Sorry for writing in English, that upfront. Ok, it is the first review I write and it is of course my personal view on the board. First, yes, if you buy it new it is expensive - a very expensive board. However, it is on the market for some time now and if you look around, you could find it for less expensive.

Me: 36, 85kg and for what I consider a solid kiter in the waves of the Dutch beaches for 6 years and on this board for 4-5 months

After a Fanatic Skyrider, which is a nice upwind driving board with a small waist for cutting waves and a sturdy underdeck, decided to beef up my jumping techniques and equipement. My search ended by the Carved board and luckily I got one used. My Imp has a 130x40 outline. More than the size it is characterized by a rocker through the whole board that flattens out at the ends of the board. That in combination with the awesome ideas of having

-a concave bottom

-a wide nose and tail

-a loose mid rail and sharp rails at the ends

make it perfect for jumping in my eyes. Well, jumping and landing. For loading up the board you just have to step hard into the board and the sharp rail keeps it on track and the concave bottom pushes the water harder than a flat bottom. Needless to say that wide ends also displace more water and load even more. The sharp edge helps on releasing the board but I found it not better than my previous boards.

Do I loose my board on flight? Yes that I did a couple of times. The soft and toe rail furnished foot pads do their best to keep my feet in, but the width is predetermined by the screws of the carbon plate, which keeps the whole foot pad on the board. Well, could make it tighter but then I fear twisted feet when I crash and I crash a lot on rotations! So, it is a decision to take. I prefer to be able to move in and out and risk loosing it once in a while. But the ergonomics is as good as for instance the liquid force pads - ok, a bit less. The foot straps of the LF are better.

Landing. Here I see the biggest difference. The concave bottom and softer mid section rails give you a forgiving feeling on landing. You have plenty of loose feeling and surface to correct some mistakes, not all ;-)  The loose feeling on landing is really the no. 1 difference I felt. It makes it a lot easier to correct less than perfect jumps.  But once you got your balance and bearings back you step in it and the sharper rails catch up and there you go...

But there is a down side to it. The upwind performance in  the soft section is not the best. So, if you prefer upwind sessions or need a good upwind board - this is not it. My skyrider even with smaller size goes up higher with my kites. However, if you are already busy with jumping  - you don´t need the upwind machine anymore - I think. Well, sometimes I wish I would need a turn less or could go less agressive through the waves just to be as high on the wind as before - but OK. I know why I have this board and with a good kick on the back foot it is more than plenty.

As for the board self. I have no grip :-(. Sucks a bit. There are some grooves on the upper surface one could guess it is used as a grip during tricks. But these are too small and even with wax they have no grip - so no grip.

I busted already the first foot pad. The carbon was broken where the screws are that tighten the plate on the board. Seems to be a failure of the construction because I have seen this on north and liquid force plates as well. Sucks, because they are 55EUR the set to replace. Well, for a board that expensive I would expect more durable stuff also because Carved loves the -> high quality <- material and that should be also reflected in the pads. Right now I ride with doublesided glue  tape underneath - expensive board and self-made construction :-I.

The bottom is also not the most robust. As long as you kitesurf and not grind the beach or do the skateboard park stunts or hit something it is totally OK because smooth... But every > oops < will end up in a scratch of the bottom or chip the paint. So, love your board ;-)

Fins - well normal...

Flex - rather medium to hard flex. It s a good balance between loading for jump and being able to land.

I don´t think carved had waves on their mind when constructing this board. But the concave shape and the sharp edge at the end sections drive it nicely through and up the waves here at the beach. I see no reason why it would not be a good board for Dutch beaches. I use it and I am happy.

Well, I am glad I bought it. More fun and success with jumping than before at the cost of upwind performance, and the need for precious handling. Well, and if you go custom or new - a big wallet. If you have comments or questions - let me know. I try to answer faithfully.