My Twin-tip all-around board is now selected.

But I want to make some choices as for a light wind board and choppy/waves water too. I could go with 3 boards but a surfboard can be used for wave and LW as well.

Being still a novice on water, I dont' see myself yet to go for a directional surfboard (unless I surestimate the skills required).

There are different types of board that could do the job for both waves and LW but I need more ideas. I read that most people dont like mutant as they are not so good for waves

Are boards like Airush choptop, or North freestylefish easy for novice ?

Is changing side easy ? Jibing ?

Or should I go with a TT with a big volume and narrow tips for this year ?

Any board suggestions ?

cheers

if you ride upwind on a twin tip and can ride toeside then you should not have a problem with a directional wave board. the luff of the kite is the part that was troublesome for me. ride the waves and accel into the kite and it drops or get pulled off the wave. practice and good kite depower control is essential

99.9% of my kiting is in chop and/or waves. There are several ways to go:

1. Get a "wave oriented" twin tip (Ocean Rodeo Mako or Airush Hammer). The problem with these IMHO is that you need to stay powered up to carve the wave. If you come from a surfing background (like I do) then this may not be what you want. I bought an Ocean Rodeo Mako Wide hoping it would be wide enough to carry me through the lulls, but at 245 lbs it's too small for that. I'd probably have the same issues with the Hammer. If you weigh (roughly) 200 lbs or less, the mako wide might be a good option.

2. Get a newer design wave mutant (Airush Choptop or Slingshot Fuse). These boards are wider, will carry you with less kite power so you can more closely carve the wave like you would on a surfboard. The problem with these IMHO is that they typically don't handle chop very well and they are not truly bi-directional (so you'll need to decide which direction you will favor while riding waves).

3. Or get a surfboard (strapped or unstrapped). If you go with a board that is roughly the same size as you would use to paddle, then you can kite waves nearly the same as you would surf them. You'll also use smaller kites and gain more bottom end. This would be the best option for somebody like me (a dedicated surfer), but to be honest in 8 years of kiting I rarely used to go toe-side and I'm too big a klutz to sort out the "switch stance dance". The problem with using a surfboard is that you won't want to boost huge jumps (they tend to be more fragile than twin tips) or do airborne tricks (way too much mass attached to your feet).

If you weigh less than me, you might want to take a look at the Mako Wide I'm selling. It carves very much like a surfboard and handles chop very nicely. If it were 4 cm wider (or if I weighed 40 lbs less) I think it would work perfectly for me. If you end up getting a Mako from somewhere else, be sure to factor in the cost of new pads and straps. The original OR pads and straps were very poorly designed.

Quote:

ride the waves and accel into the kite and it drops or get pulled off the wave. practice and good kite depower control is essential

There are at least two ways to handle your kite while riding waves: one is to go with a smaller kite, keep it low and gybe it back and forth deep in the power zone as you carve down the wave. Getting the timing and kite control wired takes some skill, but guys who really know what they're doing make it look so fluid and smooth. The other is to go with a bigger, more stable kite and "park" it while you carve down the wave. My Peter Lynn Venom 19 and Best Bularoo 16 are good for this style of wave riding.

right on! that's great info.... the big rig definitely helps as long as you keep it flowing.

so from these positives response I wll for sure give a try this summer, and try to find a big floaty used surfboard, and see by myself

thanks

Get a surfboard and put straps on it. Easy to do if you can work with fiberglass. You can even put some extra layers of glass where your feet are.
If you can windsurf then you should be able switch your stance while riding. Takes practice but it's easy to do once mastered. Kinda like riding a bicycle you don't forget.

You can easily do lots of big airs and all sorts of tricks with a surfboard on your feet. The mass of the board is not a problem. The length of the board makes most tricks look a lot better.

I learned to kitesurf with a surfboard and find it the best tool for lighter wind wave riding.

Scott

Here's a pic of some of my boards from 1999.

carving into gybe on a big surfboard style board.

thanks Scott for the pictures

looks so much fun