SecondWind - 1-2-2007 at 01:16 PM
Anyone here wear a life jacket (PFD) when kite surfing? I never see any in pictures...
action jackson - 1-2-2007 at 01:21 PM
I do sometime, depends on location and conditions. I once broke a line in the middle of the lake and had a 2 hour swim to shore. That will open your
eyes..........aj
SecondWind - 1-2-2007 at 01:27 PM
Is there a special kind for kiting?
I've been checking out a lake near me for this summer. 
action jackson - 1-2-2007 at 02:35 PM
Look at http://murrays.com/ for options...........aj
Bladerunner - 1-2-2007 at 04:58 PM
Most folks around here wear Kitesurf specific impact vests especially when learning. They are not approved PFD's but provide floatation + protection.
Then again most folks around here wear helmets to. Maybe Canadians are naturally COOL so we can get away with safety gear and not think we are nerdy !
It does seem like the safety gear gets dropped when the cameras come out.
SecondWind - 1-2-2007 at 05:06 PM
Thanks guys,
Just one other question:
If you got hit in the head with the board or knocked out, would the PFD stop you from floating head down??
Bladerunner - 1-2-2007 at 05:21 PM
PFD's are designed to keep your head up. The impact vest doesn't do so. That's why it's not rated PDF. The trade off is the protection to your ribs +
internal organs. Most PDF's get in the way of your harness and such.
I totally suck on water. The floatation has been great in those many hours spent trying to get set up and into my board + for the tea bagging I take
trying to get started.
wjb - 1-2-2007 at 06:02 PM
I use a Litewave impact vest. It is nice because it will work with seat a seat harness and has straps that you can wrap around your spreader bar so
that the vest does not ride up. A lot of regular PFD's will not work with a harness. At least that was the case for me. I have a Dakine Fusion which
comes up pretty high and it interfered with the pfd I bought. So I returned it and bought the Litewave. I also added more flotation to the Litewave by
making a small slit in the back of the front section. I then slid out the foam and made a duplicate of it out of 3/4 inch flotation foam. I then
fitted both pieces back in and sealed the hole with a wetsuit patch. So now I have a vest that integrates perfectly with my harness, has flotation
comparable to a pfd and is less bulky then a pfd.
SecondWind - 1-2-2007 at 06:27 PM
Thanks for tips! I'm just trying to figure out what I need to get on the water when the weather warms up.
Did you guys take any lessons first?
wjb - 1-2-2007 at 11:05 PM
You will never regret lessons by a good instructor (instead of some kid trying to earn money for kite gear). You will always learn something. That
being said I assume you know what you're doing with a large power kite so maybe money would be better spent on a wakeboard lesson if you have never
ridden one before. Be safe. Wade
SecondWind - 2-2-2007 at 07:08 AM
OK Thanks.
Anyone have an instructional kite surfing DVD for sale that I could watch before I get some lessons?
Joe
wjb - 2-2-2007 at 10:21 AM
You can download these movies. They have a lot of tricks but also basic stuff like waterstarts. Best of all its free
Check out the one named "Mark Shinn - Boosting":o
http://www.kitefilm.com/eng/weeklytrick.asp
xxxBUGGYPILOTXXX - 10-2-2007 at 12:27 PM
Bladerunner - 10-2-2007 at 01:16 PM
This isn't exactly what you need but a short snowkite training film.
http://195.255.122.155/retkileija.mov
Kitefilm.com ( link above ) is your best bet. Search under downloads and then trick of the week. Good, short segments there.
SecondWind - 10-2-2007 at 07:35 PM
Thanks Raymond - I watched Zero to Hero several times this week. It's a great DVD.
I've got the next one (Evolution) coming in this week 
Snowbird - what language is that used in the video??
Bladerunner - 11-2-2007 at 10:16 AM
Ha,
I watched it on our ( non existant ) computer at work. It didn't have speakers. Sorry about that. :bird: