Board question

[rocktor]

There is no kinetic energy involved on a board pop or flex at all. It is all potential energy.

[Starsky]

You need to read the posts again. I've said nothing about flex being relative to adding height to a jump.

Isn't saying flex is relative to adding pop the same thing?

Were all talking about no whip airs so pop pretty much equates to height.

[capitan nemo]

Rocker contributes more to pop and to comfort than stiffness.
Let the arguing continue

[DirkGently]

Reduced stiffness can accomodate as board shape is dynamic, increasing active rocker as the board is flexed

and KM, still laughing, explain us some more sciernce!!!

[Tiago1973]

can´t see how rocker helps pop. in my mind it is easier to build load with a relatively flatter board than with a banana shape one

agree that rocker is good for the confort, particular in chop. also usefull for hot landing

starsky also mention that the top guys are using flatter boards. for sure they don´t care much about confort, but they do care about pop potential - speculating here, but it is what make sense.

but then +rocker asks for a bigger kite for the same up-wind and as most people are looking for the smallest/fastest kite it´s something that would never sell well

then this could be another explanation why the top guys are using flatter boards - guess they use what they are given to, and they are given to what it sells

[Starsky]

Rocker facilitates cornering, straight facilitates going straight. The progressive edging that is popping is just easier to get done quick with a defined stiff curve between your feet.
No energy is first spent on bending the board to initiate the pop.

Your right its less efficient for planning but that's the trade off. Efficient boards I find less fun. I don't have kite bigger than a 10 and my only twintip has more rocker than any production board on the market. It's stiff and works best with boots cause its 139x43. That's enough size to make up for some efficiency and I won't even take it out of the car unless its a solid 15 knots. If I had the patients for a 12m I'm sure it would be fun down to say 12 or 13 knots.

Like the donkey dick a lot of gear is designed for the beginner. Board are made to sell, and what sells is upwind at the expense of almost all else.

Pros compete on flat boards to max speed and get back upwind quick for timed heats. Hadlow immediately went to a far more rockered board once out of comps and into boots. Same with all the non comp guys like Dre, Sam Light, Mo, Predator, Mauricio, etc. these guys can all pop huge on almost any board, but choose to ride rocker.