I have an Appletree Jazz 62L and I'm considering a larger board for lighter wind days. 72-82L or so. I'm between the Appletree Slice V2 in 83L or a KT Wing Drifter in 72L or 80L. I prefer the KT 72L shape over the fatter 80L shape. But anyway, would love to hear your thoughts. The Appletree is going to be lighter and likely better at getting going than the KT, but the KT will likely be better in chop and waves due to the bottom shape. I like the pad on the KT better, and the strap placement seems to be great on both. I also think the box placement on the KT is better for my Axis foils than the further forward box on the Slice V2. I'm just gathering thoughts before I pull the trigger.

I have a 60L slice v2 and I love it. I'm 80 kg and I ride this board down to 12 knots. Ive ridden the Jazz and the v2 is a much more efficient shape (more length, less width), so you can get away with less volume. I owned a KT board (previous generation Drifter - not sure if construction was different or not) in the past and it was more prone to chips and pressure dings -- definitely didn't hold up as well as my Appletree. My ideal 2 board quiver would probably be a ~45-50L and a ~70L Slice v2, but the 60L splits the difference and doesn't really leave me wanting.

You are familiar with Appletree's tracks, but I find the placement to be pretty standard. I ride Cabrinha and Takuma foils far towards the front.

My main takeaways, #1 don't underestimate the design differences between the v2 and your Jazz. You might need less board than you think. And #2 don't underestimate the build quality of the Appletree vs others.

For what its worth, I have never seen a 2022 Drifter in person, which is kind of odd because their previous generation KT and Quatro boards are everywhere.

Previous KT boards had a lot of construction issues around the outer layer. Apple tree is very durable.

Thanks for the feedback guys. A few things...

1. I did see a lot of the new KTs on Maui and also picked up a few at the shops. Of course they would be popular there given KT is on Maui. My Appletree was rare there and quite a few people had to stop and check it out.
2. I put quite a few pressure dents on it, towards the nose, just getting up in the wild chop, so it does pressure dent. But I'm used to this from standard surfboards. Much less so with windsurf boards. I had a small chip in the nose that happened well before I got to Maui. I believe it might have happened during shipping, but it does appear as if it was the very outer layer of resin that was a little brittle. No biggie though.
3. I played extensively with various Axis foils and track positions on the Jazz, and the best spot so far for me is about 2cm from the very back. The Slice has tracks more forward, which worries me a little, but this may mean absolutely nothing as the relationship between the tracks and the strap inserts is what truly matters. That said, it looks like I like to have my back foot RIGHT over the mast and on the Slice V2, it seems to need to have the straps on the foremost inserts in order to achieve that.
4. I didn't like the Jazz in the waves. Too short and too wide. The shovel nose also isn't very forgiving in big chop like on Maui. I ended up riding a Kalama 5'0" 75L-ish the rest of my days on Maui because of this. Maybe the Slice V2 may solve this.

Lastly, I know I can probably get away with the 70 Slice V2 given I'm riding a Jazz 62L, but I do want more volume and size as and all around board... and I do like my Fanatic 85L. Reason I'm leaning more towards the 83L Slice V2 as an "upgrade" to my daily driver.

Foilways -- what did you decide? I'm interested because I have a Slice V2 70 liter that I use in waves and I was thinking of getting the Jazz 63 for freeride...

I'd look at the Omen boards produced by Appletree.

KT construction isn't great. Appletree shapes have been.... debatable. Maybe good if you have high quality wind on tap but not great if it's gusty and choppy.

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Grantmac said..
I'd look at the Omen boards produced by Appletree.

KT construction isn't great. Appletree shapes have been.... debatable. Maybe good if you have high quality wind on tap but not great if it's gusty and choppy.

Whats your beef with Appletree shapes? The Slice v2 is the best board I've ever ridden in terms of construction and design. Works great in gusty and choppy conditions. Literally no complaints and I'd buy another one at full price if my existing one ever gave out.

I,m a bit bigger sized (97kg ) but couldn't get along with the Slice V2 4.9x 60l but love my KT5.4x56l. The KT is fair bit longer wich makes them hard to compare but the KT is for me way easier/quicker to get on the foil and needs less power for it and the KT tracks better. Construction: no complains about either of them.
tip: look for a bit longer board, with a decent shape the extra length helps a lot by getting going.Personally I love the AK Phazers for that.

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Velocicraptor said..

Grantmac said..
I'd look at the Omen boards produced by Appletree.

KT construction isn't great. Appletree shapes have been.... debatable. Maybe good if you have high quality wind on tap but not great if it's gusty and choppy.

Whats your beef with Appletree shapes? The Slice v2 is the best board I've ever ridden in terms of construction and design. Works great in gusty and choppy conditions. Literally no complaints and I'd buy another one at full price if my existing one ever gave out.

Too short and the tail kick isn't my preference either. Fine if you're in a place with good wind and longer period swell.

Edit: local riders on V1. One still has it, the other went with a different brand. V2 looks better although I still prefer what Omen is doing or even a shrunk DW shape.

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Grantmac said..

Velocicraptor said..

Grantmac said..
I'd look at the Omen boards produced by Appletree.

KT construction isn't great. Appletree shapes have been.... debatable. Maybe good if you have high quality wind on tap but not great if it's gusty and choppy.

Whats your beef with Appletree shapes? The Slice v2 is the best board I've ever ridden in terms of construction and design. Works great in gusty and choppy conditions. Literally no complaints and I'd buy another one at full price if my existing one ever gave out.

Too short and the tail kick isn't my preference either. Fine if you're in a place with good wind and longer period swell.

Edit: local riders on V1. One still has it, the other went with a different brand. V2 looks better although I still prefer what Omen is doing or even a shrunk DW shape.

V2 is a completely different board.

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windtruck said..
Foilways -- what did you decide? I'm interested because I have a Slice V2 70 liter that I use in waves and I was thinking of getting the Jazz 63 for freeride...

I have Jazz 62 and I find that it almost feels easier (!!) to get on foil than V2 70 due to 62's width. I am 78 in a wetsuit . Jazz 62 is an excellent board for freeride for me. I manage to get on board very quickly due to it's width / stability in chope. And that's what I do a lot of when learning new tricks - getting up on foil. I do not use stinkbug with my 62, there is no need for it.

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windtruck said..
Foilways -- what did you decide? I'm interested because I have a Slice V2 70 liter that I use in waves and I was thinking of getting the Jazz 63 for freeride...

When learning to jump, new tricks, getting up on foil especially in chop quickly is very important.

My J62 is 16ltr below my weight and it is perfect. I also found that in heavier suit (80kg total) it is hard to get on foil without using the stinkbug. It's definitely more work with 16+ difference.

Great board for my weight though. I also use it in waves with a 90 mast. The width of the board is not an issue then. Axis high modulus feels lovely with its solid connection with the foil.