I been landboarding and snowkiting for 8 month now, learned everything on my own without any accidents. Now I am thinking about going on water this
summer as I live 5 minutes away from the beach.
I have Pulse 10m, which I plan to use, but I have no idea what board should I get. Any suggestions for 150 pound guy?
Also, can I do it on my own? Is there something I should know before I attempt going on water? I plan on using life jacket and a helmet, and my
friends watching me in case something goes wrong. Thats pretty much my plan. Does this plan look reasonable?
Any suggestions or advice please.
Thanksspeleopower - 5-2-2008 at 03:51 PM
If you can landboard and not crash the kite then you'll be fine in the water. Just remember never go farther offshore than you are willing to swim.
Another quick tip is to try this with your landboard. Start sitting down or laying down. From this position get your landboard on your feet and
start riding. This is similar to getting your board to your feet and lifting yourself out of the water.
A surfboard with some footstraps will work just fine as well for starting out. If you deciede to stick with kitesurfing then you can invest in a nice
board/s.
I'm riding the same boards I got back in 1999/2000.
Later-ScottBladerunner - 5-2-2008 at 04:49 PM
www.kitesurfingschool.org is a great site for basic instruction. If you can get your hands on a DVD lesson it would be a huge help. You can watch
it over and over.
Learn how to body drag first and formost. The proper technique to body drag upwind is extremely valuable when retrievng your board also when setting
out on an onshore wind. Pay attention to how to self rescue and practice it before you need it !domdino - 5-2-2008 at 05:32 PM
let's not forget, rear leg bent, front leg straight and pointing you best advice
i ever got
Go for it!DenisLaMenace - 5-2-2008 at 05:32 PM
Hi bloah
not much experienc e yet, but just been through this phase at the end of the summer. and I have read a lot.
don't step the body grad phase, really important to be able to go upwind. Imagine you lose your board, and the wind is off-shore.
get the larger board you can have. use a twin tip board, not a surf as I would be really impressed if you can ride toe side with a unidirectional
board in your first rides.
I have used a litewave freeride 169x43 this summer. this board reduce the learning curve a lot. it turns well, it floats well, and has some rocker.
don't get a rectangle light wind board like a door with a flat rocker for the beginning. these boards have to be edged a lot otherwise they slip
forward and you lose balance. and not ideal in the chops.
some suggestion of boards
undeground FLX 152 (not the 148 which has flat rocker)
liquid force proof 151 or 161
slinshot sx 157
litewave freeride 169
best chubby 140x46
spleene rip 140x47
If you take a shorter board, make sure it has a larger size if you want to get same float and balance.
you can still learn on a regular board like 140x40 but your learning curve will just be longer. reason is just simple: less balance, you will fall
faster, you will ride less
As for my litewave, I wanted to sell it, but I have decided to keep it as it will be amazing in light winds.
Now I am thinking to get a spleene rip 138x44, for my kitesurf trip at the end of marchbarnes - 5-2-2008 at 05:53 PM
I plan on (re)learning this summer on a home made plywood board. Is this a good or bad idea? I think a plywood would float nice, help me start.Bladerunner - 5-2-2008 at 05:56 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by buzz
Hi bloah
don't step the body grad phase, really important to be able to go upwind. Imagine you lose your board, and the wind is off-shore.
It is best to avoid going out in offsore winds on the ocean ( or great lake ) for the obvious reasons :o If you are on a lake it is a different
situation.
Good you mentioned the Plydoor Buzz ! I have suggested it to people as a better option than a wakeboard but it is FAR from the ideal board to learn
on.
Barnes, You can pick up a big old board for $100 easy . That would be 10 times better than the $50 to build a plydoor !DenisLaMenace - 5-2-2008 at 06:04 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by barnes
I plan on (re)learning this summer on a home made plywood board. Is this a good or bad idea? I think a plywood would float nice, help me start.
read that, they have the instructions to make a board with some rocker. Just dont use a door shape. Round up the tips.bloah - 5-2-2008 at 08:41 PM
thanks for advices guys, I really appreciate them !
Cheers
Bloahmacboy - 5-2-2008 at 09:50 PM
Not to hijack the thread here (move me if it's hijacking) but......you can body drag yourself upwind?
Can't wrap my head around that one......bloah - 5-2-2008 at 10:19 PM
what is body drug anyways?ripsessionkites - 5-2-2008 at 11:51 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by bloah
what is body drug anyways?
where you use the kite power to pull you around in the water without a board.
usually when you fall off your board, and try to collect yourself, by putting you kite back up to zenith, you'll be pulled downwind a bit. once you're
kite is at zenith you'll want to send your kite at 45 degrees, and use your other arm to help guide you upwind to get back to your board.
simple steps to follow:
1. learn your kite ... water relaunching, etc
2. learn to body drag in shallow water
3. learn to body drag w/ kite upwind
4. learn to water start
an IKO lesson is worth all the money. It also reduces the learning curve.
I took just a 4hour private lesson and we had enough time to cover LEI water relaunch, safety release, body drag downwind and upwind, and water start.
You get all the tips for a good water start as how to position your body and legs
Then I was ready to practice on my own.Bladerunner - 6-2-2008 at 09:45 AM
When you body drag upwind you want to get your body working like a giant rudder. Getting the underwater hand up over your head and using it as part of
the rudder helps greatly !BeamerBob - 7-2-2008 at 07:52 AM
Is this feasible with handles, or am I delusional to think I can do this without a bar? I like the idea of being handy with body dragging before
adding a board to the equation. Not sure I would have enough rudder without that underwater arm extended in front. I guess I need to just try it.domdino - 7-2-2008 at 09:57 AM
with handles and a harness i guess it might be possible, but it would definitely be more fiddly, you really have to straighten your body out, like
snowbird said, one arm on the bar, the other arm as a rudder, and your legs keeping you planing through the water... i've never tried it with handles
though, might be fun to try and give us a report
best advice
i ever got