Select to expand quote
LeeD said..Some in the know say the current Kinetics are loads better made than any Cobra, Tunisian, and 3/4 of customs made today.

Among others ... I recently had a chat with a very well known designer/shaper, he admitted that Kinetic boards are the only ones that don't show a tiny "negative" in front of the fin box after even just 1/2 hour of sailing, while all other boards he knows of do, including his own custom boards! And in his experience Cobra boards don't even need sailing for that...
My Mistral SL boards are still in top shape after 6 seasons sailing. They are heavier than the competition, 6.0 kg the SL91, 7.0 the SL112 and 8.5 the SL137 (bare hulls with pads but no straps). That is still OK for the smaller boards in my view, expecially when one thinks how stiff and solid they are. When sailing I don't feel the extra weight on those. The SL137 is a different story, at 8.5 it's a bit heavy as a light wind board; but I think quite a lot of that is due to extra shiny looks, thick painting and gloss bottom. I would be curious to know how heavy are the boards from one peculiar production batch, the "white glass" ones still in "standard" build (not the ultralight carbon ones, that lacked some reinforcements) with less paint and only basic decals. And of course, one should think Kinetic is doing even better after all those years since '14 and '15, so today their boards are probably more refined.And, yes, I wish Mistral was still building those very same SL boards, as those Chris Lockwood designed shapes are unique.