It'll be fine. I've never ridden that board so i can't comment on anyhting other than the length. I'm 96kgs and ride a 140. For my size I probably wouldn't go smaller than 136 though. You'll be fine on that as long as there is a decent amount of wind. How wide is it?

Yeah, that'll be just fine. Just don't try to learn in 13 knots. It's just painfull to go out on my 10m in less than 17knots. I've had my worst drags on low wind days. The kite can't be steered well, stalls, and drop right into the window just in time for a gust to grab it any fling you 20m.

Wait for a good 18+ day, and get out there and practice.

How much is it.

When the wind is up and you are up on the board riding the 136 will give you tons of speed and edge. But it may not be very forgiving at the learning stage. At 90kgs I would have advised you to get a WLF140, it will get you up on the board a lot earlier (and easier), and more important of all, give you more kiting time. At our school, we have a policy for all new customers, they buy the gear, but have access to our loan gear (bigger board for example) for as long as they want. That way you can learn on easy gear till you are up on the board riding, then jump on your ultimate size gear. If you are buying the board from a shop, ask them if they could loan you a bigger board till you are up?

i reckon get a cheaper bigger board .
for those bucks you could get 2 ?
learning could be tough on your board.with the chance of losing it.
me thinks spend less .

When it comes to Boards, new is not always as important as in kites. Board tech is not progressing like kite tech is and apart from some wear and tear a 2-3 year old board will give you as much satisfaction as a brand new one - provided you choose the right type/style.

For the money you are spending I would go for something like this to learn on:

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Kitesurfing/Boards/~rqgv8/2009-Beginner-Twin-Tip-150-cm.aspx?search=JIFAOSlMixHWdiopLvCzVQ%3d%3d

Then when you outgrow that (or lose it), sell it for the same price and buy something like this (or whatever other board you think will suit you for around the same price):

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Kitesurfing/Boards/~r7k1m/2009-Airush-FS-138-cm.aspx?search=JIFAOSlMixHWdiopLvCzVQ%3d%3d

You will be streets ahead and have more money in your pocket.

Note that I randomly picked those boards off the classifieds. I really have no knowledge of either so do your own homework.

adrenal said...

Rather than getting a superlong/cheap learner board then sell, I am tending towards the idea of getting something a bit better/suitable as a truely useful light wind board to keep.

This would be my suggestion then:
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Kitesurfing/Boards/~r7k17/2009-Airush-Switch-Exile-146-cm.aspx?search=JIFAOSlMixHWdiopLvCzVQ%3d%3d

or maybe this:
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Kitesurfing/Boards/~ryy46/2009-Nobile-Xtr-140-cm.aspx?search=JIFAOSlMixHWdiopLvCzVQ%3d%3d

Or this:
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Kitesurfing/Boards/~rq62n/2009-Underground-Zephyr-144-cm.aspx?search=JIFAOSlMixHWdiopLvCzVQ%3d%3d

Must admit I bought a new board for only just over half the price of that!
i know I got a good deal it (was a 139cm too btw) but if u r going second hand there must be stuff cheaper than that
1 option could be getting a smaller board than the 140+ but one with a bit less flex in so is easier to get going

So what did I end up doing?

After all the speculation and agonising, a 2009 Cardboards Tempo (140cm) popped up and I grabbed it for considerably less than the 2nd hand 2010 kaos.

I've already had my first runs! I got up pretty easily in 17kts of wind with my 11m kite (I'm 90kg). Next stage is to get myself edging properly to control all that crazy speed. First self rescue under my belt! Local surf rescue saw me in strife but their outboard broke down. They finally came screaming up to me 40 mins after the fact as I was walking back along the beach in a tangled mess. I asked whether I could be of any assistance - we all chuckled.

I'm pretty happy with the board. It's more advanced than just a large learner board so hopefully it'll happily see me through a couple seasons until I start wondering what a smaller board feels like. I have many more miles to go before appreciating the subtlties that this board may offer but in the meantime it doesn't look like it will be hard to learn on.

So in the end, my decision was dictated more by opportunity than design. (It does pay to be patient). Thanks to all who offered advice - my thinking changed some.

Hope other newbies get some value from my experiences (spongehead?).


Cheers