Water start tip/question

[Travis Cook]

I'm feeling a little bit rusty as yesterday was my first time out in a while. so I have a question for all you more experienced folks. on my Waterstart, after I do my down stroke and the kite is turning to travel up, I'm getting a Lull. Pause in the power and climb and it stalls me out. If the wind is strong I can usually direct the kite more into the window and keep coming out of the water and building speed. but if the wind is light, I will sink back to the water and have wasted the down stroke.

I don't know if I'm trying to force myself out of the water on the down stroke. Maybe I need to just generate the power and then let the up stroke be the power that pulls me out and gets me planing? In any case, I stall a bit as a kite is starting its up stroke. Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Don Losee]

Travis,
Sounds like you may have your kite trimmed wrong, and that you are sheeted in (have the bar pulled all the way to you) as the kite strokes back up to 12. Kahoonas don't stall they want to fly. I know your gear. It my be that you just need to rig on the first knot. Or maybe we can just do some bar adjustments. Come to ULLB tomorrow.
Don

[Chris G]

I actually remember having the same issue when I started out. My problem was that when I stood up on the board I wasn't edging hard enough up wind to create resistance on the kite. This made it slog, and stall, and seem to lack power. I would then try to hold the bar in all the way which instead of helping the problem, just made the kite fall faster. As soon as I relaxed the bar, and found my edge I was tacking hard up-wind and the kite was perfect.
It could also be, as Don said, a tuning issue. Take him up on the trimming offer.
-Chris

[Travis Cook]

Thanks for the tips and offer. I'll try to meet up sometime this week. I know I'm not sheeting in while the kite is climbing. but I do think maybe its just an experience thing of either going too far downwind too fast on the start and stalling it, or cutting too hard upwind and not coming out of the water. Theres a perfect balance there of just enough upwind to keep that board pressure, but still enough downwind to get up and planing. Great tips.