Kiteforum.com

Hi all,

I've decided I need a light-wind board to keep me riding on those days where all the skinny b@st@rds are planing and I'm sinking like a stone!

I weigh in at 232lb/105kg, ride an 18m BEST BFK as my light-wind kite and a 127 Naish 'Stubbie' as my main board.

Been looking at loads of different boards, such as: Airush Square 1-3 & Exile, the larger Litewaves (kinda wish I'd kept my old red 169), and even learner boards like the old Naish soft twin-tip.

Any advice/experience in this would be appeciated, as my only other option is to start offing the skinny little fu%$ers at my local spot so I don't have to watch 'em playing when I'm stuck on the beach.

Cheers... Pete.

At 230lbs, you're a definite candidate for a 25m kite - big guys get the most from big kites.

For boards, I think you're going to want the Flysurfer Door or SS Glide - the extra width on the Glide might make the difference for your weight, unfortunately at $750 it's "holy f***!" expensive...

Definitely the Flydoor. Its the daddy of lightwind boards. Stand on it and you won't sink. And guaranteed you'll be the first person upwinding anyday.

If $ is an issue - give plywood a try....seriously.
I've been trying all Summer to get dialed for light wind - and Plywood has answered my prayers.

I have a Speed 17 and just got a X-bow 16.
I was ripping yesterday on my Speed 17 and the Plywood in 6-8kts - and this was only my 2nd time on the plywood ( I even did a few jumps).

The magic of the plywood is the flatness. No rocker, no fins - just lots of surface area (I'm sure skim boards work just as well - but they require more skill)
What really amazed me was the coasting ability while transitioning.
The Speed 17 turns very slowly in light wind, so carving a 180 turn is tough as you have almost zero power in the kite for most of the turn. I thought that the plywood would just sink when the kite power dropped - but not at all!!! I was able to carve smooth turns without losing any board speed at all!!!!! I had tried this before on a 6ft directional with tons of flotation and could never get the performance I'm getting out of the plywood. After only 2 sessions - I'm in love with my plywood.

The only negative is that in the gusts - I really had to push hard (really hard!) on the back leg to cut up wind - perhaps some side cut may help as the board is basically a a rectangle with rounded corners at this stage.

Moral of the story - go flat and wide and $ does not equal light wind performance.

tukyank,
Can you go into more detail about the dimensions of your plywood board...what type of shape, wood, finish or coating, etc....If you have some pics that would rock. I really like the idea of saving 500 biggons. Happy sails,
Coleman

No - promblem - just private message me your email address and I'll send you the plans.

To be honest - I got them from this forum - can't find the discussion string but it goes back about 1 month.
I think the designer's forum name is Scren or something like it.

tukyank wrote:No - promblem - just private message me your email address and I'll send you the plans.

To be honest - I got them from this forum - can't find the discussion string but it goes back about 1 month.
I think the designer's forum name is Scren or something like it.

The name is Screven - and he posted plans on July 16 in the main kitesurf forum. Do a search on his name and you'll find some good plywood discussions.

Note that my board is 5ft by 18" with diagonal cut tips 6"X 3" (not rounded).
Other than 3 coats of varnish and some old footstaps - thats it. No fins, no bent tips, no rocker, no concave hull - pure simplicity.

Have had no issues so far - but do find required back foot pressure goes up dramatically as the wind increases. For me on my Speed 17 - once the wind is steady over 10 kts - I'll switch to a smaller board.

Tuk,
whats your idea of what a concave bottom gives you. Also, did you use birch plywood like in the plans?
Fixin'to buy me a saw!
Coleman

Coleman - no idea what the concave bottom does. Some boards have it - suspect it may either track better or create some sort of suction that gives better control.

Just remember - for light wind - simplicity rules. I am no expert, but I found the plywood VERY easy to ride. When powered up, all your weight is on the back foot - when getting going or in a lull - front foot pressure really helps - all about getting as much board surface on the water as possible.
Its actually pretty fun if you just put it flat and do some skidding (skid transitions are cool) - just don't skid too far and get under the kite!

No need for a saw - Just have the guys at the lumber yard do it for you. If your lucky - you can make 3 boards out of 1 4x8 sheet.


I did use 1/2" Birch ply. You have to get it at a place that sells furniture quality wood. Home depot has it.
I didn't have much success with Screven's lock screws (or whatever they're called) as they kept popping out. Instead, I used 3 wood screws for each end of the footstraps (be carefull not to go too deep).

FYI - Blew buy a few guys on $$$ production boards the other day - so I expect to see some more plywood on my beach very soon!

A concave bottom redirects the water flow downward.

It generates lift, gets you up on a plane with less power, makes the board feel more "grippy" and lets you edge against the kite with the board slightly flatter.

Contrary to what you might think, the water flow under your board does not move from the tip towards the tail.

In fact, water flow is divided along a line close to the centerline of the board and moves backwards but at an angle toward the rails. It's easy to prove this: just look at the rooser tail comming off of your toeside edge when you are edging your board against the kite. You can't see it, but the same thing is happening on your heelside rail.

If you are looking for an inexpensive board with excellent performance in marginal winds, I build a epoxy/ laminated birch board that measures 150x46 with a concave bottom and very fast rocker line. My construction techniques create a board that is stronger, stiffer, and lighter than a home-made plywood board. $330 US plus shipping for a complete board including NSI micro-adjustable footstraps.

pictures of a few of my boards are posted at: http://gallery.kiteforum.com/gallery/vi ... me=albup46

Trent Hink