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Best board for king of the air

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MrWolf
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Re: Best board for king of the air

Postby MrWolf » Fri Feb 05, 2016 8:21 am

Agree with Peter_Frank and edt to a degree.

Spending more time on the edging, timing, release, kite position and speed. Your current board should be able to handle it all.

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Re: Best board for king of the air

Postby plummet » Fri Feb 05, 2016 9:19 am

Ok it is reasonable to agree that the rider makes the most difference.

However. All other aspects being the same both the kite selection and board selection will make a difference. It could be a small difference or a big difference depending on how inapproipriate the selection is.

As an example it is highly unlikely a any pro would win this competition if they used a strapless surfboard and a low aspect wave kite.

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Re: Best board for king of the air

Postby plummet » Fri Feb 05, 2016 9:26 am

Peter_Frank wrote: They can hold loads of edge at speed, and having more rocker they will go slower thus not as high, and having too little it will be difficult to control.
Nothing new there :naughty:

8) Peter
Its not the rocker running the length of the board that is important for speed. It is the rocker across the water line.

So.... A high rocker board with a high concave to give a flat waterline rocker will still be very fast and smooth on hardlandings..... But you know that didn't you Pete. Nothing new there.

The simple difference of one factor on a board ... water line rocker can make your board better or worse at boosting huge..... Let alone the many other factors.

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Re: Best board for king of the air

Postby plummet » Fri Feb 05, 2016 9:30 am

Bigdog wrote:Plummet what is your definition of heaps of rocker? What do you think constant curve, or gullwing is better?
I haven't thought heaps about exact spec of a boosting only board Rocker. But I'm guessing 50mm of rocker. But as per my above post. Adding a big concave to offset the rocker to get a flatter waterline is what I would look at doing.

Like the mako series. Except the mako rounded tips does not make for boosting as well as squarer tips. So a mako est board with square tips might prove to be the ultimate boosting machine.

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Re: Best board for king of the air

Postby downunder » Fri Feb 05, 2016 3:26 pm

The biggest boosts for me ever were with very flexible and low rocker, low concave board. Flat water.

How is that? Not sure about the pop on flat water, I am more convinced that my flexible board worked like a spring, a slingshot. It was 138x41.

Now Im riding 120x39 board, way less flex and way less hight. Same kite.

Mako is, if not mistaking, a quite flexible board.

Think this: a flexible snowboard. If same rider jump on a tip which board will flip in the air higher? Wobbly or rigid board?

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Re: Best board for king of the air

Postby SENDIT! » Fri Feb 05, 2016 4:05 pm

downunder wrote:The biggest boosts for me ever were with very flexible and low rocker, low concave board. Flat water.

How is that? Not sure about the pop on flat water, I am more convinced that my flexible board worked like a spring, a slingshot. It was 138x41.

Now Im riding 120x39 board, way less flex and way less hight. Same kite.

Mako is, if not mistaking, a quite flexible board.

Think this: a flexible snowboard. If same rider jump on a tip which board will flip in the air higher? Wobbly or rigid board?
No, the Mako is very stiff. Which I think is an advantage for going big. With no flexibility, the board doesn't get to absorb any of your loading. You get ALL of it for the jump. Now, if you wanted pop for unhooked riding...NOT the board for that.

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Re: Best board for king of the air

Postby slim_charles » Fri Feb 05, 2016 4:16 pm

downunder wrote: How is that?
Your comparison board was way too small, kind of making the flex test irrelevant. Try something stiffer of the same size/shape giving you a fair test and you'll find it pops much better. Flex/stiffness with regards to pop is a very complex subject, a lot of factors to consider, it's all about getting it just right but generally too much flex will not create good pop due to too much energy loss.

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Re: Best board for king of the air

Postby downunder » Sat Feb 13, 2016 5:32 pm

SENDIT! wrote:
downunder wrote:The biggest boosts for me ever were with very flexible and low rocker, low concave board. Flat water.

How is that? Not sure about the pop on flat water, I am more convinced that my flexible board worked like a spring, a slingshot. It was 138x41.

Now Im riding 120x39 board, way less flex and way less hight. Same kite.

Mako is, if not mistaking, a quite flexible board.

Think this: a flexible snowboard. If same rider jump on a tip which board will flip in the air higher? Wobbly or rigid board?
No, the Mako is very stiff. Which I think is an advantage for going big. With no flexibility, the board doesn't get to absorb any of your loading. You get ALL of it for the jump. Now, if you wanted pop for unhooked riding...NOT the board for that.

I was holding Mako 2014(13?) in my hands today. And my memory was correct.

Mako is NOT that stiff board at all. It can't be compared with ie XRide 127cm 2013 which is waaay stiffer.

Have a look in here how I measure the stiffness:

viewtopic.php?f=107&t=2390040&start=10

Also, Mako has a lot of flex around the fins, about the same as XRide, if not more. After all, the landings are butter soft, which would not be the case if the board is really stiff.

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Re: Best board for king of the air

Postby plummet » Sat Feb 13, 2016 6:57 pm

downunder wrote:
SENDIT! wrote:
downunder wrote:The biggest boosts for me ever were with very flexible and low rocker, low concave board. Flat water.

How is that? Not sure about the pop on flat water, I am more convinced that my flexible board worked like a spring, a slingshot. It was 138x41.

Now Im riding 120x39 board, way less flex and way less hight. Same kite.

Mako is, if not mistaking, a quite flexible board.

Think this: a flexible snowboard. If same rider jump on a tip which board will flip in the air higher? Wobbly or rigid board?
No, the Mako is very stiff. Which I think is an advantage for going big. With no flexibility, the board doesn't get to absorb any of your loading. You get ALL of it for the jump. Now, if you wanted pop for unhooked riding...NOT the board for that.

I was holding Mako 2014(13?) in my hands today. And my memory was correct.

Mako is NOT that stiff board at all. It can't be compared with ie XRide 127cm 2013 which is waaay stiffer.

Have a look in here how I measure the stiffness:

viewtopic.php?f=107&t=2390040&start=10

Also, Mako has a lot of flex around the fins, about the same as XRide, if not more. After all, the landings are butter soft, which would not be the case if the board is really stiff.
That's not my experience of the mako. Its a really stiff board by my standards. It also rides like a stiff board. Ie you have to use the rocker and concabe to slice through the chop. If you try and slap through it how you might a flexible tipped TT it is encredibly harsh.

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Re: Best board for king of the air

Postby kjorn » Sat Feb 13, 2016 11:37 pm

downunder wrote:The biggest boosts for me ever were with very flexible and low rocker, low concave board. Flat water.

How is that? Not sure about the pop on flat water, I am more convinced that my flexible board worked like a spring, a slingshot. It was 138x41.
I think the flex lets you ride a flat board at high speed, then as you crank the kite back and stomp the rail the board flexes to gove it lots of rocker and spring.

I've changed from a stiff 115cm to a flexible 135cm and I'm finding I'm going about 1m higher on average (Woo height, whatever that may be ;)


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