Putting together your new kitesurfing twin-tip board could be a bit intimidating, especially if you consider that there may be over twenty (20) pieces of hardware to install and over thirty (30) pre-drilled holes on the board. Sounds confusing? No worries! Let me walk you through this process, one step at the time.
Which side of the board is the top side?
You may have noticed that your twin-tip kitesurfing board is not flat. The board is bowed to one side in the middle. This bulge should be facing the bottom, away from you, and the tips of the board should be pointing upward (somewhat). Another way to tell the top from the bottom is to notice where the wholes are in the mid-section of the board, as they are not going all the way through the board. These wholes should be facing upwards.
Left or right?
Your board is symmetrical, so the left side is a ‘reflection’ of the right side. But which side is left and which one is right? There are several clues here. First, if there are some writhings on the board then it’s very likely that they should be readable to you when you have this board on. (Although we’ve seen some exceptions). Some boards have the heel side of the board a bit wider (or longer), especially light wind boards. And here is the most solid way to tell the left side from the right one. There will be four groups of holes on your board designed to hold your foot straps. Every group usually has two or three holes aligned in one straight line, usually somewhat parallel to the length of the board. Two groups on the right side and two on the left. The two groups that are closer to the center of the board should be positioned more towards the front side of the board, the toeside in other words. And the two outside groups of holes should be located more towards the heelside, or the back of the board. If this is the case then the left side of the board is to your left now, and the right is to your right.
Mounting foot straps
Stay with me on this one as this part will need some extra patience. First of all, however you decide to mount your foot straps, make sure that you mount them symmetrically. The left side of your board should be a reflection of the right side of it. Even though it’s technically possible to attach straps in an unbalanced position, this will turn your board from twin-tip into a mutant, and if this is not your intention then you should make your board symmetrical, as a true twin-tip.
Now let’s mount the straps. You see, each strap is attached to the board with two screws. One screw goes to the big-toe-side of the strap and the other one to the small-toe-side. You may have a few holes on each side of each strap and the question is which pair to use? The position of the big-toe-side screw does not have to match the small-toe-side. The left better be matching the right, but talking about one given footstrap — you can pick any combination of holes to mount it. The important aspect here is that your feet must be comfortable. Some people keep their feet more parallel to one another, others — more at an angle with their toes more apart and heels more together, and this angle can be managed by choosing different openings on the strap. If not sure at the moment – use the middle ones and bring a screwdriver with you to the beach to make adjustments as needed (if needed). There is yet another reason to have multiple openings on each strap. Depending on the width of your board you may prefer to slide both straps forward, towards the toe-side of the board, or back, towards the heel-side. Here is one simple test. If at the end of your session your shin (tibialis anterior) muscle is tired and sore then you may want to move both straps back, running bolts through the openings that are closer to your toes. And if you feel that you transfer your weight on your toes during the ride then slide the straps forward and use the heel-side holes.
Ok, this may seem too complex at the moment, and here is the good news: you will not feel much of a difference in this heel-toe slide until you start edging your board and riding upwind, so, just use the middle openings for now.
Well, it was only one part of the challenge, now you are looking at the board and there three more sets of holes on each side to choose from: the outermost, the middle, and the innermost. Two factors here that will impact your decision: your height and stability of your stance. The taller you are — the wider your stance should be, and if you are tall, you may aim for the outermost set of openings, which also will give you more stability. One way to tell that you went too wide is if you feel discomfort in your pelvis or in your ankles after an extended ride. So, unless you are extremely tall like me, use the middle set of holes on the board to mount your straps for now and make adjustments as you go.
Oh, and I assume that you have no problem telling the heel side from the toe side of each strap. If in doubt, the toe side usually has some sort of a ridge you can hold on to with your toes and the heel side should be more flat. Telling left strap from the right one should be natural to you.
Attaching the handle
There three ways to go about the handle. If the handle has some printing on it, like a brand name or something else, then it’s better is you attach it the way that you can read when the board is on. This will help you on a subconscious level to figure out the correct position of your board in rough weather conditions. Not a critical detail, but it may play in your favor. And the third option is to leave it off altogether, as you can grab your board by a foot strap or by the edge. The only sure time when you better have that handle is when you start doing board-offs in the mid-air while jumping. It’s easier with a handle since it’s attached to the center of mass of the board.
Attaching fins
Did you know that you can ride without them? We even have to take them off when riding in an obstacle park! But if you want to attach them here is how. Chances are all fins the board came with are of the same size. If this is the case then the only question you should have now is how to position each fin. Where is the front of each fin? Real simple: the pointy side is the front, so the left side fins should be facing the right side fins with their ‘fronts’. In other words, all pointy tips should be pointing towards the center of the board.
Additional tips for you
One more piece of advice before you start assembling your board, get a “threadlocker”. It’s a thick liquid or a paste-like substance auto mechanics use to secure bolts and nuts. Your board will be vibrating during the ride and threaded connections may become loose, but the threadlocked will help you secure all bolts in their places. It also will reduce exposure of metal to the saltwater and will extend the lifetime of your hardware. HERE is the one that I am using and showing in the video, yet there is a variety on the market, pick the flavor you like.
Do inspect your board for loose screws and tighten them up every now and then. Also, even stainless steel parts tend to rust in the aggressive saltwater, so, it’s a good idea to have a few spare bolts in your toolbag.
This turned out to one long post. I hope I covered most of the stuff here, but if you have additional questions, comments, or recommendations please share them down below.
