Raceboard - How the hell do I ride this thing??

[patrickrynne]

What do you do for a leash? looks like in the video you got rid of the IDS system. Do you not want a leash in case you get tangled with someone else's kite you can just release them both with one pull?

yes you are correct, I remove the IDS system. The IDS is totally kick ass if your kite goes down, but as racers....if our kite goes down, it means we're losing anyway. I attach my leash to the front of my bar on the harness (no suicide leash!) and then clip it directly onto the center line above the primary QR. Then I have a 2nd QR on the leash itself. So if shit hits the fan you blow the first QR, the bar goes all the way to max sheeted out (which on the crossbows is usually enough to put the kite in the water)...if i'm still in trouble and need to ditch the kite than I blow the 2nd QR located at the harness bar.

Are tangles common?

Depends on the event. On a crowded starting line there is usually one solid wrap up each day, but everybody is getting better and better. The rule of thumb is that if you are new to racing, give yourself more space by moving down the starting line. Don't be all jammed up at the boat end praying that the guy next to you knows what he's doing. That's how the multi kite wrap ups seem to happen.


How do the rules compare to racing rules of sailing? Any good websites showing the rules?

The way I see it, the rules are exactly the same. Some "add ons" are needed. Such as when to kites are overlapped on the same tack, the leeward kite is obligated to keep his kite "low" in the window whereas the windward kite is obligated to keep his "high". On opposite tacks, the starboard tacker is obligated to keep his kite "high" and the port tacker (usually the kite ducking the starboard tacker) is to keep his kite "low". Besides that, its pretty much all the same. The definition of "the zone" is a bit ambiguous, but common sense will get you 95% of the way. If you have a question, just ask another racer or post to the community....the rules are still a "work in progress" but at Worlds this year there was very little drama. It also helped that it was blowing a million and we were all preoccupied with not dying to care about protests.

-patrick

[patrickrynne]

also to clarify....a leash on the board (a line attaching the board to you) is about the same as a death sentance. You will literally kill yourself quickly and efficiently if you use one.

as for the light wind leash question. If the breeze dies and the kites falls out of the sky (happens a lot in miami) I do the following

1.) Grab the board before anything else and sit on it like a surfer in a lineup waiting for a wave

2.) Wrap the bar up neatly. If its super light wind you can do this with the canopy full. If its just windy enough that the kite is pulling you a bit too hard, just rotate it around by pulled one of the bridle flying lines (front lines).

3.) Wrap up the lines and pull the kite to you. Unhook and detach your leash. Attach the bar via the chicken loop/donkey dick to the valve loop (on a cabrinha...not sure about other brands) so the bar and lines are now neatly connect to the kite.

4.) Flip the kite and attach your leash to the same little loop your bar is fastened to.

5.) Start paddling and pray for no sharks.

[TooMuchEpoxy]

I don't understand the obsession with leashing your board. When i started kiting it was the first thing i was told not to do. I ride mostly strapless and have never been without my board for more than 30 secs, even in head high shore break...

As far as the race board goes with my limited experience, when your going that fast, when you wipe out you want to end up as far from the board as possible. I've literally jumped away from it on several occasions.

[tomatkins]

I personally like adding another 3 inches or so of depower into my system so that I never "run out" of depower. If your riding around super juiced with your ass sticking out and the bar all the way to the spring....you could use more depower. The crossbow 16 can be ridden well into the 20's....the reason you can't on stock gear is because you run out of depower. Also do consider, that this design for a reason, mainly your safety. Having a big kite in the air in strong winds is how people die, so please be careful. Also note, that if you change your system than your kit is no longer under the warrantee. You're on your own.
-patrick

Good Point about adjusting your bar "throw" to give you the maximum amount possible. Why do racers continue using a chicken loop... it just takes up 8 wasted inches of "throw"?

Wouldn't this set-up work great for the Cabrinha Xbow racers. Racers don't ever "unhook" do they?

[tomatkins]

While I am asking questions to those of you who race kiteboards... has this question been answered to anyone's satisfaction?:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2352620

[Peter_Frank]

I don't understand the obsession with leashing your board. When i started kiting it was the first thing i was told not to do. I ride mostly strapless and have never been without my board for more than 30 secs, even in head high shore break...

As far as the race board goes with my limited experience, when your going that fast, when you wipe out you want to end up as far from the board as possible. I've literally jumped away from it on several occasions.

I am normally a "NEVER" use a leash guy !

But there is one instance where it actually could be nice - although I havent chosen to have one.

If going out with a big kite on a raceboard, maybe alone, and going "across" the sea to go ashore on the far coast f.ex (I do that now and then), so you enter land, or try to, on the other side in offshore or sideoffshore wind - where you might get the kite in the water because of the horrible turbulent wind, and maybe not sufficient for relaunching - or the wind is dying.

Then it will be a to be without your board - as normally you would just sit on your board and let the kite drag you slowly back home towards the (onshore) shore, while you enjoy the (slow) ride - or you will let it drag you to more wind where you can relaunch

I always have a mobile phone on me when taking trips like that - but havent got into trouble without a leash, yet.

But it would be nice to have a leash in these super light conditions when far out, if you drop the kite in sub-relaunchable conditions.

Although - how often do you get away from your board, AND ditch the kite at the same time ?
Correct - almost never, so thats why I dont use a leash.

But in theory, you could get into trouble
I think the risk is far greater than the really rare situation where you get away from your board exactly at the time you ditch the kite - but it could happen.

So this is the situation where I can see why one would like some kind of a board leash - riding far out in sub-relaunchable conditions (which are VERY common on a raceboard)

Peter

[Peter_Frank]

I personally like adding another 3 inches or so of depower into my system so that I never "run out" of depower. If your riding around super juiced with your ass sticking out and the bar all the way to the spring....you could use more depower. The crossbow 16 can be ridden well into the 20's....the reason you can't on stock gear is because you run out of depower. Also do consider, that this design for a reason, mainly your safety. Having a big kite in the air in strong winds is how people die, so please be careful. Also note, that if you change your system than your kit is no longer under the warrantee. You're on your own.
-patrick

Good Point about adjusting your bar "throw" to give you the maximum amount possible. Why do racers continue using a chicken loop... it just takes up 8 wasted inches of "throw"?

Wouldn't this set-up work great for the Cabrinha Xbow racers. Racers don't ever "unhook" do they?

Hmmm, not really.

As you use a seat harness for racing, you have your hook lower - so low that you dont ride with the bar all the way in.
So there is actually room for a normal chickenloop - but you need an extra long throw on the depower, yep

So not important as I see it - CL or not.
But you are right - you dont need the CL

Peter

[gbleck]

I stuffed a few feet of line in my harness with a schackle for wind drop outs. Keep the board from drifting off but shoved out of the way for winding up for the paddle in. A floating line would be ideal.

[ronnie]

Patrick, when you say you remove the IDS, do you remove the pulleys at the kite and make the bridle pulley-less? (I read that Rob Douglas removed the pulleys from his kite to set the world speed record)

If the IDS pulleys are still on the kite, the IDS can still be activated easily without a leash by just pulling myself up the centre line assembly and front lines (if the bottoms had leader lines).

[TooMuchEpoxy]

After racing dinghys for years I've learned how to rig some wierd stuff in wierd places. Why not a 2:1 rear line adjustment inside the bar. You pull 1ft on a line that exits the bar with a cleat, it pulls both rear lines in 6 in. Less tension on the rear lines means easier adjustment, easy on demand depower by easing a line and power on by pulling in. They make blocks small enough to internalize inside a carbon bar. Add a dickless loop on the bar to hold it to the harness so you can easily free up both hands(with depower this easy you wouldn't need to sheet with the bar), steer with your back hand and sheet with your front, just like a dinghy. In the tacks, when you want bar sheeting, unhook the bar loop from the harness and it still functions normally.

The range of adjustment would be limited to an inch or two less than the length of the bar.

The center line would not be able to pass through the bar...

If they're higher tension and reverse sheeting why do we adjust the frontlines? You can but blocks and cleats ANYWHERE. I bet there's room to make this 3:1 though with lower tension back lines this wouldn't be an issue.