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Surftech boards for kiting?
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Post new topic   Reply to topic    Northwest Kiteboarding -> Gorge / Portland / Oregon Coast
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ShiverMeTimbers

Since 26 Feb 2013
381 Posts
Gig Harbor
Obsessed



PostWed Feb 05, 14 7:02 pm    Surftech boards for kiting? Reply with quote

Does anyone have experience kiting with Surftech surfboards? Their construction is beefier than a standard poly board, but I'm wondering how they hold up. The TEC (thermal epoxy compression) seems like it would withstand the rigors of kiting better. They are stiffer than a standard surfboard, but probably have more flex than the standard kite-surfboards I've seen in the shops. Thoughts?

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tautologies

Since 24 Aug 2006
602 Posts
Oahu
Addicted



PostThu Feb 06, 14 1:38 am     Reply with quote

they are not stiffer than most kitesurfboards......

now the one surftech construction that works a while is the tuflite, but it is not always stronger..but the tuflite will hold a while.

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demo243

Since 16 Dec 2013
21 Posts

 



PostThu Feb 06, 14 11:32 pm     Reply with quote

Depends on which surftech construction as they do vary quite a bit-

I have a tuflite board that is quite strong. Been kiting on it for a year or so and there are no dents in the deck, and it has held up well to the occasional banging against shore rocks. They do need to be patched immediately if they are dinged to the foam. But overall they are quite tough. The big issue with the tuflite is that they are very light and very stiff. Fine if it is a clean day, but when it gets choppy you get very beat up as the board tends to smack and bounce on the water.

I am definitely interested in there ultra flex technology which is supposed to be stronger then a regular surf board.

Another option with more flex would be firewire, and not specifically their kite line. I know people do kite on their surfboards.

Or just go with a regular EPS Epoxy surfboard.

My go too board is a custom shaped 5'8" EPS Epoxy board. Dims are 5'8"x 19.5" x 2 3/8's i believe. Fairly flat rocker with some width in the nose and the tail for volume. Set up Swallow tail with 5 fin boxes. Its my go to surf and kite surf board. I surf it one day and kite it the next. Single 6oz glass on the bottom double 6oz glass on top. It does have dents after kiting on it, especially in the front foot area. But they actually help lock your foot in place. could be prevented with a traction pad, or what I will probably do next time is have an extra patch of 6oz glass put there, so you have 3 layers under the front foot.

I also have a 5'8 naish fish I ride strapped, but have ridden strappless before. being a kite specific board its pretty stiff, but did ride smoother then the tuflite, I think because of the added weight.

Lots of options- depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to do airs your definitely going to want the strongest board you can get and are probably best suited by a dedicated kite surf board. If your just looking to ride waves I would definitely look into some of the surf constructions.

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Pepi

Since 16 Jun 2006
1831 Posts
Pure Stoke Sports
Shop Owner

CGKA Member


PostSun Feb 09, 14 12:53 pm     Reply with quote

demo243 wrote:

Lots of options- depends on what you want to do with it. If you want to do airs your definitely going to want the strongest board you can get and are probably best suited by a dedicated kite surf board. If your just looking to ride waves I would definitely look into some of the surf constructions.


This is actually one of the most perfect quotes to consider when buying a surfboard for kiteboard use.

To add to the construction comments, stiffer board (like a tuflite) can be stronger to a point, but the lack off any flex makes the board lose some fluidity in the turns, harder on the knees and will, if jumped a lot, have a tendency to break/buckle due to the lack of shock absorption.

Softer or more flexible laminated boards (to a surfer) are magical feeling in the turns and easier on the knees, but have a tendency to dent up pretty quickly (or need semi-regular top sheet repairs), but will rarely break in half. To a non-surfer, the denting and topsheet repairs tend to be a big turn off, but it is what it is (look at any photo of a pro surfer in the mags, almost all of their boards are dented in on the deck)

Our shop sells the Lib Tech surfboards and we found a these boards to be a bit of in between the above two constructions. Stiff, yet tons of fluid feeling, and extremely strong in regards to scratching/dinging, yet when ridden hard it would dent like a glass board and if jumped and landed with a foot on the rail, would experience topsheet buckling (not warranty-able unfortunately).

Surfboards made by the major kite companies tend to be the most durable for taking both a beating on and off the water, and taking a reasonable amount of pounding if jumped a lot. It can just be a bit of a challenge locating a board that captures that true surfboard feel.

I'll be the first to admit that using a surfboard for kiteboarding can/will result in a damaged board. 50-60%% of my personal surfboards have had the deck buckle due to kiteboarding maneuvers.
My most recent solution to this issue was finding out that Pierre (our local repair guy) had developed a way of repairing surfboard decks by inserting glass stringers into the damaged area before repairing the deck, henceforth resulting in a board with stringer reinforced deck area exactly where your heavy foot is located.
I took 4 of my favorite broken boards to Pierre this summer and am happy to report that they are all back in business and are way stronger than ever before.

_________________
Pure Stoke Sports
Hood River, OR
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hood-River-OR/2nd-Wind-Sports/35891485558?ref=mf
www.Purestokesports.com

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nealm

Since 19 Jul 2012
41 Posts
North Coast/White Salmon
 



PostSun Feb 09, 14 7:24 pm     Reply with quote

I recently picked up a used Surftech Flyer 1, 6'1x18.75x2.25, so far only surfed it on the Oregon Coast but purchased it as a surf/kite combo board and taking it to Maui in a week. I've been surfing for ~20 years but only kiting for 2, mainly on poly boards and I've heard the claims that Surftech boards don't have the same flex/feel as poly, but I also have a 6'6 Surftech that I've been surfing with for over a year now and it's been great. I AM a little concerned about feeling the chop more on this board kiting though since it's SOOO much lighter than the kite specific boards I'm used to riding, should be a good test, I'll post back on how it went after the trip! … I do agree with Pepi on the Lib Tech boards being a good compromise for strength/performance, definitely considering one in the future.

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nealm

Since 19 Jul 2012
41 Posts
North Coast/White Salmon
 



PostSun Feb 09, 14 7:33 pm     Reply with quote

BTW they do flex, check the vid at 2:00: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R173jIoZf5c

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demo243

Since 16 Dec 2013
21 Posts

 



PostSun Feb 09, 14 8:30 pm     Reply with quote

The tuflites do have flex- just not as much or in the same way as a traditional or epoxy surfboard.

From my experience it is a stiffer and faster rebounding flex - which can be a good thing. On clean days I had some great fun on my tuflite, just got to beat up when it got really rough and choppy.

The traditional style surfboard, even with epoxy resin and extra glass is a smooth more absorbing flex. Was a night and day difference. When I first picked up my new epoxy board I kited it for an hour or so and then switched to my tuflite as tide went out and the rocks started showing up. Was a good experience because I got to ride them back to back and they do ride very different.

I will give tuflite a plus of they are stronger in the fin box areas- I have ripped a few fins out on that tuflite board with little to no damage to the box- nothing that did any damage to the position of it, only to paint around it. On a traditional surfboard there is much more of a chance of board damage.

I was super interested in those lib tech boards when they first came out. I still am. Surfed one very breifly in Hatteras last year, only really one wave. So never got a feel for it. But was quite impressed with them just from holding them and examining them. The only thing that turns me off about them is repairing them. I have heard it can be very difficult if not impossible to repair them. I need to do some more research on that.

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Pepi

Since 16 Jun 2006
1831 Posts
Pure Stoke Sports
Shop Owner

CGKA Member


PostTue Feb 11, 14 1:36 pm     Reply with quote

demo243 wrote:

I was super interested in those lib tech boards when they first came out. I still am. Surfed one very breifly in Hatteras last year, only really one wave. So never got a feel for it. But was quite impressed with them just from holding them and examining them. The only thing that turns me off about them is repairing them. I have heard it can be very difficult if not impossible to repair them. I need to do some more research on that.


I don't think the repairs are any more difficult than your average sandwich construction board.
Pierre, our local repair guy, bitched a little when we dropped off a board for him to repair, but in all honesty, he bitches up a storm about every manufacturers construction (he is French Canadian though, so it's in his personality Wink
He does, however, do extremely amazing repairs, both strong and well finished.
Our staff like to play the 'where's the repair' game when he repairs windsurfboards for us.

_________________
Pure Stoke Sports
Hood River, OR
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hood-River-OR/2nd-Wind-Sports/35891485558?ref=mf
www.Purestokesports.com

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Scriffler

Since 03 Jul 2005
581 Posts
LYLE
Addicted



PostTue Feb 11, 14 8:02 pm     Reply with quote

Surf techs are alright for kiting, super strong, but in my opinion they are too light and stiff. You should be able to get a custom pu board for five hundred. I get mine with a big 3/8" stringer and a heavy glass job. 6x6 on the deck plus a tail patch and 6 oz bottom. I have a board glassed like this that is over 5 years old. Sure, the dEck will dent and get footprints but the ride is so much better. Also, make sure it is glassed with s glass as it is way stronger than e glass.

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demo243

Since 16 Dec 2013
21 Posts

 



PostWed Feb 12, 14 9:21 am     Reply with quote

Scriffler wrote:
Surf techs are alright for kiting, super strong, but in my opinion they are too light and stiff. You should be able to get a custom pu board for five hundred.


This is the important quote- for the same price you can get a custom board designed just for you and your riding style...

If tuflite is a deal then might be worth it. I picked mine up on closeout so it was cheap. But custom is the way to go

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Scriffler

Since 03 Jul 2005
581 Posts
LYLE
Addicted



PostWed Feb 12, 14 10:46 am     Reply with quote

Go see Art Colyer for a board. He is an amazing shaper and will dial you in with a perfect board for you. All my best surfboards I have gotten from him.

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ShiverMeTimbers

Since 26 Feb 2013
381 Posts
Gig Harbor
Obsessed



PostWed Feb 12, 14 11:43 am     Reply with quote

great feedback, thanks everyone!

I did see some Surftech boards on closeout for 50% off, which made me think about trying them for kiting... but it sounds like my cheapest good option would be to grab one of my old thrusters and slap some extra glass on the deck. Makes sense that the less dampened Surftechs will ride rough in the chop and not mimmick the poly ride I'm used to.

I'll get around to ordering a custom, or shaping one myself, soon. Very Happy

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Scribble

Since 18 Nov 2005
636 Posts
NoPo
Addicted



PostThu Feb 13, 14 7:46 am     Reply with quote

Scriffler wrote:
Go see Art Colyer for a board. He is an amazing shaper and will dial you in with a perfect board for you. All my best surfboards I have gotten from him.


I haven't tried any of his kite specific boards but I bought a custom 5 fin rounded pin Bug from him and it is special.

Andy

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nealm

Since 19 Jul 2012
41 Posts
North Coast/White Salmon
 



PostFri Mar 07, 14 3:01 pm     Reply with quote

Back from Maui and following up on my post… had more surfing than kiting days but still managed to get out for a few sessions. Volume wise for my weight 175lbs, I wouldn't want to go any smaller for paddle surfing (guessing it's around 28-29L, site says 27 for for the 5'10 and 6'1 but that can't be right, 6'4 is 33L). Bigger than I prefer for kiting, but it worked well enough. Definitely too light for both surfing and kiting, it just felt strange surfing anything that wasn't glassy, even my 6'6 Surftech has just enough weight that it feels more natural surfing. So to summarize I'd say Surftech boards are OK for kiting, but definitely not the best… and finding ONE board to surf & kite is overrated, at least for me Wink.

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gorgeperformance

Since 30 Nov 2010
67 Posts

 



PostSun Mar 09, 14 10:15 am     Reply with quote

We just received a 5'10" Surftech Flyer that is available for demo.

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Ryan

Since 14 Jul 2005
536 Posts
Oregon
Addicted



PostFri Mar 14, 14 7:56 pm    surftech Reply with quote

I got out today for the first time on a tuflit board. I bought it used for cheap to give it a try. I have owned poly and epoxy previously from a few different brands. I also windsurfed for years on poly, epoxy and even plastic for a bit.

today was pretty windy (overpowered 6m, the two other guys there were on 5.5m kites) so the water was not super choppy but I didn't find the board nearly as bouncy as a typical epoxy kite surfboard. I felt like the board does flex more than the average epoxy board built for kiteboarding. The ride was not as smooth as a poly board.

each of the boards I have owned have a different shape which does play into the performance regardless of construction. that being said they have all been similar in shape and size, 5'10", 18.5" wide and thruster, pretty typical stuff.

overall I really enjoyed the board and am going to continue to ride it over my poly board for now.

time will tell as this was just one day. I also like the durability of the tuflit on the shore, not having to worry about every little bump like you do with a poly board. time will tell how durable these are from riding.

Last edited by Ryan on Thu Mar 20, 14 2:42 pm; edited 3 times in total

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demo243

Since 16 Dec 2013
21 Posts

 



PostFri Mar 14, 14 9:46 pm     Reply with quote

hate to make things more confusing...

But have to add some input again incase someone stumbes upon this looking for advice.

makes it more interesting with Ryan's post since we seem to have very different takes on these board.

Unfortunately last week my go to board got a ding on the tail so i have been letting it dry all week and still havent repaired it... this meant I pulled out the tuflite as my back up strapless board

Was blowing probably 25~ went out on my 9m not overpowered, but nicely powered. Rode the tuflite for about and hour and a half before I had to go in and grab my strapped naish board. The water was just too choppy and the board to light. If i got even slightly back off the nose it would get blown up and bounced around... made it hard to keep the board under my feat.

My custom epoxy board is just so much more forgiving .

Then compared to my naish board which is your typical kite construction it has enough weight that it plows through the crap.


Just throwing my 2 cents out there-

Everybody has a different feel for boards.... and i still believe that on a cleaner day the tuflite can be really fun- the stiffness matched with the power of a kite gives it some really good snap

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