Weeks, months (and years of dreams) and it's finally here! The SHE FLIES x Lieuwe Kiteboard. Designed by YOU, the She Flies Community.
You wanted a statement. You wanted it bold. You wanted to tell the beach you fly.
A beautiful piece in the SHOTGUN and SHOTGUN Carbonara Design, made to order. That means that at the time of publishing this article, there is only ONE in the whole world - do you want the second? Visit She Flies x Lieuwe Board STORE.
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Why Lieuwe?
At She Flies HQ, we get approached for partnerships often. A pleasure and a testament to the impact you, as women, are making to an industry. The decision to partner isn't as easy.
If we were going to partner with a board designer, it must be led by facts, stats and performance, not pretty designs and stories.
Read Founder, Josie's view that's harder than we think; Shrink It & Pink It' Kitesurf dilemma
We wanted a company that enables the gait of a woman, sees the size of our feet and recognises our squat stance is both narrow and differs in angle.
That's why we went with Lieuwe's SHOTGUN as "the board that was perfected before its time", it's not just the Lieuwe team that have confidence, the industry agrees;
Important for us to mention, the journey for She Flies x Lieuwe has been beautiful. From Romain reaching out, Sanne talking design v feel to Roel waving with grins in the 'office background'. It really has been smooth, considered and supportive of our needs as Women.
*Sigh of happy*
The Board & How it FEELS
The SHE FLIES x Lieuwe Kiteboard uses the Lieuwe SHOTGUN and SHOTGUN Carbonara.
Designed by you, the She Flies Community. You wanted loud, bright and not riddled with 'pink & fluffy'. We are strong, we are awesome and we want a board to reflect that.
The SHOTGUN board itself is famous in the Kiteboard Industry. The ultimate free-ride, cruising, and fun for playing on the water board, but can also hit your next level in Big Air.
But let's explore what this means for how it feels...
Flexible Core & Flexible Rocker
= Easy on the knees & choppy condition
With very good "pop"; you’ll jump higher than before. It's flexible wooden core and rocker makes it easy on the knees during landings (Note the Carbon version - Carbonara - is much stiffer due to the harder material)
This same flex in the core makes it B-E-A-U-tiful for choppy conditions. Smooth and gentle.
Medium Rocker & Defined Channels
= Better "grip" which improves upwind
The board has 4 channels in both tips, which add a lot of grip when you really need it; jumps, landings and going upwind. For those who are still struggling with going upwind, it's perfect. There is decent rocker which adds to the grip the channels give - add 45MM fins and you'll see it fly upwind.
Round Outline/Shape
= Playful & comfortable in waves
The outline of the board is quite round as you can see, and the middle of the bottom side is flat (no channels in the middle). This makes the board very playful and comfy in waves, carving, doing tricks, and in general; Freeriding!
So, in summary;
Light
Strong
Goes upwind easily
Easy landings
Gentle on the knees
Very good in choppy water
Good pop
Flexible /playful
Direct control
All round fit for different riding styles
Boosts rider level when coming from beginner/intermediate level
(or) Boosts rider level if you’re intermediate. Get advanced easily
Carves and slices its way through waves very smoothly
Not sure which size to get? Keep reading for some helpful tips.
Get in touch to ask us about it, or head over to the STORE to check the deets!
How do I choose a board?
Check out Lieuwe's great summary of how to choose a board that's right for you.
Which Size Should I get?
The dimensions of a kiteboard, both length and width, greatly influence the behaviour while riding. Both width and length add up to make the total volume.
THE LENGTH | In general, the length influences the manoeuvrability. Longer boards provide a stable and more forgiving ride but with a longer radius in the turns, this means more effort is required for short and 'nippy' turns. You'll find that if you ride a shorter kiteboard, turning is easier but you’ll have to tame the board more during full speed laps.
THE WIDTH | The width has a big impact on total surface area and thus the volume of the board. The wider a kiteboard, the more volume it has, resulting in faster planing and more stability in light wind conditions. When riding in stronger winds or even overpowered conditions this larger width becomes a disadvantage.
When deciding which size is right for you, you must consider rider weight, most regular conditions and your preferred discipline as important criteria.
DO I CHOOSE SMALLER, LARGER OR RE-INFORCED?
Lieuwe has collated some practical rules of thumb to help us decide.
Go smaller if:
you often ride in strong winds and/or like to ride powered
you prefer a more playful/maneuverable board
your kite sizes are bigger than average at your spot
Go bigger if:
you are riding with boots
you prefer more comfort / less impact on your knees
you are looking for better upwind abilities
you are often riding in low wind conditions 15kn
The SHE FLIES x Lieuwe Board is finally here and we hope you'll agree it's absolutely perfect for our She Flies Women. Visit She Flies x Lieuwe Board STORE.