put it this way doll,
they say once you try black you don't go back.

I've sailed surf boards exclusively in waves for a year, and there is just no comparison. Unless it's over - windy, when I'd go back to a TT.

Just back from Lakey Peak Sumbawa......... everyone is on a surf b.

So as far as the comps go, don't worry about what the others WERE doing ... no doubt where the future is. The question you need to be asking is straps or no straps!

Thanks guys, now another question:what size surfboard would you reccomend? I am about 60ish kilos.

JL

Hey,
I believe you will find all you will ever want to know about kiteing with surfboards http://www.kiteforum.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2331592&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0&sid=c915e42d334907ffbf75eda9dcf1b969 , if you read nothing else read the first few posts by derec, very interesting,
It pretty much says you want a board with 4 fins, more parallel rails, and a wider sort of tail, appears a custom board is the way to go is you have the cash.
Thanks
Matt

Yeh was definetly and interesting post, was just summarising what was said in there and it does all make sense. I'm sure the thrusters will still be the main fin style for most riders as they are quite easy to obtain and are a proven design although kiteing is different to surfing and may need a different approach to get the best out of it. Will see what happens over the next few yearsbet you owuld of had a blast at lakey, seen some awesome footage from there
Thanks
Matt

Hi JL , I ve got a surf board ,we are same size and my board size is 1.52
C ya Marine

Does anybody know of places that are doing custom tufflite boards?
Otherwise what additions are good, thicker glass on the bottom, thicker underfoot?
I would want a board thats good for surfing, so to get the volume right for sydney surf is it best to go for thick and narrow or wide and thin?

a couple of years ago i saw in a surf mag a twintip surfboard and i also saw it on the new inventors on abc, has anyone tried one of these or seen one, looks great for kite surfing.

Hey EOTS,

The Airush Converse 6'2" is a surfboard and a kiteboard. The footstraps are removeable as well as the front deck pad, just comes off with the pad screws. Back pad like a normal surfboard. They surf pretty good, in fact it was shaped from a well known pro surfers fave board.

It will do in Sydney conditions quite well. It is light like a surfboard and will take a bit of a beating but wont stand jumping. To make it surf good it has to be light, it is stronger than a surfboard, probably similar to a tufflite.

I just got the new 6' Converse and will keep my 6'2" for when it's lighter and a bit smaller. Sic sticks!

You could also contact Stuie Martin in Newcastle SMD, he makes a pretty nice board too!

Hope this helps, good winds,

Kitehard said:

quote:

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...it is stronger than a surfboard, probably similar to a tufflite.

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Tufflites are by NO MEANS stronger than polyester surfboards. They snap easily and ding very easily. They are however lighter and more buoyant which makes for a different feel and different style of surfing. If you want a stronger board go for wood laminates. I ride a Sunova surfboard; epoxy board with open celled blank and balsa laminate. Light, buoyant and STRONG.

cheers kitehard i think i might check out stuey's boards cause i hear there pretty good surf boards! nice to support a shaper rather then a pop out

Here is my two bob's worth.

I rode a 6'1" thruster all last summer and admittedly it a bit thinner and more rockered than atypical 6 footer and as a surfboard would suit someone <60kgs but I didnt ultimately feel like where it was at, nor did several surfboards I have tried.

A few wave oriented twin tips I have tried work well in strong cross onshore [typical WA] when you are fanging the kite back to get the power to smack the lip, [particularly the now defunct Gaastra drive and the Airush hammer] but both feel totally dead in the water when the kitepower levels drops and youre looking for drive from the face, especially at Margies and Lakey when the wind is swinging cross to cross off - down the line, and the kite is basically parked in neutral as you just 'surf' most of the time.

On the other hand the standard 6' bendy, curve railed thruster actually is designed to be at it's best for an average sized surfer in 4" surf, but when kite surfing the same board feels totally maxed out and uncontrollable at speed alot of the time, because of the extra speed the kite can pull you in with and I completely agree with Derrick's views [at DC boards] on kiteforum and also what I have read from Stretch in Santa Cruz [shapes for Pete Trow / josh Mulcoy] when they say thruster surfboards were where they started 5 years ago, but they have advanced from there.

As far as I can tell All their boards now feature 4 fins, shorter more paralel outlines, and less rocker, volume and rail fullness than a standard surfboard.

The amazing thing is to hear it has has gone full circle now, because in working out kiteboards that can smoothly handle the much different demands of kiters [who ride fast down often choppy wind blown waves and need excellent edging to control kite power], the boys have come up with designs that are now in demand by the worlds top tow-in boys, in fact if you look at tow-ins and the speeds being reached, you can see a lot of similarities to kiters.

Surfboards in there current form have been highly evolved and refined over 4 decades of initially rapid development [since Bob Mc Tavish or Dick Brewer are whoever it really was decided to start the shortboard revolution]. All design parameters have been worked out by now, and the differences in the surfboards sold all over the worlds comes down to mere millimeters here and there, and have chaged little in 15 years

But in being highly evolved to meet the needs of a surfer to paddle in [hence buoyancy], to drop in [without any kite assist] then drive [relatively] tight low speed turns down the wave face on, they are specialised to just that. IT's the end point of EVOLUTION ---- like the Cheetah has evolved to match the speed of a gazelle but can hunt nothing else.

To ignore or deny the extra speed and power from the kite and the potential for that extra speed and power to produce HUGE moves in the waves seems stupid and kiting with a surfboard is akin to hitching a caravan to a ferrari, I mean sure it will tow it....but would you.

Kiteboards for surf need to undergo their own evolution [just as poleboards did] and what I have seen so far in Oz have just been copying the old surfboard shape with a few straps thrown in and no-one pushing the envelope, so caps off to the Yanks for pushing forward and whatever the future brings I want to ride it....

Watch out for some interesting shapes from the addiction boys at SOS this summer

And here's another thought.
Leashes are dead, right? Wrong. Lot's of top kiters are using board leashes in the surf. I used to use a leash up till 4 years ago when I got my second masty board injury. I think I'll stick to body dragging after my board occasionally for the moment .

Nial you are so right about having a board that is happy being powered by a kite.
Sure sometimes its nice to park the kite and let the wave do the work. But Look at my photo post from Lakey Pipe today ....... there is a long section to race along so you can get in close, but hopefully not eaten and spat out.
seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=2378

While everyone is putting in two cents worth, heres mine.
If you are lucky enough to kite cross shore, long walled waves, I think a surfboard is quite well suited.

If you kite the junky onshore crap I do, I think a twin tip is more suited. I ride a Hammer and it is much better in the waves than your flat water twin tip. In junky waves, sections come from anywhere and you want to be able to hit them. Not to mention you can still do fun tricks on the way out. A twin tip is much better balanced under your feet and I still think you throw much more spray on a turn than a surfboard.

As for kiters wanting to be able to look like surfers, we should be able to do things surfers cant. We are connected to a constant power source. Pro kiters are not even in the same league as pro surfers. From all the videos Ive seen, a pro kiter is killing it if he is surfing a wave as good as your decent surfer who rips and gets nothing for free. I think as long as people are trying to copy surfing, the best they can do is slowly catch up, that isnt going to progress the sport as fast as it could.

Not to say its all about progression, most people ride simply for fun and dont want to push any limits.

Finally, the funniest thing is, the new and progressive boards people are taking about sound a whole lot like the directionals I started kiting on 5 years ago. "its not what you ride that matters, but what you do on it"

quote:

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Originally posted by coreyb

As for kiters wanting to be able to look like surfers, we should be able to do things surfers cant.

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Right-on Coreyb.
Wavekiting is surfing on fucn steroids.
Kiting in waves isn't surfing.
It's kitesurfing.
Let's not kid ourselves.
Just like windsurfing in waves isn't surfing.
It's wavesailing.
Surfing is pure simplicity.
Surfers laugh their guts out when they watch kite**** dick around with gear.