i'd suggest u find ur local kite store/instructor and get a lesson, prob cost $100 for round 1 1/2 hours but u get to use their gear and u get tuition which will get u going heaps quicker.. most people i know with wind sport experience and general athleticism were up and going by the end of a lesson.

yer i know pete relatively well he helped us with windsurfing a bit to. I dun wana spend much on lessons though. When i started out windsurfing i just rocked up to a grommie day and tried the gear out at no cost what so ever.

Is there anything still going like this in SA. It use to be run by Glasscraft (now onboard).

yer man i dun have enough money to be spending heaps on lessons. Havnt got a job.

I was hoping there were still grommet days held round the place free of charge. Then once i know i can do it il bring the book out the get some gear of my own.

got enough free time. and enough money for a kite i spose. All i wanted was to prove i could do it before spending money. I done want hour lessons or anything like that. Even 700 or 800 for crap gear is a lot of money. and spending that without knowing that im gona be able to kitsufe makes me nervous.

I was just trying to find out if there were any grommet days around anymore because that was where i did quite a bit of my windsurfing when i was learning and i only flew a kit once of twice on the beach. Back then i was only 8 or 9 so i didnt know anything or have even close enough money fora kite.

Windsurfing will always be my main sport aswell as my athletics. but i would love to give kiting a try to see what it is realy like. I watch guys flying up 10 to 20 feet into the air and just think it looks like an awsome sport to try out.

yer think your right. I give glasscraft and onboard an email or a call tomorrow or something. Thanks for the help.

I didnt know how much gear is thrashed but i suppose when i look at guys learning, the amount of kites that get crashed into sand, water, rocks and woteva, the gear really is hammered a lot.

might have to go 50-50 with my parents as a christmas present of something because theres no way i can forke out like 1000 for my own gear, on my own.

anyway cheers

Yer making a board aint a bad idea as long as itl work. My dads dun a bit of that kinda stuff and my bro knows a bit bout it to. Me uncle works with wood everyday so i got plenty people to help me out i just neda get round to doing it. Itl give me something to do on weekends.

Will making my own board still work ok though? I would have to do a bit of research before doin in i think because i honestly donmt know that much about kiting. Always been hanging round the windsurfing guys since i was like 7.

directional or twin tip? and is the hole board curved on a twin tip or just the ends?

ok cheers everyone. Might not get around to it fora while.

Next year we have a year to make anything we want and were allowed to use the school woodwork tech center. They can order stuff in and stuff like that. And they got a thousand tools and power tools to use. Which would probably be best and easiest.

anyway thanx again