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Hi all,

I am looking into getting a new kiteboard, and I was wondering of what characteristics I should look for in a new twintip.
I weight about 145lbs (about 67 kilos), I usually ride choppy ocean water, usually I am on a 9m, and I am just starting to jump (can go upwind easily etc).

But I am unsure what length, flex, and width I should be looking for. If anyone has any recommendations that would be great, especially on the lower end of price as price is a big factor.

Thanks for the help

bb16 wrote:Hi all,

I am looking into getting a new kiteboard, and I was wondering of what characteristics I should look for in a new twintip.
I weight about 145lbs (about 67 kilos), I usually ride choppy ocean water, usually I am on a 9m, and I am just starting to jump (can go upwind easily etc).

But I am unsure what length, flex, and width I should be looking for. If anyone has any recommendations that would be great, especially on the lower end of price as price is a big factor.

Thanks for the help

Hi,

Every board is designed differently. Some boards you can kite at size 130x40cm while you would have big problems staying upwind with another brand/shape/design.
If you care about your knees and want a great board which does not splash water into your face, glides you through chop like there is none, try the Shinn Monk 130x40 or the Xenon Laluz or the Xenon Infra.

And now you will get at least 10 different opinions (and some might agree with me). It's all personal choice, so try as many boards as you can before buying one. Test them for *at least 1 hour* .

Cheers
Caesar

+1 for the shinn monk, but I would suggest a 133x41 Monk. Scout out your local classified forums for good deals on boards. A $800 TT board sells one year later for $350 if you hunt.
Good luck, let us know what you get.

+2 for the Monk, best TT i have ever tried, super comfortable in the chop, fun in the wave, effortless upwind and great pop. Love mine a lot And the Sneaker X footpad are super comfortable with the memory foam. The Shinn boards are not made in China but in Europe, top quality construction

flybykite wrote:+1 for the shinn monk, but I would suggest a 133x41 Monk. Scout out your local classified forums for good deals on boards. A $800 TT board sells one year later for $350 if you hunt.
Good luck, let us know what you get.

Hi mate,

I slightly disagree with you regarding the size. Here are the Monk size recommendations:

Shinn Monk II - 128 x 39 - recommended rider weight: 65-75kg

Shinn Monk II - 130 x 40 - recommended rider weight: 70-80kg

Shinn Monk II - 132 x 41 - recommended rider weight: 72-82kg

Shinn Monk II - 134 x 42 - recommended rider weight: 75-85kg

Shinn Monk II - 136 x 44 - recommended rider weight: 85kg+

I have 2 kilos more than the OP and can easily kite the 128x39, so the 130x40 would suit him perfectly in my opinion.

Cheers
Caesar

+1 for the Xenon Laluz and I throw in there also the fone Trax!

Thanks for the help everyone, I will keep a look out for those boards (unfortunately I have not found any in my price range yet).
Out of curiosity how would a Liquid Force influence compare? Because I was able to find a complete 132cm setup for about $150.

What year influence? It's the board I ride with boots, it's a great board.

Regarding size, it depends on what you want, some old guys seem to like really tiny boards or really big boards for some reason. I'm the same weight as you, 145 lbs and ride 133x41 with straps and my influence with boots is 137x42

I'm kiting long enough now and during this time have tried quite many boards. Some 10 years ago boards performance differed seriously between brands. Now levels have evened and in most of cases boards choice is only question of individual preferences. Yet in my opinion these 5 brands are making the most qualitative boards:
- North
- Shinn
- Aboards
- Nobile
- Flyboards
Pretty sure that you can take any board from these producers and it will be good.

The two best sites for showing and describing their boards is by, wainman and nobile. Have a read through their sites. Also check out this board selector site by nobile, selector/nobilekiteboarding.com