The Axis Limited is worth considering for what u have described.....

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kitesurfing/Review/Axis-Limited-2016/

I have 2014 model and absolutely love it!

Things to look for for eating chop.

Rounded ends.
Rocker.
Flexible tips.

The Monk and Bronq should also be considered from Shinn

Wow that mako looks completely different to anything else. Very interesting!

What's the reasoning behind going so big 150 and 165? Apart from helping in lighter wind.

Cygnify said...
Wow that mako looks completely different to anything else. Very interesting!

What's the reasoning behind going so big 150 and 165? Apart from helping in lighter wind.

I'm assuming it's got to do with wave riding. It a great tt in waves even though some people on here think it should be banned.the 150 can be ridden as a directional with just moving the foot pads back and chucking in some extra fins . I find its not that good in real lite wind it's better powered up , I reckon it's got to much concave for a light wind board they seem to be wider and flatter bottom shape .

Shinn Turbo is butter smooth in the chop.

Cygnify said..
Wow that mako looks completely different to anything else. Very interesting!

What's the reasoning behind going so big 150 and 165? Apart from helping in lighter wind.

Ellipse shapes (mako) loose a lot of surface area. more surface area = better light wind performance. Its just like big kite works better in light wind. So too does a board with more surface area.

So Mako 150x40 has a similar surface area to 130 x 41 rectangular shape.

As far as chop munching is concerned a longer curved shape munches chop better than a short rectangular shape.

Short rectangular shapes can be slappy and twitchy.

You'll struggle to find a choppier spot than my local, especially in high wind low swell days,
I've owned and trialed a heap of boards from different brands and models
Your style of riding and kite choice IMHO is a big part in certain boards, some mention tip shapes, these make no difference from my point of view, flexibility in the tips is essential, a rounded outline with decent concave and rocker is also a premium
No point having the bronq in average conditions with a mid to low powered kite, waste of money
It's made to be ridden hard in good to powered/ overpowered winds on an aggressive kite and rider,
The monk is a great do it all board and is happy at both ends of the spectrum, it'll let you push as hard as you want but still be happy cruising in lesser powered conditions,
Spent a bit of time on the pinbot after riding the bronq, nice board but a big step back in performance,
Some boards worth a look are the crazyfly a, xenon , north xride and Jamie, the smaller or mako, rode some of the old axis boards,
But for me you'll struggle to find a better board in hard conditions than the shinn,
The quality of build is premium and use a fair amount of snowboard technology in their construction, I'm on the original monk and I've thrashed it, she's got a few scars on her but is still going strong,
Not sure what your riding ATM but you'll certainly notice the different feel in ride compared to other brands, magic carpet is a description I'd use, and coming off a standard board it was highly noticeable add the no spray factor , see if you can get on some of the boards mentioned in some decent conditions
Unsure of your location but action sports balcatta have a range of shinns amongst other brands

Cauncy, which board feels smoother/softer the Monk or Bronq or not much between them?

I'm selling my 2012 154cm Cabrinha Chopstick soon. It has been specifically designed to deal with chop and does so brilliantly!! I can't speak for other brands but one this does the trick. 154cm worked for me as I'm over 100 kegs, but I've seen other smaller models who's owners swear by them.


PM me if you are interested in the one I've got, it's in good condition. But I'm too lazy to package it up and post it, so you'll need to be in WA.

+1 for the Mako 150. Awesome board for chop, surf and downwinders. The heavy rocker and deep concave work together to create a feather soft ride. Not a light wind board for me at 95kgs but when powered up it comes alive. Like lots of front foot weight too which takes pressure off the back leg.
Awesome in glassy flat water too.

Yep I'm going to go with it.

Hopefully have a demo of the mako 150 too in the near future.

Second hand Dundee or a 150 Mako by a country mile......

vanguard 2016 felt like a brick to my non freestyle legs on choppy waters. way too stiff for my taste.. xenon laluz was more forgiving

I haven't even seen the bronq. But i'll guarantee its got a high rocker. That will make it smooth in chop and power hungry.....
Looking at the shin website there is no actual mention of specs of rocker and concave
Do they assume everyone is stupid and doesn't need to know specs?
Does nobody care what the actual rocker and concave is???
The web site spouts all sorts of made up jargon but very little actual technical info that would allow for actual informed decision making.

Rant over.

For people who don't know here's some rules of thumb with board building/specs

More rocker = smoother, slower, better carving more power hungry worse upwind

Less rocker = harsh ride, faster, better upwind, holds less power more efficient.

Concave adds lift and efficiency . Its about getting s flatter water line. On a kiteboard the water line is at a diagonal across the board. The flatter that is the more efficient the board. The higher rocker you have the more concave you need to remain efficient. This is the secret to the Mako. It has a crazy rocker and a crazy concave. Slap a straight edge across the waterline and you discover its dead flat!...

Flex in the center of the not very desirable. But flex at the tips can make a board more efficient while still being smooth. So in light wind without much chop or power the tips stay straight and give an efficient shape. When you load the board up the tip flexes and gives a higher rocker line creating a smoother ride that can hold more power. But too much flex can shed power and reduce pop ability. So a stiffer board, though harsher can probably pop better.


Length adds surface area, efficiency and smoothness. A longer board is less twitchy and slices chop better... to a point. But increases rotational weight so is less desirable for rotating tricks.

A short board make tricks and rotations easier and gives faster turning.

Width adds surface area without increasing rotation weight. Infact width is more important than length for surface area and light wind efficiency. 1cm increase in width is = to 3.5cm increase in length. Boards today are generally wider and shorter compared to boards 10 years ago.

Outline plays a roll too. a rectangle shape gives the most surface area and efficiency. So that is best for light wind. It also allows for good load and pop. But a its harsher ride, worse at carving. The more rounded the shape the smoother the ride the nicer the carve....

Channels in the board hold more lateral grip. This means smaller or no fins need can be used. Fins add drag. So a board than can hold the same lateral grip with less fins becomes more efficient. There is also some evidence that some channels can create lift and efficiency also.


So... Generally speaking the attributes that make a board smoother. More rocker more tip flex more rounded shape also make a board less efficient and worse upwind.

Any way the designer gets all these variables and throws them together to make a board somewhere along the spectrum between awesome upwind and ultrasmooth power holding machine. You just need to decide where you sit in that spectrum.