I have the same problem and dont believe there is a board that feels like a surfboard that will hold up to jumping. The closest I have come across are boards by Doyle in the Gorge. I don't own one but am considering it for my next board. I have heard nothing but good things about these boards and not heard of one issue. They are a bit on the heavy side but flex is good and they have a nice feel in the water.
Exactly - there is always a compromise.
I have the same problem and dont believe there is a board that feels like a surfboard that will hold up to jumping.
As long as you are prepared to accept a little weight penalty this perception is incorrect.
Our boards (for example) can be jumped repeatedly (even have a warranty). As an indication, the "standard" layup thrown at kite-surfboards is anything from 6+4oz or 6+6oz glass top with some patching under the foot areas.
If I use a board like this, it will have significant heel dents after 20 min of use. This doesn't mean the board has broken, but the heel dents will continue to grow over time.
By comparison, our construction shows zero to real minimal (2mm?) heel dents after 3 months of hard use including plenty of jumping every session and the boards also being used by various people for demo.
So yes, there are boards that have good surfboard feel and will stand up to the rigours of kiting, just look for the right (not always the cheapest) board builders in your area.
Combinations of cabon, + Kevlar with glass should generally be avoided. especially in a patch . they have much higher stiffness than glass meaning that when the assembly flexes the carbon or Kevlar takes virtually all the load and will fail first while the glass is just along for the ride.
Most people assume Kevlar has high impact toughness.....it doesn't. It will fail in impact (drop testing) before glass. The fibers tend to stay intact however...giving you a nice aramid woven basket to take home your broken surfboard in.
Yup! Many builders/shapers will throw exotic materials into the mix purely for marketing purposes,and the majority of end users love the idea and buy into it lock, stock and barrel.