I'm in the market for a custom kiteboard for the Perth metro 'surf'. Was looking for a Vader but seems pretty hard to find one new, so I thought why not pay a bit more - get totally what I want and support something a bit more local.

Can anyone recommend a company?

I've asked Sunova (I know they're not that local!) and wait to hear back (approached them having seen their Darth).

There is some killer shapers manafacturers in WA, you should be able to get a far better board than a Vader, especially quality wise.

Up in Geraldton you could call Stone Surfboards. Mark Stone makes boards for a lot of local guys. He designs windsurfers for starboard and no one knows materials and quality better than him. Crap website but worth a drive or call up.

Try to avoid EPS foam if you can, it'll water log over time..

Smook boards are worh a look & aussie made.

Delta in Margs, Katana in Osborne Park

if he's still around colin earle is a great shaper. i had him make me a couple of custom kite surf boards for cheaper than chinese pop outs. he was in osborne park about 10 years ago.

Ive been down the path.
If you want a surfboard inspired shape personally id see Ronnie VON Dresselt. Colin Earle also decent. THO after speaking to most local shapers they have their head all over surfboard shape but not into the kite thing.
Ive ridden short boards by VON for years with standard glass and pretty standard performance shortboard shape and it has done me well. I have found tho after trying boards like the darth and the whip they are just that bit more efficient for kiting and hold better, go upwind better, spin better just feel so different and fun. Maybe it is just cos they are new and different? I think it is cos Boards like the vadar, whip, darth, smook etc have a lot more going on with concaves, channels and other bits that when you ask a local shaper they kind of give you that blank stare...
Great to support local, BUT do ur homework and avoid getting a lemon.

One more thing i will say, it depends on the wave you are riding. If you are riding the local perth DW at beacheys go short, flat, thin rails and not too big a tail for ability to bury it fast to get those turns in quick for the shore break. If you want a board for riding good reef breaks like margs and gero and further north then you see the likes of delta and VON for a board with more rocker, more length, pin tail for top to bottom drawn out awesomeness.

I am frothing to test the new 5'2 whip pro by duotone this summer. Loads going on there, big deep channel thru the guts, concave, vee, top has grab rails, cork deck sheesh where do i begin... If it goes half as good as it looks ill be stoked. Thanks WA Surf.

pps ive ridden the darth, was testing it last year. FIrstly they strong as fk. Light winds this thing rockets. On a wave it generates speed and you can fully whip out the top turns to reverse feeling in full control. never had a board feel like that. BUT get to 20 knots and its a handful, just stopped having that comfy feeling and felt like my other boards again so id go back to my stock 5'8 VON. beware. I think bit too much volume and bit too much rail thickness in tail. got to get these things right.

Up in Geraldton you could call Stone Surfboards. Mark Stone makes boards for a lot of local guys. He designs windsurfers for starboard and no one knows materials and quality better than him.

YEEEP!

I have 2 custom made by Mark Stone he makes a really solid product and can make your board strong in the areas that get the most abuse dependent on your riding style.

Great product .

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toppleover said..
Smook boards are worh a look & aussie made.

+1 for Smook boards! When I retire my Vader I'm going to look into getting a custom board from them.

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bjw said..
far better board than a Vader, especially quality wise

Is there a problem with Firewire quality? I'm thinking about a Vanguard...

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Kamikuza said..

bjw said..
far better board than a Vader, especially quality wise

Is there a problem with Firewire quality? I'm thinking about a Vanguard...

Rumour has it that smook boards are Shaped by topless mermaids and glassed By king neptune himself

Thanks everyone, it's been good doing some more research and seeing what's out there - comments have been very helpful. Not ordered yet, but I think it will be either Smook shredder or the Sunova Darth.

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Kamikuza said..

bjw said..
far better board than a Vader, especially quality wise

Is there a problem with Firewire quality? I'm thinking about a Vanguard...

It's the EPS. It'll look great for a while, but if you've ever had a repair, then it's a bitch . It sucks in water fast, takes on weight and repairs are expensive. For me that limits me, because I couldnt travel with it. I'm a bit harder on my boards than most. The Vader wont get much heal indents, but the fin boxes blew out no slower than any other board id ever had.

It's different overseas, but in AU we have access to the best shapers and glassers in the world and it's a fun journey to take advantage of that.

If you go local, then keep it flat in the rocker, short and narrow, sub 18.75.

Marty at delta
can copy, or do as you ask
CCD, shaping machine, hand finished and awesome glass jobs

I got vanguard copy for metro, custom surfboard, tommo type bottom for g loo

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bjw said..

Kamikuza said..

bjw said..
far better board than a Vader, especially quality wise

Is there a problem with Firewire quality? I'm thinking about a Vanguard...

It's the EPS. It'll look great for a while, but if you've ever had a repair, then it's a bitch . It sucks in water fast, takes on weight and repairs are expensive. For me that limits me, because I couldnt travel with it. I'm a bit harder on my boards than most. The Vader wont get much heal indents, but the fin boxes blew out no slower than any other board id ever had.

It's different overseas, but in AU we have access to the best shapers and glassers in the world and it's a fun journey to take advantage of that.

If you go local, then keep it flat in the rocker, short and narrow, sub 18.75.

That was the kite construction board? Yikes.

I'm interested in the channels and how they cut the fin boxes too -- the Firewire ones are "stepped" to perfectly buttress and align with the channels. I've never seen that in custom boards or copies of Vanguards....Yes it matters to me :D

If you go a custom it is good to get a custom that has some kiteboard experience. Failing that just pm me for some details and make sure they reinforce the fin boxes. That's really important. I ride Warner's and I think the fin boxes get 4 layers in the end!!

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bjw said..
If you go a custom it is good to get a custom that has some kiteboard experience. Failing that just pm me for some details and make sure they reinforce the fin boxes. That's really important. I ride Warner's and I think the fin boxes get 4 layers in the end!!

Thanks :)

EPS is fine. It does not 'water log over time' - only if you let the water in...
Just don't keep using it after a ding, repair it.
Repairs in EPS/ epoxy are only more expensive if you take it to a shaper still living in the 1980's

The finbox thing means little, ask for PVC foam inserts first, anyone can do that.

I say you need a surfboard guy with windsurf board building experience. That means they got into vac bagging, corecell and wood sandwich etc long ago. If they don't do kiteboards, SUPs and windsurf boards already, and say "umm yeah I guess I could" then nup.

Marty at Delta, Wade at Lano, Mark at Stone Surf Gero.

The Delta reVamp is an epic board. Can't recommend this board enough.

My take is polystyrene blank, thin outer layer of closed cell foam, carbon, glass, epoxy and vacuume bagged has to be lighter and stronger. The problem is it's more fiddly to make so local surfboard maker doesn't want to know about it. Local boat builder could do it but its too expensive. The old school polyurethane blank and polyester resin seems to be the best value if made locally. I like simple shape - flat rocker, sharp rails, not too curvy an outline, straightish sides to drive off upwind, a nice tail that you can carve off. I've found carbon to be great on the deck but pretty useless in compression (on bottom).

PU blank glassed in epoxy from Katana:



Got some hex shape stuff on the deck for strength:

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bjw said..
If you go a custom it is good to get a custom that has some kiteboard experience. Failing that just pm me for some details and make sure they reinforce the fin boxes. That's really important. I ride Warner's and I think the fin boxes get 4 layers in the end!!

You'd have to explain how more layers of cheap FG makes a fin box stronger than a PVC foam embedded fin box. No wonder why you don't like EPS if your experience has always been been with fin box straight onto 15kg Blank....
I have 2 Sunovas in the kite construction and the only time I blew a fin plug in 3 years was after hitting a reef....

Hi,

i know it is not a custom board, but why not taking a look onto Ben Wildon kiteboarding?

markus