Old school kiteboard in ruins. D'Light, Shinn, Naish and Extrimity

My eye fell on this photo from my archive. A photo with a story that also provides insight into the development of kiteboards. In the photo you see a broken D'Light. Crashed by Harald Mijnsbergen, owner of kitesurf shop Extrimity. The shop no longer exists. As a former windsurfer, Harald was an avid kite surfer at the time. A very strong guy who, like many others from that period, we hope to see again on the water.

D'Light and Mark Shinn

D'Light is a Tenerife boardshaper since 1982. D'Light was and still is in close contact with Mark Shinn. The Mark Shinn of the Contemporary Shinn Kiteboards. Definitely no more old school kiteboards. It makes sense that Mark and D'Light are close, because to our knowledge Mark is still his homespot near D'Light on Tenerife.

Shinn, Naish Mutant and the broken D'Light

At the time, around 2002, Mark Shinn was still ahead of the team rider naish and kitesurfed on the Naish Mutant. Mark won several freestyle world cups with it. The Naish Mutant still exists and was created as a combination of one directional and twin tip. Compared to the Mutant, the D'Light was also configurable as a twin tip. This with the help of symmetrical fins and foot strap positioning. The different fins and combinations would make it possible to tailor the board to any specific circumstance; from flat water to riding on waves, from freestyle to hang time.

Mark Shinn and others used the large fins for boosting. Later, the Mutant turned out to be a dinosaur for competitions and they switched permanently to the twin-tip during competitions.

Quality kiteboards improved enormously

The photo I think is from 2002 and, together with my experience, it is proof to me that over the years kiteboards have improved a lot. Of course, partly because of this, a kiteboard has become more expensive. However, the boards are also much better in terms of performance and quality.

Repair kiteboard yourself

As shown in the photo, years ago it happened much more often that a kiteboard broke or had a hole or crack in it. At least with me and Harald. Repairing a kiteboard yourself was also common. During the period when we just exchanged our self-converted windsurf boards for the first directional kiteboards, we were very often repairing ourselves. Just with fiberglass mats and epoxy. With varying degrees of success.

Hopefully this time a fun and informative kitesurf blog about an old school kiteboard with a story.