Welcome Dom - great sport but fair warning, it is pretty addictive
12m is probably what you would want 90 per cent of the time on the GC, @ 75kg I run a 10m with a surfboard most of the time
Variety and condition of used gear is pretty huge, older than 2012 theres a good chance of some leakage, good repairs though are basically as good as new.
You couldn't go wrong dropping into surffx and having a chat to the crew there about lessons and kit, maybe lessons and then think about kit, trainers can be dangerous as well
have a squid at kitebud.com, there is a fair bit to learn to be safe

2007 gear? Jesus.

I would say since 2013/2014 there isn't that much difference anymore but comparing even a 2011 kite to a 2014 kite there is a HUGE difference. Do yourself the favour and don't buy an old kite.

Hey Dom

I weigh 96kg and i purchased a 12m Cabrinha switchblade as my first kite which got me out on the water in wind 18 knots and above. Basically if there wasnt green arrows i didnt bother going out. In hindsight i could have used a 13m kite comfortably and used more depower should the winds pick up. I found with my 12m that when the wind was around 20 knots i still had to sine the kite to keep my speed up so edging upwind (or at least attempting to) was very difficult. Its a lot easier to edge when the kite is fully powered and you can park it at 10pm.

The only time i used a trainer kite was on my 1st lesson. Dont see the point in getting one tbh, but maybe someone more experienced can weigh in with their opinion. I would highly recommend buying the Progession Beginner DVD before and watching it through before having your first lesson. Like everyone else says it is a great learning resource and you can get the basic terminology down pat just watching the DVD so that when you have your 1st lesson everything isnt new and overwhelming. Its also good just to go over things before you go out for a session.

For equipment, i purchased everything 2nd hand except for the harness because you really need to feel comfortable with those trying on lots of different ones in shops to best fit you. I was recommended to buy a kite no older than 5 years old because pre-dating 2010 some of the technical aspects of kites in particular werent as good as the newer kites, or as safe. Plus youre more likely to have a general wear and tear issue occur with a kite older than 5 years, and the last thing you want to do in the initial stages of learning is having to go to a repair shop for whatever reason.

Swavek has hit the nail on the head here. I know this because I see it again and again every year. So many people setting them self up for failure and missing out on valuable water time. Certainly look at used gear but not old used gear.

I would suggest not looking at any gear full stop until you have had a lesson. At least then you will have a better idea of what you might want in equipment based on your hands on experience.

Thanks for all the responses guys!

I will definitely be booking lessons before purchasing anything. I will also be avoiding trainer kites as most people seem to agree on this.

Thing is though, how can I practice flying the kite without a trainer or some used gear? I'm getting some time off work, so I will have plenty of time to practice between lessons, I just need something to practice with.

After two lessons you should be able to buy your own gear and practice body dragging in the water. You can have your two lessons with one day break for info to sink in so in three days you are ready to buy your own gear. There is plenty of second hand equipment, should not be hard to buy it in 2-3 days.

Rock up to your local and talk to other kiters what to check for when buying second hand equipment - unless you have a friend who is kiting and can come along with you.

drewpweiner said..

If you are a beginner and you just want to test out the waters, then buy a cheap kite... if you fall in love with it then that justifies you spending the extra dough... you don't want to be like the guy I saw yesterday with a 2015 cabrinha trying to do a noob launch and getting the thing completely ripped in the tree.

Just look on gumtree at least mate, come on.

That is terrible advice

jamesperth said...

drewpweiner said..

If you are a beginner and you just want to test out the waters, then buy a cheap kite... if you fall in love with it then that justifies you spending the extra dough... you don't want to be like the guy I saw yesterday with a 2015 cabrinha trying to do a noob launch and getting the thing completely ripped in the tree.

Just look on gumtree at least mate, come on.

Please DONT do this. Spend your money on getting quality lessons from a reputable school and get a few hours under your belt before you do anything. Then talk to your local shop & instructor and see what ex demo / good quality second hand equipment might be available and listen to their advice.

kite boarding is not an expensive sport compared to other water sports, but it's not a case of cheapest = best. The best thing about Oz is that there is so much great equipment available second hand on this site (not f...ing Gumtree) that you should be about to get kitted out with good equipment for a couple of grand.

If you expect to get a kite, board and everything else for under a thousand bucks then this is probably not the sport for you.

Would you parachute with the cheapest chute you could find ?

Mate you can easily get kitted out for under a grand. There's a tonne of good kites on seabreeze with bar and lines for around 500 - 600, boards for 300 and you can pick up a harness for 100 easy. If you have someone who knows what they're looking at you can EASILY get everything you need, good stuff too, for under a grand. Makes me laugh how people bag out kites that are 4 years old. I'd way rather learn on 2012 kite that's 4 years old than the brand new 2006 Airush flow I learnt on with the worst bar pressure and terrible relaunch, with the wrist strap. Today's beginner is spoilt for choice of quality second hand gear and can get into the sport cheaply.

drewpweiner said..
Don't listen to people who tell you you need the newest gear, I bought post 2007 gear and I am doing fine. (I had a 2008 cab and a 2010 airush) I look like everyone else on the water and I have a few extra grand in my pocket.

if you are almost 100kg you are gonna struggle on a 12m in around 15knt winds unless you are riding a surfboard. Go bigger, at least then you can some airs (I have only had about 10-15 sessions ever and am starting to do airs).

Come on Drew, about a month ago you posted on another thread about the 2:1 versus 1:1 bar pressure! Who are you trying to kid? That is one small example of the "trial & error" evolution of kites by manufacturers over time. Every year the advances in materials, technology and experience makes the kites stronger, more efficient, safer and easier to fly/relaunch. Bladders can now be pumped harder which helps keep your kite shape, safety systems are better. Just concerning kite size: in 2003 my "go to" kite was 12m, in 2010 it was 10m and now my 2017 kite is a 9m. All these were same brand (Cabrinha) and used in the same wind conditions. My weight has also not changed over that period at 62kg.
Note that replacement bladders and valves also become harder to find as the Years role on ....

Gateman said..

drewpweiner said..
Don't listen to people who tell you you need the newest gear, I bought post 2007 gear and I am doing fine. (I had a 2008 cab and a 2010 airush) I look like everyone else on the water and I have a few extra grand in my pocket.

if you are almost 100kg you are gonna struggle on a 12m in around 15knt winds unless you are riding a surfboard. Go bigger, at least then you can some airs (I have only had about 10-15 sessions ever and am starting to do airs).

Come on Drew, about a month ago you posted on another thread about the 2:1 versus 1:1 bar pressure! Who are you trying to kid? That is one small example of the "trial & error" evolution of kites by manufacturers over time. Every year the advances in materials, technology and experience makes the kites stronger, more efficient, safer and easier to fly/relaunch. Bladders can now be pumped harder which helps keep your kite shape, safety systems are better. Just concerning kite size: in 2003 my "go to" kite was 12m, in 2010 it was 10m and now my 2017 kite is a 9m. All these were same brand (Cabrinha) and used in the same wind conditions. My weight has also not changed over that period at 62kg.
Note that replacement bladders and valves also become harder to find as the Years role on ....

My point was more about how people just tend to splurge straight up before they have given it a good go to see if they like it. At least see if it is for you first, also as a beginner the chances of tree crashing or other damage is high depending on your area so it makes even more sense to buy a cheaper kite.

You are right about the bar tho, but I am flying a 2010 kite just fine atm with a 2014 bar, that 07 bar was fine it was just the depower amount that sucked arse, my 2014 bar has almost double the amount of depower.