Question for anyone riding SS hooke, newton, or kine

[Wakeboarder3780]

Slingshot came out with a new line of boards that have bottom features. This is fun and exciting for people like me who were hoping SS would take the extra step and create concaves similar to what LF did on their boards to make them land softer.

From the descriptions, videos, and pictures I've seen I can't really tell if the channels that were added are simply channels or if they are closer related to the D.I.S.C. bottom features of the LF boards.

Can anyone who rides these boards comment as to whether the features on the bottom are simply cutout channels or if they are meant to help cushion landings even more?

How about impressions from anyone who's coming from a response, recoil, or reflex? Once you made the switch did you notice a difference? I'm considering upgrading but I've tried the response and reflex within the past 2 seasons and I'd only like to make the change if it makes a noticeable difference.

Thoughts?

[tank222]

I"m riding a 2011 Response and It's defiantly way different than my 09. I"m i'm really in no way, a good enough rider to tell you if it's better.

[ugafan83]

I rode the newton and it only has one channel or v on the bottom and it was slick. I switched to the hooke with the double v and it grips and ride so much better I haven't looked back since. If you like slick boards then the newton is for you. The Hooke breaks loose when you want it to but has more grip when cutting.

[Wakeboarder3780]

Thanks for pointing out the fact that the newton has one V where as the hooke and kine have 2.

I was actually considering the Kine personally because it has the hybrid rocker which I'm typically a fan of. 3-stages typically don't appeal to me, but I usually like continuous or hybrids (sometimes not hybrids).

Since you've ridden the Hooke and it has the 2 V's like the kine will, do you feel that it still breaks loose pretty easy for butters? Or is it a bit of a pain? I know you said it breaks loose when you want it to but you also said the newton was much more slick. I like slick when it comes to buttering around and boardslides. I don't mind if it tracks a bit more coming in at the wake.

Thanks for the feedback! OH also I heard the newer SS are a bit stiffer than the previous response/recoil/reflex. Have you ridden the previous boards? How about on the Hooke you're riding, is it still flexy enough to provide that awesome cushion when landing in the flats and casing the wake? What about tail presses? Still super easy to press it out?

[dbismyname]

As far as the LF disc goes I have no experience, but as far as the softness on landings that all depends on your technique. To get the softest landings on a flex board you should land a lil tail heavy. Coming from a featureless ss to the hooke is a huge difference. Mainly only when you want it. When I'm in the flats I can ride this board upside down and backwards, you can slide it whenever and wherever you want. The channels mainly took away the inconsistency in the cut. When I used to to take a hard edge to go for a tantrum on my response I would sometimes break loose mid cut, not on the hooke, when you set your edge it goes. Also, the pop is great, I can take every jump as far as I want, the pop has been more consistent than the response was. I have noticed it is a little slower when not on edge. I took a huge tailgrab straight up and when I landed in the flats a lil front heavy I felt like the board didn't carry much speed, it just seemed to drag. But that is typical of a 3 stage. All around, slick as ice when wanted in flats, huge floaty pop, soft landings, and very light.

[dbismyname]

Also presses like a dream

[Wakeboarder3780]

I'm buying the kine, I can't take it anymore. I must know how it feels compared to the featureless bottoms Just ordered one in fact. I'll let you know how I feel about the kine (if you're interested) but I bet you're as happy as a clam right now with the hooke.

Cheers man, thanks for all the feedback

[Wakeboarder3780]

Here are my thoughts which is a lot of rambling, but if someone is interested in the new slingshots it might be worth a read:

I rode the new kine over the weekend twice. The first day it was kind of choppy and I didn't feel comfortable drawing any conclusions. On a sidenote also, I was under the impression there were both *channels* AND *V*'s formed into the bottom of the board. Truly there are only channels (although if you look close, there are very subtle curvatures on each side that would act similar to DISC on LF boards but not nearly as pronounced as the LF DISC boards.

Anyways, my impression on the newer model versus the 2010 reflex is this. Certainly the newer boards are stiffer. The reflex was much more playful with the flex and at this point and time I do miss that, but I think i'll adjust and won't mind as much. Do I notice more pop as a result? I'm undecided. I've only ridden the board twice AND i've recently added a lot more ballast to the boat and the wake has become a MONSTER. I'm certainly getting more pop but the wake has become 50% bigger, so how can I say whether or not the board had any impact?

What should the new features help with? Cutting at the wake, better tracking. For me I never had a problem with the featureless slingshots (i've ridden both the response and the reflex). Surely the first 3-4 times i rode the response, i had trouble edging because I had become sloppy with my edging skills due to a harder tracking board. After getting used to it however I never had a problem cutting with the response or the reflex. If you are a rider that does have problems holding edge (even after adjusting to the response / reflex / recoil) you would probably notice a better edge hold for the newer sling models.

I personally bought the kine because I thought it was going to have the V's in the bottom of the board (really getting tired of not having a good board shop in the area, nothing like having to buy to try). I thought these V's would help soften the blows even more so than the other slings i rode. After riding this sling I don't feel it helps cushion the blow which is appropriate seeing as how the concave on the bottom is very subtle and there are no v's, just channels. Still, if I land a little tail heavy, the landings are cushy smooth and casing the wake is better on a flex board than not so I'm still happy.

In the end and I happy I got the kine.. yes. Do I feel it was worth the money to upgrade? No (seeing as how in the end I spent about 250 dollars after selling my previous board to upgrade). I feel that if you already have a slingshot you might as well stick with it unless you want a different rocker line, or a bit of a stiffer ride. For me personally I liked the playfulness of the softer slings and didn't feel that the softer slings robbed any pop from me. I have a feeling I will still be able to press manuals fine on this newer kine but it sure feels different than the softer slings which is what I'm trying to get used to.

Cosmetics: I will say the newer boards graphics are pretty cool looking. You'll have to decide if you like the topsheet graphic, but honestly the way they are laid is super slick looking and being able to see the core on the bottom is super awesome IMO.

All in all I'm glad slingshot is adding features to the bottom of their boards - but currently I'm still really missing that playful flex. I'm hoping in the future slingshot decides to make sure they definitely don't go any stiffer. I feel that if they could take the stiff stringers they ran through the board and made them narrower at the tip and tails to allow the tip and tails to flex much more but still provide stiffness in the center for wake take-off they'll hit it right on the head - but then again I still think the first ed slings were great so I'm definitely of the opinion that i like more flex. Then again 3 weeks down the road I might have adjusted and be completely fine with it.

Fast track: I almost forgot to comment on this. I was vocal about not supporting the fast track bindings system slingshot implemented. After getting one and playing with it, I don't feel that way anymore. On the board itself they still make little hash marks so it's easy to get a perfectly symmetrical stance, and seeing how it's implemented I dont know how it couldn't work with nearly every type of binding out there. Just thought i'd throw that i since I was against it before. Seeing it now, I'm all for it. Seems like it would be a stronger solution to me - but then again I dont shoot off double ups and rip out inserts So it's a fix to a problem I didnt have anyway