newbie and ? about boards

[maigais]

Hi all,

Been out on my 6'9" fish type surfboard 2 times, 50% I will turn around without sitting in water, that would not happen without this site! So thnx for that.

In my mind I was going for strapped in surfing, but now when I see I can do without them need to rethink about boards.
I can pick up 6' fish type surfboards very cheap. Would they be better for progression then 1k worth of special kite boards?
I just notice that here kite surfboards has much wider nose.

Also now I am practicing on reasonable flat water, what learning curve I should prepare when I start to go in waves without straps.

TY

Maigais

[maigais]

anyone ?!?

[Lonny]

Hey Maigais,

Welcome to LTS! Thank you for joining us. Glad the site could be of use to you while finding your way in the wonderful world of strapless riding.

Surfboards are very much a matter of personal taste, conditions, riding style, weight, etc. Some boards will work better for others, and someone's perfect board might not be the best choice for someone else. There is a lot of good information on surfboards in Jon's post. Check it out, and I am sure it might help you out:

Jon's Surfboard Topic

Overall, if you purchase a kite specific surfboard you can expect better durability in most cases vs. a regular surfboard, not necessarily a better board. My advice for your first surfboard would be to find something used. You are going to be learning what you like, and what works for you. Usually, with a used board you can also try before you buy, which is nice to see at least if the board feels good to you.

As far as what to expect going strapless? Well, a lot of fun as with all aspects of kitesurfing. You will face some challenges, but most of them are mainly mental, and muscle memory in order to get used to riding without the feel of the board directly attached to your feet. In a session or two you will start to adjust, and get better and better from there. There is also a great article from Jon on riding strapless that I think you will find very helpful. Check it here:
Jon's Surf Strapless Article

Again, welcome to LTS, and let us know how we can help you further.

[maigais]

ty for links, found local shaper that shapes kite boards, he has some used ones will go down tomorrow and beg to try .

I so want to get in waves ...

[tungsten]

Support your local shaper, he'll help you to find out what fits you and the conditions you ride in. And usually at a much better price.

[maigais]

Go this one to try out, it's showign 15knts ..... fk work ... time to kite

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[RebelRyder]

Posting in the Surf-Specific section per a recommendation by Lonny to another Newbie who posted in the Welcome topic thread.

I grew up in Hawaii (Oahu) many years ago and loved surfing but had to move back to the mainland. Surfing was my passion, but I transferred to other board sports since they were more readily available. I've been kiteboarding for 2 1/2 years and find that I am drawn to the strapless boarding due to plenty of kiting and kitesurfing action along the Oregon & Washington coasts.

Not having wind one day, I stopped in at a local kiteboarding shop to check on new equipment (gotta feed the addiction some way or another). Some of the 2010 models are now on sale and I've been thinking about picking up a surf style board to add to my quiver of boards. We have several manufacturers based up here: North, Naish, Slingshot, & Ocean Rodeo. I've been thinking about buying a 2010 Slingshot Verve 2-2 (either 6'0" or 6'2") or a slingshot Ben Wilson Pro 6'2" because that is what the local shop carries and the 2010 models are discounted 33% from new prices. I've thought about picking up a used surf board, but really want a board that is more specific to kitesurfing since the use factors are different than a board specifically meant for surfing.

I am an intermediate kiteboarder, have a quiver of 2008 North Rebel kites (16m, 14m, 12m, 10m, & 7m), 5' 11" in height, weigh between 180Lbs - 185 Lbs, fairly athletic, and have been involved in watersports most of my life (surfing & skateboarding, water skiing, wakeboarding, snow skiing, snowboarding, and now kiteboarding).

Another forum had some input on these boards, but the guys posting were based in California and may have different conditions/waves than what we get here in Washington State along the coast & the northern coast of Oregon. The 2010 6' 2" SS Verve 2-2 was highly recommended for intermediate and above kitesurfing skills and it is a shallow swallow-tail, Quad-Fin tail that is 13" wide with a total waist-width of 19.3".

=>> Checking here, there isn't much discussion on the SlingShot brand ... any advice for the Slingshot boards listed above ??
Thanks, --Michael