I have been figuring this out and after some years of trying different boards have ended up with basically pretty much a park board. I will likely still end up trying to get a slightly flatter board but for now I like it. With regards to getting up wind and getting going in lighter wind you just learn to work with it. A couple of points. A centimeter or two of stance width will make quite a big difference to how centered or back footed you ride it. It's for sure something to play around with instead of just set and forget like a lot of people will do it. Stance will modify flex between the center and the tips to have more or less springiness in either direction. It's all again very personal but it does modify how springy your pop is or how hard you have to push a board off it's rails to turn. Another interesting thing is when riding very powered up a board with high rocker soaks up gusts by dragging you off the rail because the board doesn't grip as sharply. Obviously that means it soaks up "performance" but it can also make a gusty day way more enjoyable. You can still overcome this to a point with good edging technique. I think boards is quite a fascinating topic. Boots is also something fun I tried the first time about a year ago. The amount of control and precision you get over a board is absolutely insane.
Wow! Very nice! Though you use the Duotone boards as examples your explanaitions always stay general enough to be applicable to other brands. On the other hand all explanations are specific enough to truely answer a lot of questions! Great job!
Thanks Marko. You're completely right. I try to keep it very general, so it's useful to all kiters, and applies to all boards, whether from major brands or local fabricators. Also, importantly I want the video have longevity - the design of kiteboards has shifted with the market a lot over the last 20 year and it will continue to do so (albeit a little more slowly) so hopefully what I've presented will still be useful in 10 years even if the designs change.
Great vid, I rented a board with higher rocker than my own dows and I had such a hard time staying upwind with less wind. Really started to doubt my skills and wind awareness on that spot. But the carving for a jump was so much easier to do
well done Alex! I love slightly more rocker and rounded shape, basically straight board are for beginner or freestyler Recently I'm passing to surfboards too
Thank you for the great video. It would be great if you could make a similar video for strapless surfboards, if it is with Duotone surfboards, this would be even greater 😀
Hi Gaetano how's it going? That would be an interesting topic. I don't currently have access to a range of directionals. But if I ever do I'll make a comparison. It took a lot of work, begging and borrowing to get hold of all the twintips in this video for testing, and directionals will be harder to get hold of.
@@kitesurfcollege Hi Alex! but you are sponsored from Duotone! maybe they can ship to you the demo surfboards gamma so that you can try them and make the video! would be absolutely Great! there are very few info on kite surfboards online and on TH-cam too! and is also a great service to Duotone
Amazing video! Thank you so much for taking the time to put the great and thorough overview together! A question on boards over the years: Would a newer board, eg 2023 Select make a big difference for someone like me? I have a second hand Gaastra Xenon from 2014. I’m a beginner who just recently started riding successfully upwind.
Hi David. At this stage you won't notice an enormous difference. The more you progress, however, the more you'll notice the difference. When you start riding in rougher conditions, doing transitions (turns) and jumps, then you'll notice the improvements a lot more. Maybe treat yourself to a new board as a reward after your first jump 😜
@@kitesurfcollege Looks like this became relevant faster than anticipated... Lost my board today on the water. Coming back to this video to decide on my next board! Thanks again Alex
Tricky question. I use a Jaime 136 now, but would probably prefer a Select in my 50s and 60s. So i'd have to choose a Select - and probably a 138 or 141 so I can retire and ride in tropical conditions - rather than ride overpowered in south africa.
Brilliant video, thank you! Can the jaime work ok in chop and playing around on the occasional wave? Do the angled edges cause the toeside edge to catch in the water a lot more and throw the rider over?
Hi Alexjcons. You can ride over chop without problems (once you're beyond the beginner stages). I do sometimes shred a few waves on my Jaime for fun when the swell is big. It works, you just don't get a smooth feeling during carves, so not much of a surf feel. The select gives more of a surf feel for a twintip, and of course a directional board even more so.
I just bought the Jamie unfortunately before I saw your video. If I understand you correctly, you would in general recommend the select over the Jamie (maby go with the SLS to go more the the right hand of the spectrum). And only if you are reeealy experienced, like you or people riding every week, one would feel a positive difference with the Jamie compared to the select. Is this correct?
Good question. There are different opinions on that. Generally wake style is unhooked freestyle, but with the kite a little lower (perhaps with the kite below 2 or below 10) so that there's much less lift from the kite making the style more similar to wakeboarding behind a boat or cable where the line pulling you stays at a low angle and doesn't lift you noticeably.
Hi Alex, have you seen this: th-cam.com/video/MtW8s3YAtbU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=rCuRFFkra7Zlbj51 It doesn't really look at styles of riding much, but explains the characteristics of each kite shape.
Hi. The Select gives a little smoother ride and little less "grip" or edge compared to the Jaime. This makes the select preferable for learners, older riders, people with knee issues etc. The jaime has a slightly firmer ride but a little more "grip" or edge. This is preferable for people wanting higher jumps and more control at top speed. I'm 41 and will probably change from a Jaime type board to a Select type board within the next 10 years.
I am a 95kg rider and have problems with shin splints from kiteboarding sessions with my current 145x45 fairly square board. My interest is hooked freeride and jumping. What do you recommend for less impact on shins in this situation?
Hi, in strong wind and for a hard sharp turn then a smaller board will work better. A larger board will give a slightly larger radius carve, and in light wind help keep you planing.
Hi Viktor. SLS is Duotone's name for products with more expensive materials, so for twintips that means the board version made with more carbon or other pricey materials.
Hi. It depends on how high you're jumping and if you're taking a kite size that means you're slightly overpowered. The 138 would be more all round, and easier in light wind; but you may find in 35kn if you're riding fast for take off and have a lot of force from the kite that you start to struggle to keep the rail sunk. The 135 would work better for handling more power from the kite for sure, but then it will be slightly more effort in light wind.
@@kitesurfcollege thanks. I have a 141x41 2023 Select. In the summer I had a couple of +35kts days on which i rented 8m evos and found it a bit too much with that board. In the meantime I added a 7m to my 9m. Therefor wondering if a smaller board would be a good idea to get to use my 9m in stringer winds before swapping to the 7m Have to say that I will be starting with jumping in a few weeks when I'm in Brazil.
This video is in a class of itw own: Systematic, explanatory, well structured. Thank you.
Cheers, much appreciated.
This is really interesting to watch. A true masterclass, Thank you for the effort you put in this video.
Glad you enjoyed it
Superb - and much needed - complex subject expertly compartmentalised & explained - with top graphics - huge thank you! :)
Cheers, you're very welcome!
We all needed this video, thanks
I hated watching this video cos I thought I might have purchased the wrong board. Turns out I didn‘t and now I understand more about why. Great video!
Keel. I love that keel on the newer imperators for big air. You can land hotter. Big difference to older imperators which were just flat.
This video is just insanely good. Well-structured, clear and excellent visualization. Thank you!
I have been figuring this out and after some years of trying different boards have ended up with basically pretty much a park board. I will likely still end up trying to get a slightly flatter board but for now I like it. With regards to getting up wind and getting going in lighter wind you just learn to work with it. A couple of points. A centimeter or two of stance width will make quite a big difference to how centered or back footed you ride it. It's for sure something to play around with instead of just set and forget like a lot of people will do it. Stance will modify flex between the center and the tips to have more or less springiness in either direction. It's all again very personal but it does modify how springy your pop is or how hard you have to push a board off it's rails to turn. Another interesting thing is when riding very powered up a board with high rocker soaks up gusts by dragging you off the rail because the board doesn't grip as sharply. Obviously that means it soaks up "performance" but it can also make a gusty day way more enjoyable. You can still overcome this to a point with good edging technique. I think boards is quite a fascinating topic. Boots is also something fun I tried the first time about a year ago. The amount of control and precision you get over a board is absolutely insane.
Great. All brands should have videos like it. That would seriously boost sales. Like i want the jaime now after watching this
So informative. Really, your videos are the most informative IN GENERAL of everything I watch on youtube. Thank you!!!
Damn, I’ve been looking for this video for quite some time… masterclass and excellent content!! Thanks a lot mate
Fantastic video, at 10:08 - i'd suggest Hooked Big Air, Twin tip big air, or just big air. I hardly hear anyone use the term freestyle for big air
pitty you can't talk about other brands.but it gave me the tools. Great vid!! very usefull!
Wow! Very nice! Though you use the Duotone boards as examples your explanaitions always stay general enough to be applicable to other brands. On the other hand all explanations are specific enough to truely answer a lot of questions! Great job!
Thanks Marko. You're completely right. I try to keep it very general, so it's useful to all kiters, and applies to all boards, whether from major brands or local fabricators. Also, importantly I want the video have longevity - the design of kiteboards has shifted with the market a lot over the last 20 year and it will continue to do so (albeit a little more slowly) so hopefully what I've presented will still be useful in 10 years even if the designs change.
great and usefull video. please make a similar one explaining how to choose harness
Clear and simple! Not an easy task! Congratulations!!
Greeat video! Now i have sure that Jaime is the right board for me! Thanksss
Danke!
Best presentation about t tips out there; you got me thinking......
Well done
Comprehensive - Well done
Great vid, I rented a board with higher rocker than my own dows and I had such a hard time staying upwind with less wind. Really started to doubt my skills and wind awareness on that spot. But the carving for a jump was so much easier to do
Nailed it, easily the best vid on the subject
Waouh, gold video as always. I only have one board, now I know I need at least another 10 of them..😂
Thank you so much! Best video to understand boards ❤
These videos are so precious ❣
Thanks Mathieude
Phenomenal video. Much like the kite shape video. Thanks a lot.
Cheers KingRenos
Really great explanations :) im looking at getting the Jaime SLS 2024 soon, new shape and material looks good.
Exellent video, as usual! :)
thank you fot this if its possible would be nice to have one with surf boards
well done Alex! I love slightly more rocker and rounded shape, basically straight board are for beginner or freestyler
Recently I'm passing to surfboards too
Thanks Gaetano
Thanks for the video
thanx in the name of the twintip riders. some of us do not use such a pieces of gear but nevertheless, informative!!!!
Amazing video!!!
Thankyou Rapparini
Thank you for the great video. It would be great if you could make a similar video for strapless surfboards, if it is with Duotone surfboards, this would be even greater 😀
Excellent ! Shared !
Excelent as always ❤
Thanks so much Josea
Enjoyed that. Great vid
Thanks 👍
would be also very appreciated on surfboard! that probably are still also less known!
Hi Gaetano how's it going? That would be an interesting topic. I don't currently have access to a range of directionals. But if I ever do I'll make a comparison. It took a lot of work, begging and borrowing to get hold of all the twintips in this video for testing, and directionals will be harder to get hold of.
@@kitesurfcollege Hi Alex! but you are sponsored from Duotone! maybe they can ship to you the demo surfboards gamma so that you can try them and make the video! would be absolutely Great! there are very few info on kite surfboards online and on TH-cam too! and is also a great service to Duotone
Very educating video😊
Cheers, glad you think so
Great video! See you around in Laangebaan
Amazing video! Thank you so much for taking the time to put the great and thorough overview together!
A question on boards over the years: Would a newer board, eg 2023 Select make a big difference for someone like me?
I have a second hand Gaastra Xenon from 2014. I’m a beginner who just recently started riding successfully upwind.
Hi David. At this stage you won't notice an enormous difference. The more you progress, however, the more you'll notice the difference. When you start riding in rougher conditions, doing transitions (turns) and jumps, then you'll notice the improvements a lot more. Maybe treat yourself to a new board as a reward after your first jump 😜
@@kitesurfcollege Looks like this became relevant faster than anticipated... Lost my board today on the water. Coming back to this video to decide on my next board! Thanks again Alex
If someone will ask you to pick one Duotone board to the rest of of the life , what board it will be and what size ? ;)
Tricky question. I use a Jaime 136 now, but would probably prefer a Select in my 50s and 60s. So i'd have to choose a Select - and probably a 138 or 141 so I can retire and ride in tropical conditions - rather than ride overpowered in south africa.
Brilliant video, thank you! Can the jaime work ok in chop and playing around on the occasional wave? Do the angled edges cause the toeside edge to catch in the water a lot more and throw the rider over?
Hi Alexjcons. You can ride over chop without problems (once you're beyond the beginner stages). I do sometimes shred a few waves on my Jaime for fun when the swell is big. It works, you just don't get a smooth feeling during carves, so not much of a surf feel. The select gives more of a surf feel for a twintip, and of course a directional board even more so.
Top
I just bought the Jamie unfortunately before I saw your video.
If I understand you correctly, you would in general recommend the select over the Jamie (maby go with the SLS to go more the the right hand of the spectrum). And only if you are reeealy experienced, like you or people riding every week, one would feel a positive difference with the Jamie compared to the select. Is this correct?
13:40 unhooked freestyle = wakestyle ?
Good question. There are different opinions on that. Generally wake style is unhooked freestyle, but with the kite a little lower (perhaps with the kite below 2 or below 10) so that there's much less lift from the kite making the style more similar to wakeboarding behind a boat or cable where the line pulling you stays at a low angle and doesn't lift you noticeably.
Hi, I can’t find any info on how to become a member. I’d like to join please!
Hi, why not do the same thing for the kite types too? freestyle, freeride, wave etc.
Hi Alex, have you seen this: th-cam.com/video/MtW8s3YAtbU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=rCuRFFkra7Zlbj51
It doesn't really look at styles of riding much, but explains the characteristics of each kite shape.
When would you pick the Select over the Jaime?
Hi. The Select gives a little smoother ride and little less "grip" or edge compared to the Jaime. This makes the select preferable for learners, older riders, people with knee issues etc. The jaime has a slightly firmer ride but a little more "grip" or edge. This is preferable for people wanting higher jumps and more control at top speed. I'm 41 and will probably change from a Jaime type board to a Select type board within the next 10 years.
@@kitesurfcollege haha, I'm the same age and have been debating on which one to pick. I don't do unhooked tricks and have been kiting since 2004.
I am a 95kg rider and have problems with shin splints from kiteboarding sessions with my current 145x45 fairly square board. My interest is hooked freeride and jumping.
What do you recommend for less impact on shins in this situation?
How does the length of a board impacts the ability to aggressively carving?
For example does a 142 jaime carves less good than a 136 jaime?
Hi, in strong wind and for a hard sharp turn then a smaller board will work better. A larger board will give a slightly larger radius carve, and in light wind help keep you planing.
What is sls board. Thanks for your videos. And fock wing
Hi Viktor. SLS is Duotone's name for products with more expensive materials, so for twintips that means the board version made with more carbon or other pricey materials.
With around 72kg, would you suggest to take the 138 select for 35kts conditions? Or go even smaller to the 135? Thanks
Hi. It depends on how high you're jumping and if you're taking a kite size that means you're slightly overpowered. The 138 would be more all round, and easier in light wind; but you may find in 35kn if you're riding fast for take off and have a lot of force from the kite that you start to struggle to keep the rail sunk. The 135 would work better for handling more power from the kite for sure, but then it will be slightly more effort in light wind.
@@kitesurfcollege thanks. I have a 141x41 2023 Select. In the summer I had a couple of +35kts days on which i rented 8m evos and found it a bit too much with that board. In the meantime I added a 7m to my 9m. Therefor wondering if a smaller board would be a good idea to get to use my 9m in stringer winds before swapping to the 7m Have to say that I will be starting with jumping in a few weeks when I'm in Brazil.