So,
I'm 80kg, 188cm and have just bought a 136cm 2012 Cab custom for use with boots. How much of a terrible mistake have I made getting the smaller size and what difference/how big of a difference will it make to my riding?

Sorry to say theganjie but Yep - imo - a bit of a miss on that one.
Weight & height says most serious freestylers - looking at a board for boots - would be going quite a bit bigger.
BUT if you are new to the game (as no. of posts & the vibe of the question itself would indicate) then the answer to your last part of the question would have to be "probably not hugely significant".
Go for it. Try the board with & without the boots & see what feels good and what works best for you.
Get to know the local freestylers &; once you have had a good crack at your new board; see if you cant do a bit of swapping around to see how much difference a larger freestyle board would make to you - personally.
What suits one doesnt always make a rule for all. You may end up quite happily progressing on your new Cab with little or no downside even though most would rate it a bit on the small side of ideal.
Not my brand but dont mind saying - its a nice board for those in that league.

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theganjie said...

So,
I'm 80kg, 188cm and have just bought a 136cm 2012 Cab custom for use with boots. How much of a terrible mistake have I made getting the smaller size and what difference/how big of a difference will it make to my riding?

Hi mate,

if you ride the board with boots in flatwater you will be fine! Just make sure you take out a kite that has a bit extra power- upsize the size you would normally use in any wind conditions.

The board with boots will demand a lot of power. Especially the custom has a lot of rocker and deep channels which requires power and speed. The boots will create additional drag and usually catch quite a lot of water in choppy conditions.

Just give it a bit of time and getting used to it and im sure you will get stoked on that set up very soon!

i found its more the width of the board than the length (usually they correlate so im guessing your custom is maybe a 41 or 42) and a little extra goes along way when determining heel drag. i dont get whey they make wakestyle boards with anything less than 42.1/2... i guess maybe if you have a shoes size of beloww 9 or somthing might make a difference but yeah you will expeciance massive drag and speed is key if you want to go big

Love how everybody has suddenly changed their tune about boots... Now we have people that don't even ride them chiming in to answer questions about them hahaha. Classic SB right here.

To help answer your question theganjie, yes you have made a small mistake but it's not the end of the world. You could always sell it and buy a new one?
I am the same weight as you and I ride 139 as the smallest. Any smaller just bogs down a lot and you will find it hard to get good pop out of the flats. Also landings will be harder because the board doesn't have as much tip or rocker for you to land on, thus you will be landing flatter in the middle of the board.

All this being said, you can ride it and it will work.
I have riden 118's with boots before... Obviously it was terrible, but it can be done. My suggestion is, keep riding it but look for someone who wants to swap or buy your board and upgrade to something bigger when you get a chance.

pretty sure all answers were clearly stated as opinion based and your own post seemed to echo the testaments of everybody else anyway? i wear boots (139 42.5's same as you it seems), use straps ride strapless and occasionally body drag.. his question wasn't directed at the exclusively boot wearing elitists as far as i can tell?

Obviously everything is opinion... But if you want to know about something lets say "skateboarding" (just as an example), who would you rather info from - a skater - or a rollerblader that knows about skating because he sometimes skates at the park with them...

I mean, sure anyone can help answer questions, but I just find it comical that people who were once anti-boots and wakestyle now are the first to chime in and give their secondhand advice (not just this thread).

who you would rather the info from is irrelevant.. he asked on a public forum.. with people from the public on it n stuff.. Sure i know your a paid kiteboarder and you push the sports to the absolute limit so your opinion must be the one and only truth but this guys obviously isnt at your level nor is he specifically asking for help from people at your level..

most paid athletes wouldnt have the time or maybe the literary skills to bother answering questions on a internet forum, whats worse than a little bit of misinformation going around on the internet is maybe bigots who try to discredit or belittle others into feeling as though their words dont have value.

anyways.. blah blah rant over, more information i find the better then i can piece it together and make of it what i will ect ect...

I started kiting in 07.. was previously riding a board of the same size but failed to do my research before impulse buying the custom.. Haven't used it yet and bought it new so hoping the shop will let me swap it for a 140 and pay the difference

^^ Sounds like the go theganjie! You shouldn't loose too much right? and the board would be far nicer for you.

@Mywisdom, you are sticking up for what are mostly shop pimps... Ontop of that you are somehow trying to give credit to people giving "misinformation" on the internet (as it's somehow a good thing?) and saying that people that are calling them out for being wrong are somehow "bigots"... your faith has no logic.

p.s. I don't get paid to kiteboard.

Would have expected the shop to help you out some more with sizing.. Anyways, I would also expect them to swap it without any loss to you since it is unused

ok well pretty happy with the end result.. the original 136 was a 2012 and all i did was pay the difference between what i paid for that and the cost of the 140 (2013 model - about a hundred bucks more expensive) and problem solved. proud new owner of a 2013 140 cab custom

stoked

Yeah default i hear ya there.. would have saved a bit of the trouble of 2 trips up there and dicking around but all is solved now


on a different note.. anyone ridden a Tona Pop? my little brother is looking at one as a kite/wake crossover (for use behind a boat with a **** wake) Opinions?

I ride the Pop.

What is his weight? This will help determine how well it will perform for him behind a small boat.

Obviously it isn't going to be anywhere near as good as a wakeboard behind a boat, but it would probably be one of the best kiteboards behind a boat due to it's flex pattern.

he's 65-70 kg. like 178cm or so. The boat he'll be riding behind has a below average wake at best

what size would you recommend having owned one

im thinking 138 would probably be best, right?

Yep the 138 would be perfect. Because he's fairly light it should even work ok for him behind a small wake. For me (81kgs) it's a bit flexy in the middle for any sort of boat use.

p.s. I also suggest he only uses the second widest stance and not the widest.