What kind of board for these conditions:

[cabron]

Little background: I have been riding 5 years quite actively, mainly on flat water = unhooked wakestyle, but now wanted to get on to surfing side as well. I weigh 78kgs (175lbs) and 190cm (6'4) = skinny

When wakestyling I prefer bigger boards and I guess my height is the dominant factor here and not the weight which could be the case as well with kitesurfboards? I currently own a skimboard and regular 6'2" surfboard and RRD Toxic Wave for the really mental days.

Anyways, the conditions we have here are completely opposites to each other:
The first spot has very fast and steep waves quite close the beach with beachbreak although waves get pretty big, upto 2.5meter in size. At this spot we only get waves when it's blowing 20+ knots. And it's always choppy when riding out and getting upwind to be able to ride down the waves =/
The second spot offers really nice long waves with nice long flats between the waves although these are from onshore wind as well. The sizes are up to 2.5meter as well.

So the board should be easy to ride and to handle the choppy conditions, I would prefer the board not to bounce a lot when riding out. And it's onshore winds and I would use the board from 15-20 knots onwards. Also I would like to get rid of the kite power on the waves as much as possible so that plays a big part when choosing the board?

Currently I don't like my 6'2" surfboard as I found it slow on the wave. Could this be due to the angle of the side fins (like a handbrake) and tail rocker?

What width/length combination, rocker etc. would you see as an appropriate starting point? And also thruster or quad?

Thank you very much in advance!

[JonModica]

Little background: I have been riding 5 years quite actively, mainly on flat water = unhooked wakestyle, but now wanted to get on to surfing side as well. I weigh 78kgs (175lbs) and 190cm (6'4) = skinny

When wakestyling I prefer bigger boards and I guess my height is the dominant factor here and not the weight which could be the case as well with kitesurfboards? I currently own a skimboard and regular 6'2" surfboard and RRD Toxic Wave for the really mental days.

Anyways, the conditions we have here are completely opposites to each other:
The first spot has very fast and steep waves quite close the beach with beachbreak although waves get pretty big, upto 2.5meter in size. At this spot we only get waves when it's blowing 20+ knots. And it's always choppy when riding out and getting upwind to be able to ride down the waves =/
The second spot offers really nice long waves with nice long flats between the waves although these are from onshore wind as well. The sizes are up to 2.5meter as well.

So the board should be easy to ride and to handle the choppy conditions, I would prefer the board not to bounce a lot when riding out. And it's onshore winds and I would use the board from 15-20 knots onwards. Also I would like to get rid of the kite power on the waves as much as possible so that plays a big part when choosing the board?

Currently I don't like my 6'2" surfboard as I found it slow on the wave. Could this be due to the angle of the side fins (like a handbrake) and tail rocker?

What width/length combination, rocker etc. would you see as an appropriate starting point? And also thruster or quad?

Thank you very much in advance!

Thanks for all the details, it makes it alot easier!

Firstly, sounds like you want to get rid of alot of boucing from chop, so the easiest way to do that is take off unnecessary length from the board.
take it down to a 5'8 or shorter

Second, If you want speed but dont need to worry too much about light wind performance, go with either a squash or what i prefer a round pin tail. AROUND 14.5' wide
Keep the middle a decent width too. Around 18.5'

QUAD FINS FOR YOU!!!! If you arent much of a surfer, and prefer speed, always go quad.
Also, go a fairly low entry rocker, because the waves your surfing with chop, your gonna need something where you can use the WHOLE board to get speed.
Keep a standard tail rocker though, because your gonna need some control for all that speed your gonna be packin!

-Jon

[cabron]

whoa, thanks Jon!

Lots of very good information.

One further thing: when I said that I found my current 6'2" slow I meant that the I feel the board's hull speed is very limited, no matter how fast I try to ride it, it just doesn't gather any more speed from certain treshold. So that's why I thought the fins are creating too much drag there since they are very angled inwards (hopefully I'm clear enough here) and also feel that there's a handbrake pulled on.

But is this "slowness" one factor to stay on the wave, so if I had a fast board I would outrun the wave, is that possible???
I very much prefer to actually "surf" the wave as with paddleboard, I just haven't had the opportunity to do it before.

So would the above make any difference to your suggestion?

And second question: if the waves are like in Jupiter or Delray when it's blowing harder (head high waves), but faster, what kind of board would you prefer there?

EDit: I found this board: http://www.bayareakitesurf.com/shop/fone09fish-p-107.html
What's your opinion on this one? I'm thinking about the wider one (48cm - 18.9") version. Or would the rocker line be just the opposite I'm wanting? And naturally strapless.

Thank you very much in advance, this is such an amazing site!

Good winds

[JonModica]

whoa, thanks Jon!

Lots of very good information.

One further thing: when I said that I found my current 6'2" slow I meant that the I feel the board's hull speed is very limited, no matter how fast I try to ride it, it just doesn't gather any more speed from certain treshold. So that's why I thought the fins are creating too much drag there since they are very angled inwards (hopefully I'm clear enough here) and also feel that there's a handbrake pulled on.

But is this "slowness" one factor to stay on the wave, so if I had a fast board I would outrun the wave, is that possible???
I very much prefer to actually "surf" the wave as with paddleboard, I just haven't had the opportunity to do it before.

So would the above make any difference to your suggestion?

And second question: if the waves are like in Jupiter or Delray when it's blowing harder (head high waves), but faster, what kind of board would you prefer there?

EDit: I found this board: http://www.bayareakitesurf.com/shop/fone09fish-p-107.html
What's your opinion on this one? I'm thinking about the wider one (48cm - 18.9") version. Or would the rocker line be just the opposite I'm wanting? And naturally strapless.

Thank you very much in advance, this is such an amazing site!

Good winds

Same scenario...But if you REALLY want to have a max top end speed, make sure the quad fins are FLAT!!! meaning no foil.

I personally WOULDNT recommend that board. Its a thruster, so its slow, and i know those sucker's are heavy based on the construction.

-Jon

p.s. I would also go for sharper rails if you want a higher top end speed.

[cabron]

Jon,

I really appreciate your time and knowledge on answering my questions!

Would you say that your current board would be the kind of board I would like so should I target that board?

And just to make sure I understood correctly your advice: I'm not searching a board with blistering speed per se, I just want the board to be as close as paddlesurfing feeling as possible on the wave face and the board should work in 15-35knots. So the specs you gave me, would this fit the bill: http://www.kitepirates.de/product_info.php/info/p1857_Slingshot-SST-2009.html or a smaller one: http://www.kitepirates.de/product_info.php/info/p1856_Slingshot-SRT-2009.html?

EDIT: and then I found this, very interesting concept, but tail being 16", would that hinder the carving and turning abilities?: http://www.kitepirates.de/product_info.php/info/p1855_Slingshot-Celeritas-2009.html

After this I will not bother you for a while - and thank you very much once again!

[JonModica]

No worries.

I think that 5'11 would be pretty good!
Make sure the price is right though.
If you have to pay over $700USD then might as well get a custom with a little better rail and nose shape.
The tail and fins on that board are good though!
-Jon

[cabron]

Jon, thank you very much!

Here is the Celeritas board which I found very interesting. Some guys have tested it, though they are biased. Can I ask your opinion on this one as you can tell so much by just looking at the board and it's specs, please. I'm very tempted to go for it, but I'm not able to test ride it so unfortunately it would be hit or miss and of course your advice is based on pics etc. as you haven't ridden it. It's 5'4 so it should be ok for travelling as well.

So here it is: http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2356281

Thank you!

[JonModica]

Jon, thank you very much!

Here is the Celeritas board which I found very interesting. Some guys have tested it, though they are biased. Can I ask your opinion on this one as you can tell so much by just looking at the board and it's specs, please. I'm very tempted to go for it, but I'm not able to test ride it so unfortunately it would be hit or miss and of course your advice is based on pics etc. as you haven't ridden it. It's 5'4 so it should be ok for travelling as well.

So here it is: http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2356281

Thank you!

The Celeritas is a smaller wave machine. Especially good for light to medium winds. It has obviously a HUGE tail, and its a big squash, which translates into
REALLY early planning and speed. It has a good bit of concave, so it will again, plain quickly, but the max hull speed will be reduced as a side effect.
Would be really a fun board for more of a newschool trick style surfer who wants to do quick smacks and off the lips. NOT good for deep carves or waves over head high.

I would recommend this board if you want something a little playful and dont plan on riding in bigger waves!

-Jon