Strongest Strapless Board

[noldude]

I am 6'6 and 200lbs and now have broken 2 board strapless. I am looking for a strong board. I have broken a Totora Wave Skate and a NSP 6'6 shortboard. I have a Boardworks 6'6 M10 which has been awesome and a Surftech 6'8 Merrick which is nice, but a bit too heavy. I have gotten into jumping strapless and find the production kiteboards to be too heavy. Should I just stick with the Surftech/Boardworks? My buddy has a placebo and it seems to be holding up quite well. What is the strongest strapless board out there?

[Yann]

The Salomon Noseless is stronger than the Placebo Surfskate but they are really hard to find these days since they stopped making them. I have both. The surfskate is a nicer board but at your weight you need to reinforce it with some extra glass. viewtopic.php?f=7&t=156#p790

[christophebcn]

Hello,

first time poster, and recently converted to strapless

What about something like the spleene zone? it's built like a TT (bombproof) but shaped like a quad surfboard.
I ride one that i bought to be able to ride directional but jump like a TT without breaking it in half and recently decided to give a try to strapless, and loving it so far (although quite challenging to say the least, and i still can't ollie...)
Keep in mind that I've never really ridden a surfboard, either with or without a kite.

Is there a reason why a surfkite needs volume? does it have to be in foam and/or epoxy?

From my newbie standpoint, it seems the extra flotation you get from volume doesn't really matter when you have the kite to pull you onto the wave, no?
I'm obviously missing something though since everybody seem to be riding surfboards...

[Yann]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

It's not about the volume so you're absolutely right there. It's more about rail shape, outline curve, rocker, flex etc. IMHO most TT built kitesurf boards have sandwich type rails like a TT (1cm square and sharp) and loses out on the surfboard feeling. It's a directional board but far from how a surfboard should feel like.

I was in contact with Nobile a couple of years ago and asked them why they didn't have a proper surf board in the product lineup and got a reply from Mark Shinn himself and he told me that since producing surfboard is a totally different process than with TT (snowboard technology) they weren't able to do it at that moment (and still not). So they had to stick with what they could make on the same machines as they make the TTs on and that what a surfboard similar to the Spleene Zone.

Give a real surfboard a try a couple of session and I promise you won't go back

[starsky]

I'm no veteran but do ride a surfboard more than not these days and usually in choppy wavy powered conditions that feel like they put a lot of excess force through the board. I'm always trying to stay light on my heels and have the boards longevity in mind as I love that little thing. Broke my surfboard last year and that one had a divincil deck! Was going to go with a surftech but decided against it when a guy up here went through his third time out. Forked out a little more cash for a Resin8 Tokoro fish and have been stoked since the day I picked it up. Its hand laminated sandwich construction and really pretty thick in the center line. Like 2 3/4 thick.

Much better shape for kiting than my last board with nice flat rocker up front short length and quad fin set up, but your question was durability. Finally scraped all the wax off to give it a fresh coat for our fall season and was blown away that there was not a hint of a dent where I stand. I try to feel if there is any real soft spots but cant find any difference between where my heels are and the rest of the board. With the wax cleaned off it looked brand new. Did a lot of reading on durability last fall and found mixed opinions on almost everything out there. Went with the Resin8 cause it was what I was looking for in size and shape with at least the potential for decent construction. Not sure If I just got a good one or if they are all good, but the short thick little modern fish shape is holding up nicely. It's plenty wide enough for a big guy like you. Has enough float for me to paddle it and I'm not a great surfer at all.

[ICP]

It seems like the never ending question... I have posted a couple of other times on this but it keeps popping back up.

You can build a board that will hold up, but not one that will yield the "feel" that most riders are looking for. There are a few production builds that are close: Resin8, SurfTech both offer a pretty decent build.

The Resin8 will give the most true flex and feel, but are pretty damn expensive and a bit hard to find.

Personally the thin, low volume "euro" boards are an ok approximation of a skim, but do not feel even remotely like a surfboard.

I have been testing some different builds on my personal boards that are going well. These are a combo of wood, PVC, and carbon. Spot reinforcement keeps the flex and weight in check, but gives the board a longer life. That said, you land flat from 20 feet up, something has to give!

Ian

[Kaito]

My Placebo 4'10" is really start'n to get dented in under the front/heel pad.. ~ Small surface crack on the front/heel rail too..
It should hold up thru this coming winter season, but I'm start'n the search for a backup..

Undergrounds new surf line up ('11) looks nice. Esp. the Kipuna & Pohutu.
Wait'n on some real world review on'm..
K.