CrazyFly Shox 136 x 41cm 2014
Reviews / Twin Tips
41,705
At A Glance
The new 2014 CrazyFly Shox Green Edition is billed as being one of the most environmentally friendly boards on the market, so if you like to minimise your footprint, this one is for you. The chemicals and products used to make kiteboards aren’t great for the environment but, by expoloring new technologies, investing in new machinery, reducing wastage to almost zero and using a wood core that is sustainable, CrazyFly have come pretty close. The board itself is a freeride machine aimed at being an easy ride with medium flex.
The rail shape has been designed with carves and a smooth ride in mind, and the double concave hull shape should smooth out the landings and help drive the board upwind. Footpads and straps are easy to install, and come colour coded this year to the Shox Green Edition, which is a nice touch. The Razor Fins are made from a special DuPont high quality polymer filled with glass fibres. This material is extremely durable and lightweight, allowing the team to create a much thinner profile fin which is faster and offers a degree of flex to improve the carving ability of the board. The rocker line is fairly flat in the middle of the board but kicks up at the tips to give a faster yet controlled ride.
On The Water
Smooth was the first word that sprang to mind with the Shox, the medium flex and double concave makes for an extremely silky ride through the water. The thicker and rounded rail shape also helps to sit the board in the water and aids to further smooth out the ride. Where this rail shape really comes into it’s own is when you are carving the board. It’s shaped like a miniature surfboard rail and offers smooth edge-to-edge progression and excellent grip. The double concave also improves the grip in the water and the board rides upwind with ease. This hull shape assists in smoothing out the landings at speed too, the central V breaking the surface tension and reducing the amount of slap that you would get with a flat hull shape. The flex is stiffer in the middle and softer at the tips, allowing you to get good board speed and really load up for your pop to jump. The wide tips also provide a stable platform for landing tricks.
Overall
With it’s green credentials and excellent all-round performance the Shox Green Edition should definitely be on your wish list if you enjoy easy rides whatever the conditions. It’s a forgiving board that will suit a lot of riders, and especially those with an environmental conscience. The straps, pads and fins finish off a very smart package, as long as you like the colour green! The standard Shox board is available in orange, but is made using their standard construction, as opposed to the “green” construction.
Videos
This review was in Issue 42 of IKSURFMAG.
For more information visit CrazyFlyRelated
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!
