OK - so lets try not to have major barnies if not i agreeance..[}:)] but just to kick off here's a little thing I have been doing for some time.

At the end of every sesh I set my trim strap to approx the middle setting.

Next time I go to launch I know I am not at the extreme end of power either side. Obviously launching too powered is not good, but too underpowered can also cause dramas, as the kite falls out of the sky and back into the hot launch/full ower zone .

You'd be amazed how many peeps just go with the least settings in the rush to get out there. BTW - I'm not sayin not to adjust to suit conditions before launch, but you will be likely to only need a slight tweak either side.



Also when retreiving your board in high winds, try to keep it on the downwind side of you (on land or in water). Found this out the hard way in 25kts.

As I flipped the board over (upwind of me) the breeze caught it and - despite only travelling a a foot or so - the rail hit me with enough impact to end my sesh in a pool of free flowing claret and just about cracked my cheekbone! Massive bruising/swelling. Kn OUCH!

Next tip?

yeah wicked idea

upwind body drag

When changing directions when you body drag, move the kite gently to 12 o'clock.
Too quick and you'll get lofted and dragged back downwind, losing all the ground you just made and getting too knackered to get your board back

tightlines said...
Not sure what others think but IMO it is normally easier to leave the lines attached to the kite and just keep working the knots loose and then pulling the loops of the knots through.

Fair point, assuming the lines are already attached to the kite.
I was actually remembering when I was a Noob and would often turn up to the beach with a pre-tangled bar and lines.

Re: Lines

On my 4 line kites I subscribe to disconnecting one line at a time, and working that back through the whole mess (pulling from bar end through each major tangle/junction). 1st is tricky, 2nd easier 3rd a doddle 4th.. ur done stoopid.

Put all five fingers (with both hands if poss)into the messy bits and work them outwards giving more space to the middle of the tangle - this helps heaps.


Re:Upwind body dragging - agree with gentle swing over.

Always been curious - do most peeps sit the kite low - just off the water (and as far forward in the window as poss) of at 45 degrees?

GF I usually sit my kite about a kite about a kite length above the water and have the bar sheeted in. Found it pulls me downwind less and as i am going faster it is over sooner.

One of the best tips with body dragging i ever got was to count whilst tacking ie 10 seconds out 10 seconds back and you always end close to where your board.

Body Dragging

Arch your back and straighten your legs so you are creating a rudder to go up wind.

Make your first body drag tack a good lenght (great idea to count) 10-15 seconds seems to get you to your board quicker.

If your fins are dark, find some flouro paint (finding boards at sunset is a treat)

Nice Thread "getfunky"

LET GO OF THE BAR!!!

When it all goes t!ts up the grip of death will not save you!
Practice with a trainer kite.

Jr Walks said...

Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Absoloutely 100% agree!

Please don't take the following suggestion as condecending, sarcastic or smarmy. That is definately not my intent !!

Before you ask your question, especially if you are posting your first few posts, please take some time and search for answers in this forum section.

Near the top right of this screen is a search area shown like this (without the big red arrow).


click on the search word and a screen like this will appear.



fill in the detail of your search in the text box (indicated by my red arrow),
click the drop down choices in the other boxes so as they indicate as shown, click the "search" button at the bottom of the panel and read away.

If you still cannot find your goal, please do as

Jr Walks said...

Don't be afraid to ask for help.

It can get a little tedious for the more experienced, (that's not me), kiters when they have to repeatedly answer the same questions many times.

Fossil
the eternal learner

kite practice drill #2868

best tip i eva got as a noob was to sit on the uncrowded and large wide open beach and work the kite over head, getting it to pull me up to my feet.

This made board starts way easier because the kite part was in my muscle sinew memory and i just had to focus on the board.

It also pleased the locals as i wasn't crowding their launch area for as long.

I have 2. Both before you even think about trying to waterstart.
1. Practice body dragging upwind to an object (eg tennis ball), makes losing your board a much less scary option
2. Practice flying your kite (or trainer kite) 1 handed, in water you can't stand in and in the break zone. Also try this on your back - as in floating on your back trying to get your feet in the straps whilst holding onto a board with one hand whilst wave after wave crashes over you - when you can keep your kite at 12 o'clock like this you'll have a much easier time of your first few sessions.

Assisted Lauching:
Do not walk back and power up the kite until the person holding the kite is in the correct position across the wind. If there is a decent breeze and you do this when they are downwind then it makes the kite hard to handle. Also, once at 90 degrees to the wind gently power up the kite while the launcher is holding it - if it is not very windy you may need to walk a few steps UPwind to get more power - this will prevent the drift back on launch. As the kite holder, always wait for the OK to release the kite.

Assisted Landing:
Once the helper has grabbed your kite immediately walk towards the kite to take the tension off the lines - this allows them to manage the kite and flip it.

I learnt this one first hand today:

When kiting, wear boardies with a draw string.

Today I stacked it and the buttons popped open and my boardies came off. Luckily I found them as I was body dragging back to my board and I even managed to get them back on. Not quite enough though, as the girls on the beach were giggling at me when I came in to land the kite.

Take responsibility of your own actions......If you bugger up while trying to self launch, don't start blaming other people.

deXtrous said...


Relaunching a kite:
Can be hard in light winds. When you crash your kite and its on its leading edge directly in the wind window (red will be on the right, blue on left), let go of the bar making sure its fully sheeted out, grab a blue line and pull that pretty hard, then instantly get on the red line and pull that. You should have drifted far enough from the wind window after pulling the blue to launch the red side. If that doesnt' work do the step above but pulling the red line first then then blue.


Tips for relaunching:

Get a lanyard or some kind of loop with a clip and tie it to your board handle, when you come off, grab your board and attach its leash to yourself so you don't have to worry about losing it after a long time relaunching the kite.

are you for real???

As an instructor that is some of the shadiest advice I have heard!

That board advice is bad, whats wrong with putting it on your feet instead then getting the kite up. If your self rescuing keep the board on your feet until you reach your kite, then use your safety leash to tie board off once you reach your kite.

NickT said...

That board advice is bad, whats wrong with putting it on your feet instead then getting the kite up. If your self rescuing keep the board on your feet until you reach your kite, then use your safety leash to tie board off once you reach your kite.

OK this can work, but probably a bit cumbersome for an extended light wind relaunching effort when learning. Can you advise why you think attaching your board to the back of your harness on a short lanyard is bad advice or why putting it on your feet is better?

I can accept there is perhaps some strong risk that I have not thought of, and some situations when it may be prudent to do something else (like surf) but it escapes me at present.