the usage of kites to harness the force of the wind to propel objects through water goes back to the 19th century - the development of this concept, in the form of a sport, came to be in the second half of the 20th century. taking advantage of the developments in materials for water sports two french brothers, bruno and dominique legaignoux, developed what is now known as kite surfing.

during the 1970s, with polyethylene sails, the brothers devleoped flying lines that were capable of harnessing wind and propelling individuals on floatation devices. they patented their projects in 1984 and since then the materials have been used by several companies to develop products for the practice of kite surf and related sports.