Mark Shinn on Hanglos.net

pilookite · 2010-03-01T18:25:13.000Z

Early January 2010, me and my fiancée spent ten days under the sun of Barbados to warm up our bones, tan and for me to score some kiting time in the middle of the British winter. A few days before leaving I learnt from Mark Shinn Twitter page that he was also off to Barbados. Therefore I decided to meet with him to talk about his latest project ( Shinnboarding.com ) and kiting in general around a couple of Banks (Barbados finnest beer)after a good day spent in the water. (My life is so difficult indeed ) Credit: Lianne G 1. So Mark, what is this new company all about? Shinn is not a new company as some people believe; we have been creating premium boards for a while. Back in 2009, I decided it was time for me to develop the Shinn brand further and go more main stream by spanning the entire market from beginner to pro rider. In fact, there will be a board for pretty much any type of rider. I believe that the market needs more focus on dedicated board development. 2. Can you let us know a bit more about the construction of your board? The board construction varies across the range but features a predominantly wood core. In particular, I worked on the flex response to make them as playful as possible. When you go kitesurfing you fly a kite in the first place and it is important that the board you ride enhances your time on the water and the performance of your kite! Riding a board with too much flex or which is too stiff is not the answer. The ideal board should be stiff in the right place and have flex where necessary. The Shinn boards have this. Credit: Lianne G 3. You have developed this new TT skimboard the “Waterbird”. How did you come up with the idea? I have always loved playing around with skimboards, wakeskate and ride strapless in general. Of course they all have pros and cons. For example, you need to be powered to ride a wakeskate whereas you don’t need as much wind on a skimboard. The idea with the “Waterbird” is really to use the pros of both a wakeskate and a skimboard with or without fins. We have put a large EVA pad with a kicker on both sides, so that you can get a better contact with the board when getting some tricks like shove it, varials and ollis. Anybody with the minimum of kitesurfing experience will be able to ride this board with or without fins. In fact, strapless is really accessible and easier than it looks. It is also really good for developing your kite flying skills. There are a few things to know like making sure that you and the board are traveling as fast as the kite, have plenty of flex in your leg and a stiff upper body, or keeping your kite down when hitting a wave to stay stuck to the board. The other great thing about strapless is that as long as you are motivated you will be able to progress and learn new tricks. There is little risk of injuring yourself as if you fall you are not stuck to the board like you would if you were riding bindings for example. Credit: Shinnboarding.com 4. A few people on the internet have been making comments about your board’s unusual graphics compared with the rest of the market. Where did the inspiration come from? Well we wanted to make something different to standout from the other boards on the market and for people to recognise as a Shinn board. For example, nowadays if I go into a kiteshop I find it impossible to tell which brand is which when I look at the boards. So to come back to your question, we worked with a design consultancy in Belgium and that’s how it all started. I also really like the French artist who drew the Pelican on the waterbird. In the long term, I want Shinn boards to be recognised for their performance but also for their look and the artistic side of them. 5. Surfing waves is getting more popular nowadays. Here in Barbados, I have seen more people riding directional than Twin Tip. Can you tell me a bit more about your surfboard? Indeed, surfing is getting bigger and bigger every day and I believe this is something positive for kiteboarding. Surfing waves with a kite is more accessible than surfing as you do not have to spend hours paddling back to the peak each time you catch a wave. Using a kite also gives you the chance to use small mushy waves which can not be done when you surf. After, you can ride with or without straps, hooked or unhooked and with and without the kite power. With all of this in mind, we have developed 3 surfboards that can be ridden with different fin set ups and with different performances in mind. -The 5‘6 is a thruster that requires a bit of power to get going unless you are really light of course. It is the perfect board to start surfing waves especially if you like to be powered with your kite. - The 5’10 this is actually a copy of my own board and the one I use most of the time. The board has a quad set up and his quite easy to ride. It will satisfy most of the people out there. After if you want to push your surfing to the next level, it is your own decision and once you start to p

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Mark Shinn on Hanglos.net — door @pilookite | Nieuws · Hanglos