What type of lightwind board?

[Peter_Frank]

I have 3 boards for light wind, my weight is 86 kg.
Crazy fly 135x46
good: small board feeling. works well in flat water after 8/10 knots, good for kite 14 or smaller.
bad: chop conditions and big kites(17,18 and 21) don't work well with this board.

can you please elaborate on the crazyfly

- is it the pro cruiser?
- what is bad about it in the chop?
- why are big kites no good with it? what happens?

thanks

Yes , is the pro cruiser.
It's very hard to hold the edge with big kites when using this board, to much pressure from the kite and the board slides in any chop.
To keep the edge you have to move your body position all the time , bend your knees a lot and get exhausted soon. It's better to be on a 42 board or the door, they works perfectly in chop with big kites.
IMO the board is wide and the stance for foot position is narrow , they should make it wider.

I like to use this board when having tide variation(current), when one side of the wind looses some power because of the current. Ex: the wind is around 12/13 knots good for a 13 kite and a small board but the current makes one side sucks. Then with a 135x 46 board you can do everything a smaller board does.

One might think it works like that, but it does not.

If there is current across the wind, you dont get one side that is more powerful and the other less.
You simply get another wind direction so to speak, if you got crosswind current.
But you will have exactly the same power when riding, no matter if going left or right meaning on port or starboard tack

Actually, you will get slightly more power on both tacks, if there is a REALLY strong sidewind current, but as the current is so low speed compared to the wind normally, it is not really noticeable.

Think of it this way:

Wind is coming straight from the right when you look out on the water, just an example.
Current goes out when towards low tide.
Meaning, the actual wind direction relative to the water, is not from the right but a bit offshore, so in order to ride perfectly halfwind, you ride a bit to the right and not straight out.
And reversed by approaching high tide

Peter

[yuko]

Not wanting to steal the discussions or anything, but if anyone is intersted, I have a 60 Sector very mint, almost new for sale :

http://www.kiteforum.ca/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=10371

pm if interested

[dejavu]

The Flysurfer Flydoor 4 in a 160 is the go . The centre fin is terrific in upwind pull.

[bayron]

I teach my super students on the Glider for several years. Super board!

[Paula]

Bayron, I do relax exactly in the way as it is seen at that pic

[bayron]

I do the same

If interested, you can read more about Glider on here

[jumarcil]

Depends on what you look for, if you are looking for the ultimate lw... get something really big like a flydoor xl. The downside is that you get over fast when the wind picks up, it also isn't great in the chop either.

I prefer lw board that feels more like a reall tt.

My favorite were
Shinn king georges (king gee) 150 × 150
Nobile xtr
Epic oxygen

Those are great lightwind board that have pop, no splash, comfy in the chop. Great when the wind picks up a bit.

Out of those three my all time favorite and the one i am riding now; king gee 150.

Back then i did like the cruiser pro lw carbon. Someone sais it wasnt great with big kites, i had a flysurfer speed 3 - 19 at the time and it was ok.

[ronnie]

Now, the question is what type of a board? The options, as I see them are:

1) Big TT
2) A "race" board such as RRD K-Free 60 and Airush Sector
3) A surfboard or Mako
4) Flysurfer Fkyracer
5) Anything else?

In the anything else category, it is possible to ride an inflatable SUP with a kite if you can keep the kite in the air, but F-One seemed to try to develop that market and it seems there isn't a market for it.

There is also the Flysurfer Razor.


Something else which may qualify as a lightwind board if you are light enough is the Boardriding Maui Paipo, of which the Shinnster is a copy.

[Peter_Frank]

Wetdog, we miss your input here ?

Because, some former windsurfers (in fact most I think), prefer directionals because of much better performance, and feeling "right" in every way.

But a few like the ease of TT's so mixed out there what is preferred.

What is your favourite ?

Because, everything depends on this, and nothing but this

Peter

[bayron]

watch this lightwind video
I have this board, also all my students ride their first kiteboarding steps on it.