Surfboard size question.

[Russky]

I'm looking for a surfboard for surfing AND kite wave riding.
What size should I get?

5’10" - 5’11" surf kiteboard is considered "big" for kitesurfing, but will it be enough for regular surfing?

Rider: height 5'9", weight 190 lb (200 lb during long holidays).
Conditions: Tampa Bay gulf side, waves here are rather just big dirty chop than clean swell.

[inferno]

russky, im 200 and i rode a 6'2" and a 6'10", both considered on the smaller size for our weight...
youll have a very hard time riding anything under 6' in our conditions, the only reason the 6'2" worked for me is because it was extra wide, which would be a bad thing for trying to use it on a kite (imho)...

[BigR]

When I used to surf in Puerto Rico ( Real Waves + I weighed 150#s ) I used a 6'1" twin fin local motion board. I could not have possibly gone on a smaller board at that weight. I hate to think what kind of a board it would take now for our crappy little waves and my , ummm... increase in proportions.

Anyways, 5'5" to 5'10" is perfect for me for kite surf boarding in the waves. So to answer your question, You need separate boards for each sport

[Russky]

Alright, after playing with different "surf" boards on the water that seems to be true, more than 6' feels just too big for kite wavering...

I'm still fuzzy about thrusters' side fins angle (not parallel to the central one).



It seems to create a drag and slow down the board. Majority of kite surfboards have this fin configuration as well.
What's the purpose of this?
Are there surf kiteboards with all-parallel fins?

[inferno]

one reason is to add drag, which helps keep you on the wave, if the boards to fast then youll go right down the face of the wave and get to far infront of it, i know there are board mde for kite surfing bigger faster waves, i assume those migh have parallel fins on them.....

[BigR]

I use Quad fins, basically two sets of twin fins


The more fins you have the more drag, However they all seem to be pretty parallel

I really don't know if the center fin helps you in kitesurfing???

[admin]

All my old directional kiteboards had thrusters, some even had one or two more small fins than that along the rails at the mid sections of the board. Selecting the correct fin type and size is essential to proper board performance particularly while kiting. They do add drag however the right sized ones for normal riding, not an all out speed race, not enough to worry about as a rule. On the other hand if you are missing the thrusters on a kiteboard you will notice a loss in performance when water starting, turning and riding closer to the wind. The extra fins come into particular play when you are turning or the board is edging off a flat state. Just because a board has fins that are good for surfing doesn't mean it is an optimal setup for traction kiting. One way to checkout what specific fins do is to take them off one at a time and then ride with it. I used to do this routinely by losing them! You might look at Protek fins as well, improves the odds of nasty skegging, an occupational hazard. Board rail shape, rocker also have a lot to due with performance beyond fin consideations. A good kiter can make due riding almost anything but if you want to improve performance that is when board and fin characteristics come into play.

[inferno]

with parellel fins placed under (or close to) your back foot, it allows for easier bottom and top turns, if the center fin is to far from where your foot is, then it will be considerably hard to make a hard fast turn, trust me, i face planted the first time i tried on my board....

[Russky]

...Just found an interesting article, configurable fins with some theory explanations, see para 2, 3, 4.

http://www.4wfs.com/index.php?p=sufers-guide#2