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Yo, east coast beyatches. It's time to educate the hard-riding yet hard-learning NE Florida crew. Once you are done reading this post, you can tell others that you've earned your GED.
Months ago, after I read Daryl's statements in Kiteboarding Magazine about skimboards, I decided to buy a skimboard from Extreme Kites and see if it was as good in light wind as reported. Indeed, it was. The skimboard was inexpensive and worth its weight in gold, especially if you enjoy the sadistic thrill of being able to ride and crank upwind while everyone else just stands arounds and watches with their kites on the beach.
Well, recently, Daryl and Pat started telling me about the Slingshot Glide and its light wind performance. Frankly, the claims sounded too good to be true. I finally broke down and bought the Gilde, however, and it arrived yesterday afternoon.
The Glide is a 149cm board, but it looks bigger, probably because it is so wide. It has very little rocker, if any, and is quite thin. The board comes stock with pads, straps, a handle, and 4 tiny fins.
I brought the board with me to the Skyway today after the heavy wind had already blown through,. At first, I went out on my 16m 2005 Rhino and a 130 cm Wipika Abreu pro. I was going upwind and getting some decent jumps, but I was tired of screwing around with a big kite, so I dropped down to a 12m 2005 Rhino. That kept me kiting for a while, but the wind then dropped a bit and it was time for the Glide to make an entrance.
And did it ever! I rode my 12m for the next 2+ hours, KILLING IT, tearing upwind, laughing the whole time, all while the wind dropped more and more. For the first hour, I had to sheet out my 12m. This is after almost everyone else had put their 15s and 16s down because they were slogging around. The board planes so much water yet slips along with so little drag, I could fly with a half-powered 12m. I was able to unhook and fly the kite on the pulley bar with one hand while waving at all the disbelievers on shore or dragging an arm in the water, just like I was at OWC on the cable. Most of my session took place in 4 inches of glassy water, as well, which was easy given that I was not having to keel the board over on edge trying to stay upwind. No one on regular kiteboards even tried to ride with me in that area until the tide filled in much more.
This was the most fun I've had on a kite in quite a while. After I came in, my friend Allen told me that I had a stupid grin on my face the whole time, and I believe it. That session was like a wild drunk without waking up with a fat chick and a hangover.
The potential this board has for beginners strikes me as tremendous. When I learned to kite, I had problems coping with a fully powered kite, particularly given that the penalties for error with a fully powered kite are usually large. Hell, I still get weary at times at being overpowered and dragging down the beach. With the Glide, I was able to ride on my 12m while others were getting nowhere on 15s and 17s.
At one point in the session, my bro' Alex and I grabbed our skimboards. That lasted about one tack because the skimboard, frankly, is outperformed by the Glide. I'll still ride the skimboard, but it is no longer my light wind board.
Anyhow, I know Jimbo has a Glide that he shows around, so check it out if you can. I am sold, and I know a lot of people who saw me having the time of my life today in low wind in 4 inches of water ON A 12M KITE are probably sold too. Now I just need to get a unicon sticker for the board and I will be set.
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