BayAreaKiteboarding.com

So I decided I want a new twin tip, but I can't decide what to get.
I usually ride in the bay and sherman, some coastal kiting.
I weigh about between 208 lbs mid season 215 lbs pre season.
I'm looking for a board that excels in the following: up wind, pop and carve on some wind swell. Here is the catch, it need to be easy on the knee's. I currently ride a nobile 666 circa 2007. And it's a great board but the knees hurt after a while.
I welcome your suggestions and roasts.

Ocean Rodeo Mako 150X40 or Mako 140x40
rides like a cadillac, but handles like a porsche

Robert, I'm sure others will add info, but try the 2010 Misfit, it's plush, motors upwind, has great pop, sticks landings and won't break the bank.

http://www.slingshotsports.com/2010-Mis ... gory=17588

I ride a 2010 Lunacy, but rode this also and it is very nice. Let me know if you want to try one.

Ocean Rodeo Mako def gets my vote.. Great twintip for in the coastal waves and SCREAMS upwind like no other. I love it because its super carvy on the small waves super easy to ride as well.

Does the Mako have good pop?
What are the freestly ability of the board?

it has decent pop and i do freestyle with mine occasionally but its not designed specifically for that. Its great for carving, freeriding, going upwind, and jumping.

Generally, narrower, rounder tips are indeed better for carving and turning. Wider, more square tips will offer more power and pop for freestyle. It's early in the season, you still have some time to choose, so the best thing to do for any board, any brand is to try them out on the water and see what works best for you.

Hey Robert,
Throwing another board into to mix here fo ya; you got to try out my 138 Thorn last Saturday @ Alameda for a short spell but I think that you said the straps were too loose so you couldn't really get a feel for it (can't believe that you were riding w/o booties in the cold). Feel free to adjust it to your feet if you want to take it out again as I won't be out on the water for a couple of weeks. Otherwise, methinks its a great all around twinny good for bay chop and especially fun at SI. It should be fine on the knees, but honestly I've always kinda disliked the Naish pads when compared to others; eg the OR or Liquid Force ones that feel way more cush. I'm sure that aids a little w/ absorbing landings and cutting through chop, no?
Happy hunting!

The Naish Thorn is a flat water plank...Hard as a rock.. you must be in very good shape if you think the Thorn is a smooth board. If you were going with the Naish Brand, the soft forgiving board is the SOL.

rather than tell you what board to get (because well, we ALL have brand allegiances...as do I...). I'd rather you understand why a board is right for you rather than just go on a random testimonial.

I'm going to tell you what i think you should look for in a board. and then you can make your own decisions.

1. get something around a 138 x 42 in size.
2. get something with a wood core (these tend to flex better and pop better)
3. get something with ROCKER

carving and popping and easy on the knees = rocker. in other words, don't get a "freestyle" board designed for winning competitions on the PKRA tour. If someone is riding the board in a professional freestyle setting, it's not the board for you. these guys are all 18 and have ligaments like rubber bands. they can handle a super stiff flat board that cranks upwind and destroys them on landings.

you knees hurt because the nobile666 is a super flat, super stiff freestyle board. pretty much every company is recognizing the need for a more rockered shape, but the reality is that in europe, the super flat/stiff boards are still king. So, the major european brands (North, Nobile, Carved) still don't really make a good rockered board.

to give you an idea of the type of board you're looking for...you want something like,

the Fone Traxx, the Naish Momentum, LF Influence, Cabrinha Custom

(there are many others, but those come to mind at the moment...)

I'd recommend demoing first though, because if you're used to a flat board (your 666) a rockered board might take some getting used to. ask someone on the beach to try theirs, or you could always PM me or any of the other reps...and we'd be glad to help you out.