Been searching for a surfboard.... Kite specific boards are so expensive and I figure I will trash the first one..... This is a 5'8" fish twinfin from my local surfshop....I'm hoping that wide (20") and not a lot of rocker will get me started....

Being a twinfin it may be a little loose, but it was cheap (relatively) and i'm really itching to try a surfboard.....

If we get a puff of wind this afternoon i'll give it a go... Shouldn't take me long to rip the fins off......

What about my custom deck pad.... If nothing else it looks good.......

Any last minute tips, pointers, concerns???????

Stoked and ready for some body draggin for the board......

leave the fins on......................we have a quad fish with all four side bites in................................timing in the turns is everything..................redirect quickly sets up a smooth JIBE............................learn to ride toeside which makes one of you tacking turns much easier..........lean back to set the edge and use your legs as shocks to keep you and the board one unit..............you will find that a smaller, faster turning kite is what you need....................my 9m Rev/10 Pulse work well................................after about an hour you should be good to go...............................enjoy the ride

Hi

Looks awesome. Should be a blast. Sounds like the right size.
will probably last you a while.
I have a North Bullet 5 10 and it,s a hoot.

John

Gave the surfboard a try this afternoon.. Winds picked up to 11-12 kts... Had to use the big speed... Needless to say my efforts weren't successful... Laying in the water w/ your heels on the board and waves crashing on you... The big slow kite sure didn't help..

By the time I got it pulling the wave has already knocked me out of position... Reminds me of my first attempts w/ the twintip.... I didn't think i'd ever get that but now the waves dont bother me w/ it....

I think i'll go to the flatwater spots in Corpus and work on getting up on the board in the shallows there...

I did one start standing in knee deep water, put my back foot on it dove the kite and hopped on... Went a ways but had my feet too much on the downwind rail.....

The people on the beach were enjoying the show... I dumped the kite and when I got it back up they cheered.....The big speed seems to gather attention...

The never ending journey..............................It sure is fun !!!

flat water and your 12m will be the ticket...........................the Speeds dont do well in waves and are def not follow me kites...................your Pulse 2 is much better suited for waves/surboard.....................

Hi

I know exactly how you feel.
I've been kiting a while and the first time I used the board strapless I got going in the knee deep water easy enough, but I couldn't tack or turn around. Finally about half a mile from shore I stopped fell off and turned the board around by hand. Then same thing board floats, couldn't hold it under or even at an angle to get started and the darn waves. Took a while to get going again.
I put the straps on after that until I figure out how to tack.

Good luck
John

Looks a lot like an Underground kitesurfboard ... check out the webpage - http://www.undergroundkiteboards.com/kipuna.html

Good on ya for giving it a crack! You need a GoPro to document your fun

Wow...I have almost the exact same board!!! Love the old school fish for those really light wind days. I can totally relate to you...I think we ride in the exact same conditions. Constant shore pound and waves make the water start soo difficult so much so that I mainly ride with straps....But strapless is definitely the best....so much more fluid and 'surf' like. Keep at it...I have so much fun with mine that I don't even ride my TT anymore. Just need to get rid of the straps. Can't really see the rails on your board, but mine are really thick so carving is tough. Think I'll have to take out my other surfboard and try riding strapless again. Good luck!

keep it away from the shallows ... lol

they are super fun, i like them with out straps.

Riding strapless is the way to go! Just persist with it and it will start to come pretty easy. Eventually, you'll be jibing without thinking about it on wave faces!

I have kite specific and used cheapie surfboards . They both work, but my 5'11" JS is the best- it was shaped for a local pro surfer. But, it's taking a beating.

In rough conditions, I find the best way to get started is to just send the kite and hop on. Just focus on foot placement for the landing on the board and perhaps angle the board into the wind as you get ready to make the big hop.

Have fun