Grab a surf board you have laying around and just get out there and give it a go. I like unstraped as i like the freedome to move around the board unrestricted to get the best performance and its easy to gybe with a bit of practice. Most surfboards will still get a solid edge without straps but you will need a decent amount of wax on the board.

If you dont like it after a few goes try and borrow a board with straps and give it a go. It feels a lot different.

I like both, strapped in big surf, unstrapped in smaller surf. Depends how much you like swimming I suppose

unstrapped
unless you want to boost massive airs

If you wanna surf, unstrapped

If you wanna kitesurf strapped.

Simple.

I have changed my mind, normaly ride without straps but just had a 6 foot f one bamboo board rock up at my door and cant wait to give it a go with straps and without as it has good pads. Man the board has a lot of concave and is super light should be a lot diferent from the 5'10 fish i curently ride. Will let you know how it goes. Really cant wait for the winter swell on the west coast now.

I'm sitting on the fence.
My experience went like this.

1.Started strapless on one of my regular boards and loved the freedom.

2.Bought a strapped board but wasn't that impressed at the loss of freedom, plus I kept stuffing up when gybing/switching getting my feet in and out of the bloody staps (which were too tight and very uncomfortable).

3.Went back to strapless for a while and worked on getting my gybes sussed.

4.Experimented with moving the straps around, then bought some better staps (Dakine Ultimates)that allowed me the adjustment to have them so that they were very loose and comfortable and so started using the strapped board all of the time and hardly notice the straps now.
Bonus is that you can push harder, get air, jump waves on the way out etc.

5.Just recently started using a strapless board again and love the fact that it feels much more like surfing.

Basically for smaller. cleaner waves and when lightly powered - strapless and surf the waves.

Larger, lumpier, closeout, onshore type waves and well powered (like this arvo 30kts) - strapped 'slash and hack'.

IMO if you are from a surfing background just start strapless on any old surfboard, its really not that hard.

^ To add, when you're challenged and continually pushing new stuff and pulling it off - that's when I've been fully stoked!

Had a few frustrating moments and only been out four times on the surfboard but every session since, even on the twin tip has been like something's awakened again this year. (It's been three years since I stood up on a kite board!)

I like to be strapped

I have surfed for twnety years and been kiting for just a few. latley i excitedly begun kiteboarding on a twintip in flat water. The board was super big so i sold it to a bigger fella and was in the process of shopping for a new one. Becoming disillusioned by how much those boards cost and the massive consumerism involved i paused for a moment.......checked out some footage of guys riding waves with kites and it dawned on me, FUN! that's what i am going to do, on one of the s**t load of boards i allready have kicking around the place- big guns, shortboards, twin fins, mal and mini mal. I am looking forward to giving them ALL a go. Thanks to the info on this forum, i will try unstrapped first and look fitting some straps later. Yooouw!

Have tried both, personally prefer strapped ala Jonno Keys. I do however, appreciate good strapless riding though it seems to be pretty rare. Whatever floats your boat. Get into it and ride hard and if your new to the surf, please learn the right of way rules!!!

strapped = more play time
unstrapped = less play more swimming....NO BRAINER!!

Kitehard said...



Kitesurfing is such a dynamic and exciting sport and is still so young in it's journey.

oh god, sounds like you've been infected with ben wilson disease.

theDoctor said...

Kitehard said...



Kitesurfing is such a dynamic and exciting sport and is still so young in it's journey.

oh god, sounds like you've been infected with ben wilson disease.

LOL

^^^^ That is the best video I have seen posted on Seabreeze this year SammyJ!

And no expensive jetski's in sight.

Except for the first 8 secs there was no other overt or seamless advertising squeezed in.

Clips were of the whole wave surfed/kited without any of the ADD flashy sparkling strobe light disco business.

It was a pure edit of kiting head and a half sets with you and your mates on a great day.

Full marks.

Inspiration: I hope to be kiting waves like that in the not too distant future.