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

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

Postby OzBungy » Mon Jun 07, 2010 8:03 am

FL Kiteboarder wrote:-
...
Raceboards are not surfboards, right?
I mean, they are designed to perform better in lighter winds and are faster than surfboards.
...
Raceboards are not particularly fast. They are fantastic upwind and in a race with an upwnid leg they will be past the upwind mark and halfway to the downwind mark before non-raceboards are approaching the upwind mark.

In crosswind races TT's have beaten raceboards because the TT is faster on the other points of sail.

You still have to gybe or ride a raceboard toeside and that is an added complication in very light conditions.
FL Kiteboarder wrote:-
...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 love light wind riding. It's one of the greatest feelings to be cruising along with everything in perfect trim in smooth water. The feeling is enhanced when other riders can't even get off the beach. :D

There are frequently times when the wind is too light to park the kite inshore but there is more wind out to sea. I can do a long run downwind to get out to sea then ride the stronger breezes back upwind.

Similarly there can be lulls where you use apparent wind to ride through to the next gust.

I would believe that the Sector 60 would be fun in any winds that you can comfortably fly the kite. BBut with the currently available gear for a moderately skilled kiter a good flat, wide TT and mid-sized powerful kite is ideal. A homemade plywood board is almost perfect for lightwind riding although it will be much heavier than a custom made board.

I also ride a 7S Superfish (7'3" quad fin) and that is a load of fun in light winds. Not as easy as the TT but loads of silly fun and keeps up well with a North RaceLTD 2010.

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

Postby JS » Mon Jun 07, 2010 8:24 am

cglazier wrote:I own a Speene Session 141 (a small door type board)...
The race board is 47 cm wide and with flat rocker it planes as early as a door...
With due respect, Chris, you mustn't confuse your Session with a Door.

When conditions accommodate a Session, a Door offers little advantage. But in lighter air, the larger Door is vastly superior...consistent with its area, 35% larger than a Session.

Obviously, I'm not yet sufficiently competent on my race board to offer a definitive bottom-end comparison to my Door, but I think they're close.
cglazier wrote:Like any race board it does not turn quickly but neither does a door...
Until I learn to tack consistently, my Door turns many times faster than my race board.

Cheers,
James

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

Postby FL Kiteboarder » Mon Jun 07, 2010 9:01 am

jaysen5 wrote:i noticed on the Airush website that they now make a light wind specific choptop... might be worth a look?
droffats wrote:As you exclude race type boards, the closest you will likely get is the Choptop LW...
The reason i suggest the Choptop LW is that is the closest thing to an Airush Sector 60 without being a race type board.
Marc

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

Postby mv » Mon Jun 07, 2010 10:19 am

I used to own a Door and switched to skim boards for light wind kiting. May not be as good low end as the Door but damn close and the fun factor on the skim is off the charts compared to mowing the lawn on a Door.

Surf boards in light wind have too much drag and rocker.

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

Postby FredBGG » Mon Jun 07, 2010 10:48 am

jcringan wrote: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.

John
The Zone is a great board, but it doesn't come close to a door as far as low end.
Once you are powered up it is screaming fast and very adgile.

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

Postby tautologies » Mon Jun 07, 2010 10:55 am

cglazier wrote: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
I am 100% convinced that this will happen all over. Big TT's are a pain in the ass IMO. Raceboards are made for exactly that. Being able to get way way upwind early, but still be able to go fast downwind.

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

Postby Bigdog » Mon Jun 07, 2010 11:05 am

The long finned race boards will not be much fun riding in slicks with weeds and rocks. A few places I ride are really shallow and a big TT doubles the days you can ride.

Stan

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

Postby markchatwin » Mon Jun 07, 2010 12:38 pm

There seems to be a concensus. Surfboards just can't match a Door's low end. It's fast becoming clear that I should get a surfboard for surfboard's sake. Looks like the quiver needs a raceboard or a Door to handle the super light stuff.

Is there a raceboard that is less "racy" and more "turny" or a little "nose up" to reduce spray?

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

Postby jakemoore » Mon Jun 07, 2010 1:51 pm

It's a different technique on the surfboard. You can't edge. You need to keep the board flat and use the fin. If the board floats you planing is no longer an issue. Yes riders on longboards and flatter surfboards have matched me on a door in clean deep water. I don't personally have the light wind technique but I'm getting there.

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

Postby PeterP » Mon Jun 07, 2010 5:30 pm

Airush has 3 boards which will outdoo any Door in Lightwind - What you want is more fin, less rocker and less curvy outline in that order

Choptop - even the narrower one, will go upwind in very little wind. The Choptops have reduced rocker compared to normal surfboards but are using normal surfboard fins so they are very forgiving even in heavy chop.

Sector 52/60 - big fins and limited rocker but still some outline allows for fast upwind machines which are way easier to ride than the full on raceboards. The 52 with big fin-set is as easy as my waveboards but goes fast as.

Monaro v.II - full on raceboard, will go if your kite flies, but is more demanding on the rider so maybe not everybody's cup of tea unless you are going to use it for racing.

The Sector and Monaro is quicker than TT's on any angle to the wind - don't be fooled


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