Kitesurfing boards are a quite often underestimated element when thinking about solutions to be able to kitesurf during those nice sunny summer days when the wind is just not enough for the standard kitesurfing equipment quiver.

Up until recently, kitesurfers used bigger and bigger kitesurfing kites to make use of that gentle wind and be able to cruise gently. But bigger kitesurf kites means also slower kites and it is in general very painful to relaunch such a big monster when it falls from the sky.

Today, more and more people are realizing that the solution is not using bigger kites but using floaty kitesurfing boards instead. The principle behind is that when using a positively buoyant board, the pull of the kite is only needed to move the kitesurfer on the surface of the water rather than out of the water and therefore much less energy is needed. Once the kitesurfing is moving, it is possible to make a better use of the available wind by moving the kite and generating apparent wind. As a result, a medium size fast turning kite together with a floaty board are a much better solution than a less floaty board and a huge slow kite.

There are different solutions available…

Directional surfboards. This kind of boards are designed to be used when kitesurfing in waves and therefore there buoyancy is much higher than a twin tip board. They are not symmetrical, nose and tail have different shapes, and the nose has to point in the direction the kitesurfer is moving. As a result, it is necessary to either jibe or ride toeside whenever direction changes.

Floaty Twin Tip boards designed for lightwind. These very floaty kitesurfing boards are designed to be used either by heavy rides or in light wind conditions. The advantage over the surfboards is that they can ride in both directions and it is possible to do all kind of tricks like with a normal twin tip board, the only limitation is set by the strength of the wind. In some of them riding toeside can be quite challenging.

Skimboards. These boards are either the same ones as used for skimboarding or special ones adapted to kitesurfing. The main difference with a twin tip is the lack of foot straps and fins (fins can be added). This board is very enjoyable en flat water and small waves, they are ridden strapless what adds a novelty element to kitesurfing and the kind of tricks that can be performed are closer to kiteboarding than kitesurfing.

Race boards. Directional kitesurfing boards are designed specially for reaching high speeds. They are almost only used for racing competitions although they are starting to be used in other situations because their excellent light wind conditions performance.

We are now working on a report focused on light wind twin tip boards, we will review the best boards designed for those conditions. Join our RSS feed if you want to received these new articles as soon as they are published. We also recommend you to join our newsletter as it may
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Kitesurfing Boards Crew

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Kite Show cumbuco claims to be “the most entertaining kiteboarding event in the world”.

Their slogan is “KITEboarding is back!” and what they want to mean is Old school, big airs, lots of spins, grabs, etc. what, we have to admit, it is a lot of fun for the riders and for those enjoying a caipirinha on the beach.

If you add temperatures between 23°C and 30°C, water temperature around the 28°, wind everyday, flat water and waves, you can be sure Cumbuco must be a big show also during this competition.

This is just a couple of examples to give an idea of the disciplines in competion, this is going to be fun:

CORE Hangtime
- jump and hang as long as possible
- one jump at a time
- rider limitation: 20 (men 15, women 5)

Brasilazy Funny/Crazy Move
- show us your funniest move
- one jump at a time
- rider limitation: open (mixed)

Most Spins
- as many spins as possible
- when same number of spins, the technical grade and height will be judged
- one jump at a time
- rider limitation: 20 (mixed)

Check out this video from day 1…

Great opportunity to see the new 2010 kitesurfing boards, kites and other new kitesurfing equipment. We are going to miss it this year, just waiting for the winter to get closer before going down there or perhaps Cape Verde, we have not taken a decision yes, what would you recommend?

Technorati Tags: kitesurf kite, kitesurfing boards, kitesurfing equipment, kitesurfing kites

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist brings all the kites and boards with him”

We would like this site to become a useful source of information and a reference for all us kitesurfers. We are passionate about our sport and would like to share this passion with everyone.

Kitesurfing is a very special activity, an incredible sense of freedom, feeling the power of the wind and waves, the speed, the adrenaline boost of jumping, every session is different, every session we learn something new, and above all we are an amazingly helpful community.

If you are new to the sport, get ready for a life-changing sport. Some people quit their jobs to be able to enjoy more time kiteboarding others change job or country, some people wake up at 5.00 AM to have a session before going to work or study, most of us have a permanent screen with the wind forecast for our area, webcams, weather forecast, etc. that we monitor with the hope of having another memorable session  today.

In Kitesurfing Boards we will try to help with that kind of information we all needed before we started and took our first kitesurfing lessons. We will also help you with your first steps as an independent kitesurfer.

If you are already passionate about the sport please visit us often and contribute with your comments to our posts, email, or even submitting information for us to publish. We will of course bring also topics that will be of interest to intermediate and advanced kitesurfers and even to Pro’s.

Initially our main areas of interest will be related to kitesurfing kites, kite boards and the kitesurfing accesories, kitesurfing spots, kitesurfing holidays destinations, etc. We will try to bring as much unique content as possible but will of course point to any exceptionally interesting video, article, tutorial, and any other content that we may find online and offline. We may also include information related to closely related sports like surfing, snowkiting and landboarding. We hope you enjoy this site and would really appreciate your feedback.

Kitesurfing Boards Crew

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