Hi all,

I have been reading this forum for a while now and it has been a great source of information. I am now seeking your advice as I am about to purchase my first board.

A mate has introduced me to kitesurfing a few weeks ago and I have been practicing with his gear and I just bought a second hand kite to start with as well as a harness. I'm just missing the board.

I live in Broome (western australia), a bit far from everything and I don't have the luxury of trying boards from the local kitesurf shop since there isn't any :(.

The wind here is on average between 10-15kts.

My current kite is a 16m Liquid Force Assault and I weight 72kg.

I was thinking of a board between 132-135cm for my weight and wind conditions?

A board that can do both freestyle a freeride would be great. With a fairly good upwind and lightwind capability as well.

I've read somewhere that the Cab Rival & Prodigy are good for starters and upwind. Was also looking at the Caliber and Underground FLX but they might be a bit too advanced for me? Any other recommendations?

Thank you in advance

Ive just been trying the Shinn Monk and I am very impressed with the board.
Great up wind, great early planning, good POP and allround fun.

I'm waiting for my 133 x 41
but with winds of 10 -15 knt and 70 kgs you could look at the 135 x 42 or maybe the 135 x 44.
I was out on a 135 x 44, 8m kite and 15-18knts and it felt great, not too wide, easy to hold an edge, great fun and everyone else was on 11s and 12s!

Speak to Duncan or Arron and get them to post a board up.
if you don't like it, want a brand new one or its the wrong size, it will cost you the post back

contact is www.shinnworldoz.com

Here is my recommendation-
1- Wait till you get some advice from somebody without a financial interest in what you get.
2- Avoid massive battleship boards nobody else wants

Jas
BrisKites

Hey guys,

Thanks for the replies.

I will follow your recommendations Jas :). I'm still doing a bit of research for the board. Any other recommendations are welcome.

I'm also planning on buying a smaller kite 10-12m for those days where the wind picks up a bit more. We do get winds higher than 15 even 20 kts but not that often unfortunately.

Paradox I'll have a look for the Airush Sector, seems perfect for light winds!

Thanks again!

In light wind days I ride the 'flying carpet' from nobile. It's not that heavy for being so large, but it's big 160x46, and it trucks up wind, has reasonable flex that it's not bad in the chop and is lots of fun to ride in light wind....(It's not made for big jumps and such, but for learning the basics, spending more time on top of the water, it's the board for me)

With this board you could easily ride a smaller kite - 13m easily with this board instead of the monster 16m. As a basis, I am 75 kilos, and ride the carpet all the way up to about 20 knots. After 18 knots you have to depower your kite so it doesn't go too fast. At 13-14 knots and above I ride a 11.5 metre kite (Griffin Argo) and have lots of fun while people are sitting waiting for the wind to get stronger. If the wind is constantly going over 20 knots I change to my Naish Cult and use a smaller board.

This board allowed me to learn easier to keep an edge up wind, as it is sooo forgiving. I think more schools should get them. (There are other companies that do the same sort of board - Spleene, North Spike, Flysurfer something). I choose the Nobile due to their 3 year warranty, and they have the MOST comfy footbeds known to man. When kiteboarding is controlled by heel pressure you want your feet to be sitting just right.

(Disclosure - I don't sell gear, I don't own a shop, though I do like kiteboarding :) )