Hi, my name is Chris Middleton. I’ve been kiting and shaping boards for over 20 years.
The new trend in kite surfing is the KI-te specific a-LAIA. A kiteboard based on the origins of Wooden Hawaiian surfboards with the addition of some nose rocker.
Over in Maui, they’re calling it the Cadillac Cruiser because it’s super comfortable & easy access for anyone.
It hacks upwind like a train & it works from 6 to 35 knots, so it’s a session saver if the wind dies on you.
I’ve shaped over 200 of these boards. I’m going to demonstrate through this short series of videos how to make a DIY Kite Alaia.
They are pretty easy to build & you can download 3 proven outline shapes from the site. I’m going to show you how to make a rockered blank & shape a board from A to Z.
We’re going to use two sheets of 10mm marine-plywood. The cost is about $100/100€ & some of your free time. I will demonstrate how to curve the blank using a spacer, 8 screw clamps, some expanding polyurethane glue and a flat surface. The reason why these boards work so well is their long straight rail length, which allows it to hack upwind easily, combined with the flex in the board making it super comfortable.
Okay, let’s get started…
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