F-ONE Kiteboarding Mitu Pro 5’8” 2016
Reviews / Surfboards
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At A Glance
Mitu Monteiro needs no introduction; he’s been at the top of the wave riding pile for what seems like years! His first pro model boards from F-One were an instant hit and they remain best sellers to this day. Available in four sizes this year in addition to the 5’8” there is the larger 5’10”, a smaller 5’6”, and a tiny 5’4” to suit various body weights and riding styles.
The 5’8” we have on test here is Mitu’s go-to board for just about every condition he rides in, whether that is throwing freestyle tricks on flat water or getting shacked in double overhead barrels at One Eye… The shape has been tweaked again for this year; it retains the wide nose outline, swallowtail and channels in the nose. However, the bottom has a little less concave around the fins to improve carving and make the board feel more progressive.
F-One launched a new tougher construction last year; the HD Foam Flex Composite remains for 2016 and hardly any of these boards have been warrantied so you know the build is really solid. The best thing about this construction is the amount of flex you get considering the board is so durable. It really feels like a traditional surfboard underfoot, but far tougher.
The Camel Deck makes a return as well; this shaping on the deck moulds the board to your foot, which improves the contact patch and lowers the centre of gravity too. There are also heel shock absorbers underfoot to help with those big landings!
On The Water
We don’t tend to talk about the pretty colours of a kite or board in our tests, as there are far more fundamental issues at play. However, please forgive me this one small indulgence…wow, the new Mitu Pro is one of the best-looking kite surfboards we have seen in a long time! Right, with that over, let's get down to the main review…
The first thing you notice about this board is the comfort when you jump on it the Camel Deck and full pad feel like an old pair of slippers on your feet… The shaped deck and comfortable pad combine to give a sublime feeling underfoot. Blend this with the flex from the HD Foam Flex construction and you have a smooth ride through even the choppiest of seas.
For strapless freestyle the Mitu Pro is fantastic, it’s exceedingly light and doesn’t feel like there is too much swing weight in the air. The wide nose catches the wind on take off allowing you to get some huge airs and the grab rails on the nose area help with the tweaks, grabs, and flips too.
In the waves the Mitu Pro feels a little more classic in its riding style compared to last year’s, the grip has been lessened with the updated concave under the fins, but there is still plenty of drive through the turns. You’ll find yourself cranking some pleasing arcs on the faces with this underfoot; there is plenty of power available with the width helping to push the board around the wave.
With the right fin set up you can get the rail loose too, I found the softer fins provided to be really good, but I also switched down to a smaller set from Futures. While you still need to put a lot of positive pressure through the back foot at the end of the turn, the tail will slide out in a controlled and satisfying manner.
The Mitu Pro is also very versatile, it can handle a variety of conditions, smaller waves are eaten up with its modern progressive shape. The narrow swallowtail is equally at home in big fast and hollow waves as well. In fact, we’ve yet to find something it doesn’t excel at!
Overall
Stunningly beautiful, masterfully crafted and with a dynamic futuristic shape the Mitu Pro is a fantastic board to ride. Comfortable and forgiving while packing heaps of top end performance it can handle just about anything you decide to throw at it. Ride one at your peril, you’ll be handing over the credit card fairly soon afterwards!
Videos
This review was in Issue 55 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit F-ONE 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!
