Big Air Kiteboard Review: Carved Imperator 7 / Lieuwe Falcon / Duotone Jaime SLS

Big air kiteboards deserve a big review, and no one is more up to the task than guest vlogger Jason Montreal. Although he's from New Zealand where it's notoriously difficult to get one's hands on a wide variety of gear, Jason has managed to beg, borrow, or steal a session on three viewer-requested boards: the Carved Imperator v7, Lieuwe Falcon, and Duotone Jaime SLS.

Carved Imperator 7

Jason has been wanting to try the Imperator for years, but it's a spendy board, especially to get in New Zealand. He finally got his chance when a friend came from overseas with his and let him borrow it. Carved has been refining this board for over 20 years, slowly tweaking and refining it, and their passion for the design shows.

Jason paired the Imperator with the Ozone Vortex on a 25-30 knot day. Right away, he could tell that the board was noticeably lighter than most and very quick through the water. It was probably the fastest board he tested, which also makes it more challenging to control while you are first getting used to its shape. You really have to keep your focus on your balance and edging. If the wind is up, it can get away from you if you're not paying close attention.

The Imperator's ability to accelerate is fabulous for getting your speed up in limited spaces. Even though it felt like a far more challenging ride than boards like the North Atmos, Jason found it enjoyable and was getting quite comfortable on it by the end of his 45-minute session.

It has the most unique base of any of the boards; it's sleek and minimal except for the single spine down the center. You might even wonder how you're supposed to get any grip, but a board's design is about so much more than just the bottom. The overall shape, its outline, curve, and edges all contribute to its performance, so you don't necessarily need large, obvious channels to get grip or top-level performance.

Jason's friends who are used to boards with pronounced rails and deeper channels on the base seemed to find it less forgiving on landings and in chop, but Jason felt dialed in to it rather quickly compared to some of the other boards he tested, and felt that this design offered more potential. Really, it all comes down to your personal riding style.

Jason wasn't able to test its upwind ability in lighter winds, but given how quick and lightweight it is, it's probably a good option. If the straps fit you well, it's also a great option for board-offs. In spite of its light weight, everything about the board screams quality, from the build to its durability to its performance. If it weren't so expensive, he'd add one to his own quiver.

Lieuwe Falcon

Being that this board is from a company that only makes boards, is the board of choice for the SpaceX crew, and has been the official board of the Big Air Kite League, Jason was hoping for something special. He paired it with an 8m Flysurfer Era that he was also borrowing. He was on the 137cm Falcon, and although it was set up with fairly wide spacing on the stance for his tall friend, resulting in a bit of a sumo stance for Jason, he still felt comfortable on it right away.

Like the Imperator, the Falcon is also a very lightweight board that's super slick and quick through the water. It has a slight channel through the middle of the base, but then a fairly clean heel shape with less aggressive channels around it. This combination felt just right to Jason, and it was smooth and fast through the water for him. He felt in control, particularly when he was riding at speed.

Even with the wider stance throwing off his balance a bit, he never caught his edges. He didn't feel like he had quite as much control as he did on his Atmos, but overall the Falcon was probably the second easiest to control.

The Falcon was fitted with 45mm fins, and the bindings fit comfortably, largely due to their easy adjustability. Jason's friend has narrow feet, but the velcro bindings were easy to adjust for Jason's wider feet right on the beach. Overall, the board does live up to the hype and is another Jason would add to his personal quiver.

Duotone Jaime SLS

Probably Jason's most requested board for review was the Duotone Jaime SLS, so he was really looking forward to getting on one. This one was the 139 x 42cm, but it rode a bit larger than his Atmos 138, probably due to its significant outline curve and width. That didn't translate well on his first session out with it in stronger winds, and he struggled to hold a strong, powered edge and would also catch weird edges while turning or landing. This resulted in Jason feeling confused and frustrated with the board, like he didn't quite get what was going on.

Luckily, his next sessions were tamer and he was able to adjust to the board's size and shape. In lighter to middle-range winds, the Jaime shines. It does like to be ridden with a bit more tail-heavy stance, but this was easy for Jason to adjust to. It would make a great light wind board where you still want to be able to drive upwind.

Determined to figure the board out, Jason rode it in several sessions, and after logging six or seven hours on it, was able to feel confident in sessions over 30 knots and while jumping in the 15-20 meter range. The Jaime is quite fast through the water as well, though just a bit less than the Imperator and Falcon. It's quite stiff, similar in feel to the Atmos. He needed to be more mindful of how he controlled the rear heelside edge, which made the Jaime more stable at speed. Still, it wasn't his preferred stance and it still felt a little awkward. He thinks he may have had more fun on a 136, which would have been more comparable to his trusty Atmos 138.

Between the graphics and the design of the base of the board, there's a lot going on. He's not especially keen on the graphics, but the overall design and shape do look very cool and like nothing else he's ridden. The bright color of the board and rails do make it extremely easy to find in the surf, though.

The bindings were the most comfortable overall of the boards he tested. There's a more pronounced area under the toes, which can be good or bad, depending on what you want to do. It does really lock your feet in for a secure feel, but it's perhaps a bit too secure for easily getting your feet out and back in during board-offs. Between that and the plush, fuzzy insides of the straps, he was landing with just his toes in quite a bit. Wanting to progress into kiteloop board-offs, that could be a real issue for him.

While they're great straps overall, they were the only ones without velcro and were a bit of a pain to adjust, and Jason couldn't adjust them while riding like he could with velcro straps. He also didn't like the rail system that's used to adjust the stance. When he tried to change the placement between sessions, there was sand stuck underneath, which made it a real challenge to slide. Still, he considered these to be nitpicks.

The Jaime has a lot of features and is certainly high performance, but because he struggled with it for so long, it would not be one of his top few choices. He can see why so many people love it, though, and even all of his friends but one ranked it in their top one or two boards. If you're thinking about picking one up, try to demo one to see if it's right for you.

Summary

After riding all three boards, Jason has realized what a massive difference they can make to your session. There are just so many intricacies to boards, and having the right one can make you feel comfortable in a variety of conditions and is key to getting the frothiest time on the water. Your conditions, skill level, riding style, and just plain personal preference are going to make a difference in which is the right board for you, so do try to borrow or demo a few boards before making a decision so you get one you'll love.

None of the boards he tested made him feel like he needed to swap out his North Atmos. He never got quite as dialed in with any of them, though he did have quite a limited time on them. That said, the Falcon was his favorite of the three, followed closely by the Imperator.

Shop Kiteboards

MACkite Subscription Links:

YouTube  |   Instagram  |   Spotify Oddcasts

Contact MACkite Below:

800.622.4655  |   Kiteboarder@MACkite.com  |   LIVE Chat Messenger

Follow Jason on Instagram