KT Surfing Trickster - TEST: Small board, Big Fun!

The arrival of KT Surfing at 30 Noeuds allowed us to test a range of new kitefoil, kitesurf and wingfoil boards. Here is our first report from a fall session with the Trickster!

Brand and Model: KT SURFING Trickster
Size, Width, Thickness: 5'0" x 19" x 1" and 7/8
Volume: 22 Liters
Set-up: Thruster (3 fins)

Spot: Plattsburgh
Conditions: 20-25 knots, Onshore, 1 to 2 feet faces
Rider weight: 180 pounds





At first glance :

When unboxing the board, you can't help but look at its rocker and ask yourself "did we make a mistake ordering this"? Lots of bend, both in the front and in the back! In addition, the outline (curves of the board when viewed from above) is very round. In these two aspects, speed and early planing have been sacrificed to allow for better turns and a much more "playful" feeling.

Big positive point, the rails are raised in relation to the deck and the board weighs a little less than 6 pounds: looking good for aerial maneuvers!

This board looks fun, but how many knots of wind and feet of wave will I need to get it to get going ?

Time to put it to the test...

Report :

Coming out of the water, I came to a very simple conclusion:
Keith Taboul, the shaper and founder of KT Surfing, knows his stuff!

The Trickster is a gem for the onshore wind conditions that we find in our Quebec lakes! That being said, it requires a certain level of skill in order to get maximum performance out of it.

Handling : Extremely soft and playful, the Trickster offers a comfortable ride whether going upwind or downwind.

Aerial maneuvers : WOW! The second the board takes off the kicker, it instantly sticks to your feet. The rail is easy to grab and the middle portion of the board is wide enough to provide great stability when landing (not to mention the concave deck which helps a lot too).

Turns at the top of the wave: This board turns on a dime. With enough speed, it is easy to  snap the top lip and send big sprays with tight turns. Lots and lots of fun even in the smallest waves!

Getting going...: This was the big question when we received it in store... And I confirm that it is possible to maintain excellent speed on the face of the wave even in soft conditions. If we compare the Trickster 5'0" to the Duotone Whip 5'0" (board with a similar program), we see that the Trickster is 1" wider and has almost 2 liters more in terms of volume. It is ultimately the width of this board which allows it to compensate for its more accentuated rocker, its rounder outline as well as its smaller tail.

The challenge is precisely to keep a balance in our weight distribution. Too far forward and our turns suffer, too far back and the board sinks into the water slowing our bottom turn significantly.

This board is made for:

Intermediate or advanced kitesurfers looking to rip in small to medium wave conditions. You'll love it for its performance in aerial maneuvers and snappy feeling in the waves.

What KT Surfing says:

"The Trickster is a short, fun kite board for onshore conditions or small down-the-line waves. It's fun for cruising, on flat water or for adding a touch of freestyle whenever you want.

Designed with a slightly concave deck and rail profile for easy grip during aerial tricks. (...)

The Trickster features a concave Skate Deck designed to improve your grip and position during extreme maneuvers.

With its 5 fin boxes, this board is very versatile, it is ready to slide in Thruster or Quad.

The construction of this kite board is just top notch, with increased impact resistance compared to our surfboards, while being super light and providing an incredible surfing sensation.