Newbie Kite help(please)

[shogun1024]

I'm new to kiteboarding and would like some knowledgable input. I've been flying sport and traction kites for about 6 years and am comfortable with the flying and want to get in the water. From input and research I want to get used C kites probably fusion 1 or 2's I don't mind building a quiver for the wind range. But here lies my question, I weigh 17 stone and am 6'2" what would you guys suggest for sizes for winds ranging from 10-30 knots for my size and what size board? Thanks for all your help.

[aevans692]

Hi

 

if your just learning the go with a bow as you will progress a lot faster than with a c , c kites are less forgiving and are more responsive less de-power ( c-kite = loads less de-power)

 

Bow kites are more forgiving , easier to just get up and ride , most have slower turning speed which is what you need when learning..

 

size think you would prob need 10m as high wind kite and say a 15-16m as a low wind kite.

 

For a board maybe go for something around 136 . you want something with early plaining and forgiving to learn with .

[KiteItRight]

Hi

 

if your just learning the go with a bow as you will progress a lot faster than with a c , c kites are less forgiving and are more responsive less de-power ( c-kite = loads less de-power)

 

Bow kites are more forgiving , easier to just get up and ride , most have slower turning speed which is what you need when learning..

 

size think you would prob need 10m as high wind kite and say a 15-16m as a low wind kite.

 

For a board maybe go for something around 136 . you want something with early plaining and forgiving to learn with .

 

 

hmm i disagree but il expain.

Sle kites are fine, they ar great to learn witn and there is nothing wrong with you buying one, but if you are already interested in getting a c kite then i would go ahead with that you will be much better off. HOWEVER the fusion2 is one of the more gnarly c kites, even though its a safe kite, it has very little depower in it and a narrow windrange, meaning it wil drag you all over the place, and you wil probably need about 4 sizes to fill the whole wind range.

 

if you want a second hand c kite then the only one i would recomened without any hesitation is the north vegas 2006. its is a superb kite, i would give it to any rider new or advanced. the depower and wind range are superb. there was a guy out toay on a 12m 06 when i was on my 7 very well powered.

 

the wind range, the stability and the depower are all there, the vegas 06 is the perfect kite to learn on, and does not decieve you into a false sense of security, you cant go wrong.

 

a fusion will put you off for life and wil rip your head while doing it

[shogun1024]

any other opinions they are all well appreciated

[g3legacy]

yeah, i tried to learn with a fusion. I wont bother trying that again. I have an ion 2 now. Id recommend some depower.

[keyrb101]

my friend is 17 stone and he is often out on a 7m or 9m, he rides his 9m in

22ish knots and up, so be carefull not to go too big. 14m and 9m or 10m would be good sizes. any bigger than 14m is going to be seriously slow and not much fun.

Bow or C??? most of us started on C kites and got on just fine, the bow kites are great for learning and have a bigger windrange, hybrid kites like the Vegas as mentioned would be great as well, full on C-kites like the Torch and Fuel maybe would not be ideal but would still ok to use in the correct windstrength. The difference with the bows is that they have more usable windrange and have a very simple safety so for learning they are perfect.

 

9m and 13m waroo are cheap as chips and would be an excellent setup.

10m and 14m north vegas (06) or rebel very good aswell.

naish boxer sle 9m and 12m very grunty kites.

[aevans692]

the Vegas is a c- kite . . . not a hybrid .

 

 

If you want to learn as easy, quick as possible then you should go bow. like mentioned you can learn on any kite but a bow kite will speed up the learning process a bit , most learners now will learn on a bow..

 

C-kites are really aimed at the more inter-advanced rider and most if not all are very freestyle focussed.

 

You will be better off with something a bit more tame and forgiving, but dont take my word for it , just ask some iko kite schools what they teach on , and you will have your answer..

[alastairy2k]

Learning on C kites is like learning to drive a manual car.

 

Learning on a bridled / bow kite is like learning to drive an automatic car.

 

There's no right or wrong, but worth bearing in mind what were learners taught on in the 5+ years before the invention of the bridled kite?

 

I think with 9/12/15m Fusions and a 135-40 board around 145 wide, you'll be sorted from 14knots upwards.For more bottom end get a bigger fatter board.

[Dragon Danny]

ion 2's

 

 

Go Bow/SLE, fair enough people 5+ years ago were taught on C kites...

 

things have changed and advanced to allow a more friendly learning process..

 

Also massively depends on your budget dude!

 

Try a load of kites and see which you like..

 

I enjoy the option of huge depower the Hybrids offer.

[POT BELLY]

I'm new to kiteboarding and would like some knowledgable input. I've been flying sport and traction kites for about 6 years and am comfortable with the flying and want to get in the water. From input and research I want to get used C kites probably fusion 1 or 2's I don't mind building a quiver for the wind range. But here lies my question, I weigh 17 stone and am 6'2" what would you guys suggest for sizes for winds ranging from 10-30 knots for my size and what size board? Thanks for all your help.

 

You've opened up a can of worms with that question, and you won't get people to agree. I've read the replies and I don't agree with some of them. Speaking from experience, I got my first kite (Flexi Bullet) in july 2005 and with it a board and buggy followed. I also got a kitesurfing lesson as a gift and took it in October 2005, well to say I was bitten by the bug would be an understatement!! In March 2006 I purchased my first LEI's, a 9.4 Airush Lift Pro and a 7.4m Lift, high aspect ratio, 4 lines with very little depower. But I got on with and after a few good spankings (un injured) I was up and running and loving it. So you have more experience flying kites than I do. I have sold on my lifts, still have the 16m though and a 9m Atom 08, I got this as it replaced my 8-10 and 12m c kites. I would not change anything I have done so far and that includes buying high aspect ratio c kites to learn on. What I'm getting at is, don't be put off with peoples opinions on high aspect ratio c lites there are some very good ones still to be had and someone has already commented on the North Vegas, due to your weight your high wind kite would be higher than mine and likewise your light wind kite. Make sure you know the differance between a Bow, Sle (supported leading edge) and a C kite. As a begginer I think you'll struggle to get the most from a bow kite.

 

As for a board, my first was an old Litewave 148. It was a real plank, but none the less it got me going. I still have a 148 board as my light wind weapon but have a 130 for higher winds. Again at your weight you probabily won't need to go much higher than a 148 but be cautious when getting a smaller board, I doubt you'll need one if your just starting out.

 

Good luck and have fun, but most of all stay safe.

[shogun1024]

I appreciate your comments all of you, I just don't want to get bored with the kites I get initially, I currently have a bullet 2.5, bullet 4.5, blade 6.6 that have been flying for 5-6 years and am getting a little bored, I buggy but my beach that I frequent is getting really crowded so I don't get as much time as I used to. I've been flying dual and quad line stunters for almost 20 years and as far as flying dynamics I have no questions. The main reasons I wanted a C kite is for the big air and the main reason I wanted the Fusions is that in the USA there are not that many KiteSurfers and the largest segment of used kites are the fusions

I managed to find a 18.5 fusion for 75 pounds($150) and a 10 for about the same I haven't purchased either and really want a 12. I do really appreciate all of everyones help though. I have only seen 2 people surfing where I'm from and have been interested for many years, this was about the most knowledgable place I could turn to with peoples input. Thanks again to everyone for your input

[shogun1024]

bump

[vinny]

As the guys say people have diferent opinions about different kites so here's my input ;@) I got a 2006 11m GK Sonic about 15 months ago and have never looked back, its a fantastic kite and i love flying it. Its an SLE kite and has hardly any bar pressure and great safety system's on it too. I have since bought the 2007 8m and 17m sonics which are of fantastic build quality and very user friendly. They can be adjusted for your own riding preferrence more or less bar pressure sharper more responsive turning and also has 100% depower capability. They have massive wind range, good upwind performance and if you want, generate huge amounts of power very quickly. I have not upgraded the 11m simply because i dont feel the need to. You could pick up an 11m with a bar upgrade for around 250 quid. But i think you would be better off with the 14m and wind range for you would be from around 13mph to 26mph gping by your size and weight !! you could go with the 11m but obviously wind range would be around 15mph to 30mph. I really cant say enough about these kites. BUT in saying that a friend of mine has north rebels and he loves em.

[noelpilot83]

Got to be honest, I try not to be too biased but from what you've said you're a classic case for some foils!!!

 

Water relaunchable foils do exist contrary to appearances at most kite spots lol I fly Flysurfers and love them, older ones are very safe and big range of sizes available for reasonable money. 13m psycho 2 for example goes for £250.

 

Like some of the others have said you've just got to try and see what you like, inflatables are a mine field these days there's so many of them it makes forums like this worth their weight in gold!!!

 

cheers

 

Noel

 

 

I appreciate your comments all of you, I just don't want to get bored with the kites I get initially, I currently have a bullet 2.5, bullet 4.5, blade 6.6 that have been flying for 5-6 years and am getting a little bored, I buggy but my beach that I frequent is getting really crowded so I don't get as much time as I used to. I've been flying dual and quad line stunters for almost 20 years and as far as flying dynamics I have no questions. The main reasons I wanted a C kite is for the big air and the main reason I wanted the Fusions is that in the USA there are not that many KiteSurfers and the largest segment of used kites are the fusions

I managed to find a 18.5 fusion for 75 pounds($150) and a 10 for about the same I haven't purchased either and really want a 12. I do really appreciate all of everyones help though. I have only seen 2 people surfing where I'm from and have been interested for many years, this was about the most knowledgable place I could turn to with peoples input. Thanks again to everyone for your input

[kiteingcolin]

if you go for old style c kites you will have a ball, i did, and loved every second, being draged for hundreds of yards out of control and screaming yeharrrrr, what a laugh, what a buzz!! nothing bad to say apart from the couple of beach bashings i endured and the broken tib and fib with a 5 hr operation to sew my foot back on, it was brilliant and apart from the snapped off foot i would do it all again,

 

5 line kites then came along and life got so much easier, relaunch was a doddle and self landing was more intresting,

 

then sle/bow kites came along, the first generation were shiitee, but were brilliant as well, the next year they were much better, and now they are a world apart from the first ones, now its easier to learn and much safer, self launching and landing are simple, chance of a hospital visit due to hard impact are now much reduced, but not eliminated,

 

your budget, if low, might mean a old c kite, great! but be carefull,

if your flush then get an 07/08 sle /bow, much quicker to progress on, less risk to body,

 

C's rock, bows rock,

[gazxtreme]

Very nice contribution Colin