Why are you getting a bow?

seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=34709

I weight 63 kilos ish (hehe) and ride a 9m hybrid kite, which covers me from light winds with a skim board upto about 27kts and then I have to change down to a 7m. Most girls I know that weight around the same weight as your wife ride a 9m bow or hybrid.

Just one word of advise...PLEASE don't teach her, it's the worst thing you could do. Let her find her own feet and learn from a qualified instructor and by doing that you will also give her the space she needs to learn at her pace and find confidence to ride if you may not be around. Women have a very different approach to learning, we're not so gung ho!

Hope she enjoys the sport :-) !

Caelah said...

Forgot to add that if you PM me with her email address I can put her in touch with some other female riders in Tassie that she can talk to and ride with if she chooses to continue with it after some lessons.

and send her out one of the best kiting newsletters ever made

Taught the wife(who is in the same weight catergory) to kite in a couple of weeks or so on an 2006 8m GK Sonic. You can get them relatively cheap, they have excellent safety and relaunch and are pretty good for yourself in heavier winds.

mmmm you do know you'll be minding the kids while she kites
7m is the go

Decide which kite you really want to get for strong winds, and convince her that would be the perfect kite for her. My Mrs rides a 10m rebel and will be getting a 7 or 8 soon.

As a 54kg kiter I can confirm that most of the advice above seems pretty spot on. For 13-23 knots an 8m C does me just fine.

Gday, Foot! We're in the same boat, mate. My missus is taking it up at the moment. Apparently, trying to get me and my son to pick up after oursleves, do the dishes properly, separate the whites from the coloreds (I refuse to discriminate against people based on race so why should laundry be any different), etc. was a lost cause... so at 42, she figured it was time to take up a new challenge.

My friend, an IKO instructor, is teaching her. I am not going anywhere near her nor am I going to give any input whilst she is at this delicate stage. I made the near-fatal mistake of trying to teach her how to drive 20 years ago... NEVER AGAIN! Whenever she goes out for a lesson, I make sure I'm somewhere else. It works really well this way.

Got her a used 10m rebel 07 and her board is on the way. I'm expecting the young feller to take an interest in kiting anytime soon. Good luck!

Well technically not Darren, but do you have the same 'intimate' understanding of kiteboarding from a woman's perspective as Caroline?...

Hi, I weigh 56kg and mostly use a 9m CB, though for learning I would recommend the 8m SB if you were to go with Cabrinha not sure on other brands but you want something with good depower and something that has a lightish bar pressure. Most of us girls scare a little easier and its good to know you have that depower. When I am trying to work out kite sizes from the ¡¥average rider¡¦ charts they provide I basically take the wind range I want see what they recommend and then drop down a kite size. This will work great for you if you are average sized, my partner and I have a 7, 9, 12, 16 and I am always on a kite size smaller though I don¡¦t use the 16 he will use the 7 if the wind really picks up.

And yes she will want you to launch her at least to start because she knows you will double check that it is safe etc and not just throw the kite up without looking at it, but then you probably wouldn¡¦t trust anyone else anyway ƒº

Hope she enjoys it!

Caelah said...
Hey Puppet....too funny, didn't think many guys would know about it...are you a female in disguise hehe!!!

Not funny at all imo.
Didn't you know I was on your mailout list
I think you have to blame Terrah for secretly slipping me into your coterie of kiting cuties.

And NO definately NOT female in male drag.
Im actually a bulging super macho he-man type
But Soul Fly does keep me in touch with my feminine side.
So please dont go and delete me just cos my bumps are in all the wrong places.
I love your mag.

Wife that kites???
They don't do rigging.
they don't do self launch.
they don't care if the wind doesn't wait for them to be ready.
they don't stay out long.
they don't pack up.
they go back for shower.
They chastise you for being late home(double the kit to pack up).
They do get ****ty when you haven't been able to recite back every maneuver they have managed for the session.
they use their towel to dry themselves, and yours to stand on. (in a toilet cubicle).
They have 13 pairs of bathers, all of which are either in your car, or at home. the later means they have to go shopping for another pair on the way.