I love my new surfboard. I sailed everyday last week next to Cloudbreak in Fiji, and given the low winds (10 - 15 kn) the only thing that made it work was the board.

Its a very retro move. I started kiting on a directional, have seen bi directionals shrink down to 122cm, and now I'm suggesting that if you're serious about waves you need one of these 5'8'' beauties.

On the wave, speed down the line is very fast even when you depower your kite. Bottom turns are totally tight. Off the wave, the ability to cruise up wind is very useful. I'm not sure if you're meant to jump the board, but so far so good. Suggest concentrating on tail first landing though.

In higher wind the board stays in contact with the water, unlike earlier directionals, which i have found just want to rise up on their fins. So you stay in control.

I am not a natural toeside sailor, but I can say that the ease of healside to to side turns is amazing. The extra length gives stability riding toeside, so even I can power up wind.

The first edition has come out without graphics, which i think sucks. Its a grey board, which will make it rather hard to find towards sunset.

I set mine up with both footstraps, and I put on surfboard decking in preference to waxing. I think this was a great idea, and though I mainly sail in the straps, I do use the decking while gybing.

Speaking of gybing, I've had many boards, and this is the easiest by far to gybe because it is relatively wide in the mid section. If doing short runs in and out through the surf, I come in toeside, go out healside. But when doing a longer run, I prefer to gybe. But as I said, toe side is not a natural stance for me.

It won't replace your TT when its very windy, or when you want to work on your freestyle. But when the swell is up and its not so windy, I can't imagine wanting to be out on anything else.

Enjoy!

I saw one of these beauties at Pt wally the other day when there was just not quite enough wind.

They look like an old surfboard from the past (80's) the shape, the bottom the rails everything.

So being a short board 5'8" is bloody short how does it hold in on a wave ie is it prone to just spinning out

quote:

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Originally posted by poor relative

I saw one of these beauties at Pt wally the other day when there was just not quite enough wind.

They look like an old surfboard from the past (80's) the shape, the bottom the rails everything.

So being a short board 5'8" is bloody short how does it hold in on a wave ie is it prone to just spinning out

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The thruster fins anchor the tail very well. Moves that would send your TT sliping sideways stick, dare I say, like glue. But that doesn't mean that if you are simply overpowered that you can't be pulled off your point of lateral resistance (in this case, fins and edge, rether than just edge with a TT)

i want one....

SOS in Freo have them

quote:

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Originally posted by carbine

http://famousfrank.com/underground-kiteboards/surfboards/Kite-Surfboard-5-8_118.html


btw you have to pay extra for graphics.

Its expensive.

Im not really into the whole aspect of paying kiteboard prices for surfboards.

Local shaper will produce same thing for cheaper.

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Pay peanuts, you get a monkey.

This board is BUILT to survive. Your local shaper is a surfer, not a kiter.
They say compromise is good in a marriage. Fine. But this is far more important!

No, seriously. I agree it does cost the earth. But its better than you're going to get through your local cash converters. Life is short.

Its a mass made epoxy corecell board.

There isn't any secrets.

Price is still friggen ridiculous. **** I'll just buy 15 naish skypirates (epoxy aswell btw) and still spend less.


You don't have to justify to your self that it was a good purchase, im sure its a very good board.

quote:

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Originally posted by carbine

Its a mass made epoxy corecell board.

There isn't any secrets.

Price is still friggen ridiculous. **** I'll just buy 15 naish skypirates (epoxy aswell btw) and still spend less.


You don't have to justify to your self that it was a good purchase, im sure its a very good board.

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Hi Carbine
If you reckon a Naish Skypirate is a better board go get one, theyre only about $200 new now, the importer has heaps - still.
Don't hang **** on stuff you know nothing about.
Sure it is a bit exxy, but the boys at Underground have put thier heart and souls into this board.
It is not mass made, if you want something like that get a sky pirate.

This is a post from kiteforum.com
It has an explanation from Adrian Roper, Underground Boards owner, about the design and manufacturing process.

I dont know the Price but for what i heared it is not realy cheap. The Construction is a special one, don`t know it specific, but they turned the Board around with the nose to the Ground and Stomped on the Board. The Nose flexed a little bit when there was standing someone on the under Site of the Board. But it dont break anyway. After that the Board was going in to its normal position.
The one who ride it was totally Stoked, in Hawai and Australia they tested the Board. I talked to a Dealer in Europe and also directly to underground.
Here is the orig. Mail vrom Underground:
Hi Andreas,
Thanks for your enquiry, We are stoked with the feedback we have had from
riders on the new surfboards. I have a long background in windsurf
boardbuilding and did not want to use the same construction for our
surfboard. The Surftec and all the production boards out of Thailand are all
made in windsurf technology. Most surfers prefer std surfboards to the
styrene production due to the flex.
We came up with a completely new construction a little bit like the way we
build our FLX boards. Firstly we route an outline in high density flat sheet
eps foam 30mm smaller than the finished board. We glue 30mm of Corecell foam
around the rails. We then machine the bottom flat and then CNC cut the top
surface with a rebate to allow for a 5mm H100 divinecell top surface. This
rebate is 20mm from the edge of the board. We press the rocker, concave top
lam and bottom along with the top and bottom sandwich in one process, after
this we need only a quick hand finish and glass top and bottom with a paint
finish.
We build boards lighter for surfing only and stronger for Kitesurf use. We
build with or without inserts. The main sizes we build are 5'0", 5'8",
6'0",6'2",6'6",6'8" etc
The only bad news is we have about a 5-6 week backorder. I have just been
skyping with Frank and he said if you are keen for a board to get an order
in quickly.
Below is text form the Hawaiian dealer, pretty cool to send surfboards to
Hawaii and impress them
Attached is a photo of an early board. The graphic is extra.
See YA Adrian

greets anda

Rich Stenning has been riding our demo and he rates it very highly, if you know Rich he is pretty good at unstrapped board riding.
If anyone in Sydney wants to see one, or ride a demo you know where we are.

Cya and

Goodwinds

Steve McCormack

Yeah I rate anything that I get to use for free.

Team rider reviews aren't worth ****, sorry.

All in all this board could be the best board in the world but its still a board made from 150$ worth of materials that costs a ****load of money.


btw I don't think the underground is 15 times better then the sky pirates.

Hi Carbine
I have been riding surfboard style boards for about 8 months now and in that short time have found that small differences make a huge difference in ride .
I could try and explain all of this here and you would just dismiss it as hype , so instead I invite you to come and ride the new Airush converse board .
It is 6'2" x 19" and it is pure joy as a kiteboard as well as a surfboard .
Was down at Avalon with it yesterday and had a ball on it whilst all the locals where saying that the conditions were **ty .
That is all I will say about it , I will leave the rest up to you if you want to come down to Scarbs and give it a go .
Call me on 040 911 7131
Regards
Mike Bergman

why dont u write a review on it instead of taking over another?
and do u have the straps they mentioned in kiteboarder mag?
maybe a review on them too wood be good.

Sorry didn't mean to hijack the review .
Have only kited on this board for about 6 hours , 3 sessions , all in totally different conditions , so want to get a few more hours on it before I write a review .
That is if I can get it back , the board is pretty hot property at the moment .

the converse goes sweet. I paddle surfed it this arvo at scarbs - 4ft hollow fast , closing out mostly but with some wailable walls. This is certainly one of the better surf boards that i have ever had the opportunity to bottom turn.

The great thing is i could just whip off the straps and go Surfing on it !


I saw Mike doin some pretty freaky stuff on it yesterday - goin square off the bottom while only goin down the line about 5 ft - Surfboards really do carve about 50000% better than traditional kiting twin tips. I think we are gonna see alot of happy surf riders ripping it up this summer.

Not much point riding it in flat water though - an exile (135 x 47) or something like will plane up just as early and let you work on your freestyle stunts. some of these big twinnies are actually pretty good wave slayers too but dont quite polish off the turns as well as a true surf board.

The boards gone up to gnaraloo for now and it will be 2 weeks before she is back :(

If you understand surf and come from a surfing backround then you have to check out this style of board. The Underground looks kind of similar too. If you have never surfed and cant ride directional style then maybe stick with a big twin tip.

just got back from bali surfing on the underground. Im not the greatest surfer but it was by far the best board ive surfed on. All of my surfer mates who have been surfing for years all had a go and loved it. Grippy but a really loose feeling.
Havent had a chance to have a decent session on it with the kite though. (had one in gusty westerly). Cant wait to get up north in september!
But as far as surfing goes...awesome.

Which underground have you got ?
Is it the 5'8" ?

yeah 5'8

Good effort to be able to surf it .
I kited on it in Gero and liked the way it rode but didn't think it would be much good to surf on .

Oh, and the fins are sh!t
Broke one today stepping off on the sand
This willdefinitely need looking at

But having said that, loved my sail in waves today in only 10 kn