BayAreaKiteboarding.com

am thinking about a CrazyFly Raptor LTD. I am uncertain on what size I should get. I am 5'9" and 155 lbs. I have only been kiting for about 15 months. Right now I have a 2009 Cabrihna Caliber in a 136?

Should I get a 132 or 136?

Any advice is appreciated, my dealer is trying to get in order in ASAP!

132 or 128 is what you should be looking at. I'm 190lbs and have a 132 UG FLX and its perfect.

I've heard GREAT things about those CF boards.... You may hear otherwise cause not many people rep for them in the Bay..... Trust me though, don't get the 136 at your weight. People should second this opinion. Get a surfboard for light wind....

Might also want to wait till spring if you can.

I was thinking the same thing, smaller board and get a surfboard down the road for my wife and I to share.

Not sure why they aren't as popular here as other areas. When we were down in Costa Rica every other person seemed to have one. Seems all gear is fairly regional.

Keep the advice coming.

prob b/c it's a lot easier to get a $100 shortboard to kite on than some $600 wakeboard

My choice would be based on what your goals are. I am 175 and 6', and have a 135x42. Powered landings seem softer and easier to land the bigger the board. Not to mention that bigger boards have a wider stance, which is good too.

Width has a huge impact on the board. I would shoot for a 41 width. If you are into freestyle I would say the 132 for your size. Bigger boards plane better so give you more power and make landings easier to hold. If you are into carving..,maybe smaller. Can't comment on that.

Important is the shape. More square, and flat for pop, rounded corners, flex for carving all around. More rocker makes the landings softer, but make upwind harder.

I love my North Team 135. I hear xenon are very nice. I hear the board you are thinking about is STIFF. Which means punishing. Try before you buy...

I just thought about this...you are thinking about a HARDCORE freestyle flat water board. Extremely stiff...think sucks for everything but pop and flatwater. Unless you unhook every tack and have PKRA aspirations, I would look for a different board. There are a ton of great boards out there that are more forgiving, but still pop super hard.

North team and Jaime, slingshot Darko, xenon LALUZ, shinn Monk.

+1 for the Xenon Laluz. I got one 2 months ago and love it!

About your question... For the wind we have in the Bay Area and your size, get a 132.

have you ridden the board yet? with all the dealers in the bay area, why not demo it first? I'm sure you're being offered a great deal, but my guess is if you brought that "great deal" to someone else, they'd be more than happy to match the price with their similar board....and then you could demo it and see.

not having ridden it, I'd have to agree with Reco, full carbon sounds like an epic freestyle board, but might not be ideal unless you have 17 year old knees.

Reco has really good advice on this; width matters, as well as shape and stiffness. Generally 132 sounds like the right size for you. I'm 6'3" and 180 lbs and ride a North Jaime 132 that I love - when powered. What I've found with this board is that my size 12+ feet tend to catch water for the way I ride, and my old Slingshot SX 136 is big enough to solve this problem but its stiffness hurts my ancient knees (I love it in butter), so I checked out the new Jaime 135 and will probably go with that (points easier too with the new fin angle). Try a bunch of different boards; never refuse an opportunity to demo, as boards vary so much and make a big difference once you dial your style.

Surfboards for light wind is common advice, but again, everyone is different. I've found my schedule too demanding to spend time learning and my car too packed to carry it all the time, so I'd rather just get a slightly larger twin tip that can point upwind and plane better when I'm on my 14m. I rarely have my 5'2" with me when I need it.

And don't buy a board cuz you're getting a deal, buy it cuz you rode it and loved it.

#155 pounds here riding FLX 132x39. The board has similar outline to the raptor, but slightly narrower. The raptor is little bigger board in the 132 size, little wider and a bit more squarish. I tried the 128 and did not like it as much. 132 is perfect for me. Good pop, good landings, smoother on chop, better low end and no difference in high end.

About full carbon board, it does not mean that it will be stiffer, with a thin core it can be very flexible.

What it does mean is that an all black board is hard to see in chop, and you are more likely to lose it if you ride in big chop away from shore. The photo I saw of this board is all black carbon finish. This by itself is a deal breaker for me. I did lose a black board once (a good sole found it for me).