Go Joe cheap alternative

Hi there!!!!

Being reading lots about people using board leash latelly. 

For me is incredible people are still using them after all the testimonials out there.

Some pics of "board-meets-head": leash hazzards (attention nasty pictures)

Using a board leash is a lazy excuse for not learning the body dragging technique which in my honest opinion is easy and basic move.

Ocean Rodeo thought out of the box and came with an idea that is a perfect alternative to the board leash that works as the picture & video below:

The cost of this device is $79 in the US, which is not that much, but it would cost you less to pay your kitesurf teacher for a body drag lesson.

Here is where the post becomes interesting. Last weekend in La Loteta when resting between sessions saw this cheap alternative to the OR product on one of the locals board... Some cheap baby arm floats. Here are the pictures:

The guy told me that did the job for 5€, and in case it breaked he had another spare.
So now you don´t have an excuse for using a board leash anymore.

Buenos vientos.

Naish Alaia dimensions (for shaping)

In a previous post (here) I was reviewing my latest adquisition; the Naish Alaia.

This a kite board made of pawlonia wood, a material which has several good characteristics for this purpose: lightweight, strong, and kind of waterproof.

The cool concept of these boards is to make one yourself, but as I lack of wood skills I preferred to buy the finish product.

For anyone interested in shaping one here are some links explaining how to do it:
http://waterlust.org/Woodsled_files/Waterlust%20Alaia%20Manual.pdf
http://www.cirewear.com/index.php/cire-news/cire-blog/5-shaping-an-alaia
http://surf.transworld.net/1000078321/features/how-to-build-an-alaia-with-ryan-burch/
http://www.sunwoodworking.com/2011/06/16/shaping-an-alaia-surfboard/
how to fix it: http://www.xylemsurfboards.com/Care-Instructions.html

Nevertheless, as one colleague asked me to measure it to make one himself, I take advantage of the work done to divulge for any of you that wanna give it a try.

Notes:
I do not own precision tools, but the measurement is really close to reality.
I´m not a professional shaper, so I dont know the methods to take measurements (1st time).

Board deck:

NOSE	NOSE
Lengthwise meaurement of the board (3cms)	Board total width cms
0	0
3	12,5
6	18,5
9	23
12	27
15	30
18	32
21	34,5
24	36
27	37
30	38
33	39
36	39,5
39	39,5
42	39,5
45	39,5
48	39,5
51	39,5
54	39,5
57	39,5
60	39,5
63	39,5
66	39,5
69	39
72	38,5
75	38,4
78	38,3
81	38
84	37,7
87	37,5
90	37,3
93	37
96	36,9
99	36,7
102	36,4
105	36,2
108	35,9
111	35,7
114	35,4
117	35
120	34,7
123	34,5
126	34,2
129	34
132	33,9
135	33,7
138	33,6
141	33,4
144	33,3
147	33,5
150	33,6
153	33,7
156	33,8
159	34
162	34
165	34
168	34
171	34
174	34
175	34
Tail	Tail

previous post

The shape is like this picture*:

*the tail is totally straight.

Board Bottom (concave)
As you know, Alaia´s do not have rocker so the board is completely flat. Nevertheless, they do have a concave in the bottom. this concave starts 30 cms from the nose till the tail of the board. In the case of the Naish board, it´s completelly straight, leaving 10cms from the center to each side.

NOSE	NOSE	NOSE	NOSE
lengthwise meaurement of the board (3cms)	board total width cms	right side concave cms (from board axis)	left side concave cms (from board axis)
0	0	0	0
3	12,5	0	0
6	18,5	0	0
9	23	0	0
12	27	0	0
15	30	0	0
18	32	0	0
21	34,5	0	0
24	36	0	0
27	37	0	0
30	38	10	-10
33	39	10	-10
36	39,5	10	-10
39	39,5	10	-10
42	39,5	10	-10
45	39,5	10	-10
48	39,5	10	-10
51	39,5	10	-10
54	39,5	10	-10
57	39,5	10	-10
60	39,5	10	-10
63	39,5	10	-10
66	39,5	10	-10
69	39	10	-10
72	38,5	10	-10
75	38,4	10	-10
78	38,3	10	-10
81	38	10	-10
84	37,7	10	-10
87	37,5	10	-10
90	37,3	10	-10
93	37	10	-10
96	36,9	10	-10
99	36,7	10	-10
102	36,4	10	-10
105	36,2	10	-10
108	35,9	10	-10
111	35,7	10	-10
114	35,4	10	-10
117	35	10	-10
120	34,7	10	-10
123	34,5	10	-10
126	34,2	10	-10
129	34	10	-10
132	33,9	10	-10
135	33,7	10	-10
138	33,6	10	-10
141	33,4	10	-10
144	33,3	10	-10
147	33,5	10	-10
150	33,6	10	-10
153	33,7	10	-10
156	33,8	10	-10
159	34	10	-10
162	34	10	-10
165	34	10	-10
168	34	10	-10
171	34	10	-10
174	34	10	-10
175	34	0	0
TAIL	TAIL	TAIL	TAIL

The concave dimension looks like this picture*:

*the tail is totally straight.

Board Bottom (concave shape):

This is the tricky part, where you will spend more time shaping.

Nose	Nose	Nose	Nose
lengthwise meaurement of the board (3cms)	Edge width cms	Rail width cms	concave cms
0
3	1,3	1,3	0
6
9
12	1,7	1,7	0
15
18
21	1,9	1,9	0
24
27
30	2,1	2,1	-0,3
33
36
39	2,2	2,2	-0,6
42
45
48
51	2	2,2	-0,9
54
57
60	1,8	2,2	-0,9
63
66
69
72	1,7	2,2	-0,9
75
78
81	1,6	2,2	-0,9
84
87
90	1,5	2,2	-0,9
93
96
99
102	1,5	2,2	-0,9
105
108
111	1,5	2,2	-0,9
114
117
120	1,5	2,2	-0,9
123
126
129
132	1,5	2,2	-0,9
135
138
141	1,5	2,2	-0,9
144
147
150	1,5	2,2	-0,9
153
156
159
162	1,5	2,2	-0,9
165
168
171	1,5	2,2	-0,9
174
175	1,4	2,2	-0,9
tail	tail	tail	tail

This draw is like you have the board upside down.

As for the measures in the table above, the dimmensions of each point will change lengthwise depending on the point you are.

That´s all.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Buenos vientos.

Mystic Warrior 2013 safety upgrade

I´m a big fan of Mystic harnesses, during all these years kiting I´ve only owned warriors.

This summer I´ve purchased the lastest model, as the current was a bit wasted and it was paintful to ride without wetsuit.

Overall happy with the purchase, but I saw that the latest model lacked a feature that the old one had. 

I'm talking about the back rope release. In the older version you have a front handle to release your leash in case its releasing system failed (which can happen) and the good thing is that this handle is always in the same place (left side almost in front of you). So i'd decided to switch the rope using the one from my old harness.

In this picture it can be seen that the attachment to the right ring is the same as the newer version (its fixed).

While in the left ring instead of being fixed, the rope goes throughout the ring.

And goes attached to another rope that its fixed to the hook. The releasing system is that red handle.

If you pull the red handle, the velcro will open releasing the back rope.

The pull of the leash will make the rope go throughout the left ring releasing the leash, bar and kite.

I know it sucks to loose your kite, but its worst to have a terrible accident cause you could not release yourself in a complicated situation.

I dont understand why Mystic has removed this system as i see it more safe as you will always know where the handle is (it doesnt happen with the leash release as it can be tricky to find in a difficult situation).

Buenos vientos

Code of conduct

As the sport is becoming more accesible it´s growing each year. This is great news but it has a drawback... local goverments are passing more restrictions over it. I know that it´s not everybody fault as common sense is spread, but just a single person can cause a damage that we as a community have to pay.

What I want to state here is a list of good behaviour (for newbies and pro riders too)

• Respect all beach users, the beach is not yours. 
• Try to kite inwards, in order to avoid crashing the kite on the beach.
• Warn anyone you see that its causing hazarous situations with their behaviour.
• Learn the prerence rules. (You did that for driving your car...)
• Help the other as one day you might need their assistance.
• When approaching a new spot, always ask the locals for tips and information.
• Dont leave your trash on the beach. Keep it clean!!
• Smile please!!

Buenos vientos

The origins of the sport

This documentary explains the birth of the sport plus its initial steps.
A must see for any kitemad.
Enjoy
Buenos vientos

Puerto pollensa Bay kitespot

Mallorca,

Is a well known destination for germans, english, french (and now russian) people.
There are 4 main kite spots in the island during summer: Can Pastilla, Playas de Muro, Son Serra de Marina and Bahia de Pollensa. I´m going to talk a bit about the last one, which I know quite well.


Ver Puerto Pollensa Bay en un mapa más grande

Beach: It´s long but is quite narrow, as it has a road parallel to it (connecting puerto pollensa with alcudia) so people prefer to go to other beaches, therefore we have the opportunity to have a big piece of shore to enjoy our sport. The beach is a mix between sand, small shells, seeweed and some wood sticks.

Water: The water is shallow for the first 100m. No need of wetsuit during summer as the water is in highs 28 degrees. Maybe a shirt or a lycra to protect yourself of the sun. You will find choppy, with small waves (0,5m) so no surfing here.

Wind: N, NE, E, SE, S winds are appropiate for this spot, being NE, E, SE the most rideable and steady. N & S become a bit gusty. You can have a look to any website to see the forecast which can be more or less accurate. The most common wind is thermic, completelly onshore (E)  which starts to blow from 11-12 till 15-18 hours. Do not expect high wind here because its rare in summer. You will find more days at 10-15 knots (everyday) than 18-25 (maybe 1 day per week).
*Small tip* it´s more windy inside than in the shore (as windsurfers know...).

Recommended quiver: Bring your bigger kite and your wider board. Low wind range is the name of the game here. Think that there will be a lot of people learning plus onshore winds, you want something that can head you upwind as fast as possible (in order to avoid learners). Normal size here is between 12-14-16.
Im 90kgs, and I ride here my kahoona 2011 13,5m with one of these 3 boards (a door, surfboard or the alaia). This year I brough the 9m with me and I only used it 1 time in 2 months (frankly speaking, the days of 20-25 knots I preferred the 13,5 with normal twintip to boost really high).

Hazards: The road, period. Just be careful to rig your kite well, because when launching you do not want to have any problem. If you cruise between spot 1 and spot 2 be careful as there is no beach, just a breakwater and then the road. Apart from that, it´s not so dangerous as the wind is steady and not so strong so you will have time to react against any problem.

Kiteshops: In this area there is Pura Vida, link, in which you can ask for lessons, hire & buy material.

Recommendations: Just enjoy the place and respect the non kiting users of the beach (to preserve this place from bans).

Nightlife: You can go to Puerto Pollensa or Alcudia, in both places you will find restaurants, bars and clubs.

Accomodation: Plenty of places in both villages, plus fincas. There is also one farm close to the spot 400m away link.

Some pictures:

If you have any questions please let me know.

Buenos vientos

Footstraps opening?

Hi guys,
I own a clash 138 and had the problem of the straps opening all the time, which is annoying. (Search on forums and it seems that its happening to everybody).
But is not a big deal. The board is a awesome :-)

This "small fix" will help clash owners and anybody else that has problems with their straps.

1step: set the straps as you like and feel comfortable.
2step: use a small rope to tie together the tab of the upper part of the strap with the metallic ring on the bottom.

The only problem is that if you want to move the strap again you must untie it. (for instance, if you want to borrow your board to a friend)

Hope its useful.

Buenos vientos