Strapless foil aid?

[joekitetime]

Hi there. Over the weekend I tried to ride a super floaty surfboard around the size of a dwarf craft 3'6" with a heavy aluminum foil and could not get going to save my life, strapless. I can easily ride strapless with my other setup - super low volume small board and carbon foil.

Back in the day, goofing around for fun we'd wrap an old bike tire tubes around our skateboards for mega ollie tricks. You could nearly ollie up onto picnic tables with that bike tube. You wrap it around the board and just hold it.

On the foil I tried all the tricks I watch in the endless videos on how to do it - but, that board just went too flat too fast. So I started thinking about wrapping a bike tube around the board and to hold it with my back hand while positioning the kite to dive and get up. My thought was that as soon as I'm up I just stick the tube in my pocket. I'd need to cut the tube to make it like a rope. I was also thinking that this tube could possibly serve as a leash if I happen to have to swim the foil in.

Just a thought as an aid to help get over the hump with strapless waterstarts on a super floaty board and heavy foil setup. Again, I find it very easy with a carbon foil and low volume board, but can't make the opposite setup work.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[grigorib]

A fairly tight, cross-board nylon webbing strap attached to front holes for angled straps helps

[joekitetime]

The mini surfboard has no footstrap inserts, otherwise I could attach something to the deck!

[BWD]

If you can’t sink the rail sink the tail? The board may rotate slower this way so you have time to get going.
If the board is too chunky this might not work either...

[bragnouff]

That's definitely harder and initially way more frustrating than a low volume / light foil combo, but it'll come! Really need to use your forearm for leverage to angle the board, then hold that upper rail till the moment you've sent the kite. It gets better with practice.
I'm now using the 4.8 Scrambler (36L) with SpitFire aluminium foil, so I'm definitely in that category, but that works just fine... eventually.

[jumptheshark]

Agreed

Way harder with sig volume, but doable and once you figure it out, not that hard. I started out on a surfboard, about 28L. Had to get the board up onto its side. You likely have to muscle it due to the volume. Then hold on its side by the rail in hand and a foot on the deck. The trick is to let go at the right moment so the foil begins to sink and put the foil at the right angle when the kite is diving. It's all in the timing.

[Kamikuza]

If you can’t sink the rail sink the tail? The board may rotate slower this way so you have time to get going.
If the board is too chunky this might not work either...

This is what I do. Tougher when the kite is underpowered though, as you need to time the kite and tail sinking nicely.

BTW I found that going to a hybrid harness gave me enough extra leg room to make this easier...

[br44]

Agreed

Way harder with sig volume, but doable and once you figure it out, not that hard. I started out on a surfboard, about 28L. Had to get the board up onto its side. You likely have to muscle it due to the volume.

No need to muscle it, if you step on the HF wing and push it away with your foot. Try this combination: hand on rail, back foot on front wing or fuselage (I have a front foot hook), push wing away (mast to horizontal), hold board in place, then start.