CompositesWorld
Issue link: https://cw.epubxp.com/i/632301
CompositesWorld FEBRUARY 2016 38 INSIDE MANUFACTURING » Kiteboarding is similar to windsurfng, except the rider is propelled by a kite instead of a sail, riding a board that is typically akin to a wakeboard — like a snowboard or skateboard adapted to ride on water. Te rider controls the kite by holding a bar attached to lines and may ride barefooted or can be connected to the board by means of either snowboard-like boots/bindings or windsurfer-esque footstraps. Dubbed "Te New Golf " by Forbes magazine and, at one point, the fastest growing water sport, kiteboarding will be included in the 2016 Olympic sailing events as well as the International Sailing Federation's (ISAF, South- ampton, UK) World Cup and World Championships. Tere are many diferent styles of kiteboarding. Te majors include freestyle, wakestyle, speed, course racing, jumping and kitesurfng in waves. Kiteboard design, therefore, is anything but simple. Because there could be as many board styles as there are riders, the struggle for the board manufacturer is to balance the polarity between fexibility and torsional stifness, as well as damping for control through choppy surf vs. the ability to sail quickly, and of course, always, the need to minimize weight. North Kiteboarding (Oberhaching, Germany) is a globally regarded industry leader that faces this struggle. Te company stresses the latest in materials and production techniques for its boards, as well as high performance and premium quality. It intro- duces new designs annually and tries to meet the needs of every rider, from the amateur to the team professional. But when asked, What do kite- boarders want in a board?, Dirk Hanel, a professional Fiber patch preforms help tailor kiteboard performance Automated means for laying fiber only where needed offers new potential to fine-tune torsional stiffness and flexibility to board and rider styles. Kiteboarding: The new golf? Riding something akin to a snow- board drawn through water by a kite, this fast-growing sport's practi- tioners, like the freestyler shown here, are as particular about board performance as golfers are about their clubs and they don't want their styles cramped. Board manufacturers must balance difcult-to-reconcile performance characteristics — fex- ibility, torsional stifness, vibration damping and light weight — in the same board. Source | North Kiteboarding By Ginger Gardiner / Senior Editor