is hard to do any carving on them. The Kitefish blends these two styles together into one board. The board gets going very early due to its relatively flat rocker. By stepping forward, the board planes up nicely in low wind. Stepping back toward the tail turns it into a slashing machine. You can set it up in a 2 or 3 fin configuration. The stock fins are not that great. I installed 2 small Slingshot surf fins, and I was quite pleased with the result. The board comes with straps, but I plan to ride strapless most of the time. I could see putting the straps on to get out of the shore break in Duluth. The only significant criticism I have of the board is its weight. It is much heavier than a twin tip, but the trade-off is that the Kitefish seems to be virtually indestructible. You notice the weight carrying the board to the beach; once up and riding, weight is no longer an issue because the board is so lively. I expect this board would be great in the type of mushy surf we get at Mille Lacs or Duluth. It is a blast in flat water. If you are thinking about a surfboard or frustrated with one, you might want to consider the Kitefish or something similar.

[ollie]

Mike, was that you I waved at Mon. evening on the Mother?
Anyway it is good to get a review of a board that sounds like it has lot of potential for our conditions here
in Duluth. My surfboard is alot of fun but needs to be well powered due to the reasons you mentioned and that means somtimes riding a bigger kite than necessary so seeing how the kitefish handles the lighter junk here will be interesting. Maybe I could even bum a quick test drive?

Bryan z

[JERRY]

I trust Mike's reviews and would like to demo one.

[Mike W]

Bryan, yes that was me Monday night. Even though it was 14m conditions, I really enjoyed that evening session on Superior. Good to see you out there. Next time I am in Duluth you are welcome to try the board.

Thanks, Jerry. You can get a demo any time. See you out there sometime soon.

You can buy this board for $350 shipped, which is a pretty nice deal for what you get. Maybe some of the local shops will pick up some for demos.

[seamonkey]

I agree with your new approach, Mike. I have grown tired of boards with right angles, myself. I just got the new Slingshot Dialer for the very same reasons. I also have gained 20 pounds in the last year so I rarely ride my 137 x 44 anymore. I don't like big kites so I was hoping to remedy the situation with a similar set up. My old Slingshot SRT was a great board, but I needed a fair amount of power to keep it planing because of its narrow front end & traditional surf board rocker. I would also recommend the new Slingshot 5'-8" Celeritas.

[Geo]

Looks like they are 5'-3"....you think one might get away w/ packing it on an airline, assuming it actually fits into a bag, or is really that much heavier?

[Mike W]

I think it is too big for travel. I don't know what the length limits are, but it is way too long for the Deceiver bag. It is a few pounds heavier than the average twin.

[Barry P]

Mike let me try his Kitefish today. His review is spot on. I could feel the effect of the wider tail and and flat rocker immediately, but shift back and it snaps around a turn easily. We had 10-25 at WBL today. Strapless, when the wind was cooking, the board was getting away from me. But for light wind conditions I can see how this would be a great tool (and a lot more fun than driving a big square thing).

[Mike W]

Thanks, Barry! Thanks also for the ride on your Caution surfboard. By comparison, the Caution is much looser and feels more alive. Plus, the larger fins on the Caution allow for some really hard carving. The Kitefish will work in stronger wind, but it excels in the lighter stuff with its flat rocker and wide outline. I am going to experiment with different fin sizes and configurations for different conditions.

[zheton]

.

[zheton]

I have received my kitefish today. It is in red and white colors. It looks pretty hot on the pictures,but when you keep it in the hands it looks even sexier! It was showing about 12-13 mph wind here in Plymouth. I didn't want to drive too far so i went to Medicine lake. it doesn't work super well for sw winds but i gave it a try anyway. When i couldn't ride i was bodydruging to get to the sweet spot at the lake for the best winds) Anyways.. when bodydruging the board runs upwind like a rocket. The only one problem i had is that i'm not that good at toe side riding... I can ride on toes but i need more wind, so i had to rotate the board each time) I had a great session with kitefish combined with td3 17m. I left about 6 pm with a big fat smile on my face. It was same windy for another hour or so but i was getting cold without any wet-suit on me)
Anyways, great impressions... I Loved that board. Wish i had it at the beginning of the summer ;(

[BestKiter]

nice session man

[Tim Dunklee]

After trying out Jim's Kitefish the other day, I decided I needed my own. I was very impressed with it's lightwind capabilities, plus it is just plain fun to ride. It's definitely far from a surfboard, I would almost consider it a skimboard. The only thing I didn't like about it was the straps. I felt as if the straps were a bit too far apart which put me in a bit of an uncomfortable stance. I think strapless though would be a ton of fun on it. After noticing that Liquid Force also makes a Fish Wakesurf board (which is much cheaper), I was curious if it is the same board. I emailed Liquid Force and low and behold, the rep informed me that the wakesurf version is exactly the same it just doesn't have the inserts for straps. So, if you are going to ride it strapless anyway, you might want to take a look at how cheap the Wakesurf ones are. You can't beat $225 for the complete board... I ordered one and I will let you know how it goes! Here are a few links to the cheap ones.

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/produ ... d=11158555
(Add it to your cart and it automatically takes off 25%)

http://www.evo.com/wake-surfboards/liqu ... _Image.jpg
(this one is 3" longer which might make it an even better lightwind beast)

[JRN]

IT WAS FUN TO SEE YOU ENJOY THE FISH, TIM! FYI: I did move the rear footsrap back to make it extra wide & easy to get in & out. I took the straps off to ride the flats in Padre, but missed the option to boost.
I think it does make jibe attempts easier when strapless, but also thought straps would help going toeside or switch. Mainly it has shown me how much more I have to learn about riding directionals, and the challenge is part of the fun. Now I gotta try it behind the boat!

[zheton]

Did you guys make any upgrades to the kitefish board??
I remember Mike W had surfing fins on his board, but i'm not sure how it works.
Yesterday i had original fins on the board ( i believe they about 2")
Today i had a session with a 3" surf fins ( the wind was as low as yesterday..) and i can't say that the board felt different.
Also i have a 1" fins but i haven't tried them yet.

Does anyone know what fins size would work best for very light winds?

[JRN]

I tried a bigger fin in back, but couldn't ride it backwards then. Also added a fin in front, but it didn't help it go backwards. Mike put two big fins on the outer slots, but I never heard how that affected it. I'd guess the smaller fins would enhance light wind riding. Next time I'm going finless.

[efjanssen]

I just went on to the Dick's link and ordered the wakesurf version and it was only $149 plus tax with no shipping. Can't go wrong for that price. I do a lot of wakesurfing - mainly because the wind never seems to blow on the weekends on Ottertail anymore - so I will be interested to see how it works compared to what I have been using.

[Tim Dunklee]

I just went on to the Dick's link and ordered the wakesurf version and it was only $149 plus tax with no shipping. Can't go wrong for that price. I do a lot of wakesurfing - mainly because the wind never seems to blow on the weekends on Ottertail anymore - so I will be interested to see how it works compared to what I have been using.

Thank you very much for coming on and saying the price was lowered even more! I just called and they credited me the $75 from the original sale price I paid. Definitely a steal now.

[xrdave]

After reading these posts I think I will get a kitefish, for the light wind days.
Do you guys who went for the strapless wakesurf version still think that is the best way to go? Or is it worth forking out the extra $200 and getting the straps?

thanks
David

[Tim Dunklee]

After reading these posts I think I will get a kitefish, for the light wind days.
Do you guys who went for the strapless wakesurf version still think that is the best way to go? Or is it worth forking out the extra $200 and getting the straps?

thanks
David

I just received my strapless Kitefish Tuesday and haven't had a chance to ride it yet. I was hoping to get it out on Wednesday at Waconia, but wind was much too strong for it. I'm not complaining though, it was a fun day with a small kite and a small board. I'll post on here again when I get a chance to try the Kitefish!