I bought a speedboard!

[AndersP]

More or less by acciden't i bought a speedbord.
It's an Xelerator (starboard tack) that I got for almost no money. It has a superthin 40mm fin in back and a marginally thicker 50mm fin in the front. It also have some lead in the front.
.
I love to go fast and outspeed the local windsurfers at our local spot that is starboard orientated.

I'd be happy to get some tips on how to ride it fast (and safe).


I have ozone edge 13m and 9,7,5 Gong 3 strut kites.

[longwhitecloud]

so much fun

im no super expert but was into it, look at what speed water skiers wear - not a bad idea cos i vividly remember going black and blue all over my legs and ass trying to better my speeds.... a thick wetsuit and impact vest at least .

i love going very very fast... but it did not always love me back

you need the perfect flat water, super wind, friends to keep you safe in session. you start to go really fast when you start to bare downwind.

I stopped cos no one else wanted to come out and do it with me in ridiculous conditions. People got pretty competitive and secretive when speed kiting was raging about 8 years ago!

seeing this board gives me awesome flashbacks to sessions in absolutely ridiculous conditions

[Robsw6]

lol.... I have a pair of these filed away (for starboard & port tacks - with dirty looking lead weights) - anywhere near 30knots board speed & definitely over this, wear an impact vest, as it hurts! They require a lot of wind to really get going, ie. at least 30knots +.

If you get hooked - get one of these https://www.locosystech.com/en/product/ ... gt-31.html

Then get in the rankings: https://www.gps-speedsurfing.com/defaul ... u=rankings

[Mossy 757]

Definitely impact equipment...those crashes are no joke!

[Windigo1]

I had a friend who was really into these years ago. You need a perfect spot with offshore wind coming over a road of sea wall or something like that. You want perfect flat water and strong wind. In Luderitz they dig a trench on the beach just for the competition. At the end of the trench they crash on purpose to slow down crazy stuff.

[AndersP]

I have a good spot.
It is offshore with some really low islets upwind. I can go from 5-50m downwind of the islets.
I think can get true wind from 90-135 and degrees and even lower at the end, with mirror to 10cm waves. 50 to 100cm deep.

The strip is about 500m. First 200m have some chop and the rest is very flat water. At the end you can go straight downwind for as long as you like. With my mutant I do a wide arc gybe at the end but i guess that's not an option on the speedboard, no rear fin in the water...

Any suggestions of a good impact vest? I have a vest that protects front and back but unfortunately not the sides.
Had som hard hits on the water from foil crashing but speed was only around 20 knots i guess..

[AndersP]

How long lines do you have when speedkiting?
Maybe I'm totally wrong but I'm thinking of short lines. You are powered up with a big kite (related to windstrength).
Then you shouldn't need that much extra power to get up on the board. Or do the board need massive power get going?

Any suggestions of line length?

[Robsw6]

25M lines for me - any shorter would make the kite feel too twitchy & crashes could be a bit interesting!! Plus longer lines help with stabilising & controlling boardspeed over 500m.
You are looking for efficiency & being controllably overpowered - taking a slightly larger kite & in stronger winds - you are trying to be ballistically powered up to get the board working properly. The board takes a lot of power to work properly & needs bearing off to get the speed up before coming a bit closer to the wind to maximise speed.

[alford]

More or less by acciden't i bought a speedbord.
It's an Xelerator (starboard tack) that I got for almost no money. It has a superthin 40mm fin in back and a marginally thicker 50mm fin in the front. It also have some lead in the front.
.
I love to go fast and outspeed the local windsurfers at our local spot that is starboard orientated.

I'd be happy to get some tips on how to ride it fast (and safe).


I have ozone edge 13m and 9,7,5 Gong 3 strut kites.

That's a crazy looking board! Best wishes on your speed quest!

[Hugh2]

What is the context for the South African flag?