windsurfing vs kitesurfing

Enable JavaScript to get the best experience.

Search Subscribed Active Create new topic

> 10 years ago

Shooting the breeze.

cammd

QLD

4443 posts

cammd

QLD, 4443 posts

15 Mar 2012 10:43am

Not here to bag kitesurfing its looks like fun. Just want to respond to the "grim faced missile of death" comment. Got into course racing this year and I know when it time to go down wind with a big sail in strong winds my face must surely look grim. When I bear away around the top mark locked into the harness & straps, fully sheeted in and hanging on with my toenails its full concentration. You feel the board accelerate and its starts leaping off the back of chop onto the the next wave in front, start praying I dont catch a rail, teeth gritted, heart rate must be topping 190 and adrenaline is pumping,on the edge of control, awesome feeling. At that time theres nothing else in the world only what i,m doing then and there, I might not be smiling but that doenst mean I,m not having fun.

NR

517 posts

WA, 517 posts

15 Mar 2012 4:01pm

Also not here to bag kiting, but to answer

billykiter said...

Seems to be a lot of bitter Windsurfers around. Think they all need a chill pill and maybe a lesson in kiting. I've done both and found kitesurfing way more enjoyable. Does anyone know any people who windsurf and kitesurf but prefer to windsurf?

Me. I know a few others as well that do both and prefer windsurfing. Also know of windsurfers that gave up and just went to kiting. The only trend I found between those that prefered windsurfing was the skill level they were at. The ones that were wavesailing, busting out loops, or pushing their speeds and stuff way prefered windsurfing, even though naturally they were pretty handy on a kite. The windsurfers that were not quite as skilled, maybe stuck in a bit of rut, went to kiting and prefered the new challenge. Also know of a few that broke that trend though on both sides. But overall, thats the pattern that roughly stood out.

Not sure what side of the trend I am on though lol.

Simon100

QLD

490 posts

Simon100

QLD, 490 posts

15 Mar 2012 11:23pm

Gorgo said...

On the wind range wind front ...

- from n-10 knots with the right board and sail you can go board sailing. Uphauling, flare gybes or tacking, cruising along. Maintaining your position on the beach. It's not hard to do. It's mellow fun. A good rider can do some pretty impressive moves on waves if the direction is right.

- from 10 knots you can be planing with a 12-13m kite and a big twin tip or race board. Carving turns, cruising upwind, maybe the occasional jump. Requires a fair bit of skill to do it. Bobbing windsurfer is cruising more easily and making a little ground upwind.

- 15 knots up and you can be planing and jumping on your light wind kite and all the standard size gear can be used. Light wind windsurfer boy is getting over powered and trying to up haul in moderate chop or failing to water start. Standard size windsurfers are riding but slogging in the lulls and not doing too much. Gybes are mostly step gybes with a fall at the end.

- 20 knots and everybody is having fun. Kitesurfer can still be on light wind gear and go chase yachts on upwind runs. The good guys are carving their gybes. Everybody else is doing step gybes and falling in at the end.

- 25+ Yeehar for everybody. Kitesurfer should have changed to smaller gear a few knots ago. With a 10m kite kiter is doing 5-8-10m high jumps and about 20m long. Waves are being slashed. Windsurfers are doing the grim faced missile of death thing they do. Good guys are doing forwards or back loops. Everybody is doing gay little wiggles on the wave faces and pretending we're surfing.

- 30+ Kiters are on small gear and surfboards. Windsurfers are on small sails. Kiters are ripping the shore break, Windsurfers are being pounded by the shore break.

- 40+ Kiters still on small gear and surfboards. Serious care is being taken when launching and landing. Windsurfers with small enough sails and good skills are having an epic session.

- 50+ kiters are afraid. The experienced and/or the stupid are circulating but their hearts are not in it. Occasionally a pro or wannabe pro does huge jump with loops and smashes down in a sheet of spray. Most people come in to land at the first opportunity. Super keen windsurfers are surviviing and/or having a good time if their rigs are not blown away.

your have no idea . There both similar in all winds really , you just need the correct gear and does any one have anything to show how far up wind kites actually go because from what i see there similar to a windsurfer of the same type . The thing that put me off kites is how slow they are in the choppy conditions where i sail . Any one got a polar graph ?

K Dog

VIC

1847 posts

K Dog

VIC, 1847 posts

16 Mar 2012 12:07pm

Do you think this windsurfing vs kitesurfing is a bit like surfing to bodyboarding?

When body boards came into fashion in the 90's (think Wingnut and Manta) loads more people were on the beach, all of a sudden the beach was more accessable.... possibly those who found surfing hard took it up.... but both "classes" had some brilliant hardcore waterman(women).... both had their fun, massive shories on esky lids, and styling on surfboards.....

I think kitesurfing has become popular because "apparently" its not as hard to learn. Windsurfing takes loads of dedication.

I will say I haven't kite surfed and can only form my opinion from what kiters and windsurfers who have kited have told me about kiting. Nor am I against it.

At the end of the day, happy for windsurfing to stay at the numbers its at. In VIC there is a good friendly community, and I like it like that. Newbies get loads of help and lots of free clinics run by Inverloch Windsurfing Club, with heaps of help for people at any level. I can't relate to the hostile windsurfers comments, pretty much every time I have been out people are chilled and friendly.....

Saying that, all the kiters I have seen out are friendly and chilled too and will drop by on the beach and have a chat...... maybe the Vic weather tappers us down here.....

Macroscien

QLD

6809 posts

Macroscien

QLD, 6809 posts

16 Mar 2012 11:56am

At first, I did try learn to ski all by mayself.
With disastrous result and no progress for a few years. Then I joined professional training camp and learned ski in one week !!! Now I know I could take complete beginning moron and teach him in just three days to ski.

Possibly similar analogy apply to kite and windsurfing (that you need professional or consistent advice), but with that difference that I could not imagine average guy to learn windsurfing in less then a year.
I could be wrong but it could be handy to see results from windsurfing school for such milestones :
How many lesson / hours/ days to learn on average (say for 5 in the group of 10 pupils) ?
- waterstart
- plane gybing
This two milestones stand for me for windsurfing proficiency definition...

d1

304 posts

WA, 304 posts

16 Mar 2012 10:24am

Macroscien, I lived next to a popular flatwater windsurfing spot for 17 years and witnessed many learners progress to waterstarting within 2 weeks, usually with tuition. Gybing on a plane is another story.

A good learning technique, which I believe I read about in Peter Hart's seminal windsurfing book, is to try to visualize a move (e.g. duckgybe) when going to sleep. The next day you may well find that your motor memory knows how to do it. Works for me.

I've done some kitesurfing and believe it has a much shorter learning curve, and a similar fun factor to windsurfing. I don't think it's as safe as windsurfing though - my kiting friends often talk of long swims back to the shore and of being dragged/flown into all sort of ground-based objects...

Zed

1274 posts

Zed

WA, 1274 posts

19 Mar 2012 8:30am

Kitesurfing is much easier, it took me a few days to learn as opposed to a few months to get going on a short board with windsurfing. And this is the crux of the problem with kitesurfing, it's too easy to do hence the masses of noobs getting into the sport and creating all the issues associated with it. As far as enjoyment I prefer windsurfing, kiting is OK, but you are restricted. My local sailing spot is 2km out to sea, you can't realistically kite out there due to the fact it's 2 km out to sea. Also in 3/4 years time, if kiting continues as it is, there will be very few places you can legally kite. As soon as one council bans it on their beaches, others will follow suit.

Macroscien

QLD

6809 posts

Macroscien

QLD, 6809 posts

19 Mar 2012 11:18am

Zed said...

can legally kite. As soon as one council bans it on their beaches, others will follow suit.

due to weather forecast (40Knt+) last Sunday I first time saw 30 ? windsurfers on my spot.
Then one kite or two only.
Usually proportion is opposite.
When there is 30 windsurfers on small area that doesn't seems to be a problem but 10 -15 kites and there is hardly any space left for one windsurfer
(or that is what we call slalom windsurfing ?

Zed

1274 posts

Zed

WA, 1274 posts

19 Mar 2012 10:19am

Macroscien said...

Zed said...

can legally kite. As soon as one council bans it on their beaches, others will follow suit.

due to weather forecast (40Knt+) last Sunday I first time saw 30 ? windsurfers on my spot.
Then one kite or two only

Yeah and then there's the wind - too windy and you can't kite! As soon as it hits 20+ knots it gets wery wery quiet..

TurtleHunter

1675 posts

TurtleHunter

WA, 1675 posts

19 Mar 2012 11:41am

Love your analogy to surfboards and body boards k dog. I totally agree but around these parts there are no windsurfers. We get a few groups up here at the start of the season when we have swell and decent wind but by Christmas there are only kites. Crowding isn't a problem yet and everyone looks out for each other no matter what there on with beers etc shared by all at the end of the day. I think with a large part of our season having light wind and no swell the kites are more popular. The windsurfers also seem to have trouble with all the shallow reef.

someawe

179 posts

someawe

WA, 179 posts

19 Mar 2012 11:55am

[quote

Yeah and then there's the wind - too windy and you can't kite! As soon as it hits 20+ knots it gets wery wery quiet..

we dont even go kiting until its 20+ kts down here!!

felixdcat

3519 posts

felixdcat

WA, 3519 posts

19 Mar 2012 1:48pm

someawe said...

[quote

Yeah and then there's the wind - too windy and you can't kite! As soon as it hits 20+ knots it gets wery wery quiet..

we dont even go kiting until its 20+ kts down here!!

Show off!

skinduptruk

NSW

165 posts

skinduptruk

NSW, 165 posts

20 Mar 2012 3:47am

moving from windsurf to kitesurf, i've noticed the depower on a few years old kite is like going from a 7m to a 5m sail, very handy to stay out there and trim the lines on the fly or come in for a quick front line knot adjust

buckles

VIC

107 posts

buckles

VIC, 107 posts

21 Mar 2012 1:56am

waveslave said...

smokin' boardies. ^^^

It worries me now I've been informed that she wears them to hide the cock bulge in her wetsuit.

harrysurfer

254 posts

harrysurfer

WA, 254 posts

21 Mar 2012 1:08am

If i had the dough i would windsurf in winds above 25 knts, this is when windsuring gets fun.
the other day at scabs i was fairly lit on the 7 just to watch a poor windsurfer losing ground trying to plane, in approx 20knts maybe a kook???? i think it says it all. i overtook him full bottle he was bopping up and down like a float on a fishing rig!!!! or someone dunking a dilmah tea bag... there's just not enough days in perth to warrant windsurfing unless you live in gero or have a spot x all to yourself.

Mr float

NSW

3452 posts

Mr float

NSW, 3452 posts

21 Mar 2012 8:22am

by the time that you area any good at either sport if you have chosen wind surfing you will still be allowed to do it (particularly if you live around Perth where kitesurfing will be a thing of the past due to bans)

Please Register, or first...

Topics Reply