building a light wind board

KeyserSoze · Since 01 Jan 2010 18 Posts Calgary, AB

I'm starting to build a light wind board and I'm wondering if anyone here has experience building boards and if you have any ideas or advice. Also does anyone have any design ideas? I'm thinking of something like the Flysurfer Flydoor but I'm open to other designs or tweaks to the shape.

wjb · Since 14 Aug 2007 223 Posts Nor Cal Stoked

Get a skim. Lightwind twins blow.

KeyserSoze · Since 01 Jan 2010 18 Posts Calgary, AB

Not a bad idea. I'll start making a skim right now.

Bill C · Since 15 Sep 2005 203 Posts Portland Stoked

If you really want to build a light wind board, check out this link.

http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2359767

You can also google ply boards and there is an outfit that sells blanks.

kitebot · Since 20 Feb 2007 251 Posts Obsessed

A skim is the way to go, don't even worry too much about rocker, I rode a piece of plywood shaped like a skim for a couple seasons with routered edges and zero rocker, it was lots of fun. Don't be afraid to keep the rails fairly straight and to make it at least the length of your twintip, or similar in size to larger wave skimboards. Small flatland boards aren't great for kiting in light winds. And if you make it look bad enough, nobody will steal it.

scottman · Since 08 Jun 2007 150 Posts hillsboro Stoked

I built a TT out of plywood. Basically used the shape of a glide board but made it longer and wider. I found it will point better than a skim. Such a wide board will wear you down when applying heel pressure. So I would mount foot straps and inch or two to the heel side of center line. This requires less heel pressure to get it on edge. The optimum board angle to go upwind would probably be around 15deg. Thats my guess? Beyond that the drag gets too high and you slow down.

I started with no fins and found it was very loose. You always need to be on edge. I then put on some 2" g10 hammersurf fins from new winds and found it really helped make the board easier to ride, way more stable. Especially when doing a transition. The fins made the board track better and probably even go upwind better. I did not notice any drag from the fins.

For this set up I think the optimal kite would be a 14m T3 bow kite. The bow kite has most of its surface area producing vertical lift. Anything larger than a 14m and I think your parasitic drag becomes too high.