How to make a knee board on the cheap.

But first, why would you want to do this?

Well, we found that this was perfect when learning to kitesurf, there's no need to worry about getting your ballance on the board. Learn to edge very quickly. And you go fast. This is important, when you are learning a new sport you need to go fast.

Right, here's how to make it!

Get an old manta or any sponge with a waterproof core.

Next you want to cut a hole in the rail half way down the board. A small slit will do, make it in the center of the rail (top to bottom.)

Get some wood, 1/2 inch by 1 inch, and as long as the board is wide.

Then get a hammer.

And beat the wood through the core of the sponge, and out the other side. This took us a couple of attempts.

Now trim an inch of wood off one end and beat the wood back into the board so either end is 1/2 an inch in the sponge. Don't leave anything sharp or hard poking out the board.

Find a point on the deck above the wood and about two inches in from the rail. Now dig down through the deck of the sponge to the wood. We used a screwdriver and a chisel. Then bend a six inch nail or something similar into a hook, attach some rope to it. Use this to thread the rope under the wood batton. Use thin rope. We used a bit of Stacey's washing line - heh!

Tie the ends of the rope together.

Do the same to the other rail.

Tie some thick bungie chord between the two loops of rope.

Easy.

Those staps are new experimental ones, and in the wise words of my brother:

the new mark2 staps, its not elastic but its the best i could find, its got a crank on it to tighten it up as much as you want (the release isnt that easy but fuck it)

dan

Now thats R&D in it's purest form.