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New Kona longboard
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jamieinnyc



Joined: 26 Apr 2010
Posts: 108

PostPosted: Fri Apr 19, 2013 11:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

DanWeiss wrote:
jamieinnyc wrote:
Well, it does look very nice, but.. I hate to be the naysayer, and even so have to say I would never consider buying it. The whole point of Kona One is the one design fleet. This will not be class legal. That means there's no point. It will be slower than race boards, which it will match in price - so who buys that? It will beat all other big longboards in the surf though - but thats a very small market. Most surfing longboarders are on Exocet Cruise line now. Makes me think that the buyers of the Kona brand are having some problems with money.


Nope, the point is that there are many people who love the Kona One's shape but want a board that is a lot lighter and supercharged to make the sailing even more fun.

Did you know that the Kona One is [i]faster[/] than any Raceboard when planing upwind is possible? It's true, the Kona One can be sailed upwind on the fin only and do so faster than any other longboard as well as beat most RS:X. It's also at least as fast as any Raceboard when going off the wind and planing, though you don't see the speed potential often due to the class rigs being used.

The Kona Carbone is about marshaling one of the greatest board designs ever and making a top-drawer version. And, no, I don't think Kona One AB is having money problems. Kona One is the fastest growing aspect of windsurfing right now because it appeals both to current windsurfers in a way that redefines windsurfing for many as well as to people who have no preconceptions of what windsurfing is. To them, Kona One is windsurfing because it's not really about the racing but about the community and friendship, about having a healthy activity that's easy to do together as a family.

So don't be that naysayer. Maybe the Kona Carbone isn't for you but you never know until you try. The first board was hoped to be at the Midwinters but it couldn't make it in time. They are coming, so I hope you get to try one.


Ok, mercy - I love the Kona and the Kona idea, and obviously this is the best Kona. I still think this likely damages the one design brand - sucks to think you are committed to the SLOW Kona if not this one. Anyway, to repeat, love the Kona brand, so much so that I am committing to a big Sandy Kona Surf rebuild - more on that in another post.
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gregnw44



Joined: 23 Jul 2008
Posts: 783
Location: Seattle, Wa

PostPosted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 12:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Personally, I love the Kona concept, the community, the One Design racing, etc. Windsurfing is a solo sport... but like biking, skiing and many others... the social aspect is very fun... and growing it, helps the sport.

And I like that they're doing more development with this carbon model... keeping interest and life going in longboards... which is what more normal people living in normal towns should be sailing (not you hi-wind junkies, I'm talking about new growth).

And I believe Dan and his reports, about very good Kona One performance, in planning winds. And from experience... I bet this new carbon model will do what he says, in a couple mph less wind.

But for me at 205lbs... sailing mostly in light winds... 220 L isn't enough. More volume, goes faster for me. I have 4 shortboards for playing in all kinds of higher winds. But when raceboards of 240L and more came out... I found, that's what worked best for me. I use an old powerful 11M Aerotech sail I bought brand new years ago... and enjoy cruising around the typical light winds. For the rare times we get close to planning winds, I've got a modern 10.5 and an old tight leech 8.2... both will get me planning on a 1994 F2 Lightning raceboard (250L) in about the same winds as formula boards will plane in, for me.

A good 220L board will be great for lighter guys... or for places with more wind than I have here. And there are lots of people in the world, that it'll work well for. But for me...I'll wait for one of the higher volume models.
Anyway, I'm excited to see this new Kona model... and can think of people I know, that would appreciate both of these boards.
Greg -
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GURGLETROUSERS



Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 2643

PostPosted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 3:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well Greg, I suppose that if I, at my new svelte 175 ish lbs (all the biking Cool ) can load up my Mahalo tandem (the big Kona) with camping gear, and still happily use a 7.5, there's no cause to grumble.

I see your point though, of the Kona 1's slight lack of carrying ability for heavyweights. A bit like the earlier Fanatic cats we used to race, before they upped the volume. The problem though, is that the Kona 1 is a first class planing board with a funboard feel to it, and more volume may spoil it, in that respect. Purely for fun, the new lighter version sounds spot on.

Thanks for the tip about the dagger board clonk. It's common to give it a good belt, prior to blasting off in a gust, and the Kona DOES lift up and go! (I drilled and bolted a sawn in half skateboard wheel to the head for better leverage to save cursing paddywacks, when the stupid original bit of stuck on foam tore and fell to pieces on the first day I used it.)

The lighter carbon board is tempting, but durability is the main issue, in ordinary longboard sailing. Some feedback would be helpful.
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jingebritsen



Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371

PostPosted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 5:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i've used lotsa carbon boards over the years. i very rarely ding or smash them. the most often thing i do to them is smash them while transport and handling. very rarely will i do so on the water. but, i have lotsa TOW, and know how to deal with being over powered and really lit up. i've typed essays on how to not smash boards while sailing, and lots still do so. lots should spend more time sailing. i'm one of them.

most people when they feel like they are on the edge of control sheet out. that just makes that feeling worse. sheet home, use tons of mast foot pressure. when one wishes to lessen power, use hard MFP and feather the sail very slightly. when one opens up the boom and sheets out lots, the MFP leverage is removed. so goes the control with it.

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gregnw44



Joined: 23 Jul 2008
Posts: 783
Location: Seattle, Wa

PostPosted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 12:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Absolutely true. Most board damage (especially longer boards, or even really wide FW)... happens while carrying them around and transporting or hitting them on your roof-rack, etc. NOT very many times, do you get damage from actually sailing them. (Unless there's a design issue, like a difficult to use centerboard.)
This is true for fragile carbon types AND other types. Anyway, no matter how careful you are, accidents (or wind gusts) will still happen... and a fragile board is much more susceptible than a more durable model.

And no... I'm not "grumbling" at all. Just thinking out-loud about if... a very expensive carbon 220L Kona makes any sense to me, when I already have a lightweight 249L longboard. Answer, probably NOT.
If there was any kind of Kona sailing community here in the NW US, than maybe. Perhaps some day there will be.
Cause I totally support the idea.
But for big guys here, where the wind is usually 5 to 10 mph... you want a jumbo sail and a jumbo board (most days)... and I already have that.
Keep up the great work Kona, I'm a fan !!
Gre Smile
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DanWeiss



Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Posts: 2296
Location: Connecticut, USA

PostPosted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 8:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The BEST way to complete the gasket surgery is to remove it entirely and make the cut against a metal straight-edge positioned outboard of the original cut so that your blade rides against the straight edge just as a router rides against a guide. You don't need perfection, but you never want to cut right from the actual edge of the original cut but maybe .5mm above. The idea is to soften the blunt edge but thinning it.

Reglue with this: http://calema.com/shop/hot-stuff-super-glue/

I've not determined whether the replacement gaskets Tinho sells for Mistrals will be a direct fit for the Kona.

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nodak



Joined: 13 Nov 2012
Posts: 130

PostPosted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 9:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I want one. I'll retire my Kona One to be a SUP.

Accordint to Kona One forum, US delivery date for Carbone is June 2013. I was told to place an order with my local distributor. So I emailed Steve Gottlieb. Will see what he writes back.
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Sailboarder



Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 656

PostPosted: Thu May 02, 2013 7:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

gregnw44 wrote:
Thanks nodak - For the weight info.
And WOW, a 7.7# drop for a 220 L board... will definitely be noticed by experienced windsurfers. That's amazing.
I imagine, like all board weights... that's for a stripped hull?
It'll weigh more... with mast-track, centerboard, fin, and straps... which has always been the case since the beginning, for all boards.
.


I guess it will be even a bit more of a drop when all is added since the centerboard is made of carbon too.

I'd love to own one, it will be the ultimate all-around board.
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outcast



Joined: 04 May 2004
Posts: 2724

PostPosted: Thu May 02, 2013 8:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Want one.
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nodak



Joined: 13 Nov 2012
Posts: 130

PostPosted: Thu May 02, 2013 11:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Found this teaser on Kona Carbone: http://vimeo.com/64875368.

Why is it that this board seems more stable while planning? Maybe it's because there's hardly any chop on the water? My Kona One is all over the place when planning like that. It even does aerials after which I usually tend to lose control and get ejected.
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