woodsy

woodsy's are obviousl natural kiteboarders..... different chap i'm afraid by about 200 miles! flx could be the one by the sounds of things. problem is i love the JP but i just wonder if the grass could be greener at the bottom end....

anyone have any suggestions for one board to suit my 11m sonic? i ride a 2004 jaime pro 127x37 at the mo, but i reckon that something that gets going early and can still be held down when really lively would be better. maybe 130ish in length by 38-39? in fact i want the board equivalent of a bow if you know what i mean! have seen a 132 underground flx - any good? 85 kgs intermediate. cheers

fair point! i think a demo is an absolute must. just for the record, and my credibility, i can get to weston in the evening in the summer months. so only a weekend warrior during the winter! hence why the 16m gets the most use. cheers for your opinions. i'm not sure i have got any further, but a test flight it seems is the only way forward. woods

excellent, i shall mug him next time i am there! npeac - i was thinking exactly the same thing, but i approach differently in that i like to ride only one board, my 128. so i have a 16/12/9 at the mo. i virtually never sail the 9 as i work a 9 to 5 and am therefore a "weekend warrior"! ideally i would one bow to cover the 12 and 16 but am nervous that the 14 will not suffice from a bottom end point of view as i use the 16m more than anything. i could then keep the 9 for the days that are howling. alternatively, keep the 16 and buy a bow 11 to cover the 12 and 9 which i am sure it would. but then i use the 16 most so would feel like a waste of money! anyway, balls to this. i clearly think too much whilst at work. easterlies this weekend so off to the south coast. anyone in south devon got one of these i could have a butchers at?

have been reading this and other threads with interest. sorry to flog this point, but it seems to me that someone is talking arse. unfortunately i don't know who. is a 12(ish) bow kite a one kite quivver? colin seems to think that it is all hype and that his 12 is no more grunty than his normal 12. sunset thinks his 15 doesn't get fun until around 12 knots. airjam seem to think that 12-30 knots is realistic. shem seems to think that 12-30 knots is realistic. of course the latter two are sailing a sonic rather than a nova but the difference is surely minimal. what's going on chaps? do you mean you might be able to get out of the water in 12 knots with a surf board or do you mean that you can actually kitesurf, as in go upwind and jump? if the former then it is NOT a one kite quivver. a C shape 16 would have you upwind and jumping in that wind on any board. i get the impression that in this coutry a 14/15 bow would sort a 13 stone male for 90% wind ie everything other than howling. the 11/12 would leave you underpowered in what we all sail in often 12-15 knots. correct? i can't try one as no one has them at weston super mare before you ask.

from reading various threads i reckon a 16/9 quivver would be mint. i would rather spend so that i am comfortable when its howling and not having to work it in the light stuff. haven't actually sailed one so maybe one is sufficient but i will stick with my 9/12/16 C kite combo until these bows get cheaper in a few seasons i reckon. also, i have sailed plenty of newer arcs. whilst the arcs are good and do depower more than C kites, i would be dissapointed if the bow kites only depower as much as they do. no way would you have a one kite quivver if that's the case. not starting a fight, just a comment.

but to confirm, you reckon you would need two right?

i'm wounded! drove straight past porthcawl and on to swansea bay on saturday. was 16m weather at swansea but i had never sailed there before and discovered that when the tide is pushing in its quite hard to get upwind unless well powered. unfortunately i got there at low tide so it was a bit of pain all afternoon until the tide settled....... and then i had to go home. bugger! i thought coney was a flat water spot too. also, can you sail on all states of tide? cheers

....???? what happens in tarifa in november? any wind? if not tarifa then where? needs to be europe on price basis! anyone got a good recommendation for that time of year. by good recommendation i mean guaranteed wind (if there is such a thing!) any help well appreciated. cheers

"extreme" depends upon your interpretation, because for me a kite loop on water, although more powered, will never be as "extreme" as a kite loop on land because if it goes wrong on land you are absolutely screwed. as for ali b: he is just making the point that on his definition of "extreme" you can't be as extreme on land and do proper powered loops. i don't think anone would disagree on his definition of extreme. i used to land board but gave up as it scares the poo poo out of me whereas water doesn't..... those who kite loop at any time: respect. as for vari: he got big spuds.

mine snapped earlier in the year. i would have thought that your local shop will sort you a new one for around a tenner. bristol kite store sorted mine, but powerkiteshop certainly do a universal one.

in fact feedback on any of these flat things would be good. i have heard loads of different opinions...... some really bad. actually i should demo them i guess. my main issue is the safety..... i want to be able to let go of the bar and it not fall out of the sky! in high wind you would want the bar to sit on the stopper sheeted out as much as possible without having to hold on tight wouldn't you? it seems too safe to be practical or have i got the wrong end of the stick?

i believe the ozzy's prefer the expression "fag flags" for kites. i think that npeac was right..... surely this thread is about the ebay equipped suicide mob rather than newbs. i tried my first "board on" this weekend in attempt to show off to my girlfriend. didn't go too well...... landed in one inch of water on my arse. but just imagine how beautiful i would have become had i landed it? eveyone show's off sometimes..... for example some people who clearly are suffering form a self security complex decide to post pictures of themselves doing kiteloops. its not arrogance. its just that it adds to the rush of kiting.

he's quite good isn't he.

mate definitely use one before you buy if you are going to cross over. the g13 will be v different to your 13 fuel. the g will not be as good for ksurfing as the fuel. turns slower, the bottom end is pony and not as good upwind as sits deeper in the window. advantages are super stable - ideal for inland and auto zenith.... frankly i saw this as no benefit whatsoever when learning on my g but that's obviouslty because i was a kiting god. arcs are wicked in land, the best i have used as they feel safe in comparison with the speed and agression of lei's. seriously, i loved my g13 and it did me proud however i have sacked it off in favour of lei kites. the reason being that i don't do land stuff anymore. a true crossover kite would be a venom which turns on a sixpence and seems yo have a better low end (although i have only ever personally used one in good wind). apparently these flysurfers are good too but render you bankrupt. try before you fly is the motto here.

just to clarify...... i was joking!

of course ability etc makes it impossible but ball park is all i am after....... and that's quite a claim! i have seen a gentleman at the beach with said kite and shall ask for a go. in the mean time i reckon i have that range from two lei's for a combined spend of 600 sheets so am quite happy. 16 sweet from 13 to 18, 12 from 17 to 24 (all roughly of course.) on a serious note, these FS kites do look good, but mine are prettier colours and i have never seen anyone handle pass a FS and i don't like germans and foils are for gays and why isn't hadlow on one if its so good and blah blah blah blah.........zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz sorry, dropped off there.

honestly? hand on heart? swear on mother's name? ok, s10 bottom/top end on a 128 board weighing 13 stone? no fibbing either please.

fair point. cheeky monkey.

let's be realistic for a second here. no i have never tried a flysurfer but i have seen plenty at the beach and i agree that it is probably possible that you could kite in the range that you are suggesting. but no way can it be possible that any one kite can have a "sweet" range as big or bigger as a 2/3 kite quivver has. if it were me i would take the two venoms anyday. the lone wolf obviously agrees with the "sweet" range point, as he has loads of P2's. i have two cautions (16 and 12) that do me for virtually anything save for nuclear where a 9 would be handy. if you are trying to tell me that i could have as much fun with one FS then i just don't believe you. of course this is just my opinion. i have flown all modern peter lynn kites just for the record. kites come in different sizes for a reason. fact.

ewing my man, i learned on a 141 after plenty of wake and land board experience. in my opinion you would be wasting your hard earned bling if you bought bigger. you strike me as someone who is so keen on this sport that you are desperate to go and rip...... i was/am like that! be patient and the 141 will have you romping along in no time. if there's no wind and you are massively keen then go to wake tow armed with the slinger and practice getting up as the movement is similar (but remember that it will pull through shoulders and not hips so it is quite different. i struggled with that at first.) if you really are struggling then borrow a big boy but don't spend cash on something that will last about a month. there are certain key steps in k surfing. the first is getting up. and this is the one that a big boy will help with..... but the next is upwind and then the 141 will be sweet. i used the 141 for about 10 sessions before losing it. i then bought a 128 and have never looked back..... except in 12 knots when i wish i still had it. also you will look much cooler walking down the beach with a 141. fact. for the record i'm 6 foot 2 and 13.5 stone. seriously, i saw your photos of your spot...... looks sweet. i reckon we might see a few of ewing railing the 141 in the near future. hope this helps amigo.

keep that rail in, if you flatten the board you will just pick up more and more speed. digging the rail will give you more resistance against the kite and it will fly further forward in the window making the power much more controllable rather than when you go downwind the kite ends up in the middle of window and pulling like a mofo. do you find that you are only suffering from this when its howling? if so then it could be due to the fact that wsm is really hard going when it isuper windy. the chop makes it hard to engage the rail all the time and the kite ends up drifting into the power as you go less upwind.... then you get shat on! also, i have never been to wsm when it has been over 20 knots and it has been consistant. it always seems to be gusty as hell.... but i'm sure that npeac/jason/others will be able to give you a definite answer as i have only kited there for 6 months. bit gutted i missed sat and sun, but the last two days sound tough! i thought about monday, but i thought that as i wouldn't get there til 7 i would miss the tide (high at 4)...... is that right? by the way, i'm probably no better than you, but on totally flat water when it is howling i am 20 times better than when i am at wsm as i could deal with the power so much better. hope this helps.

slightly different topic, but related. i was out on my 12m caution. g/f caought the kite and put it down so i could have a rest. completely flat sandy beach, not a pebble for miles. went to pick it up 10 mins later....... leading edge flat! on inspection, the bladder had gone at the tip end. not on the seem but next to the seem. i guess that the seem was not flush against the edge of the fabric and it had burst. this prompted me to have a look at the other end..... same story, massively stretched but not yet burst! anyway, is this common? should i have checked it when i bought the kite? did i over pump? certainly haven't been pumping as hard as you guys by the sounds of things. ooh err.

option 2: rock up as late as possible and they will just bung it on as you would not be able to check in otherwise!!! has worked for me, but perhaps a tad risky! some people reckon that putting your kite stuff in a golf style bag works as they are more lenient on golfers than "surfers".....

both those boards are v big! i learned on a twin tip 141 having come from a landboarding background and had no probs at all. others may be able to help, but the only board reviews i have seen have been in kitesurf magazine's last 2 or 3 issues. from memory, i think that the boards they reviewed were quite advanced (120-130). problem with their review is that they don't cuss anything for obvious reasons. my suggestion is by a second hand board around the 145 - 155 mark as cheap as possible then try some boards once you are up and running and know what suits you.