Lessons From a boat

[willkite]

I am looking for someone who has run or plans to run lessons from a boat after minimal instructon. Is there anyone out there doing this?
I think it has massive potential.
If anyone has good or bad feedback about this method please let me know.

[RickI]

Guys have been doing this for sometime in various parts of the world. In Florida, four operations that come to mind have been doing lessons offshore from boats for over eight years. Outfits like The Kitehouse, Tiki Beach Kiteboarding, Miami Kiteboarding and Ace Performer on the west coast. It is pretty common in quite a few areas worldwide these days.

Having fairly calm water helps this approach but in the case of Tiki Beach, they still run this approach in unsheltered ocean waters to a point. You want to go with an operation that is well experienced with boat based instruction as some things can go wrong that a seasoned outfit should anticipate and manage. I recall reading that kite schools have gone offshore in Lake Garda, Italy due to tight beach real estate on the limited beaches and preexisting windsurfing operations. It works well particularly in calmer waters and when the boat tracks you as you do downwinders. It is amazing how fast you can progress with limited waves and minimal stopping and starting as happens onshore.

[20 m or bust]

One of the guys teaching here in Dallas, Texas is doing so from a boat that he has customized for the purpose. He also uses radio helmets . Pretty good method, less land incidents to worry about.

[prayfawind27]

Lesson from a boat. Sounds like a waste of cash and very dangerous. Are there riders here that's a product of boat lessons. What about learning how to set up you lines and kite, what about launching,what about sharks yes you learn how to get up and go but what are you going to do when you get to the beach and you're the only rider there. Boat lesson makes since if you already know the basics and having problems getting up on the board. A complete newbie wouldn't learn independence.

[Newbiediary]

when I was on holiday in sardinia there was a school which followed the students with a dinghy while body dragging and while attempting the first tacks. I think it is really good especially since in this way the students were far from the shore ad far from other kiters, in deep water, and could do very long body dragging sessions.

I think that the instructor used to launch the kite and give it to students...I am not sure exactly of what system they used but they seemed to be verry efficient, even for teaching kite relaunch the students had the instructor right behind them on the boat giving instructions .... I wish I had learned this way ...

[paul m]

Go in a boat and:

find the shallows and learn there, no hazards to hit or think about.

Take your time and learn to fly the kite and relaunch , then bring on the board ect

Be away from other kiters and concentrate on learning

Actually have the time to make mistakes and learn to be a kiteboarder.

Learn to set up in the water

After all this, then your instructor takes you to the beach and shows set up and you learn how to go because you have a knowledge and respect for the kite and will realize how dangerous a beach can be.

Been doing this along time, sorry beaches are dangerous for a beginner and they learn bad habits as they dont how the skills or knowledge to handle a crisses in the begining.

[DSZ]

Took lessons froom CNS in St. Martin, off Orient beach. They would take two students offshore in a 14' Zodiac. Instructurer would blow up the kite in the boat (struts already inflated) lines coiled in bucket. Students jumps (falls) in with bar and pays line out as boat drifts downwind. Instructor attaches lines, motors out to edge of window and with thumbs up launches kite. Student must have some good basic kite and riding skills for this to work. Worked good for me, that is when I learned to ride up wind. Downwind into the bay student lands kite into boat, instructor deflates and removes lines, student wraps lines up on bar then is picked up. Then back to the beach for a congradulatory cold libation!!! Tight beach so they don't let unskilled newbies land there. Pretty slick... when all parties did their thing correctly.

[Toby]

Nico Kux from Mauritius gave me an interview about how to launch from a boat...he uses this method to teach from a boat as well:

Not sure which one, but in one of these shows:

[kiteforumtv]http://www.kiteforum.tv/video/kiteforum_tv_show__1.html[/kiteforumtv]

[kiteforumtv]http://www.kiteforum.tv/video/kiteforum ... _res_.html[/kiteforumtv]

[thaswisskid]

Lesson from a boat. Sounds like a waste of cash and very dangerous. Are there riders here that's a product of boat lessons. What about learning how to set up you lines and kite, what about launching,what about sharks yes you learn how to get up and go but what are you going to do when you get to the beach and you're the only rider there. Boat lesson makes since if you already know the basics and having problems getting up on the board. A complete newbie wouldn't learn independence.

Its not about learning independence, you learn to respect and control the kite first, in deep water beginers can make all the mistakes they wan't. Way safer than the first big flight on land. It's like paul said after the boat lessons the not so newb can learn to set up and launch on the beach, with the instuctor knowing the student has control and respect for the kite.

[RickI]

You can see some images of boat based instruction in South Florida here and here .


Wow, that takes me back. I was last at Orient Beach in 2002. CNS was teaching using boats back then as well. With all the tourists, particularly nudists strolling around there just wasn't sufficient room even then for downwinders on the beach with rider walking back on the shore.

They would tender people offshore to the island off the beach shown below. The easterly trades were offshore on this low island taking student naturally into deeper water between the island and Orient Beach.

Some photos from back then show up below.

Took lessons froom CNS in St. Martin, off Orient beach. They would take two students offshore in a 14' Zodiac. Instructurer would blow up the kite in the boat (struts already inflated) lines coiled in bucket. Students jumps (falls) in with bar and pays line out as boat drifts downwind. Instructor attaches lines, motors out to edge of window and with thumbs up launches kite. Student must have some good basic kite and riding skills for this to work. Worked good for me, that is when I learned to ride up wind. Downwind into the bay student lands kite into boat, instructor deflates and removes lines, student wraps lines up on bar then is picked up. Then back to the beach for a congradulatory cold libation!!! Tight beach so they don't let unskilled newbies land there. Pretty slick... when all parties did their thing correctly.