Thought of the north team series?

Yes, i own 2. actually trying to get rid of my brand new one, But yes i love it. Its light as and i found as i ride a 137 that the slightly longer board gives good light wind riding but being that its so light it is an awesome board when riding powered. But each to there own i guess.

bene313 said..

wassaby said..

Hey guys looking for a new kite board. Was thinking either Axis Limited 135 or the Niash monarch 134
I have not ridden either boards yet and wanted to know if anyone else has and could give me feedback on them.
I ride a LF Recoil Comp at the moment which is about 3 years old.

Thanks in advance

What do you want the board for? What style, conditions etc.

Freestyle and something that can handle a bit of chop.

did you mean " free ride" ?

there's a big difference

Cauncy not sure you've been on the 2013 laluz? It has lots of pop man, way stiffer than past years through the added carbon in the centre. it has got progressively stiffer each year. I have ridden the raptor pro back to back (infact my bro owns one and I have one sitting in my shed right as we speak) and I can safely say the say the opposite is try to what you said. Hence why I own the laluz, it is awesome man with the zephyr, vertical pop with comfort is just awesome. I want to get a few more hours on the raptor though as I spent all week on Bali on a crazy fly cruiser pro 145 by 44 and it is such an awesome light wind board. Crazy fly make some cracker stuff hey.

The raptor is actually more comfortable in the chop but has less pop by a fair margin than the laluz. I agree the infra would have even more pop than the laluz, but comfort factor would be diminished in chop. The raptor would be an ideal freeride board actually for those that want more pop than say a monk. But can't beat the monk for smoothness mind you through chop.

The super shinn should always be on anyone's list for a board that pops and will stil work in the chop for sure.

I've been on the new Morarch for a while now and the more I use it the more impressed I am.
It really sticks the landings and handles chop as well as any of the other boards mentioned.
One major plus is the new Apex pad/straps are superb.
Ask your local NAISH dealer for a demo

Agreed man, the NHP is worth looking into. Got on one in Bali at high tide, chop city. Was on a 19m edge, held the speed and chop really well. Lacked the pop of the laluz though. But good riding technique would counter this.

Yep concur with those conditions and the monk. The laluz would be too square and too stiff. We out on some northerly crap yesterday and it was a choppy as I'd want on the laluz. Agreed at high speeds digging in that rails hard is where the monks feedback is at a premium.

Perfect board for where you are and what you do and on what kite you ride...

Hi Wassaby
It looks like you have been given plenty of advice here and everybody has mentioned there favourite board to use in chop, but here are my thoughts on what to look for in a good freestyle board for use in chop.
Freestyle now is all about pop, if you cant pop big you cant do much. Don't let people confuse you with the boards ability for load and pop, with its ability to hold an edge for a big boost, the two are different.
A flexible board will feel more comfortable in the chop, and you will still be able to boost hard, but the flex will reduce your pop, so you need some stiffness.
Go for a board with more rocker, the rocker will suck the board onto the water in chop, and allow you to load and pop without skipping out as you load.
The best freestyle board for chop is not going to be the most comfortable, but again rocker will help, it also helps landing off axis. Thick chunky rails will also help stop the edge catching when off axis in chop too.
I dont know anything, the Naish boards but if you are trying the monarch, it may be worth looking at the Dub too, seems to have a bit more rocker.
These are my thoughts anyway, hope this helps you choose a good board, good luck

cauncy said..

The xenon boards as Epps mentioned are a great board, the laluz is great in chop but a bit down on true pop, this is where the infra is a better option, raptor pro is the opposite more POP but a bit down on its handling of chop, the x ride by north goes great but board spray was a pain, IMHO you'll struggle to find a better board in the chop as the shinn and the supershinn has a great amount of pop, board size and weight imo is very important for both these characteristics , best to demo

A guy on kiteforum has confirmed what cauncy was saying...



Westozzy,
The Raptor pro Ltd is more free ride and good board for heavy chop condition. due to his rocker and concave shape.

If you were looking for fast board with great pop you should check the Raptor Pro they are totally different boards.




So it seems the raptor pro is very different to the raptor pro LTD full carbon of which I have been on.

Sorry about that, live and learn.