I have been testing the Dundee 133*42 for a few weeks now. Not much wind but got a few mixed sessions out so good for testing.
I am an intertmediate kiter, 73 kg's. Use Bandit 5s (11&8). Like waves, big air and the od kite loop transition, railey etc.
Testing ground was littered with small to medium size waves, some gusty days with massive chop.
Other boards I have and so would compare to: Cab Custom 136 and Nobile 50/50,Shinn W16 (tested only)
I won't comment on the straps as the only ones that seem to agree with my feet are the Syncs so I have not tried the Shinns. I will put in some of my thought on the W16 as well in comparison to the Dundee as many seem to be cosiddering these 2.
Really nice board with build quality that is great as far as I can judge. Flat at the fins, going into a single concave under foot. The edges are tucked under. The tips have some good flex.
We had some reall choppy conditions and this thing shines. (w16 does this as well)
Makes it really easy to stay in control. (W16 I had to work a bit harder probably cause it is wider)
Little to no spray in your face and the board stays locked in very well. (W 16 does both great too) Great cause you can carry heaps of speed and hold down a lot of power.
It planes very easy and goes upwind very well. Never an issue to get back upwind after some waves or big jumps (W16 is slightly better at both. I was on W16 with an 8M and another guy of similar weight on a cab switchblade and a north X-ride and he was struggling as much or more than I was at times when the wind dropped))
It has plenty pop for a free rider. I compare this to the custom now so that is not really fair. If you look for maximum pop then there are other boards in the Shinn range that are better suited I am sure. (W16 I could not get a lot of pop out of at the start but that got better as time went on. Dundee is better at that I think)
Switching the board takes a bit of imput or the use of some pop. As time progressed it became less of an issue for me to be honest. Obviously being used to super small fins will do that. (W16 is the same)
Jumping is great. Good hold and control so you can load it up well. Landings are nice and soft. It can be a bit skatey over the middle section if you stuff up the landing but regaining some edge is fairly easy.. (W16 was a bit harder to control on this skatey part. jumps well though)
The Speed of this board is outstanding. Did a few runs in the flat water along the beach and I am sure that that was the fastest I have ever gone. Now I am not into speed but it made me grin from ear to ear anyway. I did measure the speed as such but I think that with this much grip on the rail and the comfort of the board it enables you to ride much faster with plenty control. (w16 is harder work. For me it worked better in the low end)
In the waves this thing is awesome. It really worked well for me. I have been in small stuff upto well overhead. Not really fast ground swell though. It carves really well. Rail to rail is great too. You can decide if you want make a small or a big turn. It will do both and anything in between. The bigger fins bite well and because it eats chop it will give you the control to focus on the wave. I could get some nice bottom turns out and some massive spray at the top. (grins again). I never had the feeling the nose was catching. Not on the wave or just riding. (W16 feels like a bigger platform than the Dundee. More like a surfboard I guess. It planes better on wave power alone. For me this is where the W16 is really strong and like nothing else I have used before. It planes so easy that it feels as if it is impossible to stall and sink the board. It will just stay up. That makes it reall fun, especially if the wind is not quite there. Awesome low wind board or if you are looking for a wave biased TT. Dundee is a bit more biased towards freeride I feel.)
All in All the Dundee is a super easy package to use in all conditions. It just feels so smooth. If you put your foot down though it will give you plenty of performance, although it does not feel that way maybe because it is so comfy. It is easy on the body and very controled, playfull and smooth. This weeks sessions where on a NNE wind that makes for gusty and choppy conditions. Usually not much fun but I must say that somehow on this board they where awesome..... Going to order mine now........
Nice review RRK
Couple of comments - from my personal experience this time rather than shop feedback.
- " for maximum pop then there are other boards in the Shinn range that are better suited I am sure"
There is - the Monk & the Supershinn & the Toyboy for the girls. All more of a freestyly build which, by definition, MUST pop better but this is my premier requirement of any board & I honestly could pick any significant difference from my strictly Xride built Luigi (the old Dundee)
I used to put up with the stiff uncomfortable freestyle boards just for the boosting effect but stuck with the Luigi purely because the pop was explosive & it was just soooo comfortable to ride.
- "The Speed of this board is outstanding."
This is where I found the Monk & the Supershinn did offer an advantage. They are both 'high end' performers that offer speed & turning that did out perform the Luigi. Havent spent enough time on the Dundee to know if its any faster.
- "In the waves this thing is awesome"
The Dundee has evolved from the Luigi which was designed purely as a freeride board. Feedback Mark Shinn received from his crew was that the Luigi was the best waverider in the 2011 line-up. Not having a wave oriented board & with so many freeriders going for the high end Monk he mod'ed the Luigi to bring it into the 'wave' class of TTs.
Again I havent had much time on it yet - zero in waves - so no experience from me but feedback from demos has been that it does this job with all the benefits all the Shinns offer.
The Dundee is certainly getting a bigger share of the limelight than the Luigi ever did and its all coming from those looking at waves.
Dundee will definitely be my preferred ride for waves & flat ie unless the fun promised by Speedball seduces me.???
And a bit of size guide. Im around 75kgs & found the Dundee 133x43 way too big underfoot. The 131x41 will be my size.
If you are thinking the Monk then my pick would bw the 130 for flat possibly the 132 for chop/waves?
Hey Puppet,
Have you tried both the 133 and the 131 Dundee. I am the same weight as you. Came away with the 133 OK but I am having trouble deciding wich one to go for. Easier edging of the smaller size or the better low end of the 133? What is your experience in that regard? Mind you we have gusty wind that is not to strong in summer. Some places there are strong currents that take the juice out of your kite too. As a one quiver I think the 133 would be an option?? Like to hear your thoughts on the low end difference. (The boys @ Shinn recommended the 133)
Thanks
Rene
Yep the 133 is size for weight "by the book".
If its to be used for what its built for; ie as a wave rider; then 'by the book' is probably the way to go.
As a 1 board quiver probably another good reason to go a bit bigger than a bit smaller. Extra deck area will increase bottom end a bit.
Every point you make - gusty; not too strong; adverse currents - all point towards the 133 being the better option for you.
My preference for the 131 is that I am pretty much just free-ride & often in flat water spots. If Im in the waves Im just playing with the lumps rather than 'surfing' the wave. No advantage in the extra size for this fun & games style and I found the 131 easier to throw around.
Surprising how much difference such a small size variation can make. The 131 felt like it fitted - the 133 felt big???
And gotta remember too that I can always pick any board I like anyday, any spot. 
Theres gotta be some advantage to having a shop. 
Nice review, I've been riding the 135x44 with a few of the local crew and the boys are loving it. "like the caddilac of kiteboards" one of the fellas calls it. "Best TT I ever rode" was another call from one of the kirra boys, but you have to try this yourself to make up your own mind.
It is so smooth, rides toeside easy, carves like a surfboard and boosts like it's on a springboard. Not as lethal as a custom but waaaay easier on the bod.
Due to the "one day a week of wind thing" we're not getting a lot of testing but I've had it out in 10, 14, 17 and 20 kt days. It was a nice ride in the 10 and 14 kt days and though it's very easy to ride the jumping and rolling was tricky to get any real height but I was on a wave kite that is great for drifting but not for boosting, so with a booster I may be having a better time in the lower ranges.
In the higher range the board came into it's own making landings from big airs soft as a feather bed. Too easy. I like this board for 11m and smaller kite weather as it makes everything so easy. Sinking an edge, popping, landing, carving and toeside, all good but toeside is really really nice, 180's over the bumps is a breeze, can't say enough really.
Also can't wait to get a king george for the 14kt stuff. Does anyone have any experience on the new 145's or 150's ? I'm wondering if the 50cm wide 150 is going to be too wide and the 145 is better or whether it's all sorted for good times?
frollicking in the froth, 14 knts on the speedball and old zephyr, great fun using the waves as a platform for some rolling transitions, then landing on the wave and riding it out into the flat water holding a full rail heel or toeside, great fun board the speedball
Have to agree cauncy, the shinn speedball w18 is a totally sick board,I have the mf, and I can't stop reaching for the w18,it's a insanely fun board in waves, but so is the mf.
