Hey everyone.. Me and a few mates are all about to start kitesurfing but we have no idea what sort of gear to get. The thing is I have been to a few shops but I dont know if they are just trying to flog me the stuff they have got or if they are actually trying to help me out. Ive been recomended a cabrinha switchblade 3 among a few others for the kite, and a 150cm board.. I just wanna know sme general information about starting up and buying gear. Plus does anyone know where I can get some cheap lessons on the gold coast, we dont mind if theyre professional lessons or not.
Thanks heaps

The better the instructor the less you will get hurt when learning... Prepare for pain, kitesurfing is pain.

Hi Benjji,

I was recently in the same situation until i got talking to few guys on the beach.

I got on to this website www.kitesurfinggoldcoast.com.au and everything happened from there, lessons etc.. And they are full of knowledge and helped me out with a quality 2nd hand kite.

Know i am a total addict, last sat and sunday i spent all day down the broadwater hanging out for the wind. Hope this helps you out.

Can't wait to get some good wind soon. Totally hooked.

you cant really go wrong with late model kites (07 or better) that are in decent condition.

Good idea to just focus on getting the lessons done first rather than worrying about what gear. By then you will know a lot more and the instructor will give you good guidance.

O said...

Good idea to just focus on getting the lessons done first rather than worrying about what gear. By then you will know a lot more and the instructor will give you good guidance.

[Sigh.. ] yes O is right- get the lessons and trash someone elses gear, then worry about what kite you should get.

You might notice despite some direct requests from yourself for the info, only one person is flogging brands in this thread. Rule one is never listen to anyone on this forum who recommends a brand. Most of the time it will either be someone with a vested interest in you buying it or someone who has likely never tried any other brand than the one they are using - they might be happy (or even passionate) with what they have, but can rarely give a balanced opinion. That said you do get some good reviews in the gear section, but use common sense. Talk to your instructor and your shop.

Once you have some lessons under your belt you will have a better idea on what you will need to learn on, what the differences between kites are and why a type of kite is better to focus on than a brand when you are starting out.

That said I believe an SB3 would be fine for a beginner. Is it the best? Only you can make that judgement ultimately and I have no idea - I fly another brand that also has very good beginner kites in its range - and have never flown Cabrinha.

Get the lessons Benji, get the lessons!

Listen to Big wave Dave,

Once again he has hit the nail on the head! He like a lot of us has learnt the hard way!

Daveo I remember when you did all of the above lol

Man I used scratch my head and laugh at some of the kites and boards you used to bring down to Golden beach that you had bought from e-bay.
It made good entertainment watching you get pulled around by those those high aspect kites.

You used to be so proud of the "bargan" that you had picked up untill you realised that it was cheap for a reason.

I still remember all the diferent crazy saftey set ups and line changes that you used to come up with!

But I got to say all those hard and some times deadly times did make you the kiter and mentor that you are today.

See you on the water soon dave

Cheers

Luke

Just write down on a bit of paper what you do now with your time off, because when you start kiting you will forget the past and become obsessed like the rest of us.

Get in with a good crew, your kiter mates will become your best ones! They will probably save you a lot of time and money too.

Resist the urge and don't rush in and buy gear(just because you can!). Your first kit will never be your last(and normally becomes your biggest regret).

Welcome to you noob.....remember .....this lifestyle was YOUR choice....

You still have the chance to take the blue pill and go back to the mundane...MR Anderson....

Yeah I did a lesson on saturday.. man im glad i got one, I cant believe I was thinking about just going out and buying some gear and getting into it. Its a lot different to what I thought but it was so much fun. I definitely have a better idea on what sort of gear to get now too.

The guys from the shop on machinery drive south tweed.. not sure what the name of the shop is but i think the guys name was motty..