Ahoy, ill go fast and simple.
10-20 knots in my area
142 cm tt board
begginer
175 cm 70 kg

Switchblade 2010 12 m...... What u think?
Thx in advance

The 12m Switchy is a bit hard to fly in 10knts and tends to fall out of the sky. For 10knt winds u will need a more specific light wind kite, however from memory I think the recommended wind range for the 12m is 13 - 25knts for a 75 kg rider so as rails said, it's a good place to start as the Switchy is a great all rounder beginners kite.
Just make sure the bar and lines are in good condition and u will prolly also need to tune them (info on cabrinha website).

Have fun and stay safe!

Thx for the info guys. I don't plan to go out under 14-15 knots. Anything slightly under is "grass" fun and practicing (couple of paraglideing fields and mediteranian sea in 15 km range). 10-20;15-25 is "normal" wind (when is windy), there are 40+ winds sometimes very often, but that's far from now :D
Greetings from Croatia, love this forum!!!!

Hi Just...I bought a 12m switchy 08 mod 2yrs back...I am very similar weight to you...My tt is 138...I have several kites now for dif wind conditions.
and can use tt in 12 notts up to about 25 but prefer to change to 9 m around 20 knotts...I love the switchy its a great kite and still my favorite.
Great all round kite but I have had it fall out of the sky however that was when I got too close to the tree line ( wind shadow ) I upgraded the bar and lines to the new single flag cab bar as I think the two line flag out system ( IDS ) I think its called does not completely get you out of the poo when you need it too.
Cheers Billy.

Can't go wrong with Cab Switchblades. I consider them the "longboards" of surfing. Nice and easy for beginners.

No problem mate!
From what ur describing re ur bar and lines, it sounds like they have never been tuned so that 5 or 6 inches is how much those centre lines have stretched over time. It is imperitive that these are checked periodically otherwise the kite will over sheet, backstall and feel very gutless. For someone who is just starting out this can sometimes appear to be human error when in fact it's not.......undue frustration

Yeah, beautiful part of the world that u live, I have always dreamed of sailing a boat down the dalmation coast (with kiting gear on board of course) and spending some time around the islands........one day

Can't go wrong with a Switchblade? Heavy bar pressure, not responsive at all, a big slow boring jellyfish. Definitely try some other kites as well to see what suits you best. Whatever makes you feel comfortable and puts a smile on your face and gets you excited and progress will be the right kite.

Well as a beginner i am looking for some "midrange non responsive" (not to slow, not to fast), cant decide yet what do i want and what is best for me beacuse i dont know how to kite. I bought Switchy beacuse it was very good condition and the guy who was selling was kinda "dumb", he gave it almost 200 Euros less than the others, i was suspicious but when i checked it in my own hands, there was absolutely nothing wrong, bar little weared off but nothing serious, kite is loooking like new, i already inflated it and checked it 3-4 times, all was good. Friend pointed me at Rebel but i didnt want to spend much more for kite that i will probably crash to death with my beginner mistakes. So, when i get a hang of it, then ill pick my personal favorite kite. Till now, i was always with advices, reviews, forums, videos... And all of them at the end saying it is "matter of taste" or "demo than get it". Since i dont know anything about taste and not capable of demo-ing (that doesnt exist in my area), this was the only way, used kite, learn, get some fun, buy the right kite.

P.s. I had Switchy this morning on the grass, 12-16 knots, very responsive (for me at this stage). Launch was not much problem at all and it was very stable, perfect for 1st time on board :D
P.s. P.s. Gusty, i think SB is better choice than old C kites from 2003, dont u think? :D

Gustyas said..

Yeah mate if you got it cheap and just want to play around and learn you'd be fine. Make sure the bar you got with the kite is ok as well i.e. lines not stretched etc as this has more impact on the kite behaviour than the kite itself. Safety is meant to be very good with Cabs so that's a plus. I am about your height and weight and would say you could get going on that lightwind board in ten knots but might struggle holding your edge with this rather powerful kite from 15-20 knots onwards. So maybe get a 135 board so you can play with 2 board options. Default is probably usually rather a board of 135 plus minus for your size and then several kites. But if you want to save on the kite and get get hold of a cheap smaller board that might also help you. While the larger board helps you to get going, I in the beginning struggled with actually controlling the edge hence speed hence hammered downwind just as others do when underpowered. But that was with old C kites without much depower. Enjoy and yes develop your preference and if you cannot demo then perhaps ask some mates to try their kites for a few minutes.

Yeah, this is just for rough start, really would like to buy something from my own experience rather than on advices and reviews spending cash. Bad thing is, there are 10 kitesurfers in 150 km range (probably 50-60 in whole country) so i cant try much equipment, but, when i get a hang of it, ill get around, try some kites and then buy what i like. Thx for info, was planning to get some old airrush 142 board, u think i can manage with 135? Is it really that big difference?
And yes, pull of this kite in 15 knots gave me compressed butcheeks, i would really "like" to find out 20 knot pulls on the water. Any brand of kitesurfing diapers? :D