I have now had 4 days on the water with my new Nobile SplitBoard, - and I have to say I am impressed.
The short story: Fantastic for travel, good light-wind board, and absolute capable for freestyle.
Packaging:
It is a bit larger than expected, with each piece at 70x42 cm. It does not fit in a small duffel or suitcase, but in a larger suitcase, and in my XL North Face duffel it fits nicely. I can pack harness, board, 7m2 and 10m2 kites and a pump in tha XL duffel bag, - at about 22kg.
Assembly:
Mounting the board, with pads, fins a two halves of the board takes less than 5 minutes, since everything can be mounted without tools. The pins that lock the two board halves together feels and looks solid enough.
The orange pads, handles and fins may look gary, but I used to have had a black board with grey fins, - so I appreciate a board that is easy to see on the water.
On the water:
The board planes easily, goes great upwind, and is great for light wind. It is wide and flat (134x42), and asymmetric to give a longer heel-side edge, this makes it easy to carve upwind even in marginal conditions. (which is important in a SplitBoard since I will often travel with only one kite.)
Nobile says it is a bit softer than the regular Nobile Freestyle, - but it does not feel soft to me.
As a freestyle board, it is a bit harder to get out of the water than my Trax, - probably because it has a bit less pop, less rocker, heel longer from the edge (wide board), and maybe because I ordered it with 5mm fins, - 3.5mm is also available. In general, the feeling is not as soft as the Trax, but still a smooth ride on flat water. I have not experienced anything wrong in flex or softness in landings, - it feels right and gives the smooth landings you expect. (I have not tried really hard landings on it, - wish to be be a bit careful)
In chop and waves, the board is not as smooth as I am used to, no problem riding, but it gives a bit of spray, and feels a bit like it is crashing through the chop, not running smoothly over.The board is a little heavy, while thin and flat, rides a little bit deep in the water, hence the spray. (This also used to be a problem with my old Nobile boards some years ago). Quick turns in waves does not work that well, - but again, this could be due to the larger fins.
One final gripe is that the pads are a bit hard, my heels hurt after a very long session, - but it is the same as for other Nobile boards.
Conclusion:
I am very happy with my board, - and expect that it will make it possible to carry kite-gear on trips where I would normally not have gear, - but I will still carry my Trax on longer trips (several weeks), and when I am travelling by car.
More pictures and a video at:
http://nobilekiteboarding.com/products/ ... board.html
Frode.
(Riding mostly F-One, but paying for my own gear, no formal association with any brand)