BayAreaKiteboarding.com

hi all,,, almost outgrowing my super tanker beginner 155. dreaming of my new high performance stick. just wondering what to buy and what size, I'm a lightweight at 140 lbs. and kite mostly at 3rd av.Do shorter boards go upwind better?I seems hard to keep my edge on my current board. Thanks for any info in advanced.

I recently added an Underground FLX 132 to my quiver and I've been really happy with it so far. Evan at live2kite.com has them for demo.

at your weight, I'd get a sub-130cm board. There's lots of good boards out there, hard to go wrong with any 2005 production board. I'm sure there are lots of closeout 2005 boards at the local shops.

Or go custom, check out www.dckiteboards.com, he makes great boards, very good designs for the choppy waters of the SF Bay and the costs just as much as a regular priced production board.

I agree something sub 130 would be good for you. A smaller board will be easier to edge in high winds. If you can't hold your edge well on your current board due to being overpowered, then yes a smaller board will hold your line better and get you upwind. Bear in mind that In light winds, it is harder to plane on a smaller board, so your upwind progress will suffer. I would keep a light wind board (like your current board or a ss glide) in your quiver for the light days. I think you'll find jumping with a smaller board to be a lot more fun (less inertia, responsive edge).
I've heard good things about the 2005 stiff/flexy snowboard composite type boards out there (North) but haven't tried one myself.
-bric

Helm has demo boards in the shed at 3rd.