Does anyone out there happen to have hands on experience to compare these?
I’m coming from a short, wide egg, so I’m guessing either will be an improvement, but appreciate any thoughts. Leaning toward 85L sizes, primarily flat water and wind chop on inland lakes.
I also would like to hear of anyone’s practical experience with these two boards. I’ve used the 100L Duotone skybrid and found it initially difficult to water start for lateral stability coming from a 75L tombstone style North board. I have a 95L Sabfoil mid length hybrid torpedo 6’. My early experience is that you might want to go with a higher volume for these downwind shapes than you would expect.
I have a Carver, great board. Super slippery and light too. I’ve since downsized but I still use it from time to time.
My only criticism is that the deck grip is pretty soft and gets cut up easily (no peeling from the deck, the foam is just soft).
I moved from a “short, wide egg” style (5’0) to the carver. Both ~85L. The Carver is great, easy to get a lot of planing speed, so can use smaller hand wind and or smaller/faster front wings.
The Carver is also a huge improvement when banked over turning as the rail is less likely to hit the water. Only downside is the short wide board felt smaller and a bit more nimble. But, for me, it is a small price that is worth paying.
I have Carver 85l and am very familiar with it. Great board for me. I weigh 85kg and 66yo. It is nearly equal to a downwind board in light wind take off. I am trying a Skybird 70l now. It is pretty similar to ride and with nearly the same low wind range. The weight distribution is good. In light wind when I sink can balance reasonably well. The deck is flatter than the carver. I am going down in volume because smaller and lighter is noticeable when riding. Both boards are a good choice.
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