Hey guys, new kiter here looking for a bit of advice. I used to spend hours down in Florida watching you guys cruise around and have always been fascinated. Never though did I see a bigger guy like myself so I figured it was a small mans game (in no way do I mean to offend anyone). Being 260 Pounds cuts me out of a lot of the fun things I'd like to do. Well long story short I saw some videos and crept around some forums discovering bigger guys CAN do this! You can't imagine the joy I have at getting into this sport! I have ordered a sensai trainer kite to get some the feel of the kite down and will in a month or so go get some lessons. My questions to the experienced ones are

1. I understand different sized kites are for different wind. Would there be a good all around beginner Kite for a big guy like myself?

2. The gear itself is quite pricey. Not to say I can't afford it but It would be nice to shave a few dollars off of the car payment. Is there a quality site that has older or used models and would that be a smart choice to investigate?

3. I live in Michigan now and was wondering how big of a scene there was for kite surfing up here?? I looked around a bit but maybe missed the info on it.


Thanks for all of your time and advice. If you couldn't tell I'm really excited to get into this!

Loftywinds said..

But you WILL loose weight the more you kite.

The only way you'll lose weight kiting is if you're having too much fun to head in to eat. Happens a bit though.

I appreciate the feedback. Yeah new is pricey.I'll look into some 2012 switchblades and hope for a good find. In regards to boards the wider the better for bigger guys?

@120kg i would think he would want more than 12m. At least 14. And a BIG board to start with.

Im 127kgs and was on a 12m core in Perth. Great between 20-25knots but towards 30knots it was getting overpowered. I got a 12m xr3 last week so we'll see how that goes this season. Maybe it'll be better over 25knots but we'll see.

I use my 17m argo between 15-20knots. That was ok actually but I think I'll get an xr3 19m to give me a little bit more bottom end.

If the boys I kite with are on 17's or 19's, i have no chance. One thing I did notice alot when landing / launching kites is that some people didnt inflate their kites enough and whilst it didnt seem to be such a big deal for the light weights, any time I didnt pump up properly I'd fold the kite easily.

I'm on a 146x44 switch board. It's an older board, great to learn on but I dont think its too good in the chop where I kite.

See what 4XL, Kam and Puetz say about boards and kites. I think Puetz is on a big dyno(?) in the NT

Least there is lots of room and no great white sharks in lake michigan Google suggests mackiteboarding and a few others. What are the conditions like?

I support what Alystan said.
Lessons are the best investment at your stage.
You'll learn quiker (and safer), you may get to try different gear. At the start you can be pretty hard on the kite, so best to use school gear.
After that, your instructor will have a really good idea of what gear will suit you, and if it's like here, they'll often do deals where they discount the price of gear based on the fact you've paid for lessons.

Again, thank you all for your input. Sadly enough I doubt I'll be able to move out to Australia (dream of mine) anytime in the relative future so it looks like I'm stuck with the light wind.

The bit about the NC training camp sounds fun; I'm going to look into that further. I'm sorry to hear about the price difference.....ouch!

Pretty sure there's some action on the lakes up there - ask about a local forum on a site with more US-based guys... kiteforum.com or even NWkite.com.

Plenty of great stores in the US - I like kite-line.com and pbkiteboarding.com for a start.

As for the gear... depends on your weather up there but I think that's been covered. Good advice up there.

The only other thing I want to say is, as a big guy learning to kite, you'll need even more power cos you won't have the skills to finesse it and milk the most out of your ride. Make your first purchases gear that'll become your light wind gear later on...

My opinion is that a light wind board is the best place to start. You'll put yourself at less risk while learning using a bigger board and a slightly smaller kite, and you'll coast through lulls etc easier... you'll do a lot less sinking and digging in of tips.

To that end, great boards would be Axis Ultra 144x45 or Ocean Rodeo Origin 142x47, although if you really have to chase the bottom end, look at something like a Flydoor XL -- more fun than they look too.

Hey chambers,

Some quick suggestions from a heavyweight rider in Florida.

- The guys here are mostly Aussies who are blsessed with great waves and strong winds. MI does not get this (I used to live in Ann Arbor) but still has an active scene.

Seabreeze is a great site but people here are overwhelming into wave riding larger waves with good winds, neither of which you will get in MI.

Consider the following sites:
kiteforum.com (generic worldwide/US base with a larger focus on flat water/TT/airstyle)
chicago ktiesurfing - self explanatory, forum
MAC kiteboarding (online shop based in MI with good resources and local knowledge)
Real Watersports (aggressive online etailer based in NC that is an online powerhouse for US kitegear).

As a heavier rider who got into this sport weighing in at 245-250lbs, be skeptical of ANY flyweight (sub-140 lbs) or lightweight (140-185 lbs) instructor/salesperson. They really do NOT understand what larger guys need. Manufacturers tend to lump together lightwind riding and heavyweight riders as one category, but this does not always work out.

***Before you buy ANY full gear, get your lessons at a school because the school will have some of this gear and you will be able to TRY it before you buy it. ***

My experience: to kite in 15 mph-20 mph with a TT, you will need a 16m+ sized kite. Blade Fat Lady, 2014 or later Ocean Rodeo Flite 17m, Cabrinha Contra 17m are all good choices.
22 mph -30 mph+ you will want a 12m, here the field is wide open, from Cab Switchblades, LF NRGs and Envys, Best TS v3, etc.

Alot of these kites aren't discussed here because these guys use dedicated wave riding kites like Ozone REOs that are not as helpful for the flat water/small chop/lower wind conditions/Twin tip styles you will use in MI. They are simply a different category and style of kitesurfing that use different gear and mechanics than the twin tip/powered riding styles you will need (they use an unpowered style that focuses on surfing a wave and simply using a kite as propulsion to get to the waves).

Separate from the kite, find a REALLY big board. At 250 lbs in lighter winds, consider a Spleene Monster Door, Litewave Wing 161, Naish Orbit, or Ocean Rodeo Mako King. When first starting out do not go below 155 cm and make sure its a WIDE/FAT board that is wider than 45cm (so ignore the Slingshot Glide offers you get as they are long but narrow). The board is critical, do not go for a small board to save a few dollars, it will make your experience miserable.

Finally, here is a useful link for figuring out kite size and board size. Research the statistical distribution of wind for your area so you know what wind ranges you are likely to encounter, type in your weight, and it will tell you what kite sizes are ideal. It also has a board size recommendation altho that part is sketchy imo, you will discover few boards in production are that large. MAC kiteboarding can help you ALOT here as they know the Lakes better than anyone else

jimbodouglass.blogspot.com/2011/01/interactive-kiteboarding-calculator.html

In terms of best time to buy, Black Friday has been unbeatable the last few years (the Aussies here prob dont have that same tradition). After that, end of season which is basically right now. The disadvantage to waiting for Black Friday is that you may not get the products you want whereas right now there is greater availability, albeit at a higher price. 2014 is still being sold at MSRP but is about to get crushed when brands unveil 2015 gear in Aug/Sept. Take your time with the trainer and lessons, time is on your side in terms of buying gear. The wind sucks during the summer unless you live in the San Francisco Bay area.

Finally, come back to FL once you are a kitebaorder and roam around the Keys, island hopping from one Key to the next. Its a whole different universe than being a beachgoer :)