The future of wavekiting

wylieflyote · Wed Dec 04, 24 9:54 am

Lucky Jack Aubrey! I love the name and I've read the series 3Xs.
I'm now 75 years old and I've been kiting for 20+ years. In 2014 I ditched my strapless and took up foil kiting full time. In retrospect it kinda reminds me of the decade I gave up skis and everything went snowboard. Now? A few years ago I borrowed a board and went out to Manzanita on a perfect July weekend. MY GAWWD!!! I just could not believe the pure joy of actually touching the water surface with a board again. Of shredding the green room. WHY did I quit this thing? Suddenly it brought back the "4 hour grin" post session that had been missing.
Now I'm Winging, with a 2nd career on strapless.
Come to Manzanita this summer
Kip

Pete · Since 29 Oct 2007 837 Posts Opinionated

I started winging here on the coast of Southern California last year. For a while, that's all I did, but when the waves get bigger, it is pretty tough to get out with the foil board. Perhaps that just my skill level constricting me, but when the waves get bigger, and the wind turns on I go kiting. For me, kiting is more fun in those conditions, and that's what its all about, isn't it!

OG · Since 07 Jun 2011 591 Posts Addicted

Wind Slither · Since 04 Mar 2005 2596 Posts The 503 METAL

This Cash kid makes the future of wave kiting look like foiling...even when the gorge swell gets too steep I can't make sense of it.

https://youtu.be/mhycxL0H93A?si=s-AGcGD_ZttuFeia

OG · Since 07 Jun 2011 591 Posts Addicted

dude definitely made it look sick.....i just hope that song doesnt get stuck in my head Laughing

scottnorby · Tue Dec 10, 24 10:04 am

No doubt - winging and foiling is so amazing.
I wing a lot these days and will likely get a foil drive to easily chip into small waves where I live.
When I got on a foil, 4 years ago, I was all in.
I thought I may even shelf kiting.

I have surfed for 38 years —and the mystery of chasing elusive swells is still an obsession i will never quench. The wave is the star…not the rider.
The simplicity of surfing is hard to beat.
Kite surfing in good waves is number 2

I believe that the feeling of pushing and slicing the water with a surfboard makes for a more intimate connection with a wave…and the water.

Imagine a snowboard or skis that float
above the snow?
…. and if it existed I believe the “hover snowboarders”’ would argue that it is “so much more efficient”
But something gets lost there and its no longer “snow” boarding and is instead “air boarding” over snow

I do know that after exclusively winging the last 2 years I have started craving kiting in ocean surf more.
The high speed slicing and sliding in critical areas of a wave is impossible to forget.
Its very difficult, maybe impossible, for a foil to get in a critical barrel of a wave.
And the sensation of throwing out the tail with a spray off a waves lip is so gratifying.
For me, the connection TO the wave makes it special.

And although flying above the water on foil is also an amazing feat…. It seems limiting as to what sections of a wave can be explored.

I remember when I worked for Liquid Force kite in 2004 and one of the top managers argued with me and said “kiters will never get barrelled”
I disagreed and we all know it is being done all over now.
And I have done it myself many times.

But getting properly barreled on a foil?….on critical wave… is likely not going to be a norm unless the foil can bend to fit INTO the wave face.

I do see wing and foil manufacturers pushing this type
of high end performance — but they may be pushing people out of the sport with that marketing.

As as example, I think there is a huge number of people who would like to wing without a foil— on a board built for cruising ON and IN the water.
I posted a youtube video a couple years ago of Kai Lenny winging on a surfboard. (no foil)
To this day its gets hundreds of views a week — 50,000 total views.
I see other videos of “winging without a foil” and they also have massive view counts.

…..and that is my rant for the morning ha

scottnorby · Tue Dec 10, 24 10:19 am

Does anyone remember a windsurfer named SOLSTICE?

It was very narrow and long and would go in extremely light wind.
I saw it demoed in Hood way back in 2002 ish when kiting was ramping up and windsurfing was grasping for a hold.

I still wonder about trying that type of hull
with a wing?
Or build one as a dual hull catamaran — where one hull comes out of the water as it accelerates.
Simpler fun for the average person?

JackAubrey · Since 18 Sep 2021 9 Posts Kook

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tEOi2kB7XQ

scottnorby · Thu Dec 19, 24 6:55 pm

Great video - Thanks