Newbie Few ?s

[Gulfripper]

Im an avid surfer and ever since I saw some kiters killing sand key during a cold front ive been amped about it. I have been wanting to get into kiteboardng for a long time(2+ years) and finally got some money and time and decided to give it a go. I Just finsished my lessons last week and got up, not for long but a start. Im not to confident launching on my own as in my water lesson we just did water launches and the trainer demonstrated land lauches. He had us launch him and land him also.

I plan on riding at fred howard/ sunset/ dunedin causway ect. I just have a few questions before going out on my own.

1. Is there anyone in the Port richey to Dunedin area looking for someone to ride with or just needs help launching and landing or would give some advice about the local spots? Im not to confident launching on my own as in my water lesson we just did water launches and the trainer demonstrated land lauches.

I am going to have my wife launch me if no kiters around but I was also thinking about getting a kite anchor for the days the wind is good and its just me, any other advice?

I showed my wife the basics as best as I could. Demonstrated where to hold the kite and launching and landing techs along with signals.

Any advice anyone can give me on launching I know I want to be on the outside of the wind window and launch so it kinda gots for 9 or 3 to 12 right and as its going up sheer out to take some fo the grunt. Also should i have my depower strap pulled allthe way down when launching?

2. My best kahooona and best bar have different rigging on the bar theres is 3 different knots under the handles and on the kite there is 2 knots to rig I believe. How should I rig this right? The bar is brand new so its where it is from factory should I jsut leave it?

3. Any tips you can give me for launching and landing?

4. I have worked on pulling my safetys as a precaution. I am using a 09 mystic firestarter. My leachs connects to the red strap correct? then to the metal loop on my chicken loop thing. Is thsi correct way to rig my leash?

5 If I let go of the bar it will completely depower correct?

6. Say I was scared to launch on the beach is there anyway I could get the kite into the water, and water launch away from from the beach? Could I get my wife to carry the ktie with me as I carry the lines as the water is not to deep or is this a terrible idea? Or is there a way I could do it by myself and water launch only.

7. Any tips and precaution you guys could give me now that I am done with lessons on how to be safe and learn to kiteboard.

8. My Redline bar came with 3m line extentsions. Should I put these on? If not when is the right time to use them.

9 The best wind chart says my kite can go from 12 to 23 knots. What is the max MPH as a new kiteboarder that I should Practice in? Also I see somedays are 17 MPH bust gusting to 30. Should days like this be avoided?



I am just a little nervous taking the kite out on my own now. I feel I can pretty much handle it but I do have the first time jitters. I dont wanna be the guy dragged down the beach and the kite I learned on was yanking me around for a good bit but later in the day I got pretty confident and made alot less errors.

I know not to keep it at 12 as I have read about lofting and I also have a problem with the kite going behind me and falling out of the sky. should i keep it at like 12:30 or 11:30 or where is the best place to keep the kite.

At this point I dont know anyone who kite surfs so I think im really just gonna get a kite anchor and try to put alot of kite time in.

Right now my gear list is

2010 Kahoona V2 11.5
2010 Best Redline bar
09 Mystic Firestarter
2011 Liquid Force Edge 146 X 45cm


I know I asked alot of questions and i have been reading stuff about kiteboarding non stop and watching alot of videos. Any help would be appreciated as I dont wanna be that guy. I really wanna get out on the water and learn with my main goal of being able to kite with a surfboard.

I appreciate any help thank you.

[WatersportsWest]

It is much appreciated by the kiting community that you are inquiring about safe kiting techniques.

You sound to me like you got the absolute minimum amount of lessons. You haven't even launched your own kite which is where things usually go wrong.

My guess is you got some flying and riding tips, got a kite, and now you realize how much left you really have to learn.

Riding in the north county area has a huge advantage for someone like yourself. For starters, there are lots of helpful riders and knowledgeable instructors willing to help you. Our access in north county is difficult as we share tight space with the beach going public. Mistakes can cause complete shutdown.

Instruction at Watersports West includes something called supervision. This is designed for someone that has their gear, but not ready to go it alone. We check your rigging, review safety systems, help you launch correctly, and most importantly use a jet ski to get you away from the beach and the other riders to allow you to work on your skills. We take you way upwind, drop you off, and let you play for hours if you want. If you get pulled downwind, we ride you back up. If you get stuck out there, we come to assist and get you back to shore if that is needed. We recognize that getting into kiteboarding includes many steps along the way. All too often, new students get gear, but still need some support to get their goals realized. We offer just that kind of support. Customers of Watersports West enjoy supervision at $25 per hour, and $40 per hour for all others. Its a small price to pay to get that precious water time and have an opportunity to still get your questions asked without the cost of private one on one lessons. The alternative is go it alone...fight to get off the beach....try and stay clear of other riders....fight to stay upwind....and potentially cause harm to you, your kite, and worse make a bad day for someone just trying to enjoy the beach.

To my knowledge, this is the only service of its kind in the greater Tampa Bay area and new kiters are taking full advantage of it. It makes it safe for you, safe for the other kiters, and most importantly, safe for the public that we kite around in north county.

Welcome to the club. As an avid surfer myself, and long time rider of Sand Key Park, I hope that we can assist you with the answers that you are looking for. Stay safe, and continue to seek professional help along the way.

Give us a call to set up some supervision. Its a great program and the rest of the kiting community will thank you for it.

Staff, instructors, and team riders of Watersports West have 1000's of hours in the north county area and are the only school offering instruction in these parts. Our goal is to enjoy continued access to these incredible kite spots, but we need your help!!!!!

Team Waterpsports West
727-517-7000

[Gulfripper]

Sounds like a good idea ill give you guys a call tommorow and set up a day to do a few hours.

[Whitey]

First of all thank for asking not just going out there and getting hurt.

Good list of questions. Some answers and points that may be helpful.

Most importantly you have not finished your lessons. You just got infected. Please take some more lessons and ask all these questions to your instructor.

1. If you are going to use your wife as a kite caddie then include her in a couple of your lessons with the instructor and get her properly trained to launch and land your kite. This will keep you and her from getting hurt. Launch and landing are the key moments when things go wrong.

2. Tuning the kite can not be done properly with out seeing the kite in the air. Your instructor can help you do this in your next lesson. Also the adustment points used on the kite vary with the wind conditions you are using it in.

4. Your safety leash should be hooked to a point on the front of your harness (preferably on your favored hand side) when you are starting out. This is to avoid getting pulled around backwards if you have to release the kite to the leash, and not being able to reach the leash release if required.

5. NO! Contrary to what you see and hear there is no such thing as complete depower. Letting the bar out will reduce the pull but in no way is it total depower. With out proper bar input by the rider a kite with the bar all the way out can create a bunch of power. Complete depower is acheived by putting the kite in the bag.

6. Water launch is not a terrible idea. Have your instructor go over the proper sequence to do this safely. Many times in our area this is the best method for a beginer, to get a safe distance from the beachgoers.

7. Once again you are not done with lessons. You are just the the point where you know what to ask, and how to understand the answer. Your best, and most rewarding lessons are ahead of you.

8. No need for line extensions at this point.

9. Yes you should avoid any days where it is gusting to 30. The max mph for your kite is based upon rider experience, rider weight, board size, water conditions, and quality of wind. With out knowing your weight the answer is just a guess at best. If you weigh around 175 lbs you should enjoy 12 to 18 kts on that kite and board as a beginner. Any more wind than that can be a hand full, and should only be attempted with supervision by your instructor.

Fear is generated in the human brain for a reason, self preservation! If you sense fear it is a good indicator that you are approching, at, or past your current safe limit. Listen to your senses and pack it up for the day without getting hurt so you can ride again on the next good day. This limit will increase with experience. Have fun, enjoy the wind.