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Moto
Since 03 Sep 2006
2698 Posts
Still a gojo pimp!
Moto Mouth
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 Mon Mar 05, 07 9:45 am Good bi-directional boards for kitesurfing? |
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| This summer I am going to try and spend some time kiteboarding on the coast. What are some good bi-directional boards for riding waves? What should I look for in a board? |
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genek
Since 21 Jul 2006
2165 Posts
East Po
KGB
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| Mon Mar 05, 07 10:41 am |
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I believe you'll want extra rocker and curvature at the tips (think of a surfboard) to help turn real fast on the wave and avoid pearling. Depending on what you want out of this board you can consider different options. If you want true twin tip performance that's a bit nicer in the waves then something like the Slingshot SX could work. For something that feels similar to actual wave riding, but is still a true twin tip you can get a board similar to the SS Fuse. However, if by bi-directional you mean a board you can ride both ways, but are willing to sacrifice on one of the directions then I would highly recommend a mutant designed for waves like the Naish Alien (discontinued in '07 due to lack of demand). I own a 146cm Alien from '06 and it is awesome in the waves! It's not quite a surf board, but the stance is set close to the tail and it has 15cm fins on the back allowing for amazing edge hold and really quick turns. At the same time it's still ridable going switch. I'm not going to lie and say it rides like a twin tip (you definitely pay the price going switch), but it's good enough to go upwind easily and over whitewater/waves and boost a bit. Good thing is if you can find this board on sale somewhere you can probably get it really cheap. You can call Naish Hawaii and ask if they have any left over from last year. It's been the perfect wave board coming from a twin tip for me because I didn't want to commit to jibing right away, and it allowed me to ride both ways easily right off the bat. It's taken my wave riding to a whole new level and shown me the light. Now I jibe it all the time and might consider investing in a real "surf style" kiteboard in the future.
You just have to decide...do you want a twin tip that you can ride in the waves or do you want a wave board that you can ride in both directions? If you want something closer to true wave riding you'll want your feet closer to the tail with some big fins.
Enjoy! |
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Inept_Fun
Since 14 Apr 2005
1417 Posts
Hood River
XTreme Poster
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| Mon Mar 05, 07 12:49 pm |
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Slingshot SX, should be able to rip waves to pieces on one.
_________________
I heart dangling |
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blancoh2o
Since 15 Mar 2005
1154 Posts
Oregon
Phishy
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Sol-flyer
Since 21 Mar 2006
1280 Posts
Dude, where's my Bus?
Otto Mann
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| Mon Mar 05, 07 1:05 pm |
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this one is fun,
blowhard makes a sweet board for waves i'm itchin to try out  |
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forrest
Since 21 Jun 2005
4330 Posts
Hood River
Hick
CGKA Member
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genek
Since 21 Jul 2006
2165 Posts
East Po
KGB
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| Mon Mar 05, 07 4:53 pm |
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| blancoh2o wrote: | The Slingshot Fuse is not a true TwinTip. It is deffinately a mutant. It is right at home in the waves at the caost. You can ride it "switch" all day long and it actually rides well both ways. It rides a wave real well when you ride it with the 4 fins at the tail near your back foot.
http://www.sskiteboarding.com/products.cfm?id=13 |
Thanks for the info. I've only ridden one at Sauvie's so haven't taken it out in the waves. My understanding was that the stance was pretty centered on the Fuse, which is why I thought it was close to a twin tip. If the stance can be moved back to the tail then I was wrong about that. Also, it seems like you might potentially want something bigger than the 2 inch fins it comes with for extra grip during a hard turn. This is of course all based on preference and trading off twin tip vs. surf style performance. The Fuse was a fun board to ride and I'd like to try one out in the surf sometime.
If you get a floaty board I'd consider whether the stance can be set near the tail for good power delivery during a hard turn. IMO riding a big TT with a centered stance in the surf doesn't provide the same wave performance. |
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gymshoe
Since 19 Aug 2007
29 Posts
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| Sun Aug 19, 07 9:45 am |
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What did you ever conclude about a good wave-riding bidirectional?
Did you ever get to try a Fuse, Hammer, Alien, or Rad-F?
Thanks,
Jim |
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