Shinn monk vs North jamie pro vs fonetrax

[Jdizzle]

Hi, I have narrowed down my choices for a new board to these 3. I demoed the north Jamie pro a while back...really liked it but didn't try it in choppy gusty conditions. Gonna demo the Shinn monk as soon theres some wind on my days off I'm not going to able to demo the Fonetrax anytime soon it seems. Deciding between these boards will be difficult because I doubt I'll get a fair gage on their handling in a wide range of conditions.

Anyone able to compare the latest editions of these boards? Anyone got good experience of just one of these boards?

Thanks....let the pimping begin

[Chriskef]

Recently sold my Trax 5 for a Monk. Absolutely nothing wrong with the Trax, infact it did everything really well. I changed for the Monk for no major reason other than the glowing review it was given by the distributor. Here's the link that will help most: http://www.kiteboarder.co.uk/kitesurfin ... 8&start=90

I've been riding 8 years but I have to say I'm not techy and with previous boards I wouldn't have been able to say one board does anything radically better than the other. A few differences but not much. However, when I rode the Monk I was really impressed. Most of the reviews are spot on - it really is very grippy with the stock fins and lets you slash around like an idiot. It remains stable in all wind strengths and no spray, regardless of sea state. I was really impressed. One negative for me was the sneaker straps system. Feels like Cab Syncs - didnt work for me - always found it was working my shins far too much and I tired fairly quickly. Swapped them for old straps and they work alot better - again, for me. I know some folk love em though.

Best of luck. Think the Monk will be a big hit this and next year. Oh, Monk must be a good £100 cheaper too. F-one Trax stupidly priced, hence lack of reviews.

chris

[sarc]

I'd like to know if the Monk has more drive than other twin tips due to the concave. By drive I mean that you can surf a wave 'almost' only on wave power with minimal/no pull from the kite. By definition means that you need the board flat because if you edge without kite pulling you you will just sink. Also I mean being able to bottom turn and hold speed without kite power, the kite is just drifting downwind and the board flat with concave holding you up so you keep the speed and can go up towards the lip.

OR Mako is a perfect example but too fragile for me... now on a Naish Sol excellent board but only works on edging so you can kitesurf on a wave but not surf a wave with a kite....

[kaje]

One negative for me was the sneaker straps system. Feels like Cab Syncs - didnt work for me - always found it was working my shins far too much and I tired fairly quickly. Swapped them for old straps and they work alot better - again, for me. I know some folk love em though.
chris

That's strange, I think the pads and straps of my Monk are the best I've ever had!
It's like I'm in my most comfortable shoes!

The Monk is a fantastic board, can't compare it with the other boards.
Best thing is to try them offcourse!

[Jdizzle]

Yeah I'm hearing some good things about the monk, I wasn't going to consider it because I thought I wouldn't want a board more than 41 wide. It seems that boards are getting a tad wider these days... I'm going to demo the 135x42...can't wait to find out how good they really are!

Cheers

[vern]

I have tried all three.

Currently have a trax 5 and have tried the Jamie for a session and Monk for a short session.

The Jamie and Trax 5 have the same good amount of pop and are reactive to rider input.

The Jaime maybe a bit better in chop than the trax 5 and is also better at landings than the trax.

The Monk was the best in chop of the three, but for me wasn't as reactive to rider input and had a little less pop than the other two. The monk was great for doing big jumps, very easy to hold the edge and send it.

[Jdizzle]

I did really enjoy the Jamie...maybe because it feels similar to my current Sky pro 09, love the feel of North boards...they love to be ridden hard!

I think It's gonna be between the monk and jamie...just need to demo the monk

[MikeBirt]

Just to let you know that the Monk has a new size soon - 132x41 - we expect these in the UK mid Dec - the first delivery sold out completely, so we are dry, my beloved 130x40 is at Kiteworld

Not short of rocker, the Monk does feel oddly efficient - it really does not need a lot of power, so you may get on well with it in a wave face. I tried a 128x39 recently and it still worked ok for marginal winds at 80+kg. Carving is incredible, it's very much an easy board to ride when the conditions are bad, and these twins always lend themselves well to use in surf, so I'm hoping you will find it a lot of fun. Don't be afraid to take some power though, it's very easy and the more you throw at it, the more fun you will have as long as your reactions can keep up