After some advice from the surfers on here...
Now i've really dialled in my Slingshot Celeritas, i'm finding that on really powered, hard bottom turns (both front and backside) the tail's sliding out for a second right in that critical moment...
Have i just got to wash off a bit of speed before i make the turn, or will softer/harder fins help?
Tried a quad board and it didn't happen - but i'm sure it was because it was on an unfamiliar board that I wasn't pushing as hard...
Any advice would be appreciated because it's getting really annoying lol...
Here's a pic about a second after it's happened - you can see the gap in the spray where i've slid out & my stance is far from pretty as i'm trying to recover.
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I have never ridden the Celeritas but my mate has one and from the looks of that super wide tail your going to need to get your back foot so far back to bury the tail.. I know with my fish surf board. riding it at speeds can be a challenge.. if you want to ride powered get a thinner board.. I ride the Ben wilson model and it cranks..
i don't kite surfboards, so can't comment on the gear, but from a sports physiology perspective (and yes, i've surfed a bit and windsurfed a lot so i know a bit about what's required to hold a rail in powerful bottom turns) your photo is very helpful in diagnosing at least some of the issue.
you need to work on your stance/crouch/squat. your butt is too high, so bend more at your knees and ankles (may require some practise/flexibility work on land) so that your torso is a bit more upright and legs still bent. this will put more load on your quadriceps (front of thigh) but will enable you to direct your weight and leg power more precisely whilst also dealing with bumps on the water. you'll also get more torque when twisting your torso from this position as you come off the top.
tommy gun can show you what i mean:
I am not very good at kiteboarding but have been surfing for a long time.
I have only seen the Celeritas in photos but the tail area looks wide for the board size and as it is super fast there probably isnt a lot of rocker through the board.
This will tend to make the board surf flat and fast but slide more than a board that has less area and lift in the tail.
Most quads, fishes and twin fins have a similar wide tail, which generally will slide in a big bottom hand turn. The thruster setup tends to hang in more and you wont see many surfers riding the other three setups in larger surf where they want that big bottom turn.
I would play around with a bigger fin combination, you may just need a larger centre fin. The local surfboard shop should be able to give you some idea, but believe me there a lot of theories about fin size and flex combinations
It's a super wide board for that sort of wave.
Where that board will excel is light wind and onshore mush, shoulder height is probably as big as it will really be comfortable in, any bigger and it will do what happened to you. Don't get me wrong if you are a good surfer you could probably use it in most conditions. But kiting makes you go faster all the time, I mean your hardly trying to gain speed, so a board that is a bit thinner and not as wide with a bit more rocker would be more suited to the situation pictured.
If that is your only choice though, you might want to consider really slowing down at the start of the wave, stall hard on your back foot at the bottom of the wave and wash off all your speed, then as it starts to wall up ride it from there. This will make it alot easier to bottom turn when you are not travelling at warp speed.
Your problem is the rail, it's simply not engaging and gripping. Even using big fins wont make up for lack of rail grip, in fact intentional tail slides [on the lip] are done by pushing the tail while keeping the board flat.
It's 95% technique and 5% equipment, as all virtually boards work but they might need an adjustment to speed and tiing
I note your really powered in the photo, it looks windy and the water quite choppy.
Try this
- aim to turn on the flat part of the bottom of the wave as you will grip much better and get more drive
- bleed some power by using full depower just before you initiate the turn and slow the board down briefly
- use a kite that pivots rather than arcs through the turn as that allows a momentary depower to initiate rail engagement
- if you've been unhooking try hooking in, because overpowered riding is the problem shared by all who unhook in >15kts
- short 20m lines will help reduce power through the arc
-if you're using straps make sure they are wide enough to have your foot right across the centre line to maintain rail pressure
- board width is obviously a factor but you can adjust your style to any board width through kite control ie wider boards work better at slower speeds, worse at high speeds
- same goes for thick rails they will give less grip on the bottom speed turns but are less likely to stall on the slower top turn. ie thicker boards work better at slower speeds, worse at high speeds
Thanks guys! Advice is all sweet :) Yep the Celeritas is built for smaller waves, and i'm thinking that's part of the problem as I seem to be doing everything advised by everyone... Washing off speed, foot right back on the tail, pivoty kite (Nomads) etc.
I guess it's just more practice!!!! Maybe not over head 30 knot days on a 7m kite
it's all in the controlled feed of initiating the bottom turn.
doesn't matter what fin or what board you ride if you know its limitations.
Any board will slide out once it hits its top speed or velocity. The only thing that will combat this problem is longer rails, deeper longer fins and narrower tail. Sure you can still "nurse" it through a turn but your always going to slide once you dig ur rail in on a small(er) board. Its a fine line between the right lenth,width,fins for the right conditions.
guys,
Its always a blend of everything yeah?
I have just switched to a North kontact this year. It gripps beautifully and holds speed through the turns. Go the narrow pin tail!
On Saying this i still struggle with style as I'm a natural footer living in the land of the howling South Wester.. It just feel so crap riding goofy despite having wave sailed that way for years
What these guys said:
, that said I am trying to get used to riding goofy at times as I think it is def better when going left in more offshore conditions.
