Hi Was it rods board that you tried!He is a great guy riggin kites and letting everyone try his new board and kite.He has now replaced the fins with fcs fins and the board goes up wind better and starts as early as the 6'2' cabrinha.

Yes Rod it was your board, and yes you are a champ.

Good to hear about the fins (is there some sort of packer), too bad it is going to add ~$100 to the board price.

Still keen to try the Naish...

Ry, didn't even realise that SS had at 6'2", maybe they need to update their website...

The Converse 6'4" looks alright.

Has anyone ridden one of these and/or know what the difference between the wood and normal versions are?

Thanks.

Pete.

try every thing - then get a ride on the airush converse 6'0 - hands down the best cross over kite/surfboard on the market

Drivey, control at speed, throws buckets , not too flat and stiff -like so many PRETEND surfboards on the market - it actually has proper tail rocker - trust me on this - anything too flat out of the tail WILL NOT do the smooth top turn snap you are visualising - you went to a lot of work to get your board and body into the pocket - such a waste if your board lets you down in this -the most magical part of the wave.

Heres a quick way to get an idea if your surfboard will have any chance of working- (This is assuming that the manufacturer was able to get the rail foil and progressive edge blend out from the tail through the mid section of the board right)-check out your tail rocker on any surfboard that you buy - the back thruster should look like its bent upwards just a touch- 11mm seems to be the magic number for nice tail rocker without creating too much drag. As i said before - anything too flat out of the tail will bog or skip in a driven pocket turn - guaranteed.

the converse 6'0 blew Felix Pivec away - and he tests alot of different surfboards - he simply did not believe a production surfboard could be that good- he rated it as good as any of the customs he has ever tried.

here is a clip of the 6'0 in action - throwin some buckets!!

http://www.kiteworld.tv/virtual-kiting-with-matt-holder/

I havent ridden the converse 6'4 yet but have heard good things

Thanks JB.

I have ridden the 5'5" and really liked it, but unfortunately I can only afford 1 board. I am looking for something to replace my normal surf boards (as they tend to get beat up pretty quick with the kite), and also I wanted something with straps and a little bit less volume for those the bigger days (I usually ride a board somewhere around 6'6" as I am heavy - 90+kgs).

Is there a difference in the durability between the North and Naish?

Auswind do you know anyone around Sydney who is demoing the Converse boards? Any idea how the boards compare regarding durability with the North and Naish boards?

Cheers,

Pete.

Thanks JB.

I ride a lot in highwind and headhigh so maybe I will go for the RF as a one board quiver.

Between the Naish CR and the North RF, the RF is more durable. Naish have gone for a new construction this year which brings the board as close to Polyester feel as possible. It has a wood laminate on the deck from the tail to the front foot to disperse load generated by your feet, the rest of the board is kept as light as possible, still much stringer than a poly board, but probably lighter than what your used to. Now the board is plenty strong enough to handle normal use. I am 95 kgs, and just rode my CR 6'1" yesterday in 20 - 30 knots and at least over head to over head and a half, not an impression to be seen (unusual for me, I'm very hard on boards), but if you go jumping it and flat landing it there is always going to be the possibility that you can break or crease it, but this is the same I would imagine with any wave board. The RF is slightly strong in general, and probably a little heavier also. The 2007 RF was probably built too strong if anything, so the 2008 has been constructed with a new Foam core and slightly lighter glass job, also trying to get as close to the poly board feel.

Both board are built and tested to be able to handle the conditions and purpose they were built for. We are getting to a stage in Kiteboarding were we are demanding such performance from our waveboards that we have to start thinking of them as slightly stronger surfboards, they will break if you do something stupid, but used correctly will deliver the performance and durability you require to rip it up in the surf.

Regards,

JB

I already find the adaptor, NSP has it.
JB what kind of FCS fins do you recommend?

Thanks