what size fins u guys riding for the gulf chop?

Hey tom..

U said 2"?...
Is that odd? They came stock w/my board.. But then again its a weird shape aswell...140x38 everyone around here seems to use really wide boards, this thing seems skinny to me. Says its good to learn to jump with but feels kinda heavy...well not really heavy but you know...
Oh well what do i know...im used to my surfboard its maybe 2Lbs....

Oh yea "standing up straight"...
Holy crap nothing new for u guys but when i would ease off my edge the board would bearly skim the top of the water and it felt like i just hit the freakin turbo button...i would get goin so fast i was out of control then i would just beef it ... My wife was laughing her a$$ off...it was awesome
Just for the record i have had so much fun learning to do this $hit and want to thant ALL of U for dealing with my endless questions...!
"All kite rock and so do you guys"
Jason...

I don't like big fins, my board just has them.
I like 45 cm fins. I gave Donna the Flexi with the less aggressive fin setup

Ugh, 38 wide. Yikes... Jason, if you are going upwind on that, you are a master level kiter at your size, seriously.

What the heck does that mean...
Now i have more questions...
Is thet not wide enough.. to wide...? What...?

[BigR]

What the heck does that mean...
Now i have more questions...
Is thet not wide enough.. to wide...? What...?

36-38cm is what we started out with in the begining, but we all learned that 39-44 was best depending on board length from 133-156. Also obviously if windy or not.

as far as fins, you only really need them for re-entry from jumping.
if you are spinning out then maybe rocker on your board is bad.
Personally , I use 1 3/4" on my twintips but anywhere from 1 1/2" to 2 1/4" fins work fine. I never change them

I messed up, Donna's fins are 45mm... yikes.


I think 38 is pretty narrow. It's almost always better to err on slightly too big a board (especially width) to start, than too narrow. Especially in FL, most guys end up getting a light wind board eventually, anyway. Like Raul says, we have grown wise to what board works for kiting and not wakeboarding.

I ride a 40 cm wide board from 15 to ??? and I weigh 160.
Most guys in the 190 or more range around here are riding 42 wide or so, even in reasonable wind. Yes, 2 cm in width makes a world of difference in planing and upwind ability, all other factors being constant. 4 cms is night and day.

If you are going upwind on your board, wait til you try a wider board, holy moley, you will go WAY upwind. I honestly can't believe you were making a 13m kite and that board work in sub 20. Nice job.

I just looked at your avatar again. Maybe you aren't very big... and your board is just REALLY small!?

Im not that tall 5'10 but im heavy imo 220lbs yikes...

But this is really good news, when im able to ride upwind in both directions on this board ill be all set on better suited board...just gotta find out what that might be...?

So many good options these days. Don't let yourself feel like you have to nail "the" perfect board. No such thing. There might be a best bang for buck, but no perfect board.
Thankfully, most boards are pretty good these days. I can't think of too many outright losers, if any.
I would ask a couple of the guys in your size range what they are on and take it from there.

Yeah, if you are making that thing work in 20 or less on a 13m kite, you are a fricking natural at this, trust me. It's going to make kiting ten times more enjoyable once you nail the right sized board, that's no exaggeration.
The kite is one thing, but too small a board ruins the whole gig, imo.
Especially as a new rider. You'll see. :-D

[toby wilson]

Dude, hit up Bayflite and see if he has any more Ocean Rodeo Mako 150's left in stock or on order. The board ROCKS for downwinders and was PERFECT during the test run two Sundays ago. It is a TT but has 18MM of concave and is very narrow with only 2 fins, one in the middle on each end of the board. The 150 Mako just plain kicks @$$ in waves and chop, I don't think I'll ever ride anything else when I am going for speed on a downwinder with plenty of wind. I also have the wakestyle Mako 134 but it just isn't quite as nice in the waves, is great in flat water and in chop though.

Just my opinion...

Now for an every day board there are plenty of options as Scott said. I ride a Skywalker 131 Dimitri Pro and a Skywalker Lightwind Dimitri Pro when in light wind. Yes, I am affiliated with Dimitri and Skywalker so take that for what it is worth but they are nice boards for the money and I don't have anything in stock so I have nothing to gain by recommending them.

You are more than welcome to demo any of my boards though before you decide what is right for you. I only posted this because I am 6'6" tall and 230-250 lbs depending on what the wind has been doing lately so I feel your pain when it comes to being a bigger guy and finding the right gear for you...but there are other big guys who like other gear, ask around and try before you buy my friend...