Disclosure: No favours from anyone, no brown-nosing or hashtagging brands or shops in Insta or FB posts. Local shops hate me, don't get any better deal than anyone that walks in off the street. In other words I pay from my own pocket for my gear. Don't normally demo stuff unless I am missing something temporarily or in for repairs.
Demoe'd from: KR in St Kilda
Pricey: Yes
RRP: $1300 + Deck grip $100 = $1400, but hey includes plastic fins
Current Kites: Cab Drifters 7 and 10m
Current Board: Tomo Vanguard 5'7" (prone surf construction) waterlogged with deck caving in and crease marks on bottom but still love it
Previous Boards: Too many to mention, but 5'9" and 6" Vaders (surf constrx), Oke Kiteboard 5", North Nuggets 2018, 2017, North Whip 2017, Cabrinha Skillits 2015-17.
Session: 10m drifter 20-25kn, maybe slightly overpowered, direct onshore, bay waves around 2-3ft
Skill level: A bit better than your average kook
Overall rating: 9/10
Short review: Great board, lively, good pop, good fun, light but feels solid, pricey
Long review:
Positives:
Looks great
Pulls the chicks
Reasonably light
Lively, and good pop, easy to grab rail
Fun to Jump and lands nicely (maybe cork deck?)
Very tight turns in pocket
Pretty good upwind for small board
Could ride small waves with no kite power input
No screw holes for straps - yes that's a positive
Negatives:
5'2" bit small (would have preferred 5'5")
Hard to do a decent carve turn (see above)
Not enough volume in tail for me for a fish style board
Feels a bit skatey at speed (possibly due to size)
Pricey (ie: unnaffordable)
