Kites!

Think of the wildest wakeboarding moves ever, and the height the best wave sailing jumps, and you have something that is almost as good as kiteboarding! As soon as the kites came out in WA it didn't take to long for all the staff at SOS to take it up. At any one time in the shop there is at least one good kiteboarder who can answer any of your questions. Come in and check out our videos or line up a lesson.

Kites
We stock rammed air and inflatables kites like Naish, Wipika, Windtools (makers or the MOSQUITO), Walland Air, Concept Air along with others. Our range is large and unbiased.

Boards
If you are looking for kiteboards we have a huge range including Choice boards (made by Graham Baker), Sonic, Sunova, Extreme, RRD, Stonker, Naish, Ian Young boards and Apache.

Lessons
During our winter Graham Baker went overseas and completed a kiteboarding instructors course, meaning he is now fully certified to teach kiteboarding. He is back now and fully set up to take you out for a lesson. We strongly recommend getting at least one kite lesson when you are getting into the sport and we give a free lesson to every person who buys a kite. If you would like to contact Graham for a lesson then check out his webpage www.choicekitesurfing.com.au or come into SOS.

Info
From working in a shop that sells kites and kiteboards I have learnt a lot of the questions people ask when they first see, or are just getting into kites. Below is a list of these Frequently Asked Questions.

Any other questions?

 

Inflatable? Inflatable kites (generally) have an inflatable leading edge and battens which means the kite will not sink or fill with water if they are crashed. These battens are a rubber inner tube inside a very tough outter lining, meaning its not easy to pop them. However if you do get a puncture you can easily patch the hole or replace that bladder.

Inflatable kites are (generally) not as efficient as rammed air kites. That is to say they don't fly as fast, turn as sharp or have such a wide power window as the rammed air kites. This was especially true for the older design inflatable kites, but they are getting better every half year or so, and the latest AR5 from Naish offer very high performance matching that of most rammed air kites.

The Mosquito kite from Windtools has inflatable sections, but is also a rammed air kite. This gives it some of the benefits of both types of kites.

AR5? The aspect ratio of a kite (commonly called the AR) is the area divided by the length squared. What? Basically a kite that is very wide from left wing tip to its right wing tip, and very narrow from the front edge to the trailing edge has a very high aspect ratio. This is the best measure of an inflatable kite's performance, even though its not the only contributing factor. The Wipika Classic is a AR 2.5 kite. Since then Wipika have released a AR 3.3 kite which performs better. Naish have a AR 3.5 and AR 5.

Rammed Air Kites? A rammed air kite is one that has no inflatable parts. They are loosely called foils or flexi foils. They have been around for a long time as stunt kites and buggy kites before being used for kiteboarding. They basically made with two layers or material with held together. Air vents in the front allow air to get in and fill it up. If you see one on the beach they look like modern parachutes then the inflatable kites do.

Rammed air kites are generally more efficient kites. But this is traded off for their relaunch ability. A bad foil will fill with water if (when) you crash it and even if you do get it back in the air, it will be hard to get all the water out and fly it efficiently again. Some of the better foils have flaps which don't allow (much) water to get into the kite when they fall on the water.

So what should I use? Well it depends. You have to consider the price, the relaunching ability, the performance, and your own personal kite flying ability. A friend of mine was happy to use a very hard to relaunch, cheap foil because he is good enough to fly it without crashing. However he recently switched to an inflatable kite, and now he doesn't mind crashing the kite, so consequently he goes for bigger and more risky jumps!

As you could guess a lot of the pros use the high aspect ratio inflatable kites, and the good performance foils. If you are just picking up the sport, an average AR inflatable kite or a easily relaunchable rammed air kite is the way to go.

Two Lines or Four? Most kites have two lines, one to the left of the kite, one to the right. Some kites have four lines which gives you more control. On the foil kites, you get an extra set of lines which pull right on the tail of the kite. If you tension these lines, the kite slows and parks in the air. This is great for grabbing your board after a stack or putting your boots on.

On the inflatable kites, the second set of lines acts to help adjust the kites "angle of attack". Somewhat like sheeting in a sail. With this you can adjust the angle for the conditions of the day, so they give the kites a bit more wind range.

So two or four lines? Well for beginners it's best to go with two. Four is just more to think about. If you do decide to go for four lines, make sure you have a very simple control mechanism, so you can easily adjust the kite's power on the water. Also be more careful when pulling in your lines. From my experience, four lines have more than twice the chance of tangling then two lines. Getting knots out is not fun! So get a routine for laying out your lines and pulling them in, and stick to it.

Here are the pros for getting a four line compatible kite. You…
· have the ability to increase the wind range or your kite
· can handle more gusty conditions (once you get comfortable with the controls)
· have a way of making the kite settle down while you do other stuff (put your boots on, leg ropes, talk to people on the beach etc etc).

I use four lines, I love it. But my friend prefers the simplicity of two!

Is kiteboarding hard? That's a tricky question to answer. It depends on other skills you have, how your learn the sport, and what equipment you get. Can you windsurf, wakeboard, skurf (like wakeboarding but just on a surfboard or skurfer) or fly stunt kites? If you answered yes to any of these you will find kiting a lot easier to pick up.

Basically there are two parts to kitesurfing, the board and the kite. In the beginning you tend to treat them both quite separately, but after a while you learn how to combine kite and board actions for the best results.

When getting going for the first time you are sitting in the water flying the kite. You must have basic kite skills to do this. But now you must pull a board towards you and get into the straps. This means you must take some of your attention away from the kite. This is where you realise you need more then basic kite skills. These kites are powerful, and if you power dive the kite while trying to do this, you will be pulled quite hard.

So you must have a good knowledge of kiteflying before you can even get your board on your feet. This is where people who have spent much time with stunt kites are ahead.

Once in the footstraps you must fly the kite into the power, get to your feet and cut against the pull of the kite with your board. From a very basic viewpoint, there are two things going on here: the kite through the air, and the board over the water. If you have done lots of skurfing/wakeboarding/windsurfing then the feel of the board under you will seem natural and you will be able to focus more of your concentration on the kite. If you have done lots of kiteflying you might not even need to look at your kite and you can focus on the keeping the board going without crashing into chop. If you haven't done either you'll be spinning out with the new experience…until you crash your kite or stack the board. It's possible to learn this way, but it will take longer.

Do I have to be strong to Kiteboard? Put simply, no. Lots of skinny chicks and guys are getting into kiteboarding. Of course, if you are going for double back loops unhooked, a bit of strength helps. Also if you keep stuffing up you can often correct with raw power. Finally if you keep stacking it on a wakeboard, it often requires a bit more energy to get going again. All of these things happen a bit when you are just starting, but after you get comfortable you can cruise in your harness for ages without getting tired.

...And how much do they cost? Well of course that's relative to the type and condition of the gear you get. To put it bluntly to get a kite for WA conditions brand new is about $1500 (Australian of course!). To get a good kiteboard is about $900. There aren't many second hand kites on the market right now, because I don't think there are many people who have given up the sport! The few second hand kites we have sold in the shop have gone from $800 to $1300. Second hand boards go as low as $400. If you are really desperate to get into it we can strap your old surfboard for $130. Surfboards aren't bad but have no upwind ability.

Rules and Guidelines for Kiteboarding in WA
There have been some rules and guidelines for kiteboarding in Western Australia. Everyone who buys a new kite should be given these guidelines, and everyone who uses a kite should have read these:

1. Have a lesson from a Kitesurfing Instructor. This sport can be dangerous not only to you but also to the people around you.
2. Use the kite responsibly and never take risks.
3. Always ensure downwind is well clear of people and obstacles.
4. Always ensure you have a means of getting back to shore.
5. Read the forecast and assess the weather at all times - especially be aware of electrical activity.
6. Always fly within your own capabilities (equipment and experience) - gain experience gradually.
7. Avoid Kitesurfing alone.
8. Avoid Kitesurfing when the wind is blowing directly onshore.
9. Avoid flying a power kite on or near land. The exception maybe in light winds.
10. All parties should always take action to avoid a collision
11. Starboard tack has right of way ie port tack alters course (international sailing & buggying rules)
12. Downwind flys kite low, Upwind flys kite high
13. Downwind kite has right of way when overtaking
14. Always check for other water users before water-starting or jibing
15. Never deliberately manoeuvre into a right of way position so that it interferes with another water user.
16. Learners should launch downwind of other water users
17. Understand your equipment and it's limitations
18. Always use a safety lease.
19. Regularly check all equipment. This includes the kite, bridle, lines, safety lease, boom or handles, the harness and line, the board lease, fins and foot straps or bindings.
20. Ask other kitesurfers for advice before launching. Experienced kite flyers to proactively approach new comers to help out launching and landing.
21. Recommended areas for learning are Melville, Leighton, Peel Inlet, Safety Bay and Pinnaroo Point.