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Is there a surfboard that can match a Door in lightwind?

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markchatwin
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Is there a surfboard that can match a Door in lightwind?

Postby markchatwin » Mon Jun 07, 2010 12:16 am

Excluding any race type boards is there a surfboard that can match say the 159 Spleene Door (159x42ish) or FlyDoor L (164x46)?

The last 2 sessions have either started as lightwind (9-12mph) or ended as lightwind (same wind small waves and chop). Tested back to back in these light sessions the Mako King in Mutant and Jimmy Lewis Chamber 6'2" could not compete which I know they shouldn't. Upwind I went on the Door but not on the others... The Door however does not like the chop and waves - you have to negotiate all the time and be ready for any breaking waves or gnarly chop and the irratating water spray to the eyes. But the Door was a session saver no matter what the water condition. Is there a surfboard that can be a session saver?

Through a recent thread and some searching I have come up with such names as Underground FreeWave and FreeWave Fish, Cabrinha S-Killit, Placebo Uberfish, AirRush ChopTop, North Fish. Obviously a surfboard with width and minimal rocker has to be good in lightwind. But how good?

Can you have your cake and eat it too? Get a surfboard for the small waves and chop but keep you going...
Last edited by markchatwin on Mon Jun 07, 2010 12:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Is there a surfboard that can match a Door in lightwind?

Postby toyletbowl » Mon Jun 07, 2010 12:43 am

hey mark,

i think you already know the answer. there's always a tradeoff with boards and kites. if you want ultimate lightwind performance, you're going to have to sacrifice something when the winds pick up.

doors and flatter rockered twin tips and other boards can rip upwind in lighter breezes, but they all sacrifice the fun factor once the winds pick up.

i'll always sacrifice a few MPH's for ultimate the low end and instead go for good low end riding and much more fun once the winds pick up. I would also steer away from long finned race type boards unless you plan to race. very limited fun imo.

hope this helps,

bob
www.kiteridersllc.com

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Re: Is there a surfboard that can match a Door in lightwind?

Postby markchatwin » Mon Jun 07, 2010 12:55 am

Damn Bob! I was hoping for a miracle. But in your opinion the lightwind specific Door has 'em all beat? Because if that be the case then I need to get a FlyDoor L. We have few windy days and most of them are light and I want to ride...

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Re: Is there a surfboard that can match a Door in lightwind?

Postby OzBungy » Mon Jun 07, 2010 2:11 am

No.

Surfboards are too slow and too hard to ride when truly under powered. Too much rocker. Too many dragging fins.

On a flat, wide TT you can ride faster and generate more apparent wind.

You can reverse directions easily so you don't have to worry about board handling.

When the wind drops right out you can sit in the water with your board on your feet and figure-8 the kite to keep it in the air and take any gust to gt you back to the beach or riding again.

Even raceboards don't give you more bottom end. They do go upwind better in less wind but they still have all the handling and speed problems of surfboards.

Once the wind picks up a little (ie. enough to comfortably fly the kite) surfboards and raceboards become fun.

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Re: Is there a surfboard that can match a Door in lightwind?

Postby jcringan » Mon Jun 07, 2010 4:07 am

Having had both Spleene Zones and a 159 Door I can say that the surfboard that comes the closest is the larger Zone which is 174 long. It has no rocker in the tail but can carve because it is flexible. Try one.

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Re: Is there a surfboard that can match a Door in lightwind?

Postby FL Kiteboarder » Mon Jun 07, 2010 4:17 am

-
I read the title of this thread and knew it was you, Mark!
OzBungy wrote:Even raceboards don't give you more bottom end.
They do go upwind better in less wind, but they still have all the handling and speed problems of surfboards.
I have trouble accepting the quote above about raceboards not providing more bottom end
and having the same handling and speed problems of surfboards.

Raceboards are not surfboards, right?
I mean, they are designed to perform better in lighter winds and are faster than surfboards.
OzBungy wrote:Once the wind picks up a little (i.e. enough to comfortably fly the kite) surfboards and raceboards become fun.
I would imagine if one could not 'comfortably' keep the kite in the air, there is no fun to be had...on any board.

I have heard that Airush may have made the statement -

"If you can put a kite in the air, you can get out on a Sector 60"

Hopefully, I'll get to test that this month.


Marc

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Re: Is there a surfboard that can match a Door in lightwind?

Postby caveman » Mon Jun 07, 2010 4:37 am

I've had good results with a 2009 Naish Custom Fish 5'7". I'm 87kg and can pretty much stay upwind in 10 knots on an 09 Switchblade IDS 12m (using the same board, I couldn't do this with my 08 Rebel 12m). The fish is awesome in chop. :thumb:

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Re: Is there a surfboard that can match a Door in lightwind?

Postby droffats » Mon Jun 07, 2010 5:12 am

I rode a Spleene Door 154 for the last 4 years (160 pounds until this summer DOH!). As you exclude race type boards, the closest you will likely get is the Choptop LW. I've ridden the S-Killit for 3 months and it doesn't come close to the Door. The reason i suggest the Choptop LW is that is the closest thing to an Airush Sector 60 without being a race type board. Personally, I think that the Sector is not a race board and it's a ton of fun going 1.5 X the wind speed in LW, but it's close enough to a race board that it is fair to call it a race type board.

On a side note: Marc, yeah the Airush claim is true. But, your jibe has to be quick or that is when the kite falls out the sky. For example, I've gotten myself into situations where I forgot how light the wind is because of my speed and apparent wind in the kite and then do a crap jibe and the kite drops. Totally my fault. Also, the speed is not immediate acceleration like on a TT, it takes more power strokes to exceed the wind speed.

- Droffats

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Re: Is there a surfboard that can match a Door in lightwind?

Postby cglazier » Mon Jun 07, 2010 5:20 am

Interesting opinions.

I own a Speene Session 141 (a small door type board) which was may favorite light wind toy. That is until I got my race board, a North LTD. The race board is 47 cm wide and with flat rocker it planes as early as a door and it is way more fun. I goes slightly faster upwind than a door and much faster across the wind or downwind. To change directions you must jibe the board but this is not a difficult skill to learn. Like any race board it does not turn quickly but neither does a door.

In my area there are at least a dozen kiters have new race boards this year ..but nobody has bought a new door in quite a while.

C Glazier

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Re: Is there a surfboard that can match a Door in lightwind?

Postby jaysen5 » Mon Jun 07, 2010 7:48 am

i noticed on the Airush website that they now make a light wind specific choptop... might be worth a look?


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