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best SUP for super light wind kiting

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SupaEZ
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Re: best SUP for super light wind kiting

Postby SupaEZ » Fri May 10, 2013 12:59 am

Oldnbroken wrote: I would think big race directionals go out in the lightest winds.
Then a big surfboard, but maybe that beats a big twintip.

:roll: :wink:

Ittiandro
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Re: best SUP for super light wind kiting

Postby Ittiandro » Sat Dec 09, 2017 2:04 am

Hi guys

Has anybody actually pulled a SUP on a kite ? I'd love to hear from him or her, because I'd love to do it myself next summer with my Bic Windsup, but there are some who don't recommend it .
I contacted Ozone in England to find out about their distributors in Canada or USA. Somebody replied warning me against doing this.
He says that a SUP is too floaty. There is no way that you can control the direction, especially upwind , because the rails do not offer enough bite and you will hopelessly drift downwind. If the wind is strong enough it can even get dangerous for you and others around you

THis is what he says. He may be right, because he knows kites and I am no expert. I was thinking, though, that in it can be done safely in light 10-15 knts winds, with the centerboard down and a relatively small kite, may be trainer kite no larger than 5 m2. I wouldn't certainly do it with a 12 mt kite!
There are videos all around showing SUK'ing. I do see people going straight and controlling the direction pretty well. Maybe they are exoerts.

If anybody has done it, can he or she tell me which kites and which sizes are best for SUPs ? There are so many brands and types ( tube/LEIS, open cell foils, closed cell, land and /or water kites, big and small,( from 3.5 m2 to 15 m2 ) that it is terribly confusing.

Thanks for the input

Ittiandro

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Re: best SUP for super light wind kiting

Postby Da Yoda » Sat Dec 09, 2017 2:53 am

Ittiandro wrote:
Sat Dec 09, 2017 2:04 am
Hi guys

Has anybody actually pulled a SUP on a kite ? I'd love to hear from him or her, because I'd love to do it myself next summer with my Bic Windsup, but there are some who don't recommend it .
I contacted Ozone in England to find out about their distributors in Canada or USA. Somebody replied warning me against doing this.
He says that a SUP is too floaty. There is no way that you can control the direction, especially upwind , because the rails do not offer enough bite and you will hopelessly drift downwind. If the wind is strong enough it can even get dangerous for you and others around you

THis is what he says. He may be right, because he knows kites and I am no expert. I was thinking, though, that in it can be done safely in light 10-15 knts winds, with the centerboard down and a relatively small kite, may be trainer kite no larger than 5 m2. I wouldn't certainly do it with a 12 mt kite!
There are videos all around showing SUK'ing. I do see people going straight and controlling the direction pretty well. Maybe they are exoerts.

If anybody has done it, can he or she tell me which kites and which sizes are best for SUPs ? There are so many brands and types ( tube/LEIS, open cell foils, closed cell, land and /or water kites, big and small,( from 3.5 m2 to 15 m2 ) that it is terribly confusing.

Thanks for the input

Ittiandro
Not only has someone been pulled, but several years ago F-One made a kite dedicated to SUP kiting called the Source...
http://source.f-onekites.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL8UT7ygkNk

OzBungy
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Re: best SUP for super light wind kiting

Postby OzBungy » Sat Dec 09, 2017 3:56 am

I haven't kited on a SUP, but I learned to kitesurf in 1999 on a 9' surfboard with a 4m ram air kite on handles. It worked fine.

My experience of *everything* is that you can make anything work if you try and put in the effort to work through the difficulties. People have kited on doors (real ones with knobs and hinges), giant inflatable sandals, foam body boards, lunch trays, and of course, SUPs.

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Slappysan
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Re: best SUP for super light wind kiting

Postby Slappysan » Sat Dec 09, 2017 4:18 am

Ittiandro wrote:
Sat Dec 09, 2017 2:04 am
Has anybody actually pulled a SUP on a kite ? I'd love to hear from him or her
I've done it several times. I take my Uli Gerry Lopez 10-0 inflatable SUP out with 1-3 kids and me on the board with my 12m or 17m kite in 8-15 knots of wind.

With me and 1 kid I it planes fine and can go upwind easily, add more kids though and it gets really difficult.

It takes more skill to ride a SUP than a regular board, but it works. I only go in waist deep water where I can step off and turn the thing around easily and step on to get going. It might be annoying trying to climb up out of deep water. It's also nice to use an iSUP and not have to worry about your harness hook destroying your board.

Last time out I also brought a tow rope and tried towing the kids behind on a small wakeboard but it needed way too much power to drag them up on to the plane. Next time I'll bring a surfboard to tow them on.

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Re: best SUP for super light wind kiting

Postby Ittiandro » Sat Dec 09, 2017 7:27 am

Da Yoda wrote:
Sat Dec 09, 2017 2:53 am
Not only has someone been pulled, but several years ago F-One made a kite dedicated to SUP kiting called the Source...
http://source.f-onekites.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL8UT7ygkNk
[/quote]

Great videos.
Any ideas of the kites sizes in the videos?
Are the 2 lines easily water relaunchable, like the 3lines ?

Thanks
Ittiandro

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Re: best SUP for super light wind kiting

Postby Matteo V » Sat Dec 09, 2017 3:51 pm

Ittiandro wrote:
Sat Dec 09, 2017 7:27 am


Great videos.
Any ideas of the kites sizes in the videos?
Are the 2 lines easily water relaunchable, like the 3lines ?

Thanks
Ittiandro
You are still trying to make your kite experience harder AND less exciting. No one teaches kiteboarding to beginners on SUP's for good reason - no one would want to continue, as they would have more fun with a paddle in their hand. I know your line of thinking on this. Lots of us, including me had your same thoughts. Lots of other people gave advice not to do it. Still, I and many others with your same thoughts gave SUP kiting a go. No we would not ever think of doing it again. And we always recommend against it.

I am pretty sure you can't be talked out of this path. But one day you will be just like me giving advice that someone down the line. And from your own experience, you will be saying don't do this.

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Re: best SUP for super light wind kiting

Postby rynhardt » Sat Dec 09, 2017 8:24 pm

Apart from the SUP, the other thing to consider is that in super light winds, as per the original post title, keeping the kite in the air is an art, and relaunch can be a real pain.

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Re: best SUP for super light wind kiting

Postby edt » Sat Dec 09, 2017 8:33 pm

SUP kiting can't go as low as a race twintip for instance on a SUP you can't go in as light wind as you do with the flysurfer fly race twintip. The lowest wind kiting is done with hydrofoils which can go 5 knots lower than a SUP or a twintip. Even though a SUP provides a lot of flotation it doesn't provide the proper center support like you have on for instance a wind surfer that you need in order to edge. The tail fins are insufficient to provide enough grip in the water. What you have to do in order to kite with a SUP is to use the entire rail of the SUP, dig it into the water in order to provide an edge. Because of this you need enough wind to be able to edge a SUP. SUP kiting is not for low wind. Hydrofoiling is light wind kiting. Notice I started this thread above 4 or 5 years ago before I got both my SUP and my hydrofoil and experience on both. Now I know better! :-) I still have my SUP and will take it out with a kite but I only use it to take a cooler of beer to a little island near by.

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Re: best SUP for super light wind kiting

Postby tautologies » Sat Dec 09, 2017 8:38 pm

I've kited a SUP. I mean as a dumb / fun / drunk thing to do on a super light day just to have tried it...sure. As anything you actually want to do, then NOPE!
Know there are a ton of different SUPs. For instance the smallest SUP I have ever owened is a 7'0'', and it wasn't that wide. To kite that is a very different proposition from kiting an 11' boat. However...if you are looking for a way to have fun in light winds, kiting has an option...actually have several options, but look at foiling or raceboards. I bet you can get a great raceboard for a few hundred dollars.


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