What is kiteboarding?

Kitesurfing is a recent water sport that was born in the 1980s in France. The brothers Dominique and Bruno Legaignoux were the first enthusiasts to design a kite with an inflatable structure that is still used today by kitesurfers around the world. Over the years, the three essential elements of kitesurfing, the kite, the board and the harness, have evolved to offer maximum safety. Here is one of the definitions of kitesurfing

Definition of kitesurfing

The word kitesurf is formed from the word "kite" and "surf" which means board. It is a water sport that is practiced with a board towed by a wing (hence the designation of traction wing that can also be found). Sometimes called kitesurfing, kite or kiteboarding by country. This sport allows you to glide across the water in complete freedom using the force of the wind. The rider or kitesurfer sails across the wind like a windsurfer and tacks.

History of kitesurfing

Kitesurfing was developed in the mid-1980s by Frenchmen Manu Bertin and the brothers Dominique and Bruno Legaignoux, both from Brittany, who were passionate about water sports. In 1984, the Legaignoux brothers filed a patent on inflatable kites that are still used today by kitesurfers. In 1995 in Hawaii, Manu Bertin started to use the Wipika kites (short for Wing Inflatable Power Insubmersible Kite Autonomous) developed by the Legaignoux brothers by combining them with surfboards. This new sport quickly made the headlines in windsurfing magazines and became popular. Raphaël Salles, founder and current director of the Fone brand, develops box kites and markets the first mass-produced kitesurf board in 1997.

Kitesurfing equipment

The wing, the lines, the bar

There are two main types of wings:

box wings which inflate by air circulation (same principle as for a paraglider)
the bladder wings, which are equipped with an inflatable structure that floats on the surface of the water and easily takes off again when wet.

The kite is handled by a bar that is at most an arm's length from the rider. 4 lines or 5 lines (2 front lines, 2 back lines, a safety line) of 22 to 25 metres in length connect the bar to the kite. The size of the kite varies according to the strength of the wind and the weight of the kiter. The stronger the wind, the smaller the kite and the heavier the kiter, the bigger the kite. Here you can find our kite size chart according to wind and rider weight.

The board

There are two main families of boards: bi-directional or twintip boards that can navigate in both directions without changing feet and directional surfboards (reinforced with or without straps), i.e. with one direction of navigation with a front and a back. There are 3 types of directional boards: surfboards used in waves, long distance boards (with a very large volume and high buoyancy) and thin and tapered speed boards. For a beginner, choosing a long twintip board will make it easier to lean into. The width is defined by the weight of the rider. The volume is not important. Find here our kitesurfing equipment guide for beginners

The harness

There are two main types of harness.

The waist or back harness is placed in the small of the back between the pelvis and the ribs and offers great freedom of movement.
The breech harness is similar to a climbing harness and holds the buttocks firmly in place. It is recommended for beginners, as it makes it easier to lean on the edge.

But since the arrival of the large depower kites, which are softer and require less edge grip, we sail more flat. Therefore, the belt harness is also suitable for a beginner. Here again, the evolution of the material avoids that it goes up too much under the arms. For some time now, the belt harness has been replacing the breeches harness. Find here our guide: how to choose your kitesurfing harness. The harness connects the kiter to the kite via the centre line which hooks onto the leading edge of the kite. This creates a fixed point that allows, when pushing the bar, to remove the pulling power by changing the angle of incidence of the wing.

The essential element: the wind

Kitesurfing is practiced in winds ranging from 4 to 8 Beaufort (10 to 40 knots). Sailing becomes more difficult in light to very strong winds. You can kite from 2 Beaufort (5 knots) of wind thanks to a hydrofoil. Some foil sailors consider that it is not really kitesurfing but kitefoil or hydrofoil. The foil is an underwater plane that allows the board to be lifted out of the water and thus reduce friction, so you need less wind. In hydrofoil, it is possible to go 3 times faster than the wind speed. But this is another topic, find here our hydrofoil guide for kitesurfing