I guess any tufflite surfboard would do.
Go to your local shop have a chat and buy from the rack, alternativly check out websites such as Webber, Surftech etc etc
Once you've got the board then look at a pair of these. They don't come cheap (round $200 from memory) and the straps arent the best and the glue needs a bit of toxic bunnings gear to beef it up but the pads themselves are great

im 6'4 around 95kg, had a 6'6 webber tufflite at home that i didnt surf much. got a mate who shapes to take fcs fins out, and glass some in and then he put an extra sheet layer of glass across the fin area to make it super strong. He fitted boxes either side of stringer front and back, measured to fit slingshot straps a mate lent me. Just a single stomp pad at front and threw a deck grip over back and found the holes with a metal skewer and in go the straps. He reckons with my weight i'll probably put my foot through it in a year or so but hey, it cost me $280 worth of mods (he also repaired an epic hole in the bottom and took the piece of rottnest out of it), ive been thrashing it (with weight and chop not mad tricks) for a few months now, front stomp pad heel area has sunk a touch, but it holds up surprisingly well, and its also my surfboard....which funnily enough i havent surfed since i took up kiting a year ago

HTFU!

No seriously, I have watched two blokes learn to kite on boards without straps and both of them have exceeded their own expectations. Sure they both spent a lot of time in the water, but they are a lot fitter for it and one hell of a lot more skillful. And they are both having a huge amount of fun. Watch that video from Tazzie.

I have been talking about it for 18 months, just need some flat water!

thanks for the tips all!! (and minimal flames! a first!)

i have been riding my surfboard strapless basically since i started kiting and the wind was somewhere below what i needed to get planing with my kiteboard. yep its fun, and yep its not that hard.

iv been riding in some waves with my kiteboard, yep its not that hard, and yep its fun.

however... i cant see myself taking a strapless surfboard out in ideal conditions (with waves).

to be honest i couldnt be bothered with the hassle. im having a great time in these conditions with the kiteboard smacking the lip and popping air like i can only aspire to on any other board and corresponding ramp/surface (skate, surf, snow). all i want to do, is ride the board that i surf, carve faces and slash lips and drink a beer at the end of the day feeling fantastic.

il pass on the grovelling around in the whitewater, keeping kite up, struggling to repossess board long enough to get up and riding again. thanks :) that reminds me of the years i spent getting rolled in the white water on a windsurfer... i have found a way to ride/carve more faces of more waves than was ever thought possible back then. if that means straps on my board... well woop woop, im sticking them on.

finally there is a practical side: one board, one kite, one hand luggage, one plane ticket, off we go to surf, kite, and travel as luggage minimally as possible.

I have the Firewire kite specific Taj 5'11, its basically the same as the standard Taj model but with inserts for straps and extra beef in certain areas to avoid snappage. Surfs and kites exceptionally well, no need for 2 boards.

Paul1 said...

I have the Firewire kite specific Taj 5'11, its basically the same as the standard Taj model but with inserts for straps and extra beef in certain areas to avoid snappage. Surfs and kites exceptionally well, no need for 2 boards.

Yep I agree but at nearly 90kg I went the 6'2" instead, I think the 5'11" maybe a little snappier on the turns, but I usually surf at least a 6'4" and reckon I would struggle paddling in on the 5'11".
It will probably stay stapless but the inserts are there if I want them.

tightlines said...



[img XXX Kite porn kite porn /img]

Hey tightlines, can I have a go sometime - paddling it her? EDIT: Sorry.

Cheers.

tightlines said...
Yep I agree but at nearly 90kg I went the 6'2" instead, I think the 5'11" maybe a little snappier on the turns, but I usually surf at least a 6'4" and reckon I would struggle paddling in on the 5'11".
It will probably stay stapless but the inserts are there if I want them.


thanks tightlines, this was the kind of feedback i was looking for. my problem is basically that kite/surfboards are essentially smaller than a regular surfboard. hence i cant imagine virtually any of the boards on the market will be suitable for paddling into a wave without extra effort. im at the age/phase where im actually going for slightly bigger surfboards/fish style, to give myself a few extra waves each session and compete with the featherweight little groms.

i have to say, even a 6'2", for a 90k person, is a pretty small board for paddle surfing, at least in my opinion. that is, unless these firewires are extra bouyant like the tufflite boards are.

from the pic, your firewire looks to be similar to a tufflite, or is that an illusion of the white finish? this could be the critical difference between looking for a 6'4" that doesnt exist (no one produces with footscrews), or, with extra bouyancy, a 6'2" will be spot on given my experience with tufflites and their extra paddle power.

Hi to all
This topic is a dilema as to ride your favourite surfboard hard with straps you trash them in one season.
I have the airush 6'4 converse, great board but I only use it heavy conditions and its too small to paddle surf.
I,v put straps on a cheap ronin epoxy 6'2 fish its lasted 2 seasons and only cost 450.00. I,v just updated to another ,still only $475.00.
They come in all sizes and great to surf.
regards glenn

'how do i explain this to the missus...?'

Now this could be a whole new topic, first we need to know what excuses you have used already.

luv
istt

Firewires surf good but the technology sucks. I snapped two of them in small surf. The third one had fake FCS fin plus.

TL2's go sick.