Hey guys just wondering about your experiance with raceboards, and in particular how you found learning to ride them, and what you learnt on :) Thanks
I started on the 4 fin North LTD 2011. Took a lot of time to learn! I got jybes fairly early, but could never tack this board. Also I spent all my time practicing going across and upwind and never much downwind. First race I did on it - first to the top/first mark and then fell about 8 times on downwind! Learnt that must practice up, cross and downwind. The 4 fin raceboards are hard work downwind and don't see many anymore. Then changed to Aguera LE 69 - with ristafins. Much more stable and nicer board to ride. Still have this one, but has had 3 x major repairs and is getting heavier.
Good if wric replied as he spent a short period on the sector 60 and then latest North with ristafins. Would be good to know if it was worth having this second stage board - sector. Tried sector recently - great board and wonder if I would have learnt faster by getting a sector first and then full raceboard.
had Sector 60 for couple years, bought 2012 north 69 ltd recently. sector is very easy board to get going on and ton of fun to ride. if we race in choppy water i still can beat everyone in our group of new racers with sector as getting superior upwind performance from true race board is more difficult in chop and guys tend to crash too often on downwind. my race board is very different animal. on my first session in chop i was completely humiliated, cracked top deck with my knee, swam more that rode. for life of me i could not figure out how to go downwind further than 50 meters without crashing AND i knew everything i was supposed to do, just could not put it in practice. it is getting better now, but there is a long road ahead before i'll feel on this board as confident as i do on sector.
so if you have the means and have no directional experience i'd say that learning jibes and tacks, downlooping kite when turning downwind, going deep downwind at neck breaking speeds, sector 60 (or 66) is perhaps the best board you can buy today.
having said that, we do have couple guys here who went straight from TT (or surfboard) onto race board and they are doing pretty good. everyone is different.
now that i have race board i'm retiring my sector 60 (it is about fall to pieces anyway), but did get a new sector 54 to blast around for fun.
Another often overlooked board is the Underground Race. It was very surfboard like to ride but more raceboard than the sector 60.
I rode on it for a good 4 months before moving to the Cab 183, much easier to ride and good to get the feel of racing. Saying that even the 183 is an easy board to ride!
^ New undergournd board looks really good, just haven't found anyone that caries it.
www.undergroundkiteboards.com/#!/race/details
Unfortunately Underground went bankrupt .. U won't find any. There was an older version 4 fin raceboard that was more forgiving and a good starting raceboard. A few around 2nd hand.
I would suggest that there is a little more humiliation ahead of you 
From my experience (and from other racers I have discussed this with), I would say that it usually takes at least 20 hours on a new race board before becoming comfortable. The more time you spend on it, the more competent you become.
I also have the Monaro V4 and am loving it. It took more like 2 hours than 20 to get used to and is by far the best board i have had. However, I have been riding race boards for 3 years or so. Stick with it and you will get it.
One point to make, is that it probably won't like riding on its windward edge as much as the Sector does. Coming from a twin tip background, I initially found it a challenge to ride a board flat, let alone on the leeward side. So I would concentrate initially on trying to ride the board as flat as possible.
Beyond that, I guess the main thing is practice. You will probably end up drinking a fair bit of river water (as I did), but after a while it will begin to be worth it 
I found the transition form surfboard > raceboard not to bad.
you'll have to commit to riding the raceboard and only a raceboard for a while to get the feel of it.
Getting back on a twin tip will ruin your learning curve.
Its pretty fun tho, highly recommend the challenge.
Enjoy.
Sounds like challenging conditions for anyone on a raceboard. I think you will definitely have more fun on the river.
It would also be preferable to have lighter, more steady wind to begin with. It is pretty strong and gusty today - could be pretty challenging conditions for learning. But if you have the opportunity to get out there, why wouldn't you.
Good luck!
