Hi all,

Manufacturers for these boards claim they provide very soft landing and that they cut through the chop. I've met some people that have tried the Trax and the Joke, but know of nobody that has tried the North select. I really need a good board for soft landings and for rough chop because my knees are in a bad shape. I'm willing to spend the exaggerated cost asked for these boards if they will really help. Also looking for good jumping (sending the kite) and upwind capabilities.

Has anyone tried the North Select? Have you been able to compare the three boards or suggest another? Perhaps the F-One Acid, or North Jamie, Team, etc?

Thanks!!

One things for sure...dont waste your money on a North select! Plenty of boards have soft landings but I'm yet to find a board thats softer than a Shinn!

Hi,
Which Shinn? Is it good with the chop too?

Wouldn't hurt to know if you're a rep or endorsed by Shinn...


Thanks

Can you please add the team series in there as well... I rode that last year and thought wasnt that stiff of a board at all. BTW I am 6'2" 185lbs

I cannot comment on the F One or the North.

I own the Joke and it is the smoothest board that I have tried thus far. I also like that the board seems to have a personality, it is a lot of fun to ride.

Upwind performance is fine when you are well powered up but you will want to have a light wind board on hand if the conditions are light or marginal. The Joke has small fins and a lot of rocker. You may want to consider the Blunt but I have not tried the new ones, only the old ones. They are much better at going upwind that the Joke.

If you happen to live on the West Coast of Canada, I can let you try mine.

The Joke is super soft on the landings. I tried one spring as I was looking for a 1 board quiver for cable/kite (sadly I'm at a 3 board quiver but better off). It was a good ride but still too flexi for solid loading in marginal conditions that I have to ride in at times. I highly recommend it if your looking for a soft ride. Had some hard landings on it. One bad kite loop that had me pretty much thinking I was going to the hospital cause I was about to blow out my knee oh shit moment. Landed hard but didn't hurt.

As for the Shinn board I would say the Monk is what you would be looking at. I rode one of the those about the same time last year. It is a nice board I really liked this board a lot. Loved the gorilla face bottom!!! I love gorillas. Continuous rocker good pop and good upwind ability.

Any board with some rocker and flex will be softer on your knees. They will suffer in upwind ability and need more power though. In the end I went with Slingshot boards 136 misfit, Darkside, and a 141 reflex for the cable. Simply put they are made here in the U.S.A. and I would rather support them than the Chinese or any other foreign shop.

I have ridden all three and prefer the Trax. I have been riding one four 2 years in Brasil love it. Just ordered a new one cant wait to get it. Cuts chop like a butter knife, soft on landings and goes upwind like a rocket. After 2 years pads and straps are like new and I ride alot.

Thank you all for your comments. Please consider the North Team, F-One Acid and Wainman Blunt on your comparisons.

+1 for the
Shinn Luigi....or Shinn Monk.
Built for chop, built for soft landings and they scream upwind.
Better through chop than my old Makos, better upwind also.
Way better edge and release for jumps and they land soft and controlled.
Used to have a Wainman Blunt (SU-2) and the Shinn is better.
Do a search on the UK kite forum for Shinn boards, lots of great info in the ongoing Shinn threads there.

First of all, if you're doing strictly sent jumps in which you use the kite, realize that the best way to soften up your landings is to work on your timing/redirection of the kite. On the other hand, If you're doing more powered stuff, it will punish your knees regardless, but you can look to board design to help mitigate that a bit.

I can't speak for any but the North. The Select construction was built to get you the jumping ability and gentle landings/chop absorption of the softer, more forgiving X-Ride, with the pop/freestyle ability of the Jaime. It basically gives you a wider range of performance in a single board (instead of getting a freestyle and a freeride board, it will do both). If this describes the board you are looking for, the Select will not disappoint you. I can't say if the F-One or Wainmann are better or worse, simply that the Select is built for that style of riding. On the other hand, if you don't plan on doing any freestyle, you can save some cash by getting an X-Ride.

As far as the North Jaime or Team, (as you asked) I would recommend you stay away from both... If you're worried about your knees and you're riding in choppy water and not looking to do powered freestyle type moves, I would guess the Select and X-Ride would be more your style.

But as always, and above all, the best thing you can do is try to get yourself a demo of each board and test it out. The Select is not built like any other board out there, and rides like such. Some people will immediately notice the difference and think it worth the extra cash outlay, and some will not. Neither response is wrong, but you should find out which group you are in before you throw down a grand (or even a hundred) on a deck.

Hope this helps.
-Dan