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First strapless ride on a surfboard - Diagnosis?

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tautologies
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Re: First strapless ride on a surfboard - Diagnosis?

Postby tautologies » Tue Sep 11, 2018 6:30 pm

Beardytello wrote:
Mon Sep 10, 2018 2:47 pm
Hi Guys!

I got my first couple of rides on my surfboard (Strapless) yesterday. It's not a kite specific board, just a 6ft shorty type board.

I was out with my 14m riding comfortable on my TT and brought the surfer along for a laugh.

I found once I was up I was really struggling to plane, I couldn't get that whooshy speed increase you feel before you head upwind, I was under the impression a surfboard would go upwind easily....but I found me losing a lot of ground and constantly having to work the kite.

As soon as I got back on the TT I was considerably faster and cranking upwind easily.

Thoughts?

Is this to be expected? Bigger surface area = slower?

Potentially was I trying to crank too hard upwind and losing board speed?

I'm so confused and saddened! Strapless looks so awesome but I found it hard work and not much fun :-(

Do you surf? Riding a surfboard, you'll have much more pressure on your front foot. TBH this is something you should feel from how the board handles. You do a lot of right here. Taking the board out well powered, on a kite that provides a lot of power. You already know that it should work because your TT worked.

So here is a general strategy to figuring out new equipment:
Take in the feedback the equipment is giving you. For instance, if you are not planing, and the board is standing up in the water, it should be pretty obvious that you need to move your weight forward on the board. The times you need to transfer pressure on you backfoot is when you hit the lip. Same things holds for most types of equipment is to not try to force it. Nothing in kiteboarding will handle right when you try to force something. In addition, it will give you the wrong performance. Finally kites are so powerful that the only way we can control it is to manipulate it on its terms. :-) I guess that was the ethereal answer of the day. I will get back to coffee now.

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Re: First strapless ride on a surfboard - Diagnosis?

Postby jumptheshark » Tue Sep 11, 2018 8:09 pm

Quick q for the op. What model of board? You said six foot shorty. As in short board? Pointy, 18” wide 2.25 thick, thruster, standard short board?

They generally have loads of rocker and require a decent bit of kite power to be any fun or decent upwind.


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