| Batten: | A piece of rigid or semi-rigid material (usually carbon, plastic or some form of metal) which adds stiffness or shape to the kite or sail. |
| Beam reach: | Sailing in a direction perpendicular (at a 90° angle) to the wind. A beam reach is usually the fastest point of sail. A beam reach is a point of sail between a broad reach and a close reach. |
| Bear off (Bear away): | Change your direction of travel to a more downwind direction. In kiteboarding, this is acomplished by pointing the front foot downwind more and releasing the edge. |
| Beaufort: | Scale of wind strengths from 0 to 12. Named after the English Admiral, Francis Beaufort, who invented it. 0 = no wind whereas 12 = hurricane. |
| Bladder: | An inflatable inner tube in a kite or strut used to give the kite shape and floatation. Bladders must be pumped up by a hand pump or mechanical inflator.
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| Body Dragging: | Being pulled through the water by the kite without standing on your board, usually on your stomach and often without a board. There is are three main types of body dragging; upwind, upwind with the board and downwind. |
| Boom: | Another name for a control bar. Retained from windsurfing or sailing.
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| Brake lines: | Flying lines attached to the kite to slow the kite or reduce its pull in strong winds. Brake lines lead to back attachment points on the trailing edge of foil kites. |
| Bridle: | Lines that form the junction between kite and the flying lines. Bridle lines are sometimes called shroud lines. |
| Broad reach: | Sailing in a somewhat downwind direction. A broad reach is a point of sail between a beam reach and going straight downwind. |
| Buggy: | A 3-wheeled vehicle with large inflatable wheels designed to be pulled by a kite. Steerable by the feet, these buggies are usually used on hard packed sand. |
| Buggying: | Using a power kite to pull a small land-based 3 wheeled vehicle. Normally the wheels are inflated and the rider is in seated position. |