after this

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topi ... IC_ID=7309

I picked up my brand new 2006 Addiction, edge Kiteboard from Pete sunday Night

I'm very very very happy

Background
Addiction boards are made here in perth, west australia well rockingham, by a bloke called Pete Gould.

Pete is your typical "gentle giant" a towering monster of a man that is one of few words and obviously has a heart of gold!!! . He is totally addicted to kiting and i believe he loves to boost.

From what i know Pete has been kiting round Perth for many a year and has taken his addiction one step further, his backyard tinkering is now full blown production.

I'm not sure and please correct me but i believe this is his third year in production with the addiction range.
This years models are aptly named "edge" and Pete claims they are the strongest and sexiest boards hes made to date.

The website is http://www.addictionkiteboards.com

Boards
Boards come in a selection of sizes 123x36.5 128x38 133x39.5 and 138x41 for the full tech spec check Petes website as i am crap at that stuff.

My Board
I'm 92kgs, heavier in depths of winter bit less in summer. i usually ride a LF drop 130 2004 model, which i have had a love hate relationship with as i am large and at times struggle with this board.....so to ensure i get my fat arse up and out of the water i chose a 138x41. The board comes with comfy foot pads/straps, grab handles and 50mm Fins.

First impressions
The board looks mean. As you hold it it kinda feels like it wants to go fast. It feels light compared to my drop but at the same time the drop was a heavy board. The overall outline isnt too dis-similar to the FLX 142 (2005).
It feels flexy at either end, and quite stiff towards the middle. There is a concave running the entire length of the baord, wide in the middle and tapering in towards either end.
It is a lime yellow colour with black graphics. yeah the colour aint the most aesthetically pleasing but at the same time when you wipe out and look for her you'll see this board glowing on the surface of the water.

I havent had the chance to get the board out (popped it in the bath today to see how she sits in the water) and give her a work out but when i do i will post here. As is usual when i get new gear the whole of Australia goes into a wind lull.....anyway as soon as i can i'm out there and into it......will let everyone know how she performs. i will also post some photos when i get some time.

Today was the first day in the water with the new 138.
What a sheer delight to ride.
When i first mounted this beast of the sea, she took me on a ride my initial thought was WOW like wearing shock absorbers.
The water was quite bumpy (woodies north, NW wind) but i was amazed at how absorbing the board was in fact it was at times like you are floating.

Its an upwind machine, i literally pointed the board where i wanted to go and away i went. In fact i was all over the place, up there, down there round there. Now i know there are a lot of things that come into play when going upwind, but this board just made it feel so easy.

Another thing i liked was no matter how hard you drove this board in turns it took it in its stride and if you listened carefully you could hear her taunting you saying "is that it, go on a bit more"

There were a few little ankle biters coming round the point on the middle bay, which were fun and the board responded beautifully when thrown hard at the little lips sending lovely arcs of spray skyward.
I found the set up with the 50mm fins perfect though the fins are a bit sharp and could potentially damage.

It holds an edge beautifully and loads up like a dream, tons and tons of pop no matter how hard your riding.

Overall i am really impressed with this little bundle of fibreglass. I think Pete has really thought about things this season and has worked out a lot of stuff to make these boards real contenders.
For me its the perfect board for me at my stage of riding and for doing the things i like to do. Cant wait to give her a thrashing in some decent surf.....more to come....