WOW….Faster than a speeding bullet, able leap tall buildings in a single bound. No not Superman but my new Skywalker Fackin Strong 130.

Seriously, I was looking to upgrade my board. I had tried a few boards and I was looking for an all around board for 14 to 30 knots at 180 pounds in chop/waves. My problem is that I really didn’t want to spend $700 + on a complete board. I’m sort of a cheap bastard…
I saw a post about these boards on the Kite forum and did a quick web search and found
www.oceanextremesports.com and found this board http://www.kiteoutlet.com/catalog/produ ... cts_id/118

I gave them a call and spoke to Scott Fears. After a nice give and take discussion we decided that the 130 would be a good choice for my size and riding style in our conditions here (Scott made it clear that if I felt the 130 was too big or if I felt I’d be better off with the 126 I could return it and exchange it for the 126) That’s Fackin Service…. I’m feeling good before I even have the board.

Ok 3 days later I get the board just in time for an upcoming good wind forecast 15-20 SW winds.

First impression: the board feels very light, the edge looks real interesting - it cuts in from the bottom to the top at an angle. The tips are thin and have some flex.
The foot straps have 2 bolts holding them down. One thing that I thought would be a problem but found it to be an advantage was the foot pads come fixed on the board. You can’t move them (Can’t change the width of your stance) well for me that was an advantage I didn’t have to make a decision what stance to use.

First session. Pads and straps are very comfortable. The stance was perfect not a problem, I had a few local kiters ride it also and the stance was not a problem. One of the local ball busters told me that the board is the best piece of gear that I bought.
Conditions for the day varied its started out light 12-18 Mph and than increased to 20-30MPH in 1-2 foot chop in the bay. I rigged my 12 bow and kept riding up with the gusts up to 30 without being over powered but that was with a bow/flat kite. I than rigged my 9 bow/flat kite and was very well powered and having a blast on the board.
The board is quick to plane, and really holds and edge nice, it’s also much easier to slide toe side and keep up speed on toe side than my previous boards. It’s a fast board. It has a bit of a loose feel but you can dig in the heel and get it to bite instantly. I was really concerned about the chop, but was really impressed how well it cut through the chop. Transitions are a lot of fun on this board. Cutting upwind was also very easy.

I was a bit nervous about buying a board that nobody has ridden and it did look like most of the reviews on the forum were from distributors.
I have found my new board will take me to the next level of kiting I’m very happy with the board and the service I received from Scott at Extreme kites.

Mike C

Thanks Mike

We have felt good about these boards since their arrival, but I personally was hesitant to write a review. Why? Because it seemed (at the time) that all the reviews on the forums were from distributors and team riders. What was the point? I thought to myself.

It's the non-biased guy who's opinion is often times valued the most.
Thanks again Mike.

Here is another thread going (of many) on the board:

http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2330097&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=skywalker

I have heard nothing but good about these boards from average riders to the best of riders, and when I rode the F'n 130, it seem pretty fackin' good to me

Yo, which one of the Skywalker boards would be the choice for my pending trip to Cabarete? I've got the 130 Wipika Abreu, which rocks, but I am thinking I might like a bigger board at times to make staying upwind easier. I am damn sure not bringing my Glide to Cabarete. Any suggestions?

So, are you going to not bring the 130 and this will be a substitute?
At what wind speed are you going to just say "screw it"? What is your biggest kite you are taking?

The board is awesome when I rode it. Very sensitive it’s too small for my taste. I got to ride a crazy fly 132-41 the fn strong and a underground 132 back to back and snapped the under ground in half, got sprayed in the face by fn strong and all in all the crazy fly out performed them all. The default straps are horrible though. I think that says a lot that the board was better in my opinion and it had horrible straps. The f'n strong is an amazing board but not the right sizes for me. If I lived in hatteras with my big kite being a 12m yes the board rocks but not the all around Florida conditions when the smallest board should be a 132 and much wider. It’s a flat water board.


ps: who the fuck uses a board leash...honestly....