Postby BWD » Fri Feb 01, 2013 8:05 pm
If you aren't wed to straps, an alaia will go as light as anything, and goes upwind as soon as there is enough wind to park the kite without it sinking toward the water ( 7 or 8 knots maybe?). Basically, if you can make apparent wind, you are good.
I have one I made, seen below, 6'9" x 17." It is actually a little big for me, I recommend no more than 4-6" longer than the rider's height. Less than your height is fine too, probably a minimum of 5 feet though, or it would be more of a skimboard.
If you put a fin or two on the back, it will track and transition more easily on the first go,
but with 5+ feet of rail in the water to give grip, and half the fun coming from sliding, there is no need for fins. If you don't want to stand on the tail the whole time though, adding a little rocker would be nice, just 2" or so...
-
Attachments
-
- alaia.jpg (49.04 KiB) Viewed 2131 times