Why I like raceboards on a light day....

[ronnie]

The challenge will be to make something with "almost" equal performance that has fins around 25cm.
40-50cm is a huge pain in shallow areas and also way more expensive.
Wonder if that will ever happen... ...might have to experiment....

The Aguera Production boards that had powerbox fins had 24cm fronts and 22cm rears.

[lucky_mookie]

Yep, though later ones (or at least my CR59) came with 27 front, 24.5 rear. Shorter fins work and are easy. They just don't have the same performance. Isn't performance the point of a raceboard

Yeah long fins can be a hassle. Saw video of Adam Koch losing a race this summer when he hit a sandbar at 30mph with his 42cm Ristas. And they can be a handful downwind when it is cranking out.

[mikesids]

The challenge will be to make something with "almost" equal performance that has fins around 25cm.
40-50cm is a huge pain in shallow areas and also way more expensive.
Wonder if that will ever happen... ...might have to experiment....

I reckon you've hit the nail on the head. Rather than a choice between a door-like twintip or a full on raceboard I think the answer for many people will lie in a freerace board like a Sector, Transport or Free Race. While not planing quite as early as a full on race board , or squeezing out the last few degrees of upwind ability, they will be way more accessible - so the equation doesn't become so much "man up, feel the burn and ride it flat", but you can still tilt them to windward, cruise if you want, reach across the wind or broad. They seem to have many of the advantages of raceboards but not many of the downsides ie major gains going upwind vs a twintip, and also very good low end with a med-large kite (say 14m ) rather than requiring a super big 16m+ kite.

For ultimate low end I add my vote to the "raceboard / freerace board + medium kite" camp as opposed to the "massive kite + twintip" camp. There definitely seem to be two schools of thought emerging re raceboards for the general punter though - maximum performance but at a price of ease of use, and a detuned version which is way easier to use but doesn't perform quite as well. It's gonna be really interesting to see how it all goes from here!!

[TooMuchEpoxy]

I wish there was something in production in my price range. Too bad everything is being built for PKRA and has to be ultra light carbon blah blah blah. Can someone pump out some cleaper, heavier, more durable, lower tech boards out of the molds they use for the race boards? Something tells me I'm not going to miss that .15 kts of performance carbon is giving the top riders...

[lucky_mookie]

Cheap? You can also get last years. Check your kite classifieds (kiteforum, nwkite, fksa, ikitesurf, bayarea, puget, kiteboardbc, et al.) for 2010 and 2011 race boards this fall as the race season ends.

Not all of them are carbon eggshells. I ride mine hard in all conditions, up to 30mph and harsh chop w/o even a hint of a construction problem. Thing looks new. Alex doesn't make disposables. IKA minimum is 4kg but the IKA registered board list shows that most all are built heavier and stronger than that.

[tautologies]

Agree with Lucky here...though once you get bitten, you'd like to squeeze that last knot out...hehe. Light wind riding is a little obsessive...

Just get last year model to start out.... They are still super fun....

I think the boards are pretty durable. I've been riding the shit out of mine, and even at 30+ mph the board is fine. I think like surfboard..use them for what they are intended for and they will be okay...most of the dings on surfboards I get out of the water, so get a nice bag.

Even if I like the idea of having one board that covers a lot of types of riding, I think for raceboards it is better to just get a raceboard...and use it for racing and lightwind riding. For waves, get a surfboard. It is just the way things are...the fins just reflects the type of riding..easy going and speed, smaller fins, and light wind and upwind drive...big fins...just in general that is...

[SupaEZ]

Would it be fun and possible on a light day (7 to 10mph) to ride "strapless" a raceboard to have your feet feel free of any limitations? Has anyone tried it? Just wondering.

[lucky_mookie]

Possible to ride strapless? Yes if the board is large & floaty and your fins are short. Or if you're slogging along after the wind drops, sine'n the kite trying avoid swimming back.

Fast & fun? Not really. You need the straps to ride it foiling onto the leeward edge. I can't flatten & heel it onto the leeward rail very well w/o the straps. You're not fast if not flat. And if you're not fast, then you have no apparent wind, and you'll fall victim to any deep wind holes. Kites don't fall when you're going fast and with the right finesse you can glide through most holes. But once you come off a plane you're done for.

I know it has been mentioned a thousand times that race boards let you ride fast in less wind than it takes to water launch a kite. Which is wonderful but I've had several 1/2 mile paddles in because of it.

[tautologies]

Would it be fun and possible on a light day (7 to 10mph) to ride "strapless" a raceboard to have your feet feel free of any limitations? Has anyone tried it? Just wondering.

One guy here insists on doing that...he simply does like straps, BUT he will never get the same upwind ability, and frankly, like previously mentioned, part of the light wind performance comes from driving on those fins..it creates apparent wind for the kite and thus you can go in lighter winds.

On a strapless you'll not be as successful in pushing on the leeward rail, but it certainly is possible. I would probably only consider that an option on small fins.