criticalkiter

I would look out for a 2nd hand board from one of the locals. Pretty much any board will get you going. Once you get started you will be able to try other peoples boards and understand what suits you. I would recommened a kite specific one from one of the bigger companies, ideally from naish or north as they will be easy to sell on when you want to change.

Are you sure is was Windtek? (as they are based in Weymouth/Portland not Poole). Windtek's sister shop is based in Poole (Poole Harbour Boardsailing). Both are great shops with very good customer service IMO.

Personally I think the new delta shape will overtake both C and flat kites. The only one I have flown is the Evo but that felt great in the turn and also had good depower. Also can fly on four lines, no inversions, and super fast relaunch. Didn't quite have the speed through the window that I would like to see for wave riding, but no doubt more performance models will come out in time.

Used a choptop 5/6 times recently and also have 6'0 north rocketfish. The choptop is really good board for **** waves, very quick turning, very alive, light and strong. The North freestyle fish is probably similar although I haven't tried that yet - looks smaller though so I think the choptop will be better in light winds - my choptop goes really early with back foot out of straps. The choptop is very different to the 6'0 converse which is much better suited to good waves (I've also used the converse, both 6'0 and 6'2 - kangaroo sounds like he is describing the 6'2). Having used the choptop now I think I will be on that 60% time. Downsides are the inserts look pretty suspect to me and the front pad they supply is pathetic and prevents you screwing the straps on or have a wider footstrap which you need with boots this time of year - I don't use the pad and just use surf wax. Also the board is incredibly easy strapless. oh another downside - rediculously expensive! The key thing though is the shape and the choptop works really well for most uk contions.

... i just use my pants - who needs a towel.

I've seen some for sale on ebay for about £30 each.

Is there going to be a 6.5m Bandit in the UK?

There's a size (and board) chooser program on the nobile site - worth taking the tick test to see what comes out.

I've got a lost cause board and want to pick up a pair of the matching pants. Does anyone know if you can get them 2nd hand?

If we all just accepted misleading descriptions then all on-line sales would be a lottery and we would all have to resort to buying new or from our mates. That's the point - if a kiter misrepresents his kit to maximise it's sale value then they should be pulled up for it. What he paid for it is irrelevant.

I don't think that represents a two month old board in superb condition. Particularly picture 6 which shows a ding on the corner of the board.

I use a surfboard (6'0 North Rocketfish strapped and Salomon Noseless strapless) and would stay that a surfboard is well worth having in the uk if you have any kind of hankering for waves. So if you have a surfing background or windsurf in waves then you will want to do the same with a kite. I use my surf boards more than my TT in the winter and the other way round in the summer but overall use the surfboard more. You certainly can use a surf board over 25mph - I use my stapped board with 7m flat kite/ 20m lines in 30/35kts. I can start using the 7m in about 18kts so I would suggest short lines and a 7m are almost essential if you want to use a surf board (I'm 85kgs). I don't think it matters too much what board you get just as long as you get one and get out there. You can only find out yourself what you like and what kit you want. I've been using surfboards for 5 years now and still don't really know what is the best surfboard for me. Every year you try new things and your ability improves so it is a bit of a moving target. My personal findings so far: 1) Big boards that you can also surf EG Converse 6'2 Slingshot 6'2? - Excellent for clean waves but not much good for anything else (we don't get clean waves very often!). 2) Onshore slop boards - Airush choptop, North Freestlyle fish, Salomon Noseless. Really good for **** waves, no good for larger waves. Need some skills if you want to ride these boards strapless which is where they excell. 3) Power carving boards - North 06/07 Rocketfish 5'4 5'5, Naish 07/08 5'10 - narrower, smaller boards - good for powered surfing but not very "surfy". good uk boards as waves don't have much power unless you are facing the atlantic. Good option for someone coming from TTs. 4) Allround board - North 08 6'0, Naish 6'1 - Bit like 3) but more "surfy" 5) Custom - great if you know what you want. I've riden some of these boards, but not all, so don't get hung up on each individual board - I have just tried to give an idea of board types as I see them. I sense you hanker after the surf so just get any board which isn't too small and isn't too big (eg 5'8-6'0).

Hi Tattoo, what size are the fins? (compared to FCS 3/5/7?) or just base and hight in mm?

Any NSP (mini tuttle fiting) fin will fit - about £30 althouth the MT-2, MT-4 ones are plastic (like the 08 rocketfish) - google MT-2 NSP. Tattoo's offer looks like a good one in comparision depending on what the fins are like. Also you can buy an adaptor for Mini Tuttle to FCS - about £17 - google NSP Adaptor - then just use FCS fins for plenty of choice. I'm experimenting with this at the moment and seems to work well. Fins can make a huge difference to the feel of the board.

Those Predator straps look very nice. Shouldn't the back one be on the other way round? - ie on a wave you want to push you back foot back into the strap not forward away from those very nice fins.

Normal windsurf straps work very well. Not as wide as the kitsurf straps so you just need to get one toe in and you have some hold - makes gybing easier. I use two straps but only use the back one when on a wave or well powered and keep my foot in front of the back strap for going back up wind. Most (not all!)surf boards don't feel very comfortable when not on a wave with both feet in the straps. It's nice to have a strapless board as well for when the conditions aren't too rough, but using one all the time means you are going to loose your board more often and surf boards can be on the rocks in seconds - not so nice!

Yes definately worth it .. but they can go very fast in shallow water which is not a good combination when you fall off! My advice is buy one second hand for £150 - if you don't like it you will be able to sell it without loosing much if anything. 2nd hand ones were going for £200 last summer on ebay so not much depreciation compared to a standard TT. I got mine for about £150 and it was as good as new. The new ones have some non slip painted on them but this is something you can do yourself or just use surf wax between the pads.

I've used the 06 and 07 666 132 a few times now as well as the 06 and 07 Shinns. I personally much preferred the Shinn boards although I haven't tried the 08 boards yet. I found the 666 too flat/stiff for me and the 41 cm width too "big" even at 85kgs. Lots of people clearly love the 666 and I can see why - fantastic early planning, great upwind and great pop. I prefer the "hovercraft" ride of the shinn boards and the carving is much more satisfying (the 666 carves fast but stiff and you can feel the flat tail rocker) - also the shinns are just a little narrower which suits me more as a one TT quiver. I think the 666 is a unique board because of its Hydrodynamic??? rocker (ie rocker in the centre and flat at the tips?). However, I don't think it is for everybody. In my experience the marketing is correct - 666 for wakestyle, shinn for mixed styles.

I think, but this is only my opinion!, that the Freestyle fish is really a board designed to be used strapless in lighter winds and messy waves, whereas the Rocket fish is designed more as an all winds board, strapped for pure wave riding. However you can of course still use the RF strapless! Even strapped, I suspect the Freestyle fish will be a handful in stronger winds whereas the thinner rails of the Rocketfish will be fine in stonger winds. I've used my 6'0 RF well powered on a 7m kite and it has never felt too big.

I would say get the 07 5'10/50cms Rocketfish as a first time wave board unless you are very light. Very easy board to use as designed for light winds and very stable. The 08 6'0 RF is the best all round board I have tried to date and is 56cms (18 1/4") wide so would be fine as a first board - this is a very common width for a 6'0 board and perfect for 85kgs IMO. The freestyle fish is wider (48cms) so will be more stable, but I've not tried this board although will do soon. The Naish 5'5 I think would also make a good first board as it is wide and designed for light winds.

Does anyone know what the dealer's profit margin is on these boards? If it is higher than other boards then you would expect the dealers to be able to offer good discounts?

Did anyone get to try an 08 Shinn Twin for comparison? Thanks

I've been seriously considering a dry suit this year - still not sure. I've been on the water for about the last 20yrs every winter in a 5/3 and have never really been that cold in the body, it's always the hands that get me and I have found that palmless mittens work great. I'm also usually warm enough when on the water and it'is only on the beach that I get cold. So I guess it is the wind chill that gets you and whilst you are active the body generates enough heat to keep you warm on the water. The newer 5/3 are pretty water tight so not much gets water gets in. Has anybody tried just using a spray top (Gul do them for about £30) over their wetsuit?

I had a Nobile 666 EXT and a skim board - I sold the EXT and kept the skim board.

Hi Steiner, did you get the Pyro Surf? Can you let us know what you think? Thanks.