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stinos said..
Did any one try the V1 and V2 80L (or any other size) back to back. I am interested in the low end of the boards and the added thickness of the V2 since it's shorter and smaller than the V1. Thanks
Not exactly the comparison you're looking for, but here we go. Last winter and summer I rode a 70L and 85L KT custom in the shape of the SK1. In November I switched to KT custom 68 and 83L in the shape of the new SK2. Measurements are near identical to the 70 and 80L production SK2. I have also ridden the 70L and 80L SK2 production boards, each for a couple of days. Having winged about 9 months on the older boards and now 6 months on the new shape here is my conclusion:
1. to me, the new boards feel more stable than the old ones. Take the 70L, it is 1 inch narrower than the SK1 70L (19.5 vs 20.5 inches). The Mackite review says that the new 70L board is 3 inches narrower vs 22.5 inches for the old board (at some point they also say it is 2 inches narrower). Reality is that the new board is 1 inch narrower. The old shape w the round bottom in the nose felt "roly" to mer, the new board with the flatter bottom feels more stable to me. I'm 6'3", 190lbs and not the most talented, so i'm very sensitive to lack of stability. The new shape has a narrower nose and it is a touch easier to sink the nose compared to the SK1.
2. the SK2 comes up earlier than last year's, I'd say comparable to last year's Dragonfly. My 83L with a 790 frontwing and a 5.5m wing gets me up in 11-12mph, which for me is Dragonfly territory (I've ridden the 100L for a year and feel comfortable saying this). Pls keep in mind that I'm 86kg, so an 80L board barely floats me as long as i have a bit of pressure in the wing.
3. the board performs a "magic trick". It is so well balanced that once on foil, the board seems to vanish, even at 80L. Any unintended touchdowns are no problem, the new rails/bottom just glance off the water. Where i used to crash the older board now it just bounces off the water (i ride without footstraps). I don't know if it's the new deckshape or what, but it just rides like a smaller board. With the narrower board i can carve really hard on a wave and don't have to worry about the rail touching the water
4. the production boards felt incredibly stiff (I rode the 80L in Carbon and the 70L in Pro construction) which definitely helps with the earlier takeoff.
5.
There you have it, these are my subjective impressions. Admittedly, I ride a 68L as "daily driver", so my perception of stability could be influenced by having gotten used to a smaller board and feeling relaxed and comfortable when i get on the 80L. I hope it is helpful nevertheless. To me, 1 inch less width and a flatter bottom make for a more stable, earlier foiling and more forgiving to touchdown board that is a dream to ride. As long as you don't try to ride in less than 10mph wind, the 80L is a one board solution. Btw, where i rode in Maui, a lot of parawingers also tried the new SK2 80L and were amazed by how well the board performed (stable enough and super early takeoff).