2012 Slingshot Misfit Review (136x40.5)
Three Word Summary
Versatile Freestyle Performance
First Impressions: Slingshot have really raised the bar with the graphics this year, and the misfit just looks great with the yellow, orange and black detail with transparent sections through to the wood core.
The deck is light and feels flexible at the centre, yet the channeling at the tips adds a lot of rigidity. The Misfit comes with the fast track mounting system which allows the heavy duty pads to be set up to your exact preference.
The Misfit is pretty flat and only has 25-30mm of rocker. It comes with 50cm fins, has a single concave, spray release edges and maintains its width well through to the tips.
On The Water:
The Misfit is a very comfortable ride, glides through the chop with ease kicking up little to no spray, which was a real surprise especially considering how little rocker it has. It feels a little small for a 136, yet its low rocker ensures its very efficient and accelerates up to a good speed without any significant drag. The top end speed is very good, and the large fins and channeled tips make it feel very stable. Its also a very capable upwind performer, and had no issues getting back to where I started after banging out a few tricks.
The Channels and large fins do mean that you need to commit somewhat to spinning the board on the water, but once used to it this becomes a real non-issue.
The pads, straps and fast track system give a comfortable, solid connection with the board, giving you plenty of confidence to really push it. The pads felt hard initially, but just required a little bedding in, and soon softened up a bit underfoot. Optionally you can pay a little extra to go for the Slingshot Joints, to improve that connected feeling. A review of which will follow in the next few days.
The Misfit really shines when you start to push it into some freestyle. The fins and channels give it great grip, allowing you to edge hard prior to boosting, and this also leads to grippy, solid landings. It also excels in unhooked pop too, and the wide tips and central flex whip you up into the air, whilst also allowing you to get maximal slack from the kite, by forcing it hard to the edge of the window.
For tricking in good or marginal wind conditions the Darko is a great choice with its increased surface area and flatter ride; but when conditions are less than ideal the Misfit really is the weapon of choice!
In Summary:
The Misfit is sure to have wide appeal with its comfortable ride in all conditions, great grip and solid upwind performance - it also comes in a wide range of sizes to suit any rider. For the advanced, everything is there on a plate : great speed, explosive pop and grippy landings.
For more information, check out the S2AS Kitesurfing Shop
Versatile Freestyle Performance
First Impressions: Slingshot have really raised the bar with the graphics this year, and the misfit just looks great with the yellow, orange and black detail with transparent sections through to the wood core.
The deck is light and feels flexible at the centre, yet the channeling at the tips adds a lot of rigidity. The Misfit comes with the fast track mounting system which allows the heavy duty pads to be set up to your exact preference.
The Misfit is pretty flat and only has 25-30mm of rocker. It comes with 50cm fins, has a single concave, spray release edges and maintains its width well through to the tips.
On The Water:
The Misfit is a very comfortable ride, glides through the chop with ease kicking up little to no spray, which was a real surprise especially considering how little rocker it has. It feels a little small for a 136, yet its low rocker ensures its very efficient and accelerates up to a good speed without any significant drag. The top end speed is very good, and the large fins and channeled tips make it feel very stable. Its also a very capable upwind performer, and had no issues getting back to where I started after banging out a few tricks.
The Channels and large fins do mean that you need to commit somewhat to spinning the board on the water, but once used to it this becomes a real non-issue.
The pads, straps and fast track system give a comfortable, solid connection with the board, giving you plenty of confidence to really push it. The pads felt hard initially, but just required a little bedding in, and soon softened up a bit underfoot. Optionally you can pay a little extra to go for the Slingshot Joints, to improve that connected feeling. A review of which will follow in the next few days.
The Misfit really shines when you start to push it into some freestyle. The fins and channels give it great grip, allowing you to edge hard prior to boosting, and this also leads to grippy, solid landings. It also excels in unhooked pop too, and the wide tips and central flex whip you up into the air, whilst also allowing you to get maximal slack from the kite, by forcing it hard to the edge of the window.
For tricking in good or marginal wind conditions the Darko is a great choice with its increased surface area and flatter ride; but when conditions are less than ideal the Misfit really is the weapon of choice!
In Summary:
The Misfit is sure to have wide appeal with its comfortable ride in all conditions, great grip and solid upwind performance - it also comes in a wide range of sizes to suit any rider. For the advanced, everything is there on a plate : great speed, explosive pop and grippy landings.
For more information, check out the S2AS Kitesurfing Shop
Dimensions
Weight Rocker Centre Width Tip Width (measured between fins) Rail Depth (centre) Rail Depth (tips) Concave Depth Tip Flex Overall Flex Fin Size Stance Upwind Pop Bottom End Manoeuvrability Landings Directionality |
136x40.5
Medium 25-30mm (due to channelling) 40.5cm 33cm 3mm 3mm 4mm Low Medium 50mm 53 - 66cm Excellent Excellent Very Good Very Good Excellent Directional |
