8

Thanks Christian. Thats a well thought out response. I'll take that on board. Cheers

Christian,

What would you recommend for a 75kg rider with the same experience as Dave and the same winds who has a 146 x 44 board?

Thanks

That's a MASSIVE board for someone your size. A board this big falls into the light wind category as in less than 15 knots.

The only advantage of such a big board (other than the light wind benefit) is when you're at the very early stages of learning to water start and ride. Once you can ride comfortably in both directions a board this big will slow your progress down in any winds stronger than 15 knots which are typically associated with choppy waters.

Your next board should be at least 10cm shorter, i.e around 132-136cm. Keep your big board for light days it'll come in handy.

At first you will find it difficult with a small board and that's simply due to poor technique and being used to easy starts with such a large board.

Big kites and big boards are always the easy solution for learners but in the long run they slow your progression down and, more importantly they encourage bad habits and poor technique, especially in higher winds.

Christian

VRBones said..

cbulota said..
Big kites and big boards are always the easy solution for learners but in the long run they slow your progression down and, more importantly they encourage bad habits and poor technique, especially in higher winds.

Could you expand on this a little?

My experience has been that going to a smaller (144 -> 139) board with more rocker made jumps easier to land and more easy to manhandle the board through maneuvers (giving me confidence to go harder), but my bigger board would go faster, requires greater control for turns / jump landings, and has a better feel for upwind performance (I can tell more easily if an extra 5 degrees upwind is sustainable). It's entirely possible I learned bad habits and am stuck in a big board rut, so are there specific habits or technique elements to look for? Is it something that kicks in at even smaller board sizes and higher (30+) winds? Is it chop related?

I think Christian is basically saying, things like going upwind are fine and easier with a big board, but you're not going to learn load-n-pop as easily as it would be with a smaller board.

I have a 136cm board which I've used almost 90% of the time I go out, and it's been great for upwind control and mowing the lawn stuff, but it's very limited when it comes to jumps and tricks. I now use my wife's 131cm board (5cm is a "huge" difference), and I am far more able to do jumps, and quicker turns. It's a far easier board to learn on, beyond mowing the lawn that is. I am 81 pies for reference.