while I am learning to get up on the board is there anything wrong with being unhooked? when doing this I seem to have more power. I am using a boxer 14 with 5th line in max power setting.Thanks
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Is this windsurfers annonymous

No theres nothing wrong, but its a good way to get worn out. IMO if you learn to get up while hooked in you'll last a lot longer on the water without wearing your arms/hands out. Are you kiting in enough wind when you have this problem?
If your kite is powered right up as you say then when you unhook from the chicken loop the loop goes even closer to the bar & thus extends the front lines a bit, giving the kite even more power. Thats probably why you seem to have more power unhooked. If you want to have a bit more power and stay hooked in you could try to shorten the back lines at the attachment points on the kite. But be aware that if your kite is powered up to the max you really start to loose performance as the kite will be sheeted right out, & it sits further back in the wind window, meaning its harder to get upwind. So if you slightly depower it from max power and work the kite a bit more you should find you have enough power. If your constantly having to ride with the kite in max power you probably need a larger kite.

also, bear in mind... if you try and waterstart in a gusty environment especially one close to shore, unhooked, and your a beginner, you could potentially get lofted, and steer the kite into a loop, or the kite could luff and repower up in the center of the power zone, and make your arms a couple inches longer, as when your unhooked you have no depower at all... it's also very tiring.... and if it is too windy, and your just going out for the first time .. why unhook to find out how windy it is?? if you can stay hooked in, be safer, actually have some depower

If water starting unhooked, how do you get your board in position while controling the kite, as well as hanging on to the bar with one hand? its hard enough hooked to chicken loop.

when i did my lessons it was on two line wipi free airs for the first two days then a mid aspect 4 line naish on the last day (cant remember the model)

we started unhooked on the free air. we were taught to launch unhooked, get in the water, hook in, put the board on your feet (keep an eye on the kite so it doesnt stray and pull you around), *then* unhook and go.

we did hooked in launches on the naish, and i was quite dissapointed at the time as I was used to the pull coming from much higher (ie, from my shoulders) so whenever I tried hooked in i was pulled straight over the board, sometimes getting air and face planting stylishly.

not that it really matters cause after couple of months or so you will be starting any which way you please

just work on leaning back wind dummy.. you could try starting one session with a waterstart practice - start with a very shallow dive into the top of the power zone, not enough to get you up at all, then repeat this by gradually swinging the kite down further into the powerzone until the kite lifts you onto the board. dont even try to plane, just fall back on your arse in the water. this should give you a feel for the kind of pull the kite will give you to get you on your feet, so you wont get pulled over as much...

i also found it easier with a waist harness, but alot of guys find these uncomfortable...

im no where near trying this, but i havent seen anyone else do it either:

Is it possible to do tricks off your starts?
like wind dummy says - you get face planted with too puch power from the kite, but is it possible to control that power and say launch while doin something funky?

I just remember from my water ski start days some guys were sommersaulting while starting from a stationary object ...

anyone o you masters of kitesurfing do this ?

robbo.

A trick sounds cool to start with. I saw this guy down lenox head beach just walking up into the breeze hanging onto his board. He did a jump in the 3 inches of water on the shore, while he was up he simply put his feet into the straps and landed the jump and off he went out into surf.

Is this windsurfers annonymous

I've seen Leon Clemones entry into the water...

Standing on beach, holding board...

Swing kite back and go for a backroll or front roll over the shoreline, in midair he put the board on his feet and would then land in the water with power to cruise off!

Looks smooth and poss the coolest start i've ever seen (incl vids)

2 years later, I still haven't tried it.

quote:

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Originally posted by wind dummy

If water starting unhooked, how do you get your board in position while controling the kite, as well as hanging on to the bar with one hand? its hard enough hooked to chicken loop.

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you use your feet.

theres a couple mates ive helped out recently. one of the most frustrating things i noticed was that as soon as the board came into play the first thing they did was look away from the kite, take a hand of the bar, and have the kite drop or fly somewhere that just made it awkward to setup for the water start.

when im kiting its only the unusual occasion when i actually use my hands to position the board on my feet.

Hi Dave,

Last year we taught people to start unhooked and launch unhooked whilst in lesson time, once they finished the 2nd lesson we taught them how to both waterstart and launch hooked in, it was a training method which saved many bad accidents.

We have now switched to starting hooked in as the new kites are safer when hooked in rather than unhooked. We have adapted our teaching method to our equipment and the best safety possible.

All our students were taught in the final lesson how to be hooked in, in first and 2nd lesson they were unhooked. As to how do you get the board on unhooked, you don't, you get the board on hooked in and as soon as you had both feet in the straps you then unhooked for the power dive and start.

Good winds to all,