i am 90 kilos and got the biggest monk, long story short i think its the best kite board i have ever ridden...i was thinking about getting a supershinn/street, but want to know which one has the best low end for my weight, obviously i would be getting the biggest one...i kind of want to get the supershinn because of the wider stance, i wish the monk had that extra 5 cm

Hi Chap,
I'd be tempted to say Street - it's more receptive to harder core riding, and a shorter rail length makes it more like the monk in top end / carving, while still dipping into the supershinns early planing and pop. It's a very good compromise between the two and has pulled a lot of monk riders as well as supershinn riders who liked the other two boards but could not justify the jump.

I'm in the monk camp too, but do like the Street.

Stance is wide on Street too..

is it stiffer or flatter rocker? I love the monk but wish i could use it in less wind, but i don't think it would be as magical...what i love about it is the speed, so fast, but you feel in complete control

reading up on the dundee also, is that better on the low end? i guess i want the board with the best low end without having to go to the king george...

thanks

Mike - You have a lot of experience on the Shinn boards, so a few comments and questions for you.
I recently switched from a Luigi 132X42 to a Monk 132X41 and have noticed that the Monk does seem to need more kite power. (I am 175 Lbs / 80 Kg)
I have started to wonder if the 135X42 Monk might make more sense for me?
The extra length might glide better in the lulls with our on/off lake wind conditions.
The Luigi seemed to need less kite and go upwind, even though only one cm wider.
The shapes are obviously different.
I like the way the Monk rides better than the Luigi.
I liked my Luigi a lot until I got on a Monk.
The Monk plows through chop like nothing else, so it just allows you to rip around at full speed through anything.
They both carve great, but a bit differently.
For whatever reason, the Monk seems to be easier to load up for jumps and is super forgiving when you land wrong.
Been able to pull out some crooked ass landings on it and ride away OK.
I am curious about the Dundee now as well, but I would guess it is very similar to the Luigi.
Is the Dundee just version three of the Luigi?

It's exactly the same rocker...

The street has stiffer tips (though they look the same thickness) and slightly wider tips... but the rail length on the street stays short, as it has some interesting looking cutouts on the tips. The result is a board that has much more low power drive than the monk, but due to the short-ish rail length it still feels similar.. I have had riders go Monk - supershinn, then back to the monk as they walk away from the monk's ability at high speed, but then found the street and settled..
It's a very good board in that it's a compromise, but it seems to take more than 50-50% from both monk and supershinn.. it's a standout board...



Personally... the dundee is my favourite board of the whole range. Agreed it does not have the pop of the street or supershinn and it does not have the top end speed and control of the Monk... but...
it give me such a visceral connection to the water; it's a hard thing to explain, but you feel everything that is going on around you, without feeling like it is intruding on balance or comfort. It's like getting in a sports car that just makes you feel connected to every part of the road without feeling uncomfortable or like the car has a mind of it's own. Handling wise the Dundee is a new level...

That said if you freestyle, then no.. If you want to be the guy who jumps highest and puts up the biggest wall of spray, then no.. but those who have some experience of twinnies and like to push their technical ability through feels and feedback then the Dundee is something else... like listening to the same track of music, but on a really good stereo..

as to the Dundee's early planing.. well it's a beautiful board in 44 wide, but why oversize your regular twin tip? The street and supershinn do plane earlier and use less power - they should do too as no one wants to be lit when they unhook.... but why compromise your most prized conditions for a few knots on the bottom end?

The King G is good but it's a lightwind rocker and will not give you the performance of the main line when you wind it up.. it's just not possible to have it all...

If you want to ride in lightwinds, get a sector. They are simply the best thing for medium wind riding ever.. I keep banging on about them, but they increase the qaulity of your sessions.. not only in the fact that they are fun in lightwinds, but also in the fact that you stay off the twin tip until conditions are right.. you get so much more quality time on the water. I know they look ridiculous to most, and raceboards are not many peoples idea of the sport, but ridden with thought they are very entertaining.....

True but you have lost 1cm in central width there, a lot of tip width and the luigi has a stiffer tail too.. so your board is smaller...


Yes... but the magic of the monk does start to lessen as the size increases.. When I am 80kg I love the 40 wide monk, but it's still a struggle when marginal.. but the top end is worth the struggle.. it's incredible. Now I am 85kg the same applies to the 41 wide... The Monk loves to be thrashed, and smaller boards are better when beaten with the stick of power! Interestingly the control and balance that the monk offers is so good that it lends itself so well to lighter riders.. The Toyboy (which is the same platform as the Monk) has a huge following - simply because this shape works so well in 38-41cm sizes.. Control is less of an issue if you have an extra 20kg to apply to the problem.


It's more to do with width, tip width and tip stiffness, length means virtually nothing in my eyes.. Though is handy for stability in freestyle and stance accommodation... for your ordinary rider (like me) the shorter the better, as long as it's capable of taking your stance.. but on a marginal day, length is at the bottom of the list of "things to get you planing first"


rocker is the same, but yes, slightly wider overall, much wider tips and stiffer tips bring more drive in lower loading situations..


The monk will hold a hard heelside carve much better in my eyes, but the Luigi is more progressive.. you get a lot more feedback.


Yup.. it's the one weapon you want it you are going to war. It never seems to get out of shape.. for boosting the ability to wind it up seems limitless.. I have pushed it past a few times and all that happens is that is starts going progressively sideways and your forward speed and pop progressively drops. You never do loose control.. it's just weird how it manages to stay together under such provocation...


Yes... but it's a completely different board to the luigi.. it's taken a big step forward. I always liked the extra stifness of the old luigi as it gave a lot more feel, but it never did have the efficient edge that the monk would have when t came on song.. now the dundee has this, and the same feel, but more complience and control. It's a VERY good board. It's still not the monk if you are going to war, but it's very close. At 85kg I use the 42 Dundee as rail length is short and tips are flexi, and lightwind is ahead of the 41 monk for sure..
More than this - it is hugely tactile.. if we praise kites for having excellent feedback and handling this is the TT equivalent. When you wipeout you can play the log back in your mind and find the exact cause of the blowout.. sometimes boards soak so much that you just can't tell... but it does it without ever being uncomfortable or unsettling the board.
If you get the chance try one..

Thanks for all the excellent descrition of the characteristics of the boards Mike.

There was a board comparison chart on Shinnworld which rated the Luigi II as the best of the twintips in waves. How does the Dundee compare in relation to doing things on waves? Is it the best of the current boards and how does it compare to the Luigi II?

Apologies to the OP, as this is going a bit off topic.

The Dundee is certainly the most versatile on the wave - you can learn to ride it most effectively of all the boards toeside turning, and heelside snap is very good, it also has good glide, (though on a twin you'll have to pull yourself through the whole turn anyway)

Monk still has it for all out heelside grip, but you'll have to haul yourself through the bottom and top turn more.. the dundee can be 'surfed' better.

In comparison to the Luigi II the Dundee is better - more grip and bite, and more feedback to experiment with different ways of riding to find the best technique for you. It could be argued though that the Luigi is more forgiving if you don't learn the lessons it teaches.. and in these situations I'd say the Luigi II is quite a round outline and a forgiving board for the very unsteady...

Thanks Mike.

thanks for the descriptions mike