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board on howto video - is side shore or side off wind?

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 3:22 am
by frankm1960
In that howto video for 'board on' technique, is that a side shore wind or side off?

Is this trick doable with a c-kite or do you need high powered SLE?

Re: board on howto video - is side shore or side off wind?

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 9:29 am
by Toby
you can do it with a bit onshore winds as well.

But for training it you should do it on a lagoon type of area, with offshore wind.
Maybe you have a sandspit somewhere to try it.

You can also try it with sideshore wind, but not any type of onshore. Once you know how to do it, you can go for it.

This launch is excellent if you ride in areas with shore break...you simply jump over it...very cool!

You can do it with any kind of kite...just be powered enough. The more power, the easier it will be, the floatier it looks and the more technical you can make it (grab, 360 or 720 rotations).

Let me know if you have any more question about it.

Re: board on howto video - is side shore or side off wind?

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 4:46 am
by frankm1960
I was thinking it was off shore wind. I can't go out in off shore winds here.

We have a shore break here and mostly side on winds. I wonder if there's some sort of beach start I can do?

Right now the way I get out is the hard way, walk up to my shoulders and hurry like hell to get the board on my feet and then do a water start. I'm like a sitting duck tho.

I was thinking if I could walk in up to my knees, throw the board down, then stick my front foot in the strap and immediately dive the kite and take off, placing my back foot on top of the back strap when I'm up and planning and ride thru the break that way. Then when I'm out there put my back foot in the strap. I haven't tried this because I don't trust having only my front foot in the strap when taking off. I keep thinking the board will submarine on me or something and break my leg off.

That reminds me... how tight should my footstraps actually be on my feet?

Re: board on howto video - is side shore or side off wind?

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:01 am
by Toby
my straps are always very loose just to get in quicker. And when I twist my foot I have a very good grip in it as well. And if one foot gets out of the strap, the other foot can twist in the strap...so much better than being tight and the knee can twist...I noticed some times that this is a great advantage to not get hurt.

You can do board ons in knee deep water, as well as in deep water...but you need to be very powered and need lots of training if you want to do it in deep water.

Maybe start to practice in knee deep and less water and once you nail those, do it with running from the beach.

Sit down in a chair and practice getting the board quickly on the feet...and then go into the water doing it.

Re: board on howto video - is side shore or side off wind?

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 11:59 am
by frankm1960
Ok. I'll loosen my straps a bit.

Quick question... can you get going on your board without putting your feet in the straps?
Or maybe by just putting your front foot in the strap and your back foot free?

Is that possible in kitesurfing or is that just looking for problems?

Re: board on howto video - is side shore or side off wind?

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:54 pm
by Toby
sure, no problem. The shallower the water the easier it will be. First put the front foot in.

Re: board on howto video - is side shore or side off wind?

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 11:23 pm
by frankm1960
Thank you kindly for your help Toby :thumb: :)

I'm hoping to get out to try that soon :D

I'd really like to be able to take off right from the beach without having to wade in deep and doing a water start... the equivalent of a doing a beach start in windsurf speak if you will.