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North Whip 2013 for learning strapless

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Screwball
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North Whip 2013 for learning strapless

Postby Screwball » Mon Dec 16, 2013 10:55 am

Hey guys, been kiting for two years now on TTs and keen to learn strapped/strapless directional riding. There's a local guy selling a secondhand 2013 North Whip X-Surf 5'10" in good nick, just wondering whether this would be a good board and size for learning on as well as being a general all-rounder (some light wind, chop, sub-head height/mushy wave riding , small airs etc). Obviously no board does everything well but I'm happy to make do with just one if I can. For reference I'm 87kg riding 13 and 9m Switch Elements. Cheers all.
Last edited by Screwball on Mon Dec 16, 2013 9:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

mogthedog
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Re: North Whip 2013 for learning strapless

Postby mogthedog » Mon Dec 16, 2013 5:13 pm

Hi,
Iam of simiair weight to yourself and I ride the 6'0 North Wam 2011, which is slightly longer but slightly narrower.
Looks a nice board, would you be able to test ride it first?







www.coastwatersports.com

Screwball
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Re: North Whip 2013 for learning strapless

Postby Screwball » Mon Dec 16, 2013 9:36 pm

mogthedog wrote:Hi, Iam of simiair weight to yourself and I ride the 6'0 North Wam 2011, which is slightly longer but slightly narrower.
Looks a nice board, would you be able to test ride it first?
Maybe but since I've never ridden strapless before it would be less of a 'test ride' and more of a 'test floundering around in the water', :lol:

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PAFF
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Re: North Whip 2013 for learning strapless

Postby PAFF » Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:06 am

Its a fine board...

NP, just buy.

Screwball
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Re: North Whip 2013 for learning strapless

Postby Screwball » Tue Dec 17, 2013 1:56 am

Keen to pull the trigger but still a bit unsure about the sizing, seems like there is less info out there on picking a kite surfboard size than there is on twin tips.

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Re: North Whip 2013 for learning strapless

Postby tmcfarla » Tue Dec 17, 2013 3:38 am

I've never ridden a whip, but I hear it is great. I don't think you need a specialized kiteboard for learning strapless. I learned to ride strapless on a circa-2002 directional kiteboard and a craigslist-special surfboard, both are pretty comparable in ease of use (but ride very differently). If you just want to get an idea of how you feel about riding strapless and don't know exactly what you want yet, I think a surfboard with a reasonable amount of width is a great way to learn (and save some money). It gives you the advantage of letting you get your feet wet before deciding if you want a light-wind strapless, or a wave riding strapless board, or a board for riding high wind (or possibly no strapless board) without investing too much money. Just as no kite is the best choice in all conditions, no board ideal in all conditions, and it really helps to know what you want. I now use my surfboard more than my twin-tips, and I'm shopping around for a kite-specific board (the north wam is at the top of my list), but I'm glad I got a few dozen sessions under my belt with a $50 beater before deciding what I want. I hope that helps, from what I hear you certainly won't go wrong with the whip, but if money is a concern, a cheap surfboard works pretty well too.

Screwball
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Re: North Whip 2013 for learning strapless

Postby Screwball » Tue Dec 17, 2013 9:04 am

Could be an option, what type of design features should I be looking for? e.g. fins, tail shape etc etc.

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Re: North Whip 2013 for learning strapless

Postby PAFF » Wed Dec 18, 2013 12:08 am

Screwball wrote:Could be an option, what type of design features should I be looking for? e.g. fins, tail shape etc etc.
The Naish skater is easy, and great!
The skillet is nice also...
Or the whip...

Those 3 are in my order..

Just get one, and get uot there


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