Hi guys and girls just demod a bunch of boards thought I would share my opinions on them in case any one wants to know
I'm 75kg would say I'm a intermediate avarage sort of rider and definitely no gear expert
Boards demoed all 20017/18 crazyfly raptor 137cm , cabrinha ace 135cm, shinn ronson 136cm, shinn monk 135cm, core fusion 3 135cm and I will include my old board 2016 nobile nhp 134cm as the board has not changed at all apart from graphics
Boards tested in flat choppy conditions 2-4 hours each also took the monk out in smallish surf

Core fusion 3
My pick of the bunch super smooth great in the chop, fast, good up wind, lite and top end performance great pop easy to jump really ticks all the boxes apart from the price tag $1500 also pads super comfy but u can only use core pads on the board

Crazyfly raptor
First thing this board was a bit big for me but that was the size they had on demo
The stiffest board with the least rocker out of the bunch also probably the fastest this board felt like it would give you the most performance very easy to jump big and a lot of pop but at the sacrifice of comfort didn't handle the chop as well and landings were hard but that is just compared to the boards I demod

Cabrinha ace
Really fast fun board perfect amount of grip wanted to be ridden fast this was sort of like the raptor but a little less performance and a little more comfortable i definitely considered this one only thing I didn't like about this it was the pads just to hard when holding a hard edge in powered conditions

Shinn ronson
Really wanted to like the ronson looks great the blurb sounds perfect
Loads of grip in a straight line great up wind but would kind of slip out when not expected and just found it a little erratic this could just be something that you adjust to after time and I would definitely like to have another go at some point also The shinn pads are excellent

Shinn monk
This is the board I ended up buying what was a bit of a surprise as It felt to soft when I picked it up in the shop
Definitely the most comfortable out of the lot when I first got on it I thought it was going to be lacking in performance as it was so comfortable but I was wrong it has the most grip but it's also easy to throw around and goes through chop like it's not there
All the other boards do something better than the monk but this board does everything well with out having to sacrifice to much of something else and is just a lot of fun to ride also I really like the shinn pads
This was the only board I took in the surf can only compare to the nhp but it's the better out of the two

Nobile nhp
So the nhp I had this board for a couple of years
It sits right in the middle of all the boards so mid flex, rocker, pop, upwind in every way.
the monk was the last board I tried and up to then I was keeping the nhp
I was only looking for a upgrade due to the nhp giving me the ****s with the bad hardware iv lost or snapped 3 fins and im on my 3rd set of thumb screws as the fins are plastic and they use quick release screws on every thing what's a great idea if they don't break also was Looking like the pads were going to need replacing soon they have had a lot of use to be fair
Board its self is very good

Sorry about grammar and punctuation I'm on my phone but I hope this helps as a avarage Joe review

Heres an update for the comparisons..

My weight 76kg - aggressive big air hard landings style when it all goes wrong.
Have just finished a demo on the 2018 CrazyFly Raptor "LTD" 136x41

This is the board you should have used in you comparisons as its very different from the Raptor. You pic both up side by side and youll instantly feel and see why..
Its a very light carbon board, has a lot of flex and very flat rocker line. There's enough flex in the tail sections, that when loaded will change the rocker line, giving you the best of worlds.
I own a Monk also and there's not much difference in the soft ride on your knees through chop.
Whats very apparent on the LTD is the light flickability of this board and low swing weight in the air - a few hours of riding and most boards start feeling heavy as you get tired.

I also really liked 99% of the Monk - the one thing the monk doesn't do, is hold its edge when you really stamp it hard for those big loaded jumps - it washes out sideways and you instantly lose that power for takeoff... the first time I rode it I new I just wasted a whole lotta money on an overhyped board..

The Raptor LTD locks that edge in like its on rails, no matter how hard you stomp it for a big jump or megaloop..
My personal setup (for my height - short) is to slide the footpads backwards (6 way adjustable pads) so your heel is closer to the rail. This means you can hold the board down easier in very strong winds - increasing your useable wind range. Normal winds, standard setting is fine. It has Boot inserts so you can choose your footwear..
The past few days I've used it in both top and bottom end winranges, and will now be my one board for all conditions.. yes I was very impressed so bought it.

Always Demo if Possible - There all expensive, and everyone has different tastes..

Great thread. My brother had a 2014 ... maybe 2013 raptor Ltd. we found it too soft in the end and it's grip didn't hold that well when highly overpowered. The weight was light. Awesome board though.

But its 2017 now I presume it's more high performance now by the sounds of it.

Ive got a NhP 2017 but it's the carbon version. I love it. Best all round board I've ever tried. And your knees and ankles will break before it's edge does. Rocker yet goes early enough. Fun in the surf.

Even the carbon version is a tad heavy but then again the board doesn't fly away from you in board offs.

but yeh the fins and hardware ... can be frustrating. Agree with that part. Those plastic screw thingies break.

Yes the Ronson did the skatey slippery thing to me too. Couple of sessions and this stops magically as you dial in. Guess you just slightly adjust your weight intuitively and that's it. Amazing board, I am riding it with boots and was afraid I am going to break it as it has more flex than what I was used to. But so far so good. I replaced the huge fins with 30mm ones, so I can ride in the shallows and up the beach. Does not compromise upwind ability which given the rocker is surprisingly good anyway. A real fun, agile board, while being gentle on your knees, and makes flying over chop a breeze. Only thing I would change is adding another insert for a wider stance (as with boots that feels more comfy).
Nice looking board too but that is just sugar on top.

A little mod tip for Nobile riders...
I have the 2HD that had the stupid plastic single screw setup, ended up converting to normal fins.

1. Remove the plastic fin plate attached to board.
2. Fill the holes with resin or 5 min araldite..
3. Drill new holes where the 2 tiny screws were. Rule a line through the centre's to get it straight..
4. Make sure you use a load spreading spacer/washer plate - when attaching fins..
(The old elongated hole will reduce strength in fin area)
5. Fit your favourite fins and Rock on - like Normal kiteboarders

Hi Guys,

The Nobile KISS screws are a warranty/fault. Had a lot of issues over the last couple of years and yes it was pretty painful, but looks like they've finally got them sorted out. Have had 0 breakages on the latest ones for 2018 and have hundreds of them out there, so far so good!

Get them replaced with new ones (should be a warranty, get in touch with your retailer), you can tell them apart by a change in shape/design: