Picking up a lost board while riding...

windobsessed · Since 07 Aug 2008 120 Posts Vancouver Stoked

I got in a situation where a rider lost their board and I could see he was loosing ground on every transition. So I thought it was finally my turn to rescue a lost board and do my deed for all those people who had helped me out in the past. So I tried to kite past the board an pick it up while riding slow. Did not work, board was stuck in the water and it was hard to unstick. Almost caused me to dive my kite. Then I tried to stop pick the board up and get going. That was hard too. Seems like I really need two hands to dive the kite strong enough to get up and going. Finally got going and was able to return the board to the guy but man was it hard Sad

Maybe in stronger winds it would be easier, it was a little on the light side and you had to really dive the kite to get going.

Any advice here?

Spike · Since 13 May 2007 1414 Posts Alameda Spelling Expert

I can only do it if the board has a handle, then I sit down beside the board, grab it by the handle, and then grab the bar, in my right hand I have the board and the bar, and in my left just the bar. It's not pretty but it works fine for me.

I've seen people drag a board over the water holding it by the front foot strap, but I cant kite with one hand, too much bar pressure to keep it form steering one way (SS Turbo II)

bambam · Since 15 Mar 2005 760 Posts Hood River Photographer

Try this trick... Stop next to the board, hook one of your thumbs through the foot strap and then use this same hand to get hold of your bar end. Basically grabbing the footstrap and your bar with the same hand...

Then off you go... You need to make sure that the footstrap is in your rear hand to the board will trail behind your direction of travel.

I have also done the same using the board handle, and some foot straps allow you to completely stick your hand through them and then grab your control bar. Either way you have to be extremely confident of your kite control as getting yarded with your arm through a boards footstrap is not ideal.

Bams

KidCorporate · Since 10 Jul 2007 563 Posts Addicted

If I have a long way to kite with the board I'll usually just undo one end of my leash and thread it through a binding. Look ma, no hands.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6549 Posts Couve / Hood Honored Founder

If your bar has a stopper pull it way down so you can ride powered one handed.

ronp · Since 05 Jul 2007 79 Posts west linn

I see people carry boards in different ways in front of them or on their bar. I think this is risky if you make a mistake because you don't want to fall on it. Best is to use a stopper as Phil said and pull it in so you can steer aggressively and powered up with one hand. Then you can hold the board safely behind you.

trevorsmith · Since 25 Apr 2005 501 Posts PDX Addicted

what works best for me is I get next to the side of the board and tuck in under my arm pit around the front foot pad area like I was carrying it then I have both hands to ride with. Seems to work good without much effort.

blowhard · Since 26 Dec 2005 2027 Posts Windward

not much on the tip thing ,
but if you sit down and place board on your lap
and start sining you can grab the board once you leave the water
and hold it with one hand
bear off and toss the thing downwind of the rider
unstrapped
forget it

Kataku2k3 · Since 14 Aug 2005 3754 Posts PDX-LA Videographer

Two boards make nice skis! Cool

I usually just try to grab a strap while riding... BUT, if that doesn't work, I'll just stop, grab a strap with my front hand behind me then downloop the kite around (backwards) with my rear hand to get up. When it's windy, you don't even need to loop the kite, just pull in on the bar!

kitezilla · Since 22 Jun 2006 453 Posts gorge Obsessed

3 things:

(1) Be careful of some boards (see self-explainatory picture)

(2) I usually just sit back in the water, put the board on my lap, and put the kite into little overhead figure 8s, until I am down wind of the kiter. I stay to one side of the downed kiter, so we don't tangle kites. A kiter in the water is not looking behind him, but is usually body dragging back and forth across the river, hoping to find his board. If you decide to pick up his board and ride your board straight downwind, with a plan in mind, to drop off the board right next to him...watch out for his kite, whipping right over into your kite. With a board in one hand and the other hand trying to control your kite, you will be in a compromised position, and not able to make quick corrections of course...so in effect both of you will be handicapped, and that is always a good set-up for an accident.

(3) My buddy, who has just started kiting had, what I thought was a good idea. He suggested tying a short (like 4 feet) rope to your harness hip area, and stuff the rope inside the harness or into a pocket, where the rope could be pulled out, easily. This rope could be used for 2 things...One use would be to tie to your board on those times when the wind dies, and you have to use both hands in an attempt to put the kite into the air, which often is futile, and the end result is having your board float away, and loosing it. The second use would apply to the board rescue situation, where you would slip the end of the rope through a foot strap, and then, grip the loose end with one of your hands, on the bar, allowing you to ease up your grip and letting the board go, if things got out of control. By gripping the rope against the bar, you could kind of drag the board, with one end of the board high out of the water and the other end slapping along in the water surface, a little bid behind you. I haven't tried this yet, so I would appreciate feed-back from anyone who has done a similar thing.

KidCorporate · Since 10 Jul 2007 563 Posts Addicted

^That's why I just use my kite leash, no pocket stuffing required.

Spike · Since 13 May 2007 1414 Posts Alameda Spelling Expert

kitezilla · Since 22 Jun 2006 453 Posts gorge Obsessed

holly · Since 09 Jul 2006 440 Posts Hood River Obsessed

i rest the board on top of my bar and lines so i can still use two hands to steer.

windobsessed · Since 07 Aug 2008 120 Posts Vancouver Stoked

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'll have to try some of them to see which one
works best for me. My favorite is Kataku2k3 suggestion of holding the board with my front hand on the footstrap and then kitelooping the kite backwards, that would be cool Cool

Once I got up with the board I was able to kite with one hand and hold
the board with the other, it was just really hard to get going with one hand. Although I have never tried starting by looping the kite backwards I'll have to get that down first before trying it with a board in my other hand.

On another subject I've talked to Phil about this before, there are great "how to"
threads in these postings like this one. It would be great to mine threads like this
and add them to a "How To" link at the top. That way you could go to one page and see great threads like: How to ride toeside, how to get first boost...

tautologies · Since 24 Aug 2006 602 Posts Oahu Addicted

good thread.

I've cut myself on both rails and fins, the easiest is if there is a handle, but you can also use the footstrap, or hold the board on back tip, so you get the rail and fin in your hand. The times I've cut myself was always when I try to just pick it while riding. Now I stop, and sit down beside the board, pick it up and find a good position. If it is windy it really isn;t much of a problem, I guess if you have a kite with a lot of bar pressure...it is a problem.

One caution, when doing kites, do not touch the lines. I've ended up with lines around my hands while rescuing kites, I;ve even ende up with a kite sliding up my lines, and then steering two kites from my bar. Really weird actually. To rescue a kite, grab it by the leading edge, slide it to the center turn it upside down like you would when launching, and stay as far away from the lines as you can. Leave the bar to be pulled after you. In anycase, be careful, gear is never worth severe injuries.

a.

FlyDunes · Since 09 Oct 2007 1034 Posts Aloha XTreme Poster