I am 85kg...sometimes 90kgs, depending on season.
I had a hammer 137 which was fine for me. But I needed a little more wind to tak up wind as my 135 nobile. I got the 137 instead of 144 because i prefer a smaller board, and wanted to use it for both wave and freestyle.

If you want to use it in less wind, and mostly for waves - and you have another board for freestyle - then go for 144.

But if its going to be your only board, to use in all conditions - then go a bit smaller.
the 144 is going to be cumbersome when you do tricks and rotations etc.

the 144 will defeinately perform better for your weight in waves.

Flux if you come down to Cott almost any day it is windy you can try my 138 and a mates (ianMac) 144 back to back (both 2008)
Cheers
Slack

Just re-read your post. Cant you just ride your mates 138 and 144s and see what suits you best. My guess is at 90kg you will have to go the 144.

Go the 144, a smaller board will feel a little silly on a wave given you surf also.

hey Flux
well i weigh 78 -80 kg and the 144 is the go, it takes a little more power to operate one, i would not be able to use it in less than 18 knots or it becomes to sluggish. i fly a 13 mtr ozone sport as SLack says we have one each you are more than welcome to try it out the only mod iiwll do to mine is change the footpads to the underground version as i have found them to be the best pads going.

Yeah its a 2007 -2008 board the UG pads are a bit softer and save my heels from getting bashed about i need all the assistance i can get to save the impact on my knees as well. a minor tweak but no issues at all with it.
as slack would add a bit of HTFU goes a long way ( thought i would get in first) hey froggy you out there?

ianmac said...


hey Flux
well i weigh 78 -80 kg and the 144 is the go, it takes a little more power to operate one, i would not be able to use it in less than 18 knots or it becomes to sluggish. i fly a 13 mtr ozone sport as SLack says we have one each you are more than welcome to try it out the only mod iiwll do to mine is change the footpads to the underground version as i have found them to be the best pads going.

Ian -80kg's, 13m kite and you can't get going in less than 18kts on a 144?

Wow, that seems a bit off. I am 95kg's and have my 144 ripping in 18kts with my 8.5 vapor II. I also have a 138 switch which is one of the best light wind boards you can get and it is not all that much better than the 144 hammer.

I don't find the 144 takes that much more power than a normal board. It does have a softer feel and does not edge as well as others with sharp rails and flat rockers, but if you ride it right there is not a whole lot of difference - not in surf and chop anyway which is where you should be riding it. Dead flat water may be a little different, but that is irrelevent.

There are lot of comments on the Hammer being power hungry, but I really feel that is more related to heavier people riding the 138 not the 144.

Slack said...

You probably have more talent than ianmac but then again so does my Nanna

Ooooh! Them's fightin' words thems are!

The 144 is definately better for heavier riders. The 138 will also work but then you rely heavily on being really powered all the time on the wave. The moment the power stops, you sink. The 144 surfs really well and isn't too bad going upwind. The 138 seems tiny by comparison especially narrow in the tail which is where the power hungry claims originate.

Good winds,

Ok looks like 144 it is then, I have one to demo over the weekend so looking forward to that.
Thanks for the advice and the option to try your boards lads, I will also try out the 138 when I can get a hold of it, then hopefully get one, everything kiting that I seem to want this year has come with huge wait times, whats that all about?
Cheers again

Beer Bong said...

They're rare man, so you see one, then buy it.

I heard that when I bought mine, apparently it was one of the last 144's for a while.

I loves it so much, you won't be sorry if you get one.

Beer Bong said...

Last of the 144's. Piece of history.

I reckon mine is the last. It's a new 07 model for $800 I got last week. Sweet...

thats a defin good deal i got mine from QLD, after freight etc $910 the weekend conditions were perfect for it best thing ever