Hi
I realise this is a personal choice as to which type of board and shape to buy.
But i would like to hear from the kiters out there who Surf (or did surf) and Kite
Now.
Example if i used to ride a 6'3" 18 1/2 wide 2 1/4 thick (trusty Thruster)
Im 180 cm about 85 kg
What dimensions would i be looking at to acheive a similar sort of ride but with the Kite ?
I was actually considering a 5' 2" fish with one front strap (so i can still trim up my board quicking)
Possibly thinner than a conventional fish maybe back to 2 1/4 thick.
Also.... Fins .........seems to me they are gonna take a hiding whilst kiting so i was thinking Resined in Fins with more length and less depth.
I maybe completey of track here so im hoping someone thats done alot of surfing and is now kite "Surfingwaves" can put me to rights.
Im currently using a Mark Shinn twin tip and im actually really suprised at how nice it feels in flat water and in waves, that was Very unexpected.
But i want to be able to de-power the kite completely once on the wave,... so im Guessing (again! sorry about this) that i will need the Boyancy and extra length and Drive of a "Real" board to be able to S turn or push through flat short sections or re-forms, where using the kite would take to long.
Cheers
I am tagging on to this discussion because i am using a surfboard found at the tip and it goes off. So much so that I want to make a new board based on its design. Has anyone made a surfboard out of carbon before? I plan to go to Jackson boards buy all the gear and go for it. Anyone with any tips?
I'd suggest a 6'3" 18 1/2 wide 2 1/4 thick (trusty Thruster) with no straps.
It is no surprise if you genuinely want to surf with a kite that the best board is a regular surfboard. Other options are:
Slingshot SST 6'2" x 18 1/2
Airush Converse 6'4" x 18 3/4 or 6'0" x 18 1/4
Rawson Surftech 6'2" x 18 1/2 or 6'4" x 18 3/4
All the options mentioned above come equiped with straps, so it is easy to ride either with or without the straps depending on conditions.
I have to agree with the above post
as a rule get a board 2 inches taller than you.
I am 6 1 and riding the ss sst 62 it works well
I also ride a 65 sometimes
These size boards give you a more surfing feel and you can surf on them as well which makes perfect when you travel.
If you go small then you will struggle to keep your board speed when you unhook
- plus - i aggree 2 straps or none - or prepare yourself for a knee injury
FCS hold up just fine as long as you don't jump and land sideways or run into the bottom too many times. I just ripped my first FCS plug out after riding my standard polyester surfboard for 12 months. I hit the bottom too hard too many times and one of the pugs got loose and then popped out when I was doing a bottom turn. I am about 97kgs and have been amazed how well standard FCS fins hold in. I don't use foot straps though, and hence never jump my board.
Been a surfer for years and won a couple of Aussie titles surfing-and have kited for about 5 or so years-so have some background.
Totally agree with all the other comments re. use your regular board-strapped or strapless-I bought some funky little stick on footstrap mounts from NSI in the US-work a treat for either surfing with straps off or kiting with straps-I kite strapped and un-strapped-both have their advantages and disadvantages.
You may want to try a board slightly smaller/narrower and thinner than your usual-I ride a 6'2" board surfing and a 6'0" kiting-narrower and thinner than my regular board-extra speed and drive you get from the kite negates the necessity of the extra buoyancy and the thinner etc board also lets you hold the line better when powered.
FCS are fine-provided you watch your landings and the bottom-same as surfing really.
Also ride a 5'9" Rocketfish-can't praise the board enough as a purpose built kite board-particularly strapped in high wind and bigger waves-yeeeeeeha!
Enjoy the new experience off a twin tip-it's like a whole new sport.
We used FCS fins on our boards for years and they only snapped when you hit reef or the bottom -latteral impact broke them at the tabs - frontal impact ripped the front plug out and gouged a big hole as the back plug rolled.
The Spleene Zone is becoming quite popular now - www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=31971.
See http://members.iinet.net.au/~ianyoung/boards.html for more details
Thanks alot for comments and advice guys, i think im gonna go for a Strapped Fish maybe a 5'6 or 5'8 probably a quad fin .......if i can get it a Tuflite.
Untili find one im gonna practice on my 6' 3 unstrapped and my twin tip.
Cheers again great advice
Jp
Hey Ian
Great Link some really interesting stuff especially the flysurfers they sound fantastic, Good to see its not a web site thats all about sell sell sell....there is some very usefull and detailed advice too .....a refreshing change indeed nice one
Have you actually tried it on any surfboards yet?
Before you part with lots of hard earned I have seen relative noobs to kitesurfing go out on old dungger surfboards found on the side of the road in council chuck outs ,wack some straps on and are ripping within a relatively short amount of time .The NSI strap idea sounds good and pretty easy to do .I have heard a few good reports now and am keen to try .
i recently bought an old surfboard off ebay for $70 and put some body board plugs in it then fiberglassed them in and attached footstraps to them.
All up probably only cost me $140 inculding the board. and its great fun.
Also because it didnt cost too much its great to learn on and ive hit the bottom a few times coming in close and the fins are still fine. Proably because i applied heaps of fiberglass resin to help strengthen the fins up.
I came from a surfing background and have ridden all sorts of boards from the "kite" surfboards to my normal board which I prefered. It took me two years of mucking around to work out that if you want to surf then ride what you would surf or there abouts. I was invited to check out a factory in Aus on the weekend where they are making surfboards for kiting that are super tough, light, strong and flexi. They can put any graphic on the board you give them even total wraps. They grabbed a board off the rack, threw it from above their head onto concrete then jumped all over it. No damage. They reckon we will be able to land hard fast jumps and not damage the board. I get my one next week and will post a report on the forum.
Leeds,
most surfboards work well but durability is the big issue.
What definitely works best on all boards if you are using straps is to place both of the strap on the centre line to allow your foot far enough across to drive down enough rail pressure for a decent bottom turn, windurfers set things up like yours but they drive the rail with mast foot pressure which surfers and kiters havent got obviously.
Also I do fear the one strap only is a good way to set yorself up for a knee reconstruction and better to do 2 or none at all.
Leed thanks for posting your board Pic ........i bet its great to be able to have fun on your board also the fact you made it yourself must add to the feeling of self acheivement nice one mate your vessel looks a beauty !
This knee injury business ..............im not so sure ............i mean ,,,,what ever ypou do dont have the front straps so tight you cant do an emergency eject ....and i reckon you should be ok ....90 anyway ....there is a risk in everything isnt there ?
To Strapped: who is making the carbon boards? how much are they? Can you get a shape and size similiar to the RRD toxic wave 148 size board. Is the RRD board a good board to ride? Cheers
hey Fellas
ive found that having no strap at the back is fine because it allows me to move my back foot forward and back to get a good balance across the board.
also the front straps are very loose and everytime ive fallen off my foot has fallen out no problems. Also i only use the surfboard in light winds so jumping and high speed crashes are minimal.
Also i agree with only having one strap at the front but when i made it i was just copying other boards ive seen for example most of the stonker boards have 2 straps at the front. and since my skills have improved a great deal im now finding that my front foot and the foot pad are hitting the water when im getting a good edge and sprays my face so i cant see.
Ive done a few downwinds on the board and didnt have to edge as hard its great fun to ride little stormy beachy waves (until i get too close to the beach and my fins hit the bottom)
But it was a prototype and hence mark II will be modified in all the areas ive found need improving.
Thanks for the advice either way
Hope you guys have been getting wind as good as Adelaide has over the last week ive been out 6 of the last 7 days and if i wasnt burn to a crisp id be out today as well