Carved Tantrum V Custom 136 x 41.5cm 2015
Reviews / Twin Tips
2,356
At A Glance
Carved have produce an array of custom kite boards, they also manufacture some stock shapes to order, the Tantrum V (five) is one of them! Unwrapping this board gave us something to get excited about. The first thing we noticed was the deep shine of the CARTAN® carbon, not to forget the precision and high standard in which the board is finished.
The Tantrum V is a board generated to combine riding in light winds with the needs of the hardest wakestyle riders. The rails of the board are somewhat narrower and sharper than other boards in the Carved Custom range. The criteria given by Carved for this board is that it will point a lot higher upwind with the kite parked in light conditions, while in all conditions it has an explosive pop for take offs with your kite at 45 degrees.
The Tantrum V boasts CARTAN® carbon technology, for those who don't know your carbon, this is a 12K fine carbon. The high tech stitched fibres ensure that the carbon is woven at exactly +/- 30 degrees. The CARTAN® carbon gives the board the perfect balance between flex and stiffness.
Elliptical Flex Tips are present on the Tantrum V. This design used by Carved allows for the board to always flex at the right point. The tips of the Tantrum V are thicker and stiffer around the fins however thinner between the fins enabling the rider to have a smoother ride in choppy conditions.
The Tantrum V comes with a choice of Razor fins or Wake fins depending on your preferred style. Razor fins are the larger of the two at 1.9” enabling the rider to edge harder and for longer, while the wake fins are 0.9” giving you more of a skatey feel.
On the Water
The second I got up and riding on the Carved Tantrum V I could instantly feel the smoothness under foot. This can mean one of two things, either the board is smooth but will probably have no pop, or it’s going to be a wakestyle weapon – and my goodness wasn't it just!
In higher winds I was able to edge like never before. Wake style was incredible, immense pop with the kite at 45 degrees, fast take offs and smooth landings made the session every bit enjoyable. The smoothness of the landing took me by surprise too; the board seemed to just absorb the impacts.
Knowing the board was for sure a performer in high winds I decided it was time to get it out in light winds and make it a full all-round test. Again I was pleasantly surprised at how well I traveled upwind, pulling popped moves with my kite parked.
The only downsides we found to the Carved Tantrum V were that the stickers were not glossed in (however, this is great if you wanted to change any), and that from a couple of sessions merely placing the board on the sand, light scratches were visible to the shiny base layer. It’s a board you will want to look after if you wish to maintain its shiny good looks!
"A true high performance wakestyle machine that performs in light winds too!"
Overall
The Tantrum V is most definitely a board to have in your quiver, the combinations of smoothness, grip, outstanding pop, upwind ability, let alone the deep gloss and precision finish of the board, make it a great contender in the wakestyle / light wind market.
Videos
This review was in Issue 49 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit CarvedRelated
By Robin and Sukie
With years of kite sport experience combined, you can be sure you’ll be receiving the highest quality of knowledge on the best equipment the industry has to offer.
