Re: First Board Build Alaia
Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:09 pm
nice!
what kind of epoxy did you used?
what kind of epoxy did you used?
Page 2 of 2
Re: First Board Build Alaia
Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 9:17 pm
I used West System 105. Pretty much just followed the water lust template and directions. I did try and make it a bit longer. It came out to just under 6ft.
Re: First Board Build Alaia
Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2015 7:07 pm
What kind of wood did you use? And where did you get your blank? 6 feet will be nice. If you went longer, your nose would have a harder time slicing through chop. Imo, you don't need rocker with an alaia, as the board will naturally flex. One tip for riding, try to ride in the middle of the board with a narrow stance. Your "knify" rail is going to hold your edge (where a normal soft railed board relies on fins). Concentrate on holding that rail. Your concave will help the board track and not be as loose. If you have snowboard experience it will help. You can keep your weight near the middle of the board, just transfer your weight to your back foot to get through chop. I'd recommend dropping down a kite size as the board will be fast and you don't want to be overpowered. Have fun.
Re: First Board Build Alaia
Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2015 8:26 pm
Also try a monoski foot position in the middle 
Re: First Board Build Alaia
Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:18 pm
I used a Paulownia blank that I got from the Georgia Inst.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Thanks for the suggestions!
Re: First Board Build Alaia
Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2018 6:42 pm
Hi de Hi,
Nice your account of building your first wooden board - good luck with the next one
In the South of France we've been building and riding KILAIA 'KI-te : a-LAIA' Wooden Kitesurf boards since 2013.
More info here: www.wooden-stuff.com
FB page WoodenStuffProject: https://www.facebook.com/woodenstuffproject
Alaia's are fantastic, some what specialised, surf boards.
They work in clean smooth waves & they can work with a kite on flat lagoon, offshore conditions or any condition that is flat.
Introduce swell or bump & jump and the modus-operandi change - Big Time.
Yes you can ride an Alaia off the tail but...... You push one hell of a lot of water.
So - the solution quite simple - the Kilaia comes into play that's an Alaia (Sort of...) with Nose Rocker.
It hacks up wind almost as well as a foil - you'd better believe it!
Ride-ability is so easy - and thats an understatement.
You can go cruising and in an afternoon clock up a 50 plus nautical miles - the same way that going on a trip with a foil has changed our way of kiting.
It glides through lulls with relative ease - obviously if you have total wind failure, like all boards foils - you swim home.
The Kilaia is super Easy Access (you don't have to eat much water to become proficient) unlike a foil - if you are a proficient kiter within 30minutes you've got it dialled.
Here's a taster of what the boards look like & yes I'm an English chap in Montpellier, France.
Nice your account of building your first wooden board - good luck with the next one
In the South of France we've been building and riding KILAIA 'KI-te : a-LAIA' Wooden Kitesurf boards since 2013.
More info here: www.wooden-stuff.com
FB page WoodenStuffProject: https://www.facebook.com/woodenstuffproject
Alaia's are fantastic, some what specialised, surf boards.
They work in clean smooth waves & they can work with a kite on flat lagoon, offshore conditions or any condition that is flat.
Introduce swell or bump & jump and the modus-operandi change - Big Time.
Yes you can ride an Alaia off the tail but...... You push one hell of a lot of water.
So - the solution quite simple - the Kilaia comes into play that's an Alaia (Sort of...) with Nose Rocker.
It hacks up wind almost as well as a foil - you'd better believe it!
Ride-ability is so easy - and thats an understatement.
You can go cruising and in an afternoon clock up a 50 plus nautical miles - the same way that going on a trip with a foil has changed our way of kiting.
It glides through lulls with relative ease - obviously if you have total wind failure, like all boards foils - you swim home.
The Kilaia is super Easy Access (you don't have to eat much water to become proficient) unlike a foil - if you are a proficient kiter within 30minutes you've got it dialled.
Here's a taster of what the boards look like & yes I'm an English chap in Montpellier, France.