Gear Guide

Maui Gear & Equipment Guide

EQUIPMENT GUIDE
RECOMMENDED GEAR FOR YOUR LESSONS

GEAR GUIDE
RECOMMENDED GEAR FOR AFTER YOUR LESSONS

EQUIPMENT GUIDE
RECOMMENDED GEAR FOR YOUR LESSONS
The learning experience is challenging enough without having the wrong gear. We have found that using equipment specifically designed for learning or chosen for its user friendly characteristics, will enhance the learning process. We recommend using this Gear Guide. You will have greater success, more fun, and maintain a higher level of motivation. Use the equipment recommended in this Gear Guide.

Personal Gear and Supplies you should Bring for All Lessons:

Wear Sturdy Swimwear (board shorts), this goes for men and women.
Wear a rash-guard shirt; If you are buying one, get a long sleeved rash-guard.
Bring your booties (reef shoes) if you have them. (We have them if you don’t).
If you have a “shorty” wetsuit, bring it along.
Yoga (lycra) pants are recommended to protect legs from, scratches, sun, chafing, and jellyfish.
Always wear a good waterproof sunscreen, that is designed for surfers. Good sunscreen will be at least 30+ or 40+ SPF,
and it will not wash off or burn the eyes.
Wear a hat, or baseball cap; Wear your hat at all times in and out of the water.
Wear sunglasses, preferably polarized, at all times on the beach.
Ideally you should purchase water-sunglasses, like the Sea-Specs or Oakley Water-jackets (available from us).
Bring plenty of water to drink at the beach.
Bring all your usual medications (if any).
Bring your lunch in a cooler if you want to spend the whole day at the beach.
Bring a beach towel.
Bring a set of dry clothes to change into.
Bring a minimum amount of cash for incidentals, and instructor Gratuities 🙂

What NOT to Bring to the Beach:

Do not wear jewelry or expensive watches; instead you should lock them in the safe in your hotel room or leave them at home.
Do not wear eyeglasses without a sturdy strap, or you WILL lose them. Do not wear expensive sunglasses without a sturdy strap.
Do not bring expensive cameras; unless you have someone to sit on the beach and use them during your lesson. You will not be able to secure your cameras and valuable electronics while engaged in a lesson or activity.
Do not bring your wallet with all of your cash and credit cards; Just bring one credit card, and ID, and a small amount of cash. (for incidentals, and instructor Gratuities 🙂
Wedding Rings and Engagement Rings; These do often fall off in the ocean, so maybe better to take them off before the activity and secure them properly somewhere at home.

Gear Selection: when you are doing one of our beginner lessons all the gear is supplied. The instructor selects the gear for you based on your weight, experience, and the conditions of the day. There are different sized boards and sails to choose from, and generally a bigger person will need a bigger board and sail than a smaller person. Bigger boards are easier to balance on, and have more stability. Bigger sails are heavier to lift, but have more power to counterbalance with. Getting the right mix is part of the instructor’s skills and experience. You instructor will usually ask you about your experiences in different sports to gauge your fitness level, and athletic abilities. Don’t feel embarrassed is they recommend a big board, it just means that they want you to have a good time. We often see beginners going into too smaller boards before they are ready. This means frustration, and less time on top of the board, and more time trying to get back on.

What is Beginner Gear? Beginner gear is equipment the was either specifically designed for use by beginners, or is gear that has great advantages for beginners. Often when they design gear for pros, some of the design benefits will also be beneficial for beginners, and will translate into better gear for beginners too. Selecting the right gear for the situation, makes learning much easier. When we are learning so much at once, we don’t want you to struggle with your gear also. Why make learning harder than it has to be. If you were Robinson Crusoe on a desert island with just one board, you would do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to learn to ride it. But fortunately now you don’t have to. We have all the beginner gear, in the school, and for rent. This way you can use all the easy gear at first, and gradually step up onto more challenging gear when you are ready. Take full advantage of all the gear available, and your progress will be faster, and learning will be more enjoyable.

Does Size matter? Boards vary greatly in their dimensions and designs. There are different classes of board, that are generally described by their intended function. “All round boards”, “fun boards”, “Slalom Boards”, “Race Boards”, and “Wave Boards” etc. In the all round and beginner class boards, the sizes vary greatly. It is important to know the specifications, so the you know the gear’s limitations. A big dude, will not be happy on a small ladies board. Generally it is better to have a board that is too big when learning, but this is just a generalization, and there are specific cases when bigger is not better. Your instructor can best advise you. When it comes to sails and kites, smaller is better because they have less power and are lighter for learning. The characteristics that we are really looking for are, Stability: Low Power, and lightweight! When you are taking lessons to use the gear, your instructor will also be teaching you about the gear, and what gear is suitable for your ability level.

Basic Measurements: Boards vary greatly in their shape and design, even if they are designed for the same purpose. the purpose may be to be used as a “beginner board”, but the different board designers may have different ideas on how to achieve the ideal board. There are some general design conventions, but also there are a few design concepts unique to certain designers. There are two important measurements to be considered with boards, and that is length width and volume. The length will give the first indication of size, but some boards are long and fat, some are long and skinny, so we need to know the Volume also known as displacement. The volume gives an indication of the stability, and the amount of weight the board can carry.

Basic Measurements
Length	feet inches and meters, or centimeters	Gives a basic indication of the size and range of the board	Longer is more easy
Volume	given in Liters	Gives an indication of the carrying capacity of the board, also stability	Bigger is easier
Width	in inches or centimeters	The boards max width, indicates the stability and speed.	Wider is more stable.
Other Measurements
Wide Point	Measured as a percentage of the board’s length.	Wide point is a measure of design,	wide point back is stable at lower speeds.
Rocker	Measured in inches or descriptively.	Rocker is the bottom curve that helps a board to turn, but also affects stability and speed.	A little tail rocker and lots of nose rocker for beginners.

Don’t be confused: Board statistics and technical details can easily overwhelm the novice. Don’t worry about the tech stuff, there are always friendly guys at the shop who are more than happy to talk “Tech Specs” with you and explain all the design features of different boards. Just keep in mind that you should start paying attention to the gear now, so that one day you will be able to describe your ideal board to the rental guy, of the retail sales clerk. or maybe even Santa Clause.

Beginner Windsurf Boards: will be between 11-12feet and 180 liters up to 230 liters, they have enough stability to stand on easily when not moving, and they can support the weight of the sail too. Wider & bigger is best for the first few lessons. After a few lessons when the student has better balance skills, they may not need so much stability, and may want to trade down to a slightly narrower/smaller board. Smaller boards are faster, and turn easier.

Beginner Windsurf Lesson: Naish Kailua 200L with a 2.0m – 3.0m school sail, larger sail for heavier sailors. Sailors over 220lbs may want to use the 230 liter “Naish Kailua”. (Students should bring booties, waterproof sunscreen, rash-vest or tee-shirt, drinking water or drinks). Bring the biggest most stable board you can find, and a lightweight sail, with a low boom. Do not jump on a friend’s “shortboard” because you will be totally frustrated. Most actual beginner boards are often only found in schools, which is a good reason to buy a lesson. Many rental fleets will not bother stocking a true beginner’s board, so you are just given the biggest board they have, (or the biggest one they are prepared to lift onto your car’s roof-racks.)

Waterstart Lesson:
Transition Boards 120 liters for lighter sailors with 4.0m – 4.5m sail.
Transition Boards 140 liters with 4.5m -5.0m sail is standard for average sailors.
Transition Boards 160 liters with 5.0m – 5.6m wave sails for heavier sailors.
(No centerboards or cambered sails please)
_{A transition style board, or a big floaty short-board (aka funboard). Not too big though, because it is an advantage if the board can sink slightly under your weight.}

Harness & Footstrap Lesson: (First time shortboarders)
Transition Boards 130liters (with 3 footstraps) for lighter sailors
Transition Boards 160liters (with 3 footstraps) is standard for average sailors.
Transition Boards 180liters (with a retracting centerboard, with 3 footstraps) for heavier sailors.
(wave sails preferred, slightly underpowered, waist harness with a high hook)
_{A transition style board, is a big floaty short-board (aka funboard). When learning the straps you need an easy planing board that has a wide unsinkable tail.}

Shortboard Jibe Lesson: General rule; floaty slalom boards with slightly underpowered sails. (Students should already be using the harness and footstraps). For longboard jibes we do a warm up exercise on the Kailuas. (with the Centerboard up). _{A floaty wave/bump style board is best, is a big floaty short-board (aka funboard). When learning the straps you need an easy planing board that has a wide unsinkable tail.}

Jumping & Looping lessons:
Bump & Jump 120L should be the maximum size board for jumping class.
100L Floaty waveboards, bump & jump boards are best for loop class.
All students must wear a helmet, and wetsuit or impact jacket.
_{Loop lessons can be punishing on the gear, so do not use an eggshell strength board. Use a stronger production board, with a nose-guard. (for the board), (but one for yourself is not a bad idea either.).}

Beginner Surfing lessons: 9ft longboards like the “BZ foamy” for students up to 185lbs. 10 foot long-boards for heavier surfers 185-210 pounds. 11 foot long-boards for big folk 210-230 pounds Children can use the 8ft BZ if they’re very small. We recommend a rash vest and booties. Big is beautiful. We have more success and more fun using a slightly oversized surfboard. Larger boards are easier to paddle and have more stability than shorter ones.

GEAR GUIDE
RECOMMENDED GEAR FOR AFTER YOUR LESSONS
Gear Guide: Once you have learned the basics, you will want to buy your own gear that will grow with you as you progress. Having used user-friendly gear in the learning process, was just the stepping stone to something a little more challenging. In this section, we recommend the gear that is quality and offers the most versatility for a rapidly progressing student.

ACCESSORIES

BOARDIES
Wear Sturdy Swimwear (board shorts), this goes for men and women. Shorts offer protection against board rash and sand infiltration. Surf shorts will be made of a synthetic fabric so they quick dry, and have a tied fly so they don’t fall off in the surf, or Velcro fly with a snap, Not a rusty metal zipper. Newer shorts have done away with the velcro fly too, and have a fabric insert , instead of the scratchy velcro, fly closure. Good shorts will allow freedom of movement. My latest O’Neill shorts have stretch panels made of ultra thin neoprene. I like to have one pair of shorts for every day-per-week I surf. I surf seven days per week, so I have seven pairs. I try to rinse off my shorts in fresh water after every use, I jump in the shower with them and kick them around in the soapy water, -This is the surfer’s laundry trick. Check out the stretchy fabrics in some of the newer board shorts. They are way more comfortable. Some of the high-end shorts incorporate neoprene and rubber in the stretchy parts, so you cannot put them in the clothes dryer. A good pair of shorts will cost about $50.00 – $60.00

RASH GUARDS
Wear a rash-guard shirt for sun protection or under a wetsuit to increase warmth, and to reduce friction that could chafe and cause a rash. Rash-guards are also way better than sunscreen for protecting your skin. When you are buying one, get a long sleeved rashguard for the most protection. There are different styles and makes, some are slinky Lycra, and there are polypro fleecy fabric for more warmth. Take care when choosing a lighter color because white becomes transparent when wet.

BOOTIES
Bring your booties if you have them. You can get thin ones or thick ones. Split toe or round toe. Try them on and check your foot straps to see if they will still fit. Generally, for use with board-sports you will want a bootie with a relatively thin sole, especially when you are using foot-straps. Surfers prefer a thin sole bootie so that they can feel the board better with their feet. A sports bootie will often have a velcro strap to secure the bootie tight so it will not get ripped off on the waves. Booties provide better grip, but most of all they will provide protection from rocks, coral, and most sea urchins etc.

WETSUITS
On Maui, if you have a “shorty” wetsuit, you should wear it. When buying a wetsuit, get a good fit!!! Comfort is king. For more information on wetsuits check out our Online Ocean Education Pages. Buying a wetsuit should be done with care. Take the time to try as many different suits as you can, which is a difficult task in itself. Do not get rushed into a decision or swayed by discounts. Select an appropriate style and thickness of neoprene for the water temperature in your area. In Hawaii, you would not think about needing a wetsuit but there are times when you need a little insulation. Remember that water conducts heat faster than air, and wind chill, on wet skin cools you down fast. The stronger the wind, the cooler you get.

SUNSCREEN
Always wear a good waterproof sunscreen (sunblock), that is designed for surfers. A good sunscreen will be a 30+ or 40+ SPF. It should be waterproof and it will not wash off or burn the eyes. I use one thick gel for my face, and I use a separate lotion for my shoulders etc. Some are alcohol based (no thanks) Bullfrog is well known, but gets in my eyes. “Zinc Oxide” cream is a good sun blocker, it is the one with the distinctive white (or pink) color, that does not rub in. The active ingredient in many sunscreens is “Titanium dioxide”. I have tried every waterproof sunscreen and still prefer to use the Aloe Gator Gel (not the lotion) for my face. It is so thick it does not wash off. You actually have to wash your face quite thoroughly after using it. It is not available everywhere, so when I see it I buy several large tubes of the stuff. It is about fifteen bucks per tube. People with sensitive skin might prefer the “Raw Elements” at about $20 for a stick or a small bottle.Update: Always Get Reef-Safe products as some ingredients in sunscreen can harm coral. And always insist on products that are natural, and Not tested on animals.

HATS
Wear a hat or baseball cap. Wear your hat at all times when you are not in the water. The bigger the brim the better. but that is until the wind comes up, You may need to downsize your hat as you downsize your sails. Make sure the hat has a good strap to keep it from blowing away. Wear a hat in the water (when you are not wearing a helmet). We like the FCS hats with the neoprene chin strap. These stay on good and protect your head from sun and scrapes. Some hats have wide floppy brims that will fold down over your eyes at the critical moment. Get one with a moderate width brim that is stiff enough to withstand some strong wind while wet.

SUNGLASSES
Wear sunglasses, preferably polarized, at all times on the beach, & while driving etc. And preferably you also should wear eye protection on the water. Ideally you should purchase water-sunglasses, like the Oakley Water-jackets, or Sea-Specs. I wear these surfing, windsurfing and kiteboarding. These reduce harsh effects of sun, wind and salt spray on your eyes. Long term these effects can damage your vision. If you wear prescription sunglasses, make sure you have a secure strap when in the water. Better yet invest in some prescription sports sunglasses that you can take in the water.

HARNESSES

The DaKine “Thermo” and “Pyro” waist harnesses, and the Naish waist harnesses, are the simplest and easiest harnesses to use, especially if you like the freedom the waist harness provides. These harnesses are useful for kiteboard and windsurf. (Hammerhead bars are for kiteboarding use only) get the generic hook if you intend to use the harness for both sports. You may also want to get a bar pad for under the spreader bar. Wear a rash-guard under the harness to eliminate the inevitable chaffing.

DaKine fusion seat harness or the Naish Balance seat harness, for kiteboarding and windsurfing offer the most support and comfort. (Hammerhead spreader bars are for kiteboarding use only) get the generic hook if you intend to use the harness for both sports. The lower hook, is great for lighter riders, and especially kiters with shorter arms (women & kids). The seat harness doesn’t ride up as much as a waist harness, so they are great for weekend warriors and intermediate riders. You will want to wear board-shorts under these types of harness to give you a little protection under the leg straps. and sometimes a second layer of lycra shorts helps too.

WINDSURFING GEAR

Beginner Windsurf equipment:
Hifly 335 Revo with a 2.0m – 3.0m school sail, larger sail for heavier sailors. Sailors over 220lbs may want to rent the “Naish Kailua”. These wide style beginner boards are available in several different sizes & lengths. Heavy people will want the 230 liter version, and lighter sailors might prefer the 180 liter. Some boards of the larger boards will come equipped with a retractable center-board. These boards will be the best on light winds.
Small lightweight sails will work best, Sail sizes will be relative to the rider’s weight.

Shortboard Jibe equipment:
After you have mastered the shortboard basics the next challenge will be mastering the jibe. Some boards are easier to jibe than others. As a general rule; floaty wave/slalom boards with slightly underpowered sails work best. (You should already be using the harness and footstraps and waterstarting). Your board should have a slightly curvy tail rocker. A bump & jump board will foot steer a lot easier then a flatter slalom board. Your board should have a single rear footstrap on the board’s center-line. or slightly offset to leward side. This helps with the pre-jibe bear away.

Harness & Footstrap equipment: (First time shortboarders)
A big Floaty 160 -182 liter board with good beginner placement straps works best. these boards plane early, and are forgiving even when if not kept in perfect trim. This is best for learning the harness and straps. Then you can pare down your board size to about 120-140 liter for some more speed and learning some basic jibing. Wave and bump sails work best, keep the rig light and slightly under-powered until you can use the harness and have got at least one foot in the footstraps. (wave sails preferred, slightly underpowered, Waist harness with a high hook)

Jumping & Looping equipment:
A bump-n-jump 115l board should be the maximum size board for jumping class.
Floaty waveboards, bump & jump boards are best for loop class. The Naish Wave, is an epoxy foam sandwich board with good strength to weight characteristics. Wave sails, with short booms. Preferable 4.5m or smaller. With strong carbon-fiber wave masts. Wear a helmet like the Protec, Deluge, or Gath. A wetsuit will provide some protection against scrapes, bruises and slaps. There are also some good thin style impact jackets.

SURFING GEAR

Beginner Surfing equipment:
9ft longboards like the “Surftech soft-top” for students up to 185lbs.
10 foot longboards for heavier surfers 185-210 pounds.
11 foot longboards for big folk 210-230 pounds
Children should use the 8ft BZ if they’re very small.
We always recommend that you use a rash vest and wear booties.

*After your lessons you will want to take about one foot off the board length you used in your lessons.
*If you used a 10 foot board in the lesson, buy yourself a nine footer.
*some consideration should be given to your fitness level, and anyone else sharing the board with you.
*If two different size people are to share one board, you should choose the board to suit the heavier surfer.

FOAMIES: If you have children learning to surf, a “foamie” board could be the best first board for them. Foamies are a softer foam construction *After your lesson you will want to take about one foot off the board length you used in your lesson.
*If you used a 10 foot board in the lesson, buy yourself a nine footer.
*some consideration should be given to your fitness level, and anyone else sharing the board with you.
*If two different size people are to share one board, you should choose the board to suit the heavier surfer.boards. There are several types, that are more or less sophisticated. The “BZ” brand foam board is the traditional beginner board. 8, 9, and 10 foot sizes are available. these boards are the safest type, because they are soft and they have soft plastic fins. These boards should be rinsed in freshwater after use, and kept out of direct sunlight as much as possible. Sun damage will age these boards prematurely.

SOFT-TOPS: The softtop type board is a hard epoxy board with a foam skin over the deck, these boards have the performance of regular boards, with more durability. These boards are suited to adults and intermediate surfers. SOFTOPS blend performance, safety and durability. Their unique epoxy/fiberglass construction gives SOFTOPS a stiffness that helps them out-perform sponge or soft surfboards. And their E.V.A. foam-rubber deck-and-rail combination gives you extra safety, comfort and traction without wax. Sizes available are: 5’6″, 7’0″, 7’6″, 8’0″, 8’4″, 9’0″, 10′, 11′, 12′.

Surftech make a range of boards called soft-top, they are made of advanced materials, styrofoam, epoxy, and have a distinctive EVA foam skin on the entire deck. they do not need surf wax. The foam gives them grip, and makes them softer to lie on. especially at the pressure points of the hips and ribs. The foam skin also acts like a bumper that will protect the board from many bumps and dings. However you have to were a rashguard to protect from the rubbing. (These boards are the number 1 choice of surf schools, and could be your choice for your first board)

New Surf Project (NSP) make a line of lightweight epoxy styrofoam construction boards, that are lighter and stronger than regular boards. they have a thin plastic top-sheet that protects the board’s finish from scratches. (your second board) After your learning phase you may want to step up to the NSP type construction. Still quite durable, but light enough to take you to the next level. These boards will need wax and are best kept in a padded bag.

Advanced Surfing Equipment: mini tankers and fun shapes are more challenging than longboards. They require more paddling power and a steeper wave to ride. Shorter and wider styles offer a good compromise of stability, easy paddling, and good turning ability. Short “longboards” are also called mini-tankers. They are characterized by a round nose similar to a longboard’s nose-rider shape. Fun shapes are fatter longer versions of the typical shortboard. They have narrow noses and thinner rails at the tail. As the name suggests, they are fun to ride, and they are easy to paddle. Then there are “fish” boards. The Fish board concept is a new take on some classic design elements, or a re-combination of design features. They are boards that can ride on the flats ahead of the wave face. They stay planing while offering a turny feel like a much shorter board. Fish boards are distinctive looking and resemble the “Friar Tuck” knee boards of the 70’s. They often have big swallow tails to aid their turning ability.

Surftech also make a complete line of epoxy/sandwich boards, which are light, stiff & high performance. They call this line, “Tuflite”. Tuflite construction is more expensive and lighter than other constructions. That is why we only recommend it to advanced surfers.

Southpoint make a superb line of lightweight foam sandwich construction boards, that are durable and lightweight. their line of production boards includes a variety of mini-tankers, and fish, and fun shapes. the extra lightness of this construction will only be appreciated by the more advanced surfer (your third board) This construction is less robust than the other two. The boards are stiff, light and fast. The finish coat may scratch up if not cared for. This board will not like to get hard knocks on the rocks. This board type should be kept in a padded bag, and repaired with epoxy if necessary.

KITEBOARDING

TRAINER KITES
For the fun and easy way to get kite-flying skills, we recommend that you purchase a trainer kite before your kiteboarding lessons. Ram-air design kites in sizes ranging from 1m, – 2m. When using any kite you should take extreme care. You should read the instruction manual and watch the training DVD’s. Good brands of trainer kites include; Naish, Slingshot, Airush, and Best. These are fun performance kites that can produce a lot of power, and younger fliers should always be supervised by adults. These kites are extremely fun, but they are not toys. The larger trainers can be used as traction kites on land or snow.

FIRST TIME KITES
For the most success an entry level kiter should use a low aspect kite, that is easy to control. More manufacturers are making entry level kites. Kite schools too will tend to favor this style of kite, to give the students the best chance of success. Some entry level kites are described as a moderate aspect ratio kite. A kite with a fuller shape will have more consistent power, and easier relaunch-ability. These kite will handle being overflown, and over-sheeted. and will tend to smooth out some of the beginners over-corrections. An entry level kite will tend to have slower steering. The kites used by your kite school will generally be of this style. And will be recommended by your instructors. We generally recommend that beginners learn with shorter line lengths, and learn safely. A 20m line length option is better than 25m when learning.

INTERMEDIATE KITES
For the intermediate kiter, there are medium aspect, all-round kites that are stable and offer smooth depower. Each manufacturer will make one all-round kite. On Maui we recommend a kite that can handle being very overpowered. Smooth and predictable handling makes a kite trustworthy and gives the rider confidence. These kites are great kite for pushing your limits and learning new tricks. These kites should still offer 100% depower like the full bow kite design, or SLE design. The all round design is great for big jumps, or riding the waves. Intermediate kites should allows easy relaunching after a wipeout, even in light winds.

ADVANCED KITES
There are many different design concepts. Some kites are designed for a specific purpose, and are more specialized. If you have a particular style of riding in Mind, there could be a specialty kite available. Kites that are specific will tend to sacrifice some unnecessary traits, to gain more performance in certain areas. One example for an advanced kite would be the sacrifice of easy relaunching. A kite designed for an advanced kiter may be more difficult to relaunch, because this is not a priority to the intended purpose and design. Flatter kites for example are faster and can sail closer to the wind (more forward in the WW), but are harder to relaunch, High Aspect kites are good for racing, and jump well but are hard to relaunch, and are unpredictable in the hands of a novice. Wave Kites, will tend to be lower aspect, and fly deep in the powerzone, Racing Kites will tend to fly forward in the Wind Window. Wake Style Kites will keep the power constant to help with tricks and unhooked riding.

KITE BOARDS
Choosing the type of kiteboard to buy depends on your ride-style. The size you choose depends on your weight and wind range. The lighter the wind in your area, the larger & longer the board you should ride. Heavier riders should ride bigger boards than lightweight riders. In kiteboarding, it is not the volume or buoyancy of the board that counts, but mostly the surface area, because it provides the lift. if you plan to ride in extreme light air, at displacement (sub-planing) speeds, you will need a larger floatier board. Very popular with light wind riders is surf style riding on surf-style kiteboards, or regular surfboards.

Board Types: Here is a range of different styles of kiteboards. The semi-bi-directional board that has hybrid abilities. The directional wave style is a full on surf style board for the waves. The Thorns are hard edged twin-tips inspired by snow boards. The Sol is the wider wake-style twin-tip. And the Haze is the entry-level twin-tip board with easy riding, more flex, and good durability.

Twin-Tips:
Examples: Naish Thorn, Haze, Monarch, Momentum, Hero, Money Shot – sizes ranging from 125cm to 162cm
These are our favorite production Twin-tip boards. These board use snowboard technology and wooden cores for the ideal combination of flex, weight and strength. New uni-directional laminates of carbon and Kevlar have been added to increase the reflex speed making the board feel super positive and lively. There are a range of sizes, and two flex patterns. Common sizes are; 125cm, 130cm, 135cm, 140cm. and some even larger sizes that are better for the lighter winds.

Board Types

Directional Boards: For big waves, small waves, freestyle or just light wind cruising, these boards are so much fun that everyone wants one. Directional boards are like surfboards but they are made specifically for kiting, they are stringer, stiffer, and have footstrap options too.

Twin-tip boards: feature much more power control, solid edging, controllable speed and greater pop for all the performance required for contemporary riding. These look a lot like snowboards, or wakeboards, and have footstraps instead of bindings.

All-Round boards: offer an affordable twin tip range developed for all levels of rider.

Wake-style Boards: are a premium twin tip range developed for top level riders. They combine a refined design concept sometimes incorporating channeled bottom shape. These are similar to wake-boards, and are also similar to twin-tips, but are usually wider, stiffer, a little bigger, and have full foot bindings that support the ankle.

DIRECTIONAL KITE-SURF-BOARDS
Naish Wave directional surf style kiteboards, are one of the most enjoyable styles of boards to ride. The Naish Directional’s literally tear up the waves. They can be ridden with foot straps or strapless. They are made from a strong epoxy construction so they can take a beating. The all-round board is the Global, the bigwave board is the Gun, the fun board is the Fish great fro sloppy waves, and the Skater is designed for strapless riding. We have these available in different sizes, 4’10” and up to 6’2″.

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