In search of the ultimate kiteboard

[Xtream]

Holy Grail of Kiteboards....
I'm looking for all around board that's smooth, but has pop, fast, carves nicely and rides well in flat, chop and waves and screams upwind and also really excels in flat water. Boards I have owned or ridden
LF Drop LTD 132
LF Recoil Comp 134 (2) Still own this board
Mako 140 Wide
Mako 150 standard
Nobile 555 132
RRD poision 132 (3)
F-One Traxx III 135 (1)
Airush Protoy 135
Skywalker Pro 130 (4)

For me the F-One Traxx was best production board for my taste, however after 3 hours in chop on most of these boards my knees felt like they had been beaten with a baseball bat. I have not ridden a custom foam and glass board with wrapped rails but have heard/read they ride smoother?

From riders who have experienced both what do you prefer and why in a Custom foam & Glass or Snow board Construction Kiteboard. When I mean custom I'm not talking about Jimmy Lewis production kiteboards, Underground, ect...I'm talking about DC kiteboards, Rogue Wave, Hein or home made custom builder.
Wrapped rails Vs Sharp ABS rails.. What do you prefer.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

X

[Megabear]

dude, realise your looking for a compromise here. Anything else people are saying is BS.

For example say you get a board with a lot of rocker, i´ll probably feel sweet to carve with, but not go upwind so much. Same with flex, in super chop itll be nice, but in perfect butter most prefer a stiffer board for popping.

[Dr_Rosen]

Curious, how do you compare the RRD Poison to the others?
I have the Poison Contest 132 and before the ltd version. Doesn't seem tough on my knees. Also got a Crazyfly which is harder on the knees.
For me the Poison would be perfect if only the made them a few cm longer.

[panchito]

What you are looking for does not exist .

Saludos


Franz

[Xtream]

panchito wrote:

What you are looking for does not exist

Yes I figured as much... "searching for Holy Grail".
Finding the right compromise is really what I'm looking for.

Dr Rosen, I really liked the RRD Poison LTD real smooth not bad in chop and screamed upwind, very similar to the Recoil Comp,it was a close decision between the LF Recoil Comp and the Poison. In the end I thought the LF Recoil comp was more durable than the poison and bought the LF Recoil Comp. After a full season on the Recoil Comp I have certainly enjoyed the board and its still in perfect shape.

Anyone have any experience with wrapped rails vs sharp rails.

Thanks for your thoughts and input.

X

[adamj2281]

The closest I have found is the OR Mako 140, it cruises through chop, is fun in waves, and is still small enough to whip around quick and to load and pop. Naturally, it does not have the pop that a traditional twintip has, or as fun as a directional in surf, but it's a nice compromise.

Also, OR Customer Service is the best I have dealt with in kiteboarding, surfing, snowboarding, etc.

[peligro18]

that would be the underground flx i ride the 138x43 and i am about 1.90 so its perfect for me...lots of EVERYTHING (pop...etc etc)

[nab1000]

SS darkside. thing is sick

[Spam Dagger]

You should try a Jimmy Lewis. I have a model III and a Flight Deck and have previously owned the recoil, drop 132 ltd, 3 different slingshot sx's, and a piece of crap flexy Best board. Most of them work pretty well in flat water, no doubt about it. Put them in chop and they all pretty much sucked. That is where both Jimmy's shine. The model III suffers a bit in the low end but when it comes to turning a twintip on a wave nothing beats it. My model III is a 139 and I use it from powered 14M down to 6M. I weight 185 lbs. I was in Maui in Sept and rode a Supermodel & an airrush - both rented. The airrush was again a fine board for Kihei but was awful on the N shore. The supermodel, even though it's got a bit more tail block was fantastic in both chop and the waves. Everyone bitches about the paint chipping but I've never heard anyone complain about performance. All of my JL's were the factory version but they all ride way better than the snowboards, not even a close compare.

[kitenaked]

Wainman Hawaii - 130 Blunt