There are a couple different riding styles with kiteboarding.
Along with different riding, come different board options.
In this article I will discuss the Twin tip board. In later articles I will get into foilboards and surfboards as well.
Lets talk Twin tip
The twin tip is the most common board seen in the sport of kiteboarding. Its construction is fairly straight forward.
Some basic construction differences to look out for are concave, rocker, tips and flex.
Concave-
Single Concave
You will find most entry level/ beginner boards have a single concave bottom to them. The benefit of a single concave is that the rider has an easier time with planing over the water surface, and can more readily ride upwind. The single concave also provides more grip and stability over top of the water, preventing slipping/skipping the board surface.
Double concave
The double concave is usually found on advanced freestyle and wake style boards. It makes the center-line of the board more stiff, which allows for the rider to have more pop and accomplish more tricks. It also makes for a more gentle landing when doing higher G-force tricks or big air jumps.
Rocker
From tip to tip of the board the curvature is described as the rocker. Think of the legs of a rocking chair. The more rocker the board has, the more extreme the curvature.
The board will either have continuous rocker, or just rocker at the tips. Continuous rocker is smoother and will tend to produce less splashing in your face while riding. People that ride twin tips in the ocean chop tend to prefer more continuous rocker boards.
Rocker just at the tips of the board or “three stage rocker” is more for the freestyle flat water rider that is interested in popping, jumping, and a looser feel.
Boards with less rocker will perform well in light wind and have more upwind riding capability while high rocker boards are preferred for park style riding and freestyle tricks. Most boards on the market are whats called “medium rocker” which just means you get the best of both worlds.
Tips
The construction of the tip will affect the performance of the board quite a bit. There are basically two different tip construction options; square-tips and rounded tips
Square tips
Better for pop and freestyle, but will not carve as well and can splash your face a lot in choppier waters.
Rounded tips
Great for carving turns and directional downwinder riding in the ocean.
Flex
Flex describes how stiff or flexy the board is from tip to tip. The materials used in determine, in large part, how flexy the board is. Fiberglass, Kevlar, and Carbon are the common materials used. Each have different flex properties.
Soft construction
Softer boards are slow, but handle choppy conditions much better and are more gentle on the joints.
Medium construction
Most boards on the market are described as medium flex.
Hard construction
These boards are faster, have a lot of upwind drive and provide a better pop. The advanced freestyle rider would choose this construction. The sacrifice is that the board does not handle well in chop.