2014 F-ONE TRAX HDR Carbon: 136 x 40.5
RIDER: Pat Lemoine
LOCATION: JAX Beach, Florida
I have been really excited about trying out one of the new 2014 F-ONE board’s with this HRD rail design. I honestly did not know what to expect, and was a little skeptical since it seems so different. Yesterday, I got a chance to spend about 2 hours on the new 136 x 40.5, TRAX HRD Carbon twin tip.
I’ve been kiting since 2001, and spent the first 5 or 6 years on a twin tip, then the past several years mainly on a surfboard. I’ll pull out a twin tip from time to time, but I just have more fun on a surf board. Plus, it’s a lot less work, and I always prefer to fly a smaller kite, which I can do on a surf board.
The winds started out around 15-19mph for the first hour, and then filled in at around 19-26mph. It was pretty choppy and on-shore. I was flying an 11m Bandit6.
My thoughts on the board:
Low end: When I first went out, I didn’t think I had enough to get going on an 11m and a twin tip. A few dives of the kite, and the board immediately jumped to a plane and took off. I’m used to my twin tips sinking a little and needing a lot of power. That didn’t seem to be the case with this board. It feels as if you are riding a little higher on the water. Not really sure what is going on, but it works!
High end: Toward the end of the session, I was pretty lit on the 11m and the board stayed just as smooth in the water as when the winds were light earlier in the session. I could really lean in hard on the rails and burn off the power of the kite. Never in danger of slipping out, or bouncing uncontrollably down wind.
The feel on the water: The best way to describe the board is smooth. It doesn’t have that bouncy feel, that I am used to, when riding twin tips. It gets up and goes really fast, bites up wind, and cuts through chop. It also doesn’t spray me in the face, which is another thing I am used to. In terms of pop, it has a ton of pop. Loading up the kite, while setting the rail, it rebounds like a champ. And when coming down hot, it is very smooth and forgiving on the landings, and doesn’t bounce out of control or slide out. I’m not a technical guy, so I don’t know if this has more to do with the HRD rails, the channels on the bottom, or a little bit of everything. But, whatever is going on, it works. And, since I am used to riding waves, I had to give it a go, slashing some wave faces. You can aggressively slice up a wave face and toss buckets of spray, and again no uncontrollable sliding out. It seems to be the perfect balance of grip, control, and flex.
I really couldn’t find anything wrong with the board. I’m sure there are some things that could be better, but I couldn’t find them. The board does everything I’d want a board to do. I’m now excited about riding twin tips again. I had a chance to go out again this morning before work, and I actually left my surf board at home, and only took this board. Go check out the new 2014 HDR Carbon TRAX boards at your local F-ONE retailer !
