Hi all - I'm keen to get some advice on taking the plunge in buying some gear.
I'd love you input regarding brands and wisely buying 2nd hand

To help with the advice - I'm 6'3'', 100kg (but very active and fit from my other water sports)
I'm relatively new to the sport having completed lessons to get the basics down pat. And I'm hooked!!

I'm looking for something that will allow me to continue to fine-tune the basics on the lake,
and will be a good all-round kit that will allow me when ocean-ready to kitesurf Nobbys Beach Newcastle for the maximum number of days per year before needing to purchase a 2nd kite. (I can send through info on our wind conditions if that would help with giving advice)

I'm trying to decide between 10-11-12m kites, and have been recommended a 150cm board.
The seat harness seems to be most comfortable (in light of past broken ribs from sport and a very flexible lumbar spine.)

It doesn't need to be the latest and greatest, but should be stuff that I can use for quite a while.
It will need to be ok for beginner/intermediate + highly usable for future ocean use.

I'd be happy to hear suggestions / recommendations re brands, considerations re sizes and other knowledge that has been helpful for you.
I can afford to buy all new stuff, but getting 2nd hand seems quite wise as a beginner.

Thanks for taking the time!

Cheers,

Tyler

Redgy said..

Second hand kite to start with as you will probably crash it a fair bit.

Hi Tyler,

6 years ago I've spent a few winter months kiting as a newbie in the central coast NSW and was mostly using my 16m kite @85kg, sometimes my 10m. From memory wind was pretty bad and I was lucky to get 1-2 sessions a week with a fully flexible schedule...

At your weight you probably need at least a 12m kite and as you said a big board would help a lot. Further down the track you may find that a 150cm board is quite big and you will want to change it, so getting a second hand board is a wise decision. With a powerful 12m kite and 150cm board you will still need a bare minimum of 15-18 knots to get going easily and probably start to get overpowered a bit below 25 knots.

The second hand kite market is very tricky for newbies, as you often don't know exactly what you're looking for and you can be tempted to buy the cheaper kite that may have had a few repairs and is very fatigued and you would have no clue about this. The majority of second hand kites I've seen newbies buy on the ads needed some tuning, repairs or adjustments just to fly right.

Older and weaker kites not only don't perform as well as newer kites in better condition but are much more likely to break if you crash them, even in the water. Yes newer kites are more expensive but they are stronger and will last you longer and are much less likely to break if you crash them hard.

The best advice I could give you is buy your first second hand kite from a shop who can give you advice, support and some form of warranty should something be really wrong with kite you purchased.

There are about 70 kite brands on the worldwide market, each of which make a least 1 or 2 models that would suit your needs, so it's hard to recommend specific brands. There are many websites who review kites, but almost all reviews are sponsored in one way or another so it's hard to get impartial advice. The good thing as a beginner is you could pretty much buy any all-around 12m kite that is in good condition and not more than 2-3 years old and never notice the difference between them.

hope this help. Happy Kiting,

Christian

If you were looking for a 1 kite quiver, I would lean towards an 11m for your weight. I'm at 80kg and use a 10m for everything from 15 to 30 knots. I think for learning it's nice to have a smaller grunty kite like f.one bandit, cabrinha switchblade, best ts. You can pick these up cheap.

As for board, 150 is quite large, I would Look for a board from 138 to 150. All brands make freeride boards, just have a look at what's out there, I wouldn't pay over $500 for your first secondhand board.

Harness, go to a shop and get one fitted for you!

Good luck friend, I know the market is overwhelming just post what you find.

Oh and don't buy anything older then 2010, even 2010 is really old now.

i actually want these, they might be fun for a joke

kemp90 said..
i actually want these, they might be fun for a joke

I have a 7m if you want it

kemp90 said..

Loftywinds said...

kemp90 said..
i actually want these, they might be fun for a joke

I have a 7m if you want it

Really, how's the valves?

All repaired and working. It was a bitch to do, but I really wanted to fly a 2-line kite to see what it's like. Yeah it's a kite alright!