Kiteforum.com

Howdy,
I've got a Jimmy Lewis Flight Deck and have been able to ride in 9-12 knots for years, but for me, it is a challenge to jump it, I'm mostly mowing the lawn, yet it gets me on the water, while others are on the beach. Recently in light wind - I hopped on a friends CrazyFly Raptor Pro - I think it was the 137x41 and I was almost staying upwind as well as I was on the FD and I could jump fairly easily. It was eye opening. Wind was prob 12 knots. I have read that each cm in width is equal to a 2 or 4 in length, and Im guessing that the FD's 147 length is the biggest hinderance to jumping...I weight 170lbs...Was that boards build - materials, design, its carbon or its size- or all above, what made it ride upwind about as well as the bigger Flight deck? I ride a Jimmy Lewis Supermodel 135 in stronger breeze, so I suppose the difference in the two boards is vast I guess, and Im hoping for the perfect size for the lighter stuff. Maybe after all these years I dont need a 147 in light breeze anymore? What size, or rail /design qualities, not necessarily brand, would make the most sense for me for Light Wind riding (14 or 15M kites) And actually doing tricks? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

I don't know about that, I've just got a 3 wave t rex (from germany) in 151 x 51, been riding my old 145 x45 which was ok but i needed something bigger for 9 to 14 knots with my 15 metro Rev slingshot, have also just changed my smallest from 136 x 40 to a 3 wave 136 x 42….reason is that i need more low wind performance on my small kites 9, 12, 15 m…on my old 36x40 it was only good from 20 to 35 knots……I'm hoping the new combo is a good solution to ride from 8 knots to 20 (gusts) on the big board, and the smaller from 13 to 35 knots…..

ive had enough of smaller boards!

WindS4 wrote:Howdy,
I've got a Jimmy Lewis Flight Deck and have been able to ride in 9-12 knots for years, but for me, it is a challenge to jump it, I'm mostly mowing the lawn, yet it gets me on the water, while others are on the beach. Recently in light wind - I hopped on a friends CrazyFly Raptor Pro - I think it was the 137x41 and I was almost staying upwind as well as I was on the FD and I could jump fairly easily. It was eye opening. Wind was prob 12 knots. I have read that each cm in width is equal to a 2 or 4 in length, and Im guessing that the FD's 147 length is the biggest hinderance to jumping...I weight 170lbs...Was that boards build - materials, design, its carbon or its size- or all above, what made it ride upwind about as well as the bigger Flight deck? I ride a Jimmy Lewis Supermodel 135 in stronger breeze, so I suppose the difference in the two boards is vast I guess, and Im hoping for the perfect size for the lighter stuff. Maybe after all these years I dont need a 147 in light breeze anymore? What size, or rail /design qualities, not necessarily brand, would make the most sense for me for Light Wind riding (14 or 15M kites) And actually doing tricks? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks

I have that CrazyFly board and love it. I can't tell you why it works so well, but it seems to be a very efficient board, fun to ride and also easy on the knees in chop. I weigh a little more than you and there are not that many worthwhile days that the CrazyFly doesn't do the trick. I also agree that with experience you become more adept at getting the most out of the wind.

I have that same flight deck and I agree it doesn't jump like other boards. I've alway assumed it was the stiffness that made it hard to pop, but maybe it is length?

It's most likely the width of the board. How wide is the FD? If a board is too wide, your heels are too far from the edge which makes it harder to hold an edge to jump high. To get the best height, you need to hold the power right until the end. If a board is too wide, it's harder to hold the edge and riders will let off the edge just before lift off.

Bob
www.kiteridersllc.com

For riding in low wind conditions not only the lenght and width, but also shape of board is important. Boards with a big rocker even at big length and width sizes, can go worse than a much smaller size board but with small rocker. Boards with rockers 2,5-3cm at board size 135-137cm are good in planning and works ideally in low wind conditions. But of course nothing is better in low wind than special "low wind" board. For example, I am teaching my students on Aboards Glider which is good for teaching and also for usual riding. Some friends of mine and clients use Glider as low wind board and enjoy the ride while other boards are not able to ride in such low wind conditions.

bayron...well said. flatter rocker boards will also be harder to hold an edge when overpowered, so jumping wider, flatter boards make it harder than other boards when overpowered and trying to get max height.

Bob
www.kiteridersllc.com

The amount of rocker is also really important, just like was said above. I find that the Spleene Door 159x45 is really great for light wind and I jump it all the time in heavier wind. The pads and fins are biased to the heelside, making it easier to hold when powered. I recently rode a board that is bigger than that, but the pads are set to far from the edge, making my shins hurt after about 10 minutes.
Now, the Spleene Door is really good for light wind, especially b/c it has ZERO rocker. However, that lack of rocker makes it a challenge to ride in anything bigger than moderate chop.

As far as stiffness goes, for going BIG, more is better. The flexier the board is, the more energy that you give up when loading up for a jump. BUT, the stiffer board is less forgiving and more difficult to jump in strong wind. You CAN have your cake and eat it, too, but it requires patience and tenacity. Good luck.

BTW, I had that Crazyfly Raptor Pro LTD 137 and it was a great board. A friend likened it to barefoot skiing behind the kite. However, at 230 lbs, I had to be LIT to ride it. Doesn't happen often enough here for me, so I had to sell her.

i`m still very satisfied with Aboards Glider, unfortunately I didn`t make my video yet, but here is other good video - test of light wind kiteboard
http://vimeo.com/69455246

Thanks for all the replies. The Flight Deck is 147 x 46, though Im not exactly sure how much rocker it has. I dont live in an epic kiting location, ie (light wind, no retail shop anywhere around), so no demos locally....only on vacation or friends boards.... I guess I'll do a bit more research and look to get a 138-142 x 40-44 board that I can hopefully use for my light wind board going forward. Im not sure what makes it awkward to jump, I think its a combo of the length and width.... Since I know that Raptor basically fit the bill, perhaps one size bigger? 137x43 or 140x42? hmmmmm...? They make so many sizes....Which one is will go upwind better and which one will jump better...Nuances I know....
Thanks again.