I'm just wondering... has there been any significant improvement in twintip design / materials in the last few years?
I'm still riding a 2006 cardboard which is going strong and no need to replace really. The general shape is very similar to a lot of new boards, and i gather materials also similar (paulonia wood core) But new stuff is cool...
a year or two after i bought my board a lot of twintips appeared with raised layers on the deck (not sure what this is called), this design seems to have stuck around, whats it do and am i missing anything? extra rail bite / upwind ability perhaps?
Also i notice many TTs these days have sharp corners on the fins. seems unnecessary, is there any real reason for this?
From my research for building a board i found out this.
Older boards tend to be a similar thickness throughout the board. They tend to have more rocker than newer boards.
Newer boards are more tapered at the tips and thicker in the middle. Its typical to see a 3-4mm at the tips and 10mm in the center. Newer boards also have more channels and concave options aswell.
Rocker smooths out chop and gives you good carving and holds more power. But the more rocker you have the more power hungry the board. A super flat board cranks upwind like nothing else but hates chop and can't hold much power.
So... an old board with a single thickness has to have a present rocker to try and trade off between upwind, chop riding and power holding ability.
The newer board thats waists towards the tips has abit of an advantage. In lighter conditions its less rocker means it can crank upwind well. Then when the chop builds the tips can flex and give a smoother ride. When your powered more the tips flex and increase your rocker thus giving you a better power holding ability.
So the latest boards give you better upwind ability and work in a lot wider range of conditions.
A good question Beef - I have been riding my old 2009 FLX for ages, thought I'd better upgrade and got a new Jaime Pro, but reckon my FLX performs better and feels nicer so have hardly ridden the new board!
The wifes not too happy about it haha, I did a fair bit of grovelling before buying and now it spends most of its time in the shed!
I have an old Nobile 555 and love it.
BUT I recently attended a demo day that Kitepower put on.
I had a go on a new board and found a massive difference.
Lots of power through the turn
Very easy through the chop
Soft landings
Good upwind
There is a marked improvement and that will be the next thing im looking to upgrade.
Kitch
Also don't think just because a board has rocker it will be power hungry, I've just changed from a North gambler to a Tona pop which has more rocker and is stiffer. Pop is way better upwind, been told its to do with the board not flatenning out and using the rocker to point upwind? That and as it has concaves and grooves it has a greater surface area so planes better than the other which is wider but flat on the bottom.
With regard to the first question though, don't think I've seen a lot of changes myself except the fact now boards are becoming more style specific.
There are no generalisations that can be made about current twinnies. Rocker, outlines, bottom shapes and stiffness/distribution all vary massively - perhaps the range of board "types" has increased since 2006.
So, you may need to demo a lot, but there's more chance these days you'll eventually find the perfect board for your riding style.
Personally I deplore soft tips and flat-rockered mid-sections but many like them and make them work.
The newer boards definately have more hang time, true, just read some of the manufactuers reviews.
plummet think about what the board does- when edging you are riding a rail in the water. the rail between your feet is the area under contact and pressure. so if anything a softer/flexy board will flatten out under power.
putting your board on a couple of pieces of wood is unlike any force it is going to be under. place the timber in the centre between your footpads for an accurate idea of what happens.
And no one has mentioned footpads????
The boards may have only slight improvements and graphic changes ever year, but the foot pads have improved heaps in the last five years, heres a pic of the north 2008 footpads vs the 2013 footpads - big improvement.
Seems like we arnt waxing our legs anymore (5mkid) - oh wait ! the 'love hearts' boardys belong to a chick - silly me! ( I think the inverted shot was the older 2008 pad - who can tell !!!!)
OMG 
I cant ever recall a post with so much mis-information.
Not even going to start on the whats & whys & wherefores.
Suggest anyone confused by this post (you would have to be confused not to be confused 
) should visit your 'reputable' kite shop for a run down on where boards are at today & why & how.
YES they have changed significantly - esp in the last 3 to 2 to 1 yrs.
AND ( I know Im not allowed to plug 'my' brand) but do yourself a favour & include a Shinn in your list of 'must demo' boards before deciding.
Its all about 'snowboard' technology.
Constant curve rocker & bi-axial flex & a solid edge with comfort in-built etc etc etc - is where twinnys are developing.
The millions of R&D $'s that snowboarding can afford beats the hell out of - "heres a sic new kite board - let one rider test it for us" development can ever do.
Sorry stamp I'm with plummet. Flex does increase rocker. Reckon I'd trust someone whose built a board myself beef.
anyhow beef how the hell are ya man and how's the new kites going?
Yeh buddy they have improved since 2006 for sure lol. And puppet is right the snowboard inclusion has made a difference. the r and d money spent is cause of the cliental that snow board. People with money!
And yeh try and shinn monk man it'll blow ya mind. I know what conditions you kite in and the monk is the ticket.
If you were on flatter water I'd also say try the wainman joker but hey your not.
Lol, good a balanced argument then! What I do love about the monk is it flexes down its axis rather than just at the tips. Must be one of the reasons you can hold such an enormous edge on it.
Only 74kg, on an 11m edge today never once felt overpowered! Just damn fast!
...oh yeh and high!
I wouldn't swap my 2011 monk for anything 2013,unless it was a monk, as puppet said get yourself on one and see, the isn't a better board for our wa ocean conditions, I'm coming into my third season on this board and it still gets me frothing,
hey Eppo / Cauncy.... Puppet wringed the $$$'s out of me 2day for a monk, and gotta say easiest money i have ever let go of....absolute unreal board (132*41) 
thxs for the info the other nite
good **** norm, carnt believe we dont see more of these boards under riders feet, they are a very popular board in europe, riders board of the year for 2012 , what a wicked combo the edge and monk make eppo, SMOOOOOOTH
No probs. I did a damn intercostal muscle and was my first kite in three weeks! Soooo good to be back at it, appreciate more when you can't! And I had to be smooth, as it is still a little tender. Wouldn't want to be on any other combo. Was some decent swell today fellas!
Cheers for the advice fellas. A bit of conflicting info/opinions but hey it's seabreeze we don't all have to agree.
Sounds to me like I need to try a few other boards out to see if it's worth bothering with the change. I am kinda in love with the 2006 cardboard but no need for monogomy either.
Eppo my local these days is augusta (a mere 1hr 15 minute drive) so actually i'm normally in nice flat water - hence I've been leaving the surfboard in the shed and using the twinnie a lot lately.
Well then beef, definitely try the wainmen joke then mate!
Hopefully catch up this year again buddy.
stamp. your theory would work on an very short old school board with wide bindings thats the same thickness throughout.
Now think about what the extra thickness does in the center of the board! what does it do? it makes it considerably stiffer. So the center section resists flex while the thinner tips flex freely. this changing your rocker for increased rocker the more power you hold down!. flex at the tips helps in chop. it means you can get a more rectangular shape which is better for upwind but doesn't hammer is as much in the chop.
So what do channels do? yes they give a slightly greater surface areas. plus they increase stiffness for the same weight, plus they channel the water for better effect.... perhaps better upwind?
Also boards are now wider than they used to be. It turns out that width plays a greater roll in upwind than length,.,...
