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Monday 22 November 2010

kitesurfing lessons in poole with a trainer kite! the perfect xmas gift.

Kitesurfing lessons in Poole Dorset are a great xmas Gift and here at Hydr8boardsports we have the perfect Gift for you to give your Friends and Family... just go to kitesurfing lessons on the home page and purchase your gift voucher, we will post it all out with Free delivery. and it will be with you with in 48 hours of getting your order.
there is some info below about kitesurfing to give you an appetite..

thanks for reading


Kitesurfing or kite boarding is an individual primarily recreational sport. It is conducted on open areas of water, which can be shallow or deep, flat or bumpy, in preferably constant winds between 8 -50knots.
The ‘pilot’ aims to fly the kite in a pattern to produce power to pull him/herself along the surface of the water across the wind, following the same basic principles as sailing. There is no motor power involved.
The pilot wears a harness to balance his/her weight against the kite. There is no connection between the kite and the board apart from via the pilot.

Below are more details of the equipment and skills required for kitesurfing

There are many disciplines to the sport, which have different aims from speed, to waveriding to freestyle. A large part of the sport involves performing jumps, which are initiated by the pilot flying the kite in a certain way. The directions of possible travel are similar to the basic principles of sailing.
The kitesurfer is the link between the board and the kite, as the two pieces of equipment are not connected.

Skills required

The primary skill to kitesurfing is to be able to control and fly the kite competently. Once this is mastered, the board is then introduced and the pilot must initiate power in the kite at the appropriate time to pull them up and along the surface of the water. This power must be prolonged by the constant flying of the kite in the correct zone to continue moving.
Once the basics are mastered, the skills of riding, jumping, tricks, waves can then by practiced. Due to the nature and freedom of the sport, there is no end to the skills base, as it is evolving and growing continuously.

Equipment

There are several pieces of essential equipment for kitesurfing.

The Kite

This is the means of propulsion. It is wind powered, by flying within a ‘Wind Window’ where there are different zones of power/pull and neutral stability.
Kites used for kitesurfing in the majority are supported by a series of inflatable tubes, which provide a framework between which material is stretched to grab wind in the same principle as a sail. Not all kites have inflatable tubes. These can be substituted for solid battens, or a double layer of cloth, providing a cell type structure with a series of ‘Bridle/ supporting lines’ to help maintain a stable shape.
Inflatable kites tend to relaunch from the water better when crashed hence their popularity. There are three type of inflatable kite SLE, Hybrid, and C shape. These refer to the kite’s design and flying characteristics.

Control

The majority of kitesurfing kites fly on Bars. These will involve a ‘depower’ system to help control the kite. Some kites can be flown on handles. The bar option is more popular as it allows easy single-handed flying.
Lines made from non-stretch spectra type material connect the kite to the bar. Depending on the type and complexity of the kite, there can be, 2, 4 or 5 lines used to fly the kite. The majority of kites are flown on 4/5 line depowerable bars. Line length can vary between 10m and 40m. Typical length is 25m.

All bars/ kites will have some form of safety system allowing complete ejection of the kite’s power without releasing the kite completely. The basic principle of a safety system is to release the wind from the kite’s canopy by releasing tension of all but a single line, or prevent the kite’s canopy from collecting wind effectively letting it ‘flag’.
Good modern safety systems allow quick relaunch capabilities as well as instant depower.

Boards

Kiteboards can come in a wide variety of types/shapes and sizes.
The majority of the market is occupied by ‘Twin tip’ boards, which are multidirectional and symmetrical transversely through the mid point between the rider’s feet. These range in size between 1.1m and 1.6m in length, and .3m and .5m in width at the widest point. They tend to be made from snowboard type materials such as high compression airex/ divinycell cores with Hardened ABS rails. This provides flexibility, grip and durability in a board.
The second type of board is comparable to a surfboard. Typical size is between 1.5m and 2m in length, .4m to .7m in width. These are mono directional and can be ridden with or without foostraps. They are for use in waves seas.
Both boards will have a fin configuration on the bottom to provide grip through the water.

Harnesses

It is necessary to wear a harness to spread the load of the kites pull and direct it through the board into forward motion. Harnesses come in two styles.
Seat harnesses have a lower hook position, and fit around the kitesurfers bottom with leg straps coming under the legs from front to back. These give good support in learning and better leverage and performance for speed and power.
Waist harnesses have a higher hook position and fit around the rider’s lower abdomen like a weightlifters belt. These provide more flexibility and freedom of movement for tricks and manoeuvres.

Saturday 20 November 2010

WAINMAN HAWAII GAMBLER 5'10 REVIEW

For the last few years now i have been riding the Wainman hawaii Smoke 9m kitesurfing kite and Wainman Hawaii Gypsy 7m and really have found a new love for kitesurfing with these products.. When Wainman Launched there First range of Surfboards my eyes lit up! they Rode just as they looked, Fanstastic.
The First Surfboard i had from them was the 5'8 Wide and i have to tell you it was just something else.. Stable, Rode upwind like a dream was great with Straps and Strapless, and to top it all off the Top and Bottom Turns it produced were like something of the ASP tour. This board made you feel special, also for the fact i was probably the only guy on the beach with one. So it also Turned heads.

Just to Refresh your Memory this is what it looked like, Shaped by Jimmy Lewis.

Then the time came to sell this Gem of a board on, Which maybe i should not have done, as i only realized how special this board was after it left my hands, and i had to take a different stick on the water.
I have tried so many surfboards over the course of the year leading up to the release of the New Gambler / Passport and Mangum.  and really found nothing that comes close

So when the Guys came from Wainman hawaii in  July to see us here at Hydr8boardsports and they pulled out the new Gambler my eyes lit up and i melted.!! 5"10x 20 wide Quad, Thruster, and 5 Fin configuration!! i need to get myself one of those, also a great Color Scheme...





I was then told by the guys at Wainman Hawaii that there would a bit of a wait. to get my hands on one.

I know that here at hydr8boardsports we were the first to get these boards in the UK...
.
This is what Wainman Hawaii say about the Gambler

The Wainman Hawaii Gambler is a totally new and very modern, progressive shape, referring to our last year Wide model, however it is light years ahead of it. This shape was designed for everyday fun in all conditions ridden 4-5 inches shorter than your average classic board. With less length and more width this board is made for progressive and more floaty radical surfing even when the waves are not that great. Because of the 3D bottom shape, special channels in it and good amount of the rocker. This board is still very fast which means it is stable in higher speeds despite being apparently wider which is its advantage for the bottom end conditions both in the wave and wind aspect. This extra width gives this board quicker surf planing and catches more of the wave to surf it. The Gambler provides the fun factor in smaller onshore waves, however in nice side-shore bigger waves, it rocks as well because of its smart rocker. This board is like 2 in one: it can make a session in a smaller shorter onshore wave a blast and it also can serve you well in a very big side shore waves with strong wind and high speeds - because of the generous amount of rocker. The bottom shape goes from double under your front foot to single off the tail. And that makes turns really nice despite the wider width. Despite its name Gambler, it is a very safe shape as it provides lots of fun in both: crappier conditions when its special dimensions help to squeeze out surf time and in the epic days when the great hydrodynamics and proportions don't make you suffer that you ride a little fat boy. However as you can rip in those versatile conditions, you will go for it more often and the chances that you will be wet are getting higher! For sure a fun all-round board with lots of potential for flat waters as well.



In the Last Month the Uk has given me the Perfect conditions to test the Wainman Hawaii Gambler from well over head high surf with my 7m Gypsy to 2ft Wind chop on my 9m Smoke this board does what it says on the Tin..
My First decent session was at Sandbanks after a very heavy Storm, the wind was side shore from the Right, Not my Favourite Tack as its my Back Hand, but a great chance to hit some welll over head Hig sets on the Gambler.
5"10 i was riding it in the Quad fin strapped Set up, as i wanted the extra drive to keep getting back upwind to be able to Hit the sections. i wanted to ride.
First off the Quad Fin Set up works super well, the Drive of the Fins is perfect, coupled with the Extra width it made the board so stable, I think that anyone could jump on this Directional  and have a blast, you dont get any of that Nose High action if the Back foot is too far back, which is something Newbies find an issue with when jumping on Directionals for the First time. The Wide Flat Deck is also a pleasure as Wainman Hawaii have really thought out the Deck grip, positioning, when you buy the Gambler you get a selection of deck pads i actually put them all on. I really hate Wax as i cant be bothered to keep applying it every session, it seems to become very slippy as your using you feet far more than you would if you were surfing. There is nothing more Frustrating than have great waves to ride and realizing your wax is no good!..
Back to the Ride, Smooth in the Wind chop aswell, the board just glides over it, there seems to be the perfect balance of Weight and Flex in the board, some EPS style Surfboards can be either 2 lite and soft, or too stiff, Sean Ordonez has got this dialed in..

Picking up swell, as soon as the Gambler Finds a Wave its away, the board just picks up speed, excaclty how you would expect a Surf board to when paddaling into a wave. again this is done to the Rocker and bottom shape, and also that extra Drive from the Fins. This is something i really loved as too many Kitesurf boards relie on the kites power to drive the board on to the wave face, this allows you to really park the kite and concentrate on throwing your top and bottom turns.

With the Quad fin setup i was supprised how tight i could get my top and bottom turns, i was expecting far bigger arching turns but the fins just let the board Pivot which was great news..
it basically turned like a Tr-Fin.. but with all the added extras of a Quad.

I have not tried it in the Tri-Fiin configuration as yet but will do when i head to Barbados.. in January. Stay Tuned for Go Pro action shots..

All in all i think the Gambler is going to be the Finest 5"10 on the Market, its a Credit the Wainman Hawaii Team as they really do put there time and effort into getting there Products right before releasing onto the Market.

There is No bullshit Marketing Hype, So many Brands think that By Marking your Surfboard Look Nice, (by giving it a wood Finish) that it will ride good..


Just come try the boards and you will be Dazzled, if you can find i better board on the Market than the Gambler please post your reviews.

Just a little Video here to keep your appetite wet for the Wainman Gambler..


Bertrand Fleury - Indonesia 2010 from WainmanHawaii on Vimeo.

Gambler 5"10 with Go pro HD..


Wednesday 10 November 2010

RUSTY WIRED SERIES WITH HB3 TECH

Here at Hydr8boardsports we are pleased to be given the first shipment of the rusty Wired Hoodie.. this is so cool it basically a Hoodie with a set of headphones built into it... you have seen it here first at Hydr8boardsports.. come on down and grab one while stocks last.

Monday 1 November 2010