Kitesoul Magazine #25 International Edition

narrow, 18/19 inches wide maximum, with a twin fin in the
back, or a thruster, and the straps positioned way in the
middle, just for control because there were only 2-line kites
at the time. Those were the very first kite surfboards available.
So, these were the first kind of directional boards,
which we called the original flying boards. We were actually
one of the first brands putting these boards in the market
with a 7’2”. There were no twintips at the time, just boards
with 2, or 3 straps, like windsurf boards.
So, you can actually say that one of the first real kitesurfing
boards was shaped by you right?
Yes, the very first “kiteboard” in the world was actually not
a board, this guy [Cory Roeseler] in the Gorge, he was busy
riding water skis, not even a board, he was riding a delta
wing on a reel system, and he was really the predecessor
of everything, one of the very first kite surfers. The first guy
that was ever able to use a board with an inflatable kite was
Manu. He was really the very first one to introduce this fly
surfing, that’s what I called the sport, and we were really the
first brand, at that time, introducing a board in the market.
He came to visit you...
He came to visit us in 1995, and then like 2 years later, 1997,
we had the first collection of Kitesurf boards in the market,
so by far the first kite brand ever to have a kitesurf board in
the market. Then we were sponsoring Flash Austin who at
the same time was sponsored by Naish, who were not doing
boards - just kites.
So, if you look at a quiver, for people who go wave kiting,
what do they need to have?
If you want to do waves, there are many different choices. It
depends on your level, and the place you live, and actually
what your desire is. Generally, you can start with just one
board depending on your weight, anywhere from a 5’8” to a
6’0”. And I always suggest having a board between 18.5 - 20
wide, a widish type of board. The bigger you are, the more
flotation you need to get you going. And that’s pretty much
the board you need. You don’t need to have anything else to
start with.
And then a couple of kites, 7 and 9, or 8 and 10 are the 2
kites generally. 2 kites, one board, and off you go. Harness,
pump, leash, straps. That’s my suggestion to start off with,
unless you’re a youngster and you have experience with
skateboarding or surfing, then you can jump on the board
without straps and you will be totally comfortable. If you
come from snowboarding, or windsurfing, or you’re a little
bit older, over your 40s maybe, and you want to try and
get into the waves for the first time, unless you’re really a
skilled board rider, you’ve been practicing skateboarding or
surfing, I really suggest you start riding waves with straps
and then eventually take the straps out. Learn how to bottom
turn, learn how to maneuver your kite, definitely a lot
easier with straps.
How are the surfboards built now?
We basically use 3 different types of technologies for our
kitesurf board range. The first entry level board is a really
solid board, built with bamboo veneer on top and bottom
with an EPS core and fully epoxy laminate. This board is
pretty lightweight and really strong, which is really what
matters for beginners and those that want to ride for the
first time. You can really give it some beating. It’s going
to be solid, and if you fall on the board with your harness
you’re not going to break it. We suggest to our schools, and
for rentals, to get this type of board, the wood technology.
The other technology that we use is the classic surfboard
technology, the classic PU polyester. A PU core is basically
the old platform, a lot of people from the past remember
this. It’s open cell foam which means if you punch a hole
through the bottom or the deck you’re going to let water in
to the core, which is a disadvantage. But what this brings
is the real surf feeling; it’s the softest type of board to ride
waves, so it’s really kind of forgiving, it doesn’t hurt your
knees at all when you actually ride over choppy water. Most
of the time when you’re kiteboarding, you always have chop
in front of waves because unless you’re really good and always
in the pocket, you ride waves 2 or 3 or 4 metres away
from the wave itself, just because you use the power of the
kite most of the time before really learning how to ride the
wave properly. The polyester resin, classic surfboard technology
is by far the best technology we’ve found so far for
wave riding, it’s the favourite one of all our team riders, our
professional riders, if you want a really forgiving ride and
the classic surf feel, this is still the one.
Finally, we have the LTD, a unique technology, which uses
a lightweight EPS foam (closed cell, doesn’t let water in)
without any stringer to try and replicate the flex of a classic
surfboard. We just have a unidirectional carbon stringer, a
carbon net over the top, bamboo under the heels and epoxy
lamination. It’s a very light technology, all the boards are
2.8kg - 3.2kg, so it’s really light, and the boards are more
buoyant than the classic boards because they have more