Kalama’s son riding a naish dw board, oh the irony
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Sizing is a good reason for not buying a Kalama DW board. I’m a bigger guy in cold water and for starting out the 111L just is not the right volume for me. I would love a Barracuda otherwise.
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Kalama boards have 10” tracks optimized for GoFoil. If you’re riding GF or Axis you’re probably right. If you’re riding Lift or Armstrong you may be challenged getting your mast placement right. I know someone riding Takuma who ended up installing new tracks farther forward
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A few days ago Kane of kdmaui fame, flat water paddled up the lift 90 on the production 7’10” Kalama and was asked if the lift foil worked in the Kalama boxes and his reply was “perfectly near the front” if I remember correctly. Yet this is with a foil so much smaller than most will ever consider downwinding. It makes me wonder how many people are making it harder for themselves with tuning and positioning and when presented with a big long box are actually making it impossible to paddle up. So much misinformation.
For those that are interested I have a 7’8 production Kalama and have only proned it so far but the boxes are a long way forward and slightly further forward than the Amos I compared it to.
Foil positioning for both prone and dw are worthy of their own respective threads.
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Misinformation…
Kane is one of the world’s best sup foilers, extremely fit, in his early 20’s (cardio for days), using a 130" paddle blade (he says so himself), and it still took him 33 strokes to paddle up the 90.
He stalled immediately, obviously nowhere near the speed to actually fly the foil and zero cardio left to paddle pump and keep accelerating.
Incredible effort, hardly a success.
You can make a bad setup work… If you’re all of the above. That clip was heart attack city for anyone over 21 years old.
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Yes I know all that but his words were perfect. This does come from an Ernest character who knows more than most of us. Probably tested and tried more foil and board combinations than anyone full stop.
Are you suggesting he could have made it easier by going forward and lifting earlier?
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Any reviews of the KT? We are waiting for those in Europe.
but I don’t see why anyone buying a DW board wouldn’t buy a Kalama.
1st: Here in northern Europe they are simply not available. If iI would want one I have to get it from south of France: 1300km away and there they are a LOT more as 350$ extra.
2th: I,m not sure if the Kalama boards suit my conditions.
Unfortunately the conditions in the netherlands are rather the opposite of Maui: we have brown/grey freaking cold water, everything over seconds is called here a long period, and the waves are slow+weak but steep.
3th: sizing: 188x96kg, ad a full hood 5mm wintersuit+boots and I hit the 100kg easily makes me wanting an 130+l board, not too long or too small and with that eliminating a lot of options.
I ended up ordering a Sunova Elite 7.6x23x136l hoping it suits me
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Appreciate all the responses. I’m definitely not hating on anyone who goes a different direction, just trying to understand why. The sizing and shipping issues make a lot of sense.
Would love for someone to do a head-to-head of all the different shapes. I would think that a better board will be better no matter what type of conditions - its all about getting up and off the water - so I’d think the main variables would all be linked to how easy it is to get to your feet, get moving, and fly the wing.
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Because no independent and competent rider has done a head-to-head for varying conditions, it is fair to say things are still very much up in the air.
We are at Generation 1 downwind boards, and we will surely have a few iterations of designs before anything at all like convergence we are seeing in surf and downwind foils that do seem to suit varying conditions.
I would take the other extreme: buy the cheapest board > 7’ long and < 20" wide, compatible with your brand, try before you buy, ideally borrow until you feel comfortable.
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The better board will be built for the conditions. Better isn’t better everywhere. For a board, foil or what ever.
A 9’ foot board 18” wide will get you ripping into those fast long period swells if Hawaii,
On a lake that board will be sitting on the peaks of 2 bumps.
Something more 6-7’ but wider to add some volume and stability will work better on a lake/bay but struggle in the longer period.
The rippers we see on insta could make almost anything work wherever they go.
For learning choose the right gear for your conditions to lessen the struggle most of us have had before these DW board existed.
Just this kooks 2cents!!!
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Kane made it work because of his skill, fitness and who he is. And he’s very diplomatic.
I haven’t ridden a Barra so I can’t comment on the setup. I do know guys with the E3 had to drill out their mast base plates to push the mast forwards.
Surely it’s fair to say we’re at DW board gen 2 at least? Gen 1 being short wide sup slabs for big fat foils. Gen 2 long skinny for much smaller AR 8-10 foils. The next gen will be interesting, we might see a split in direction.
The M2O might be the biggest change agent in DW SUP foiling this year and ongoing. First time running. Everyone wants to win.
A lot of questions will be answered about which foil and which board works best in the same conditions…
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Maybe, I guess those were sup boards being forced to DW in the same way original foils were kite foils etc. but my take would be these are the first DW specific boards therefor first generation. Until barracuda this was largely not even considered as a viable thing? Certainly the start of the broader attention.
In any case you are right, next batch will be interesting with slender as a base.
Gorge vs Hawaii is interesting but I imagine foils will be much more interesting. Boards need to be fast enough to get your very fast foil up and then all that matters is touchdown recovery.
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I have my 7’10 Production Barracuda for two weeks now. It is the best board I’ve owned to date. I’m 85kg and find the float and stability perfect for me. However, I am several years into my DW foiling journey. The board is Lightweight, feels strong and looks amazing. I use GoFoil so I know it is tested and works with my foils. In Waves the surfing performance is best I’ve used, lightwind winging is amazing. Pumping and flatwater training is also great.
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I ended up moving my kalama box forward, and am very happy I did. The location conversation was emailing with TJ, then texting with Dave, and I think there was a breakdown somehow, since me saying something like: “I’m on takuma/axis, so a bit on the aft side”, somehow turned into about 1/2” BEHIND where he puts it for gofoil. The process of cutting open a kalama board was illuminating, as there was less structural support than I’d have guessed: EPS foam with hd foam “bulkheads” that continue to the deck at the middle and ends of individual tracks inlayed straight in there, so sections of track are surrounded by eps not HD. I know nothing so I’m sure that’s legit, but I replaced it with an hd box wrapped in carbon extending onto the bottom, with a new bulkhead at the front of tracks connecting to the deck reinforced with carbon, with a beefy carbon pad extending farther forward. With the exception of carbon around the tracks and strips on the side, the board is wrapped in glass. Are the production ones carbon?
Now, I stand so the board is level in the water, and when I catch a wave my feet are balanced without moving them, which seems like the way it should be.
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All I know is the production Kalamas are made in Vietnam at the Kinetic Factory. Same place as Jimmy Lewis, GoFoil boards and PPC and a few others. They mainly do PVC sandwich construction I believe.
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Both online and when questioned on lift suitability to the barracuda his reply was “perfect” he didn’t say fine which maybe you could construe as diplomatic. Big difference in language.
We already agree he is achieving something that most will never because of talent,
experience and wisdom which is why how he did is so important.
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From what I understand the balance should be that the tail sinks while static and then when you engage and lean forward the board balances flat.
That sounds like a real mess on a new board.
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I think there is more to the board than speed and touchdowns. I think that the shape of the board affects how it handles wind on it. I have had two Kalama Barracuda like prototypes and I believe that Dave has put some thought into the aerodynamics of his boards once on foil. I am amazed at how easy they sliced through wind. I thought that winging on them would be cumbersome compared to my wingboard but was pleasantly surprised. The sub 10lb weight helps alot. I think that shapers will be paying more attention to flight characteristics of boards in the future. I would think that air passing over rails and contours would have similar affect but less maybe that water would. Of course wind would be coming from different directions depending on what application, so some sort of air foil shape could be sweet. I know the difference in wearing a wetsuit vs. a baggy drysuit affects my winging performance. Why wouldn’t the board shape?