jp747 said...sandman said...
Kiter talking here, ex windsurfer. I get out on the water about 3 times more than I did while windsurfing having now taken up kiting (ligher winds, still jumping around).
James
sounds logical sandman, i've seen kiters stay longer in the water than windsurfers..with experience i tend to think the only part that's hard on the body is the calves, knees and basically lower body, while in windsurfing it's more the whole unless i guess you do wild really sick maneuvers while kiting..on my part if i sail for 2 hours it takes a longtime to get to that pt. and by days end am on the sofa not moving a muscle..in kiting time flies by so fast since there isn't really any long runs and the kite lifts part of the weight ..so in theory you don't feel anything kiting on the first few hours but when the gust hits suddenly outta nowhere your knees are gumby rubber and most likely lose control and stumble..just my opinion
That's odd - I've mostly found the opposite to be the case. With windsurfing, a very large proportion of the power of the wind goes from the sail straight down the mast and into the board. When you're nicely balanced, you can virtually hang from the boom in your harness with your legs and arms just stabilising you and not taking much strain.
In comparison, because the entire power of the wind goes from the kite, down the lines, into your harness and then through your legs to the board, I've found kiters tire sooner. However, perhaps this is just because I go out in stronger winds (living here in WA) when you need to edge a kiteboard far more.
At Woodies I've had the distinct experience of watching kiters come down, rig up, go out and then come back in again an hour later (or less) while I'm still in the middle of a good 4-5hr windsurfing session.
Obviously there will be very toned kiters who have great calf strength (perhaps from years of water skiing and wake boarding?) who are able to endure longer but for any given person I reckon they could last longer on a windsurfer (at least in stronger winds).
Although I haven't kitesurfed for anything like as long as I've windsurfed, I usually found a lot more stress going through my legs kiting - quite similar to going out for a single-ski or wakeboard and only managing a couple of circuits down at Deep Water Point.
However, when I'm chop hopping or jumping my windsurfer, I definitely tire at a faster rate!
However, this is only my personal experience as well, so YMMV.
-Mart
