Kiteloose Replay 134 x 43cm 2014
Reviews / Twin Tips
3,748
At A Glance
The Replay from Kiteloose is designed to keep you on the water when the wind disappears, a freeride/freestyle machine that is more fun to ride than your usual twin tip in light winds. It has a very flat rocker line and is very stiff too, attributes that will encourage early planing in the lightest of airs. Kiteloose also recommend it for beginners and they have put some shaping on the ABS rails to make the board more forgiving for the kiter who’s taking their first steps on the water. The finish is of a high standard and the board ships with a solid set of Nuke straps and pads, and a set of Nuke G90 50mm fins.
On The Water
It’s important to use the Replay in the conditions it is meant for; light winds. When the wind is light the water is less choppy and the Replay really comes to life. The stiff board, coupled with the very flat rocker, allow it to get going really early, the wide tips also help to keep the board speed up through the lulls. The beauty of the Reply is that unlike some of the huge “door” style lightwind boards, it still feels lively underfoot. It’s small enough to still pop and throw some tricks with it, cumbersome is often a word associated with lightwind machines, but that is not the case here. Upwind is good, perhaps a sharper rail would improve this area, but then it wouldn’t be as forgiving for the novice riders out there. If you load up the back foot and ride it off the tips of the board though you can cruise upwind with ease, just be sure to put that pressure through your back leg. The stiff nature of the board, and the wide outline make it fun to pop with, especially in light winds. When the wind gets up, and the water gets choppy however, you’ll want to go and grab your usual steed. The Replay soon gets out of its depth with the flat rocker and stiffness making for an uncomfortable ride in chop and stronger winds.
Overall
If you want a lightwind freestyle/freeride board that is still fun to ride and doesn’t feel like a lead weight on your feet when you start to throw tricks the Replay fits the bill perfectly. Beginners will like the forgiving nature and find it an easy board to get up and riding on too.
Videos
This review was in Issue 44 of IKSURFMAG.
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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!
