looking for advice

Hello,

I've just made my firts steps on kite surf this summer and I would like to buy some equipment. What would you guys out there recommend ? I'm a beginner and I started with 12m2 F-One

Thanks

Hi L, Looks like you are further than me if you have kitesurfed already. My steps are: 1). Learn kite as much as poss with many hours learning, confidence building, practice, reading and understanding. 2). Mess about on mountain board to get legs, feet and kite working together. 3). Lessons should then be a faster learning curve. 4). Then buy kit.

As far as what kit to go for, read plenty online (www.kitesurfingschool.org) to find out the type of kit available out there, and what you need. The best equipment advice is usually from the users, not the manufacturers (though they have all the technical info). Online classified ads often have a 'wanted' section that will also give you an idea of what is hot. Advancements in newer equipment is worth a thought. You will find many people have their own personal preferences, needs and requirements. A few clear winners should then emerge for you. Maybe you could have a go with other peoples at your local beach? I do.

Don't rush into anything. It is the second mouse who gets the cheese!!

Happy flying. Paul Thompson www.PixelWizards.co.uk

Hello, I work at a kiteboarding school in North Carolina, and this is a very popular question. The normal buying pattern for kiteboarding equipment is starting out on a medium sized kite, around 12m, and a bigger board 150cm+. After you play around with that and get to where you can ride in a little more wind you will want to get more stuff. A larger kite is usually next like a 16m or bigger depending on your weight. Then A small board like a 120-130cm so that you can hold down more power. The last thing is usually like a 9m kite or something small for those really windy days. As far as brands and what to buy and all it depends on how far you are going to take the sport. If you are really into it, and know that you will get good quickly then I would go with something a little more high performance to start with. Cabrinha is a good middle of the road brand to start with. I ride my blacktip about 99% of the time, its very stable and has good low wind grunt. Cabrinha has three main kites, the Access, the CO2, and the Blacktips. The Access is alow aspect ration 4 line that can be converted to a 2 line by adding a bridle (just stick with the 4 line system), it is really good for beginners, but lacks the upwind ability of a higher aspect ration kite. The CO2 is a medium aspect ratio, a lot of riders who prefer more bar pressure lke this kite, its really good for doing wakestyle tricks, but still goes upwind well. The blacktip is the highest aspect ratio that they make. It has a big wind range and a hugh amount of hangtime, it also goes upwind like a champ. Pretty much every company out there follows the same sort of system with their kites, offering low, medium and high aspect ratio kites. Which translates to beginner intermediate, and advanced. Companies to stay away from. Flexifoil-they are very slow kites and seem to have had a lot of problems with their rigging system. Gaastra had some seem problems this year, but most of it has been worked out, just make sure you buy a new one, they are good kites other than that. Naish had a bad first run of kites as wellI think it was with their Aeros this year. Other than the manufacturers are pretty close as far as quality, with the more expensive ones usually having a little more advantage, like always. Let me know if I can help with more details. The store that I work at usually has some pretty good deals, so let me know what you are going to get and I can tell you about what it should cost.

Anymore question? Post me, I am starting to check here daily.

Nick

Thanks for the advice. Only thing is I never know when I'm gonna be able to take lessons again. I guess you're theorically right, thing is, practicing alone or with a friend might be my only option to learn really and to enjoy the sport in a few month. It would be like snowboard, I would just go out and rent a snowboard. But nobody rents yet...

I'll keep you posted about my experiences !!!

Thanks a lot.

L.

(www.kitesurfingschool.org)

Thanks Nick,

I got another answer from Paul advising to practice a lot first and then buy. I guess it is a reasonable option. As I was saying , my only way of learning is probable to practice alone (safely) with my own equipment since there are no rentals. I guess I'm looking for a complete equipment 4 lines (kite, board, and so on). I have a small budget though. I guess I wouldn't spend more than 1000 USD. Oh , I live in France. You guys ship overseas ?

Best.

L.

We do ship overseas, and we have kite and board packages in that pricerange, but in all honesty its probably going to be cheaper to just find something there, maybe a new kite and a used board. As far as renting some stuff goes you might keep a lookout. With more people/retailers/schools getting into it there should be some out your way that will start to rent. We do at our shop and it works very well for us. We do require that you have taken a lesson from a PASA certified school and are a member of PASA. there are some other organizations out there that might be similar to PASA in your area, so check them out.