My passion is surfing waves with a kite and getting it to be as much like surfing and using the kite for explosive speed/power.
I dont like to be relying on kitepower on small stiff boards as it looks like kitesurfing on a wave or waterskiing on a wave.with pivotal turns...kiting a personal thing so this is not a critisism at all of any other style of riding..its the great thing about our passion it will never get tiring because it offers so much to so many crew..stoked to able to combine surfing with a kite..never thought I would be using a kite to cross train surfing in the onshore.. sik!.For those surfers who share my passion drop me line I would be keen to here about your show...Drey
I ride DA Lewy 6'2 x 18 1/2 x 2 3/8 Epoxy with a stringer (surf it aswell)
08 Bandit 7.5 and a Bandit dos 5.5
No strapps , mostly hooked in.
Me 88kg
25 years surfing
2 years kiting
Hey Drey,
Whats your bottom end on those kites?
I've got to get a bigger board, I normally surf a 6'3 due to weight (92kg) rather than height (5'7)and kite a 6' (it gets going fairly well for its size - straighter toe-in on the fins I think does it). When I ride a standard surfboard with a kite, it feels like I am towing some seaweed sometimes a fisherman )
You mentioned you prefer Delta kite, I believe goofy footers prefer kites that sit deeper in the window than natural footers, how do your kites perform?
I ride a 2008 Nano 9m and a NEW OS 7m, feeling a bit over the Nano (sits deeper) but loving the NEW. I feel the pivotal kites have no grunt when trying to get out of a section - can't really turn on the power.
Would love to get my hands a fast flying fast turning power generating light wind kite for those 12 to 15knot days. The other option learning to go fixed but don't have the cahonies for it.
Cheers
Rich
andrec, you are onto it, surfing waves with a kite in the surf, makes sense for sure. ( just lookout for the waterskiers on the waves doing their pivotal turns, (goatboaters of the kitesurfing world!!)
I am riding the 5.5 allot DW from 16kn and in n out from 17-18kn...I think u r right about being goofy I like my kite low down in front and tend to bottom turn off of i, I find it gets a bit to powered up around 23kn so I am looking to go smaller...I have found the pivotal power movement of the delta great for pulling on the right amount of punch from anywhere in front of you.so i it can be going the other way sometimes looping or watevr and can still drive off it..I think coz the wing flys as it is doesnt need to fly from side to side quite as much...but my Natural foot mates are on non delta n love em som i think it is preference and abilikty first rather than one is better than another aye.
As far as boards u have a point with the fins but i dont have much drag off of mine and am willing to compromise any little things to have my real surfboard under my feet on a wave.
Light wind 12-15kn I get on my 11m truck sometimes on my mal or normal board if there is a wave worth belting.
wat do u mean learning to go fixed? me not sure.
Sharing the stoke and passion, Drey.
As a grommie I remember watching Perths onshore slop...and doing the old imaginary surfing ..."how good would it be to smash that lip, get round that 30m section float over that section, big snap around that bit and then finish it all off with a big close out air ?!! sik!!"
Add a kite and I'm reliving all those dreams(obviously the old body objects a bit more)...but it couldnt be any better!!
Hey Gav..summer summer...this is vengence on the onshore slop send buckets sky high..!.hey thats a gr8 pic from your kite...sic
Hey Drey,
Sorry, I meant like setup like Felix Pivec uses and a some guys around Perth, no chicken loop depower just a fixed loop direct to the bar. Seems they they get better bottom end using fixed loop rather than with a depowerable setup, tried it with my hybrid ( locked bar against CL) but ended getting totally overpowered and lost control.
Cheers
Rich
Yeh Felixs show is unreal huh..is that what you are doing aswell? I personally like the depower to get full rail cutties and rebounds around...looking around the best guys out there are doing one or the other...and yeh unhooked you prob cant beat a c shape kite...places like maui where the wind is very constant and waves down the line its wicked...in variable conditions I think the delta with depower has its advantages..for me i like having my arms free which sounds weird but this works for me hooked in...stoked to see the future for surfin with a kite.. I really like the guys who are going unstrapped and sticking the stuff strapped riders are
Is that you Damo...I sprayed that board myself...except the one in the pic is the one I am on now..you have a very similar spray on yours...I call em Big Head Party skulls...Hope that board is going sik for ya!! U comin to kitestock for a laugh??