my parents and i are going away on a cruise for spring break in a week and my since we couldnt bring any of my friends my mom offered to let me get kiteboarding lessons (on the water) at the ron jon kiteboarding shop in coco beach (the first stop on the cruise)

they said they want me to use their gear but i would prefer using my setup with my venom do you think it will be better to use theirs or mine?

also i might be able to convince my parents to buy me a board so i can ride for the rest of vacation do you think i will be able to get a good deal there or are they overpriced? i will most likely not be able to landboard in the bahamas due to beach size so water is the best choice

if anyone has any tips for me please help

Their kites would be easier to relaunch and are probably better suited to water use, but the Venom is what you're used to. Performance and technical details don't really matter at this point because you're just learning. If the wind is generally pretty light there, then use one of their kites, because the 10m Venom requires quite a bit to get going on water.

Also, don't be shocked if the instructor has no idea WTF to make of your kite. I always hear about how clueless the water guys are to everything except KITESURFING and INFLATABLES and WAVERIDING, and I didn't believe it... ...until I met one of them. Not to base an entire group on one person, but that kind of confirmed what everyone has been saying. They really are quite ignorant. They treat foil kites in general like they're ancient technology or from another planet, when really they're quite effective as we know. Many of them haven't even heard of Peter Lynn. Which is truly sad.

Good luck!

Dang, nice snag on the lessons! Glad you are getting more support in your kiting! Have a blast CJ!

Hi there if coming down under scope this mob out seem very good

http://sn105w.snt105.mail.live.com/default.aspx

You should be able to get a good used board for a decent price ... MHO is to stick with 2008 or newer gear.

Enjoy the lessons! Use their gear ... remember, arcs have not a lot of bottom end and you'll be surprised by the LEIs I'm sure. Take your harness - that's all you really need ...

And yeah, plus one what Seanny said

yeah im really excited! i think im gonna bring my landboard just incase i find any places to ride but i really hope i can get into kitesurfing too

Do you gus Wear Pfd's when Kite surfing ??

I just think about a crashed kite and lines iin the water and wonder.

,,Sorry if I'm off topic, Envious of any tropical vacations ...

im not sure most of the pros i see dont i think it would be very restricting but thats my preference

for insurance coverage your lessons will be on their gear...........................take your Venom and body drag in the Bahamas. Find a surf shop and rent a 6' thruster for the day......................have fun and remember Bull Frog is the best sunscreen for/in the water...................................dont forget a bar of wax for the board..........................:duh::duh:

I think with lessons you'll have to wear PFD and helmet which is a good practice to get into :o
My guy here had a radio in the helmet which was great!

Take your gear too - just in case. Always sucks more to not have it and need it than to have it and not need it.

Just my 2¢ - you'd need a good deal of wind to ride the 10m, no? Maybe you're a little fella. I know I'd need some serious wind to haul my carcass out of the water with a 10m. Still - my first body drag sessions (super fun) were with a 10m Guerilla and I found that even just static flying in the water was a ton of fun. Got a few good launches in too - ate a lotta water

I had one kite surf lesson in Hawaii - quite sketchy now that I look back. The guy had me on a 14m LEI with nothing but a helmet on. That, and he had put one of those 2 way walkie talkies in a ziploc baggie and bungeed it to the top of the helmet....quite funny now that I think of it. But no, no PFD. The lessons I took in Prince Edward Island were hands down more professional. Had helmets with integrated audio so they could coach me from the launch. No PFD but the water was knee to waist deep FOREVER so I wasn't too concerned.

All my practice has been with a PFD on (and helmet) and I don't find it too bad at all. I use a seat harness so there's no conflict with a harness riding up pushing my head down into the life jacket. Successfully body dragged upwind with it on too (many, many times).

Take your gear! Like I said - even static flying and body dragging was super fun (and I learned since then that the body drag is ESSENTIAL to learn, and learn well. BUT for the lessons, use it as an opportunity to try new, different gear. I quite liked the Best rigs we flew in PEI but my heart belongs to foils.

It's funny you ask about safety gear. Kiteboarding magazine has a poll on right now about wearing lids or not. 54% in the "Never" category right now. I don't understand why not....

Sick deals on boards outta Corpus Christie

what ports are you hitting in the Bahamas? Good chance you can get lessons there, and with wind. search the net/do emails before leaving home. also no place to keep kite gear aboard the ship. i've taken 2 cruises and neither allowed them.

Quote:

Originally posted by kitesurfer what ports are you hitting in the Bahamas? Good chance you can get lessons there, and with wind. search the net/do emails before leaving home. also no place to keep kite gear aboard the ship. i've taken 2 cruises and neither allowed them.

I took a cruise 2 yrs ago and had no problem with gear. It was tight timing to get to a launch and ride and make it back to the ship!But now I can say I have Kited PR and Grand Turk!..........aj

whats in gods name is a body drag?????? and the cruise willl allow the stuff

but i hope the winds are enough for my venom but im thinking about getting into strapless riding

Quote:

Originally posted by NJLandboarder whats in gods name is a body drag?

you may want to do a little research/reading on kitesurfing before your lesson

Body Drag... Dragging your body through water.. ( correct me if I'm mistaken )

Water scudding?

It's what you NEED to learn to do when you lose your board a mile behind you (upwind). Drag back & forth, carving through the water with your body making your way back to your board.

http://kiteboardingmag.com/how-to-kiteboard/

http://www.howtokiteboard.com/

My lesson in Hawaii had a "no fly zone" that required you to drag yourself and your board out 200 yards before waterstart. It's most definitely a must-have skill and one that happens to be fun to play with - especially when you're just starting out. It's a good time/place to learn how relaunch of the Arcs goes on the sticky water surface.

Not necessarily just to get back to your board - it may save your life one day :D

My folks go on a criuse every year. And my Mom always brings her old Soundwinds kite festival single line kite and flies it off the stern. She even has pictures of one of the captains flying it. It's a big crowd pleaser she says!

Skipped advice offered . Here's mine.

They will HAVE to take you through the basics from square 1 . Be SURE to get an IKO card and get it stamped so you don't have to start at 0 again.

Time will be short. Use thier stuff to speed things up.

You can sometimes rent a board but rarely rent a kite.

www.kitesurfingschool.org Study this site !

Great to hear you are getting formal lessons. They are valuable.

Have FUN :Ange09:

I need 20 - 25 knots to get moving with a 13m Venom and i'm 150lbs...

LEI's rule the water for a good reason.

I never wear a bouyancy aid but the water is cold here so i wear a wetsuit which gives me floatation. First time lessons tend to be in water you can stand up in so no worries anyway.

most of your landboard skills will translate but you need a LOT more power to get moving which is intimidating at first. Takes about 3 sessions on average to get up and riding consistently so try and get at least 3 lessons - after that its just time on the water.

check out the progression instruction DVD's before you go. stuff will make more sense if you watch them first and you will get more from your lessons.

Sounds great man, have a good one.

feel the force Luke you know how to fly just do everything they tell u and you will ride oh yes you will ride

Movie quotes

I only flew fb before my first lesson but I did everything they asked the first time because I understood the kite and the window you are further ahead of me because you already fly depower the water plus kite power is way less frightening than the land so use the power it is fun and I rode on my first lesson that's the pic in my avatar because we blew through the learning the basics stuff you already know but they have to see you do it
I actually had to unwind body drag twice because I did it right the first time and the instructor thought it was luck so I had to downwind drag first and then come back before he would give me the board so don't worry you will do fine and I took my kites on our last cruise over Christmas

One more

I'll be back :cool2:

BR - do you need the IKO card as proof if you want to demo gear (rent gear) while away on vacation? I'm set for what I hope to be my LAST lesson set on the water and haven't received a card yet. I think the crew teaching in the Keys is on the PASA flag.

I don't think you need a card to rent a board ?

I took my 1st 3 lessons PRE-IKO or PASA . I had to repeat the thing from the begining in Australia. Then again at Nitinat.

In Aus' I thought I went in with the approach that I am just taking lessons to use your gear so didn't know to ask about the card. They were VERY good about allowing me to use the gear for the afternoon + transport to the location. They really did slack off on the lesson part but that was how I wanted it at the time.

I am not sure if PASA has a similar card? Basically it tells the next instructor what you have and have not accomplished. Without it they are obliged to prove to themselves what skill level you are at and must start at zero.

Of the 3 ways, getting yelled at, radio and jet ski I found jet ski assist to be by far the best ! Maria at elevation kiteborading is fantastic!

You should talk to AJ. I think he is PASA and can tell you how to avoid repeating 1 and 2 on your next lesson. I would expect they run things similar ?

From my limited experience, if you're not getting lessons they want to know you've got skills to not lose their gear if you borrow it

hmm well somone said i should rent a surfboard but im gonna play the trip by ear im gonna bring my venom and harness and take my lessons in cocoa beach and if the winds are gonna be high enough illl buy a skimboard to ride with my venom in the Bahamas and at the Norwegian private island

im only planning on taking the the third level lesson which is the highest level they have at the school im going to

also could someone explain to me why when i moved the center lines on my bar down two knots it went down in power extremely but it was a good level that i could actually control but the adjuster strap seemed to do nothing
and for some reason my kite kept flipping over like inside out and flying that way or just bowtieing and it was aggravating as hell

I mentioned renting the board....................If winds are marginal the surfboard will save the day

when you shorten your front lines you lengthen the rear lines and the trailing edge of your kite sits higher than the leading edge, more depower. This would explain why your trimmer is ineffective..........................

this may also be why your bowtieing..........depowered too much, the AOA on your leading edge is in deficient positon, causing front stalls

Yup. Too short on the front lines. I have started double checing all the pigtails on my kites so I know what knot to fly on for *proper* performance. I found that in all this time I was flying the Phantom depowered an additional 3 inches. Fully powered it's more of a beast than ever before! Good fun.

You should be at 550 mm depending on the bar you're using.

Arc Setup

Sorry to burst your bubble but no real kite school is going to teach you only the 3rd lesson without proof you have the previous 2. It would be crazy to want to !

The fact you had to ask what body dragging is puts you about 1/3 way through lesson 1 . Before you get to board starts you need to self rescue, prove you know right of way, relaunch and upwind body drag + + + . Get THESE skills down and you can say you are ready for lesson 3, board starts !

Picking up a skim board along the way sounds like a good plan. Even without the board you can work on the other skills that you should have 1st.

Heading out on the water is a different game and should not be approached fool heartedly !!!!!!!!!!