Gday all,

I'm a longtime windsurfer looking to get into kiting initially for those light wind days.
I've never tried it before and am a little put off by the retailers telling me I need all brand new gear (~$3000) because the older stuff is unsafe to learn on. Can anyone agree/disagree and maybe offer some advice on what to get and what to avoid from the second hand market. I weigh about 85kg. Any help appreciated,
Cheers.

Hi Oli,

First let me muddy the waters by explaining that I am a retailer and school owner.

There is partial truth in what has been told to you ..... partial! The gear you can buy 2nd hand should be priced at around 60% of the value of the new gear in the first year and will drop about a further 10% per year, each year after that. So 2nd hand gear can be quite cheap. Finding appropriate learning gear is another topic all together. Lots of high performance gear available as all the hotshots upgrade every year, and they're desperate to sell so many will tell you it is "great learner gear".

As for safety, the latest stuff is always evolving and getting better every year so the later the model, the more refined and tested the safety systems and flying characteristics. Having said that, most kites of 2007, 2008 and now 2009 are perfectly fine for learning and their safety systems are quite good and wind envelopes are quite broad. There are a couple which are more dodgy than others but thats not for me to say.

Everyone is biased to their own gear so you will never get an unbiased opinion, even from most average punters. Try and find someone you can trust and get a heading in the right direction and then go for it, if you take this advice you wont go too far wrong.

Good luck and welcome to the sport.

Good winds,



Watch out for some of the budget/lesser known brands as their safety systems may not be as neat as the big name brands.

tmiddled said...

Also, ensure you start on a bow or hybrid kite.

erm no. Nothing wrong with learning on a newer C-kite. You will probably progress faster on a more beginner-friendly style of kite however, mainly due to easier relaunch and being more stable in the air.

To the OP, if you buy second hand, there are plenty of bargins to be had. You can probably sort yourself out with a kite for about $1600 ($800 kite + $600 board + $200 brand new harness). Depending on your location in Australia will determine sizes.

oli37 said...

Gday all,

I'm a longtime windsurfer looking to get into kiting initially for those light wind days.
I've never tried it before and am a little put off by the retailers telling me I need all brand new gear (~$3000) because the older stuff is unsafe to learn on. Can anyone agree/disagree and maybe offer some advice on what to get and what to avoid from the second hand market. I weigh about 85kg. Any help appreciated,
Cheers.

Despite the fact that you're a poley, I assume you have some strung out friends-so have a chat to them about what's real and what's hype. STRONGLY suggest at least an initial lesson from a certified instructor-and, as others have said, nothing wrong with used gear so long as you purchase fully informed-be careful there are other starters that have been shafted by sellers selling them totally inappropriate equipment for their skill level.

Good luck, and welcome.

I would suggest holding off on purchasing until you have had your lessons. Things will be a lot clearer to you then and your instructor should be able to give you a heads up on what second hand kites are appropriate.

At the very least you will be familiar with the kite you had lessons on and if suitable can look for a second hand model.

If you are deadset on a second hand deal but are unsure of its suitability, post it on here - you will get plenty of opinions but if it is a bad choice you will be told pretty quickly.