A look at directional boards for wave riding


by Peter Petersen

Carlo has asked me to comment on my use of directional boards for waveriding. Firstly, I think it comes from the fact that I come from a windsurfing background and a directional just feels more like what I'm used to. A lot of people ask if a directional is better for waves - I think the answer to that is very personal, it's all about the feeling you get when you ride your board. For me it seems like you can push harder and throw more spray on a twin-tip with thin rails, the downside is that everything has to be done with utmost precision and power in the kite.

On a directional the rounder, thicker rails are more forgiving, and the volume allows you to make sections with less pull in the kite. This makes the ride more carving and flowing in my view, two aspects which I enjoy. On a directional you ride a
lot on the fins, whereas the twin-tip relies almost entirely on it's rail.

Rail to rail manouevers feel easier on a directional for me as I can do them over the fins as opposed to having to "jump" from rail to rail on a twinny.

When I ride a twinny I constantly spin out on my bottom-turn because the set-up is very unforgiving, the grip is either on or off. Directionals have oodles of grip over the fins, some say too much as guys coming from twin-tips complain that it feels like you are dragging an anchor. This hasto do with the fin area being so big. Bottom curve and outline are two of the most important aspects of virtually any water craft, on a twin-tip you are making huge sacrifices as you cannot optimize scoop, rocker and outline to suit the waves you ride. On a twin-tip it's not unusual to see 5 cm or more rocker (you have to get the front-fins to clear) on my directionals we never have over 3cm. The twin-tip rider also can't put in bigger fins as he
will trip over them going the other way, so design-wise the directional can be more tailormade. The pointy nose is another huge advantage when you punch through the roof of a wave. With a directional you can optimize your board to the wind and waves you ride, on a twin-tip or 60/40 you are invariably making sacrifices. But that is not to say that you can't rip on a
non-directional, the best guys in the world (and SA) are riding twin-tips and 60/40's in the waves and making it look great.
What matters to me is that it feels great, and I'm sure the guy who rips on his twinnie is as stoked as I am on my directionals... At the end of the day we are so fortunate that kitesurfing is so efficient that you can grab virtually
anything and kite it..

Myths about directionals:

You have to jibe - I agree you are better off if you do (no early hip-replacements) but I see quite a few guys going out switch stance.

Jibing is difficult - It's all in the mind, some guys prefer getting hurt doing kiteloops, after that jibing is easy..

You can use a smaller kite - This formula doesn't seem to work unless your directional is a longboard, my directionals are all under 140cmx39cm so I can't take out a smaller kite if I want to stay upwind

You go upwind better - Directionals have more fin-area, but they also have more curve in the outline which hampers upwind ability. The pointy nose also shortens the rail so all in all the upwind ability is probably on par.

You can surf the wave without using kite - Unfortunately not, as the surface area of even the bigger directionals is too small to carry your weight properly.

You look cool on the beach - Definately..


My latest board: Cyclone Destroyer 138cmx39cm. Continuing along the lines of my previous boards, this board has been tweaked in a number of areas. More volume in middle and front rails, less volume in the tail and a more curvy outline on sligthly longer template. This board is the board I rode most in Madagascar.
I wouldn't know what to improve right now.....

Fins and finboxes. You will notice that I have some Stealth looking fins in the board, these are 4wayfinsystems from Dean Geraghty which I'm busy testing - they are fast as s$@#@#. The boxes are also 4wfs which are unique in that you can change the finsize/type, splay, toe, back and forward position of the fin by turning a screw! This enables you to change characteristics of board quite substantially, you can make it more or less grippy, stiffer or looser, faster etc. I have tested system on 3 boards so far and have been able to tune each board to my personal style within minutes. If any of you have the 4wayfinsystems and need assistance in tweaking your board - drop me a line, with this system you can make any
board become champ! And before you ask, there is no problem with strength provided boxes are installed correctly.
For more info on 4wfs contact Peter on +27 82 658 7033 or http://www.4wfs.com

Article Comments: (Add Comments)

140 cm directional? That is so small. I ride a 192 directional and it rules for light winds. It is not my favorite board in the surf, because of having to jibe. But that is just because I am not good at jibing yet. Once I get good at jibing, that will open up a lot of light wind days for me in the surf with glassy conditions. For now I ride a 171 cm twintip when underpowered, and switch to a 151 cm when I'm feeling powered up. I was a little hesitant the first time I took my 171 cm board out in the surf, but it works suprisingly well. Guys at my beach prefer to ride bigger boards in the surf.

sflinux

We don't really ride in less than 13-15knots...What do you guys ride in with those size boards?

PeterP

Sounds like you guys have a lot less wind than us....here in Cape Town the guys are riding Twin-tips of 115cm-140cm. What winds do you kite in? Tip for jibing, pull kite up as you switch feet otherwise it tends to want to pull you off.

PeterP

I want to concentrate more on wave riding this summer (Cape Town). The directionals sound worth exploring again but hate that straight front foot strap. Just saw the pic of the new Xelerator... could be a good compromise?

Ian

I dont think there is any question of Peter's Superior ability and experience, but i would have to disagree on a few levels.

Mainly because my directional is a lot bigger than his. I ride a 5'6 ( 168 cm) and some friends of mine ride 5'10 s ( 177 cm) and with that extra length wave riding dramatically improves.

With the bigger board you feel like your are riding the wave a lot more. Once your on a biger board you can reduce your kite size and line length dramatically allowing you to wip the kite across the wind without being blasted off the face of the wave. This is especially true when downwinding and staying in one place isnt the goal.

Once you've tried a bigger directional board on waves, there isnt any comparision worth mentioning to a twin tip. ( but thats just my opinion)

Clyde