North Kiteboarding Pro CSC 5’5 2016
Reviews / Surfboards
12,673
At A Glance
Last year the Pro CSC was a big change in direction for North as they adopted the Compact Surf Concept, which is what the CSC stands for. For 2016, Sky Solbach has been refining the design and the 5’5” is his go-to board for most conditions. When you are riding the designer’s board, you know he is going to have put all his energies into getting it just right.
The board is available in three sizes this year, a 5’3” for smaller riders, the 5’5” we have here and also a 5’7” for larger riders. The board is aimed at small to medium sized waves, and while it is a Pro Series board, it is also very forgiving. However, if you still ride with the foot hooks, you will want to look away as for 2016 the Pro Series boards feature a new construction that does away with the inserts for straps.
This year there is a double concave in the nose, to help break the surface tension of the water on steep drop ins. There is also a carbon stringer to add stiffness, and control the flex. The top deck has a double concave to help create a more comfortable ride and better connection to your feet. This lowers the centre of gravity as you ride the board. The new construction is lighter, yet stronger and helps you to keep the board airborne and on your feet when riding strapless.
For 2016, a thruster set up has been used with the new North fin box system which fits Futures Fins.
On the Water
The new double concave deck helps to make this a comfortable board to ride, this, combined with the flex pattern, ensures a smooth ride even in choppy water. You’ll notice the Pro CSC has a good turn of pace too, this is useful when riding big fast waves like One Eye but also for loading up on the speed for explosive freestyle tricks.
“This is a fantastic board that will put a smile on your face!”
On the wave the Pro CSC is a dream to carve from rail-to-rail, but it can also be aggressively hacked and turned on a dime. The thruster set up allows you to really push the tail out while still offering plenty of grip in the bottom turn. In the bigger waves, the new double concave nose section inspires confidence on the steep drops. This feature is also great when riding the board on the nose as the V in the middle offers some grip, which makes strapless freestyle even easier.
The lightweight construction ensures the board sticks to your feet when airborne and although this is a serious wave shredder it is also great fun to throw around in the air. The squash tail helps to keep the board on the wave even if it is weak and we found this board to be very versatile across a range of conditions, from rocket ship fast waves to slower, sloppier conditions it excelled.
As long as you don’t ever want to put foot straps on, this board will appeal to a wide range of riders; it is forgiving but packs a pocket full of performance that is impressive. You can drive hard in the turns and the board rewards you with buckets of spray and grip when you want it, while getting loose when you push that extra bit.
For
Light, good flex and a compact design make for a great board that is exceedingly versatile, it packs a punch in the performance stakes, but is equally user-friendly and easy to ride. Can handle a wide variety of conditions with ease.
Against
No inserts on this bad boy, so if you ride straps and want the CSC shape, take a look at the all-new Whip!
Overall
Sky Solbach has excelled himself once again; this is a fantastic board that will put a smile on your face no matter what the conditions. Great for strapless freestyle it can also handle a huge range of conditions, and the new double concave deck is a joy on your feet!
This review was in Issue 54 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit North 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!
