Grab your regular board and get out there.
From my experience fibreglass boards ride better.
As for kites, the argo was Griffins wave kite before the trx.
It was only 2012 when major brands released dedicated wave kites.
Your kites are fine,
Get a dedicated wave kite later.

I am the same weight as you and used a 10 metre Reo for my first season. Once I got going, found the depower fantastic. The following season I got a 7 Reo and it was fantasic in the higher winds and turned so much better than my 10 depowered

I basically learn on a surfboard so if you have got reasonable twin tip skills you will pick it up no problem.

I had a 6' 2" tuflite and they are great to learn on, light and strong. Maybe a bit bouncy but as you get better you can track your path to hit chop or go round it.

A cheap polly board can be good but they lose strength over time and it is going to cop a hammering.

I just started on the vanguard style boards and whow, they are so easy to ride. I am glad I started on a traditional surfboard first because I really appreciate the Modern Planning Hull, just ideal for Kiting. If you go that way make sure it is kite construction. If you don't get much air on a surfboard you will on the modern planning hull.

And two foot stormy junky waves are what dreams are made of?

surpher said..

yendor said..
Grab your regular board and get out there.

I bet you downloaded and read BWS' pdf on waveriding. (not Beer Wine and Spirits ) A lot of good tips in there.

You got a link to that PDF mate?

Couple of other points about riding in the waves

You need to be competent swimmer and comfortable swimming through a surf zone especially as you will still be wearing a harness most likely when this occurs.

Be competent (and quick) at deep water re-launch of your kite ie can't touch the bottom!

If you dump your kite in the breaking wave zone be prepared to release the whole schmozzle if a wave runs into it!
If you don't release it submarining under water for 50 m is not only an unpleasant experience it increases the chance of your kite splitting in 2!
Watch out for your fingers as if the safety is released under pressure the clasp does damage

The major benefit of a surfboard is if it all goes to hell in a handbasket you can still paddle in on it,simply slide the harness around backwards so the hook doesn't get in the way , not a bad idea to not ride out further from the shore than you think you could reasonably paddle when getting started

A sliding spreader bar works wonders when riding in the waves or you can have your waist harness loose and sliding around ,my preference as sliding spreader weren't around when i started as Jesus had just retired from left fullback for Jerusalem!

Ditch the legrope ,they just get in the way and you end up as the meat in the sandwich when you crash

You can pretty well guarantee that any piece of wood /seaweed or rock in your launch area will get caught on your lines if self launching,move em!
and double check your attachment points if launching on sand , can cause the knot to slip off and you end up with a bag of sh8t before you even get wet

Slow is fast and fast is slow ,charging into a whitewater can end badly for your board or knees or ankles,controlling your speed is the key and being able to ride straight into toeside without having to jibe ie change feet ,can save you from being mowed down by a crashing lip ie sometimes running away is the best option

The general public are clueless in and out of the water about how much space you need, stay away from them in and out of the water ,ride near someone surfing and expect more than a bug in your ear

The rest of the stuff is best learnt by watching someone experienced or doing it yourself!

PS Don't buy into the whole strapped v strapless debate .....just be aware that when you are smacking into the water with 6 feet of foam lever strapped to your feet the force is a whole lot more than your standard TT.......and everyone knows that if you use straps,........ you will go straight to hell!



cheers

Kajo said..

surpher said..

yendor said..
Grab your regular board and get out there.

I bet you downloaded and read BWS' pdf on waveriding. (not Beer Wine and Spirits ) A lot of good tips in there.

You got a link to that PDF mate

surpher said..
I bet you downloaded and read BWS' pdf on waveriding. (not Beer Wine and Spirits ) A lot of good tips in there.
Get rid of the back foot strap - just do it. If you feel like you need straps, only keep the front one. But get rid of the back foot one. Seriously. You need to be able to move on the board.
Reo Stevens, I believe, commented once he's always overpowered in waves. Why? If he gets into a messy situation, he can get the hell out of there rather then battle the oncoming waves while pumping the kite to generate power.
Going over whitewater, dive the kite down instead of up so you don't launch into the air and lose contact with your board.
Your knees and legs need to do a lot of work in the waves.Grab your regular board and get out there.

Hi Mate, I would Highly advise against removing one strap. Go both straps, or no straps. The reason for this is because if you get hung up on a wave (pretty common when mistiming a lip smack there is a high possibility that your backfoot could slip off and your front foot could stay firm in the strap... from there if your board slide's your ankle or knee will be destroyed... what ever goes first. Jump on your surfboard strapless and practice in small surf, 1-2ft, you'll be all good. The only other advice I can give is work on your down loops, I use them the most in waves.

surpher said..
Good point! And I do agree with your comment completely.

I myself ride no straps (never had) and advise against straps completely. When getting started in the bay, I would say, "okay, be a pussy and have the front strap, loose".
But the again, it's flat water, why in the world would you need straps on your board. They just get in the way. Lose contact with the board? Fine, now body drag to get it back and avoid getting your joints twisted beyond repair.

I find that many riders coming from twin tips tend to strap their surfboards as tight as they can - as if they are going freestyleing/wakestyleing. For that exact reason one of my friends has metal plates in her ankle now. She rode both straps. Both tightly strapped. Big no no.

agree with this,

i ride strapless, have developed much better control this way, it take practice but is really rewarding once it clicks.

Even behind the wall is a fantastic time to drill those gybes, duck tacks, tacks, chicken gybes,... so that when you see a wall of a wave coming at you, you can quickly get yourself out of a potentially bad situation.

surpher said..
Even behind the wall is a fantastic time to drill those gybes, duck tacks, tacks, chicken gybes,... so that when you see a wall of a wave coming at you, you can quickly get yourself out of a potentially bad situation.

Yup, better off learning the moves in the flat stuff first

^^^ sorry to contradict you there pattie but I think the general consensus is DO NOT use a leggy unless you are an experienced strapless rider and even then only when you really need it (i.e. if you are at a point break where your board will get lost in the rocks or something like that)

To start learning how to ride a directional you will want to go out in flat or semi flat water where there is not too many waves in which case you would not need a leggy. One great thing when your learning on your surfboard is that they drift downwind a lot quicker than a twin tip so they always catch up to you pretty easy (unless it gets caught by a wave which happens a lot when your learning in the surf)

You'll want to practice jibes (a carving jibe on your good side is the easier way to go) and switching your feet at a spot where your not out in the middle of the ocean worried about getting eaten by a shark and body dragging around, so side on is perfect for that. I first started with straps but quickly got rid of them as learning to switch feet and get your feet in and out of the straps was much more difficult than just riding strapless. If you have surfed before I think you will find strapless kiting with a surfboard fairly natural and easy. Jus start taking one of your surfboards with you each session and that way you can swap between twin tip and surfboard when you need to plus it gives you more wind range and a nice bit of variety.

Now get out there and smack the bejeeezus out of that 2 foot wind slop

I found strapped was stopping my learning curve, soon as they went I improved ten fold. Mainly because in sub conditions ie wind wasnt strong and consistent you will benefit from being able to shift your feet around the board making for a better edge to go up wind/ flatter plane to go downwind or slowing the board down washing off some speed. Big floaty carves strapless feels great!!!

And the rope/chain thing around ur ankle, I've never used one twin or surf. But the amount of times you will fall off and have to retrieve your board will make you a better surfer I believe. Having your head level with whitewash and using your kite to pull u through gives u a respect for the conditions your kiting in rather than bobbing over the surface at Mach speed with your straps and leggie on thinking you're the next Ben Wilson.....