I also posted this in the kiting forum. I have been kiting for 10 years and I'm curious to hear from those that have done both disciplines about which one handles gusty up and down wind conditions better.

I recently moved to canberra(I know what your thinking, but it was a good move for my family). Canberra does have a lot of wind but it is always gusty and up and down. I think probably too up and down for kiting.
Yesterday I was down at the lake and the wind seemed to be every where from 5-20 knts, My concern about taking the kite out in these conditions is that during the lulls I would drop my kite. If I was on a sailboard at least I would stay afloat.
I see quite a few people sailboarding here but no kiters, which probably answers my question. So how much fun is sailboarding in gusty flukey conditions? Is it worth the investment in time and money for these kinds of conditions or should I just be content with kiting down the coast once every few weeks during the summer season.

One more question about saiboarding, A few people have said that windsurfing is not worthwhile in light winds, but I have seen sailboarders ripping along in conditions that I would really be struggling to kite in, <10 knots, these guys are obviously using specialist light wind gear,what is the bottom threshold for light wind sailboarding? >5knots? and is this any fun?

That's a big wind range 5 to 20.

From the safety point of view, you could get a big windsurf slalom board and a big slalom sail. It is not beginners gear though. You would get a good workout with it after you had got up to intermediate level at windsurfing.

Freestyle gear is even more of a workout and requires even more skill.

That leaves getting a big freeride board and a big sail, which would still keep you fit and you could learn on it.

I can't see it being more fun than a 70cm wide kite raceboard or a 65cm slalom board and a kite that stays in the air as long as possible and can deal with gusts. The wind range you mention might suit a 14.5m OR Flite or a 14.5m BRM Cloud, but you know far more about kiting than I do, so I'm just saying that is what comes to mind for me.

Thanks for the replies. My gut feel is that kiting on LBG isn't really feasible, however I could be wrong and I will experiment with it. I think though that ultimately sailboarding will be more enjoyable and safer on the lake. So long term my goal is to learn how to sailboard. But that will have to wait untill next year though I just spent a sh!t load on a new MTB and the wife wont let me buy new gear right now :( .

Is there an option in Canberra to learn sailboarding on the cheap, say within a university club where I can utilise gear without having to outlay lots of cash? or is my best option to just buy some old second hand cheap gear, get a lesson, and then give it a bash?