I want to start kite surfing and have got myself a peter lynn waterfoil 5.7 and was wondering what would be the ideal board to get to learn on. Cheers

A directional is usually the best bet, something about 6'6" or 7'. You can get going in less wind the a twin tip or mutant as they they are much more 'floaty' (espcially good if you have to swim back!).

You can get these pretty cheap, i got a flexifoil loose unit for 200 quid.

Not sure I necessarily agree... I started with a 6'6" directional, and sure enough, first time I tired it, I got straight onto my feet and planed out through the surf. however turning around was another thing. I still can't gybe it and then just end up getting dragged downwind once I fall off on a gybe.

in fact, its that that has pretty much stopped me kite-surfing. I now windsurf more often just because the directional has been holding me back. If I could afford a twin-tip or had got a twin-tip from the beginning, I'm sure I would have put more effort into the kite-surfing and would have been pretty good by now. Not having to gybe certainly makes things a LOT easier. Getting going, jumping etc is easy, but gybeing isn't!

Of course, to start with a big twin-tip with its extra volume would be better for a beginner than a small one.

Al.

Just for the record - I'm just taking my 1st lessons, and using a floaty twin-tip. Will report back in a couple of weeks!

Andrew... As a windsurfer I'm sure you'll appreciate the advantages of not having to gybe. Windsurfers are fully aware of the difficulties gybing presents, so being able to go way you wish on a board has to help.

Kite-mountainboarding is certainly easy enough as you don't have to gybe (you can if you want of course).

Let us know how you get on... then when you get back from your travels you can come and show off at Borth!!

Al.

I agree with the big directional. That's what I did. You don't have to fall on every turn. Admit to yourself that you don't need to learn to jibe. You're going to transition to a twin tip soon anyway. Get to the end of your run, fly the kite up toward neutral, let yourself ease back into the water, change your feet, and start back the other way. No lost ground, no falls. Two months of this and you'll be jibing anyway, but you'll also be ready to go to a twin tip.

I started off kiting with a 164 Takoon Curver bi-directional board and was planing within a couple of hours. I personally don't see any need for a directional board. Remember you have this big massive kite lifting you out of the water, so there isn't the same need for a buoyant board as you do with windsurfing etc. Take Al's experience as a example, he doesn't kite as much as he would like because its a hassle turning a directional board round. With a bi-D, you just move the kite in the opposite direction and off you go.

One bit of advise though. The first hour or so I tried with the board I wasn't powered up enough and without the enegy from the kite I was having difficulties getting to my feet. Once I eventually powered up properly, I was on my feet in no time.

I learnt on a bi-diretional Fanatic 179 Spider (I'm also 85kgs) and was up and away very quickly. The one thing I noticed that holds most people back is not commiting to a big enough power stroke initally to get you up and moving.

Just thought I'd add to this now that I've finally got a twin-tip board..... JUST GET A TWIN-TIP... Its so much easier. I know I'd been out a couple of times over the past 3 years (literally about once a year) on a directional board, but never really got on very well with it, so was never that keen to get out kite-surfing. I was always a little out of control, couldn't hold an edge properly, the board size (6.6") was a liability as it just got in the way, and it was far, far too fast, I couldn't control the speed and I always ended up speeding off downwind out of control.

Since having the twin-tip I have been out on the water with it whenever possible. I was straight up and going along in control within seconds of first launching, and actually gaining ground upwind on occasion within 15 minutes. I'm still generally losing ground downwind overall during a session, but I feel in complete control all the time. I don't really have to think about the board at all, I just stand there and fly the kite and off I go. I've started to get to the stage where I'm more confident on it as well, so don't have to look at the kite much either. This means I can look where I want to go (upwind) and just go there. Yesterday I was even up and going in lighter winds than I would have been able to on my directional.

And best of all, changing tack is so, so easy, especially after years of learning to carve gybe to turn around whilst windsurfing. On my twin-tip I just change the direction of the kite and I go back the other way. I don't have to do anything with my board and feet, or I can slide downwind for a bit as I change tacks, its up to me, its all stupidly simple... I kinda like it though!!!

Basically from my experiences with the two boards I've had, the directional hampered me completely to the stage where I didn't really want to go kite-surfing, whereas I just want to get out there and get better at it now that I have a twin tip. I've spent more time on the water on my twin-tip in the last two weeks than I have on my directionl in the last two years, simply because its so much easier and more enjoyable.

Al.

All get good foot straps - so that the board is snuggly attached to your feet. My first board had bad straps (very narrow straps and flat deck pads) so I was always worried about the board coming off my feet at any moment