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Hi, I am 98kg and looking for a LW kiteboard, I am after a TT board that is good for free ride and freestyle. I currently have a 135x42 shinn monk and a 12m kite that I am very happy with. I was considering the shinn king George 3! But I am open to suggestions, thanks

Got a go on a king george smoothest board i have ever used,like gliding on air,low end is good,i have slingshot glide hard to beat for light wind near raceboard,low end, TONY

If you have the chance test a Epic Oxygen V1 or V2. its 135x47 it gives you a good lowend but still has playfullness.

Here you see the board (most the video is about the kite but start also about the board)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OidntL_8 ... ture=g-u-u

At your weight I would go with the 146X50 Shinn King George. The Epic Oxygen is a very good LW board and very surprising for it's size but for heavier riders (just like me) the big KG will give you a better low end as it glide better, more speed. Both boards are great.

Nobile XTR?

The Nobile XTR is very playful and a board that does not stick to water, thus easier to jump ...

Was pleasantly surprised by litewave storm 144x47. Good lowend and works ok in chop and and jumps and lands good.

In my opinion those kiteboards around 145cm can't be considered real light wind boards especially for such weight as yours. Of course comparing with 135cm there will be some difference but still advantage will be quite little. I self use Aboards Glider 154 and very happy with it. This board allows me to kite even in very light wind and it's still possible to get sum fun out of it.

Eric23 wrote:In my opinion those kiteboards around 145cm can't be considered real light wind boards especially for such weight as yours. Of course comparing with 135cm there will be some difference but still advantage will be quite little. I self use Aboards Glider 154 and very happy with it. This board allows me to kite even in very light wind and it's still possible to get sum fun out of it.

In fact, the length have little to do with your LW performance. It is the width that is VERY important. Thus a small board like the Epic Oxygen at 135cm only is still very performant in LW because of it's 47cm width. I am near 200lbs and use this one for LW kiting and I am quite often the fist in, last out with my Flysurfer 21m. Next summer I will use the Shinn King George which is 146X50 to get some extra low end. I live in a place with lots of LW days and I have tried a lot of LW specific boards, the width is the main things but there is also the gliding performance of a board and the rocker of course. You would be surprise if you could try a "small" Oxygen board

If my memory is good! a board that you add 1cm in length you will give you 3% more surface while a 1cm increase in width will give you 10% increase in surface! Here is a quote from Shinnusa website about that :

"Choosing your size
While many riders still look at just the length of the board when choosing their size, it's much more relevant to look at the width. The length of the board can be affected by the shaping of the tip and tail - which in reality plays little part in the performance of the board. For example: the difference in surface area between a 130 x 40 and a 130 x 42 is approximately 260 cm2. increasing the length of a 130 x 40 to 135 x 40 would give an increase in surface area of less than 200 cm2. That's nearly 25% less!"