blooop - 20-7-2007 at 09:53 AM
I am new here, but have been looking around for a couple of years.
I got a 4m blade III a couple of years ago and am fairly confident with it. Last year I learnt how to kiteboard on an LEI. I was wondering if it was
possible/wise to try kite boarding on a land kite.
I would think that crashing the kite into the water would be fairly catastrophic, but the flexifoil website has a tick box for kite boarding on a
blade 4 (i am guessing the material its made of is similar to blade 3)
what you think?
Thanks in advance.
Pablo - 20-7-2007 at 10:03 AM
Been done many times, a couple things to think about though,
1, must be onshore winds or on/cross shore so you end up back on the beach.
2. must not have any currents present that will drag you and your "sea anchor" out to sea
3. never go out farther than you can swim in unassisted.
I'd try dunking even a 2-3m kite in some water then trying to pick it up when it's full, good chance of destroying the kite, also brutal to pack down
in the water. So there's a good chance you may lose the kite as well. With all the cheapo C-kites on the market now, I'd suggest buying the right kite
for the job. Some on this forum do quite well with open cell foils on the water, but at the moment they're far from a beginner.
I've seen complete C-kites RTF go for the $200-300 range Can funds. Buddy just bought a 9m Waroo for $500
Bladerunner - 20-7-2007 at 11:35 AM
Speliopower ( sp ) is a fellow on here that rides open cell on the water. What he does is takes along a mesh laundry bag to turf the kite in so he can
swim back in. Of course if you NEVER crash the kite it's not a problem :smug:
speleopower - 7-8-2007 at 03:15 PM
Using land foils on water is quite fun. I carry a small mesh type backpack with a large mesh laundry sack inside. I also carry my flipflops and my
shirt/hat in a plastic bag as well.
Just use common sense and don't go out farther than you want to swim (just like with an inflatable kite).
You might want to dump the kite into a pool or right next to shore. When you pick the kite out of the water grab the trailing edge at the center and
slowly pull the kite up and out of the water. Or just stuff the kite into the mesh bag and lift it out of the water while it's in the bag.
Scott