Hi guys, general info about me as a rider:
- 38 Years Old, 72 kg, 172 cm
- Fit, medium rider (ride alone, basic jump, jibe on a twin-tips board)
- Former Windsurfer

Last month I bought a Slinghshot Celeritas 5'8" and I decided to get into wave riding.
Yesterday I went out with a North Evo 11 mt and about 15/20 knots gusty and my Celeritas. It was like the first time I tried to Kitesurf 4 years ago. I started my first ride (left side) and I ride for about 500 mt, super over powered and I felt very unstable. I had the following problems:
- First, the Kite was too powered but I couldn't control it like I do with a Twin-Tip by lying back
- Very hard to control the board, I am using both footstraps but I think they are too far one from the other
- As soon as I started to add more weight on the front of the board, she behaved like a bitch and going really really fast
- Tried a water start on my right side, "impossible", I end up body dragging back to beach and start again from left

I thought it was hard, but not so much. I also believe that I was too much over powered.Any suggestion guys on footstraps position, how to water start with a surfboard?
I can Kitesurf, I can Surf, I do SUP and I Snowboard but damn, riding a Surfboard with a kite it is really complicated.

Hi guys

I got a 10m2 Cabrinha Crossbow and a 128cm board and I weigh 170 pounds. But unfortunately the winds here are often under 15 knots. My small board size coupled with my lack of experience results in me needing winds of at least 18 knots to get planing properly and being able to ride upwind and jump higher than 1m.

I rode my gear in about 17-18 knots a few days ago and found that my technique was improving but I still need a board for sub-16 knot winds.

Therefore I am planning to build two boards of my own with 12mm plywood. I've read up a lot about board building so I got a good idea of what I want to do. But I'd also like to hear what you folks have to say.

Have any of you done something like this before? What worked, didn't work? What coating material did you use(I read that 3 coats of hardwood floor varnish should do the trick)?

Dimension-wise I was thinking along the lines of a 150cm-155cm x 50-ish cm board for light winds (little to no rocker) and another one of around 140cm x 44-46cm. Am I heading in the right direction?

I got my plywood already. Don't want to get the coating till I've heard the experts' opinion. Hehe. I don't want anything that needs to be super light just a nice old board that gets me on the water in less than 15 knots and cruises along nicely. The wind does blow above 20 knots every week or second week but a week off the water is too much.

Looking forward to seeing your comments, criticism, opinions, ideas and advice.

Hope you have stronger winds than I do!

Cheers guys.
Mozzie

What board do you prefer for get'n out there in the waves n smash'n those perfect little lips and go'n down the line surf' that perfect wave, strapless, straps or your trusty old twintip

Ahhhhh!

After months of tinkering away in the shed my wave mutant is out of the press and ready for a test trial.

It has 55mm of rocker with 5mm of concave
A micro "kick" at the front.
radiused rails
3mm bamboo ply, tapered 4mm foamcore.
200grm unit carbon at 0 deg and 200gram matt carbon on the 45's on the bottom.
The top sees 200gm matt at 0 and 90 and plus 200grm matt through the mid section at 45's
stringsers of 200grm uni carbon at 0 and diaginals 15 deg

dimensions 145x45

oh yes. This time i used a mechanical press and vac bag at the same time!