Kitesoul Magazine #21 International Edition

capacity. Suitable to extreme waves and excellent
riders.
DECK - top part of the board
Same considerations made for the Outline.
NOSE – tip or shape of the nose
The nose is the part of the board least in contact
with the water and it is necessarily related
to the rocker type. Usually boards with
an accentuated rocker have very pointed and
sharp noses, facilitating the passage of frontal
foams (the outbound ones) and improving
the handling of the board at the expense of
stability. Boards with less rocker (straighter)
have more generous noses with opposite effects.
TAIL – shape of the tail
Unlike the nose, the TAIL is the part of the
board ALWAYS in contact with the water. Therefore,
it represents a very important part of the
tool. It primarily affects the manoeuvrability
(how the board carves) and the speed. Simplifying...
narrow and aggressive tails guarantee
a quicker rail to rail, losing a bit of lift that
must be balanced by the kiter's skills to sail
more by the lee or use the kite to avoid losing
speed. On the contrary, narrower tails give
less theoretical manoeuvrability but often, in
the practice, for the majority of low-mid level
kiters, the actual manoeuvrability increases
because they give better floatation, allowing
to better overcome the loss of speed phase of
the rail to rail.