Nobile Kiteboarding 555 134 x 41cm 2008
Reviews / Twin Tips
39,091
At a Glance
Nobile burst on to the scene back in 2006 and arguably revolutionised the construction of kiteboards. There are now so many other brands using similar technologies that it has almost become an industry standard. Nobile were the first to pioneer the Anti Vibration Technology and this is again present on the 555 as is the Elliptical Progressive Concave. But new for 2008 is a UV Stable textured top foil. This will help keep the harmful UV rays at bay and also stop the board from fading overtime, so your 555 should look as good as the day you bought it all season! There is the usual Nobile honeycomb construction, which makes the 555 very light yet super strong. A neat feature is the clear window that allows you to see the core of the board and what it is made out of. Something loads of the tech minded kiters out there will love! The pads on the Nobile are super easy to put on the board, coming ready to fit with the integrated straps and pads and the bolts already in place. All you need is a screwdriver; no brute force is necessary! That said if you have big feet you might find the pads a little small. There are 5cm g10 fins on the bottom and you get two fin profilers which are small piece of plastic that adjust the rocker of the board slightly on the heelside edge.
On the Water
The 555 has very thin rails and this allows the board to cut through chop like a dream. Previous models were always noted for their smooth ride and this is to be found on the 555 as well. The slightly softer flex allows for it to be very forgiving indeed on the rough stuff. The board is aimed at the freeride market and the stance width echoes this. The widest setting is just 41cm, which is fine for cruising about but the more advanced freestyle riders should be looking towards the 666 range which has a stance width of up to 46cm. That said though the 555 is no slouch when you start to drive off the back foot. It cuts upwind with ease and has an impressive top speed. But with the speed comes heaps of control, the concave bottom really making the rider at ease with the board. The pop with the 555 is also pretty darn good for a board aimed at the freeride market. Meaning the board is something that you really aren’t going to grow out of quickly. In fact the only reason we could think you would ever want to move off the board would be to take advantage of a wider stance option. Landings are smoothed out again by the concave and the wide tips and nothing on the 555 ever feels hard. It makes you look good and just feels super smooth and easy to ride. And as you improve the board still has a lot to give!
For
Solid construction, lightweight, great looks. Easy to ride and super smooth in the chop. Still has some top end performance to be tapped into as you get better, which is great if you want a board to progress on.
Against
The footpads are too small for anyone with big feet, we would love to see these made bigger, if you have a size 12 or over you might want to put your own pads on it. The stance width is quite small perfect for freeride and cruising. If you want a wider stance for freestyle go with the 666.
Overall
An excellent board from Nobile, and we are sure one that will prove massively popular amongst a lot of the riders out there. If you want a board to help you progress that little bit further look no further.
This review was in Issue 10 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit Nobile KiteboardingRelated
By Rou Chater
Rou has been kiting since the sports inception and has been working as an editor and tester for magazines since 2004. He started IKSURFMAG with his brother in 2006 and has tested hundreds of different kites and travelled all over the world to kitesurf. He's a walking encyclopedia of all things kite and is just as passionate about the sport today as he was when he first started!
