Send him along to the local kitesurf school, it's the only way. Yes it will cost him a few dollars but they will have him up and going quickly and safely. After a few lessons he will understand what gear he needs, plenty of secondhand in the Buy and Sell section.
I'm a sailboarder now kiter, and this is definitely the safest route. There is only a little transfer of skills from a sailboard to a kite, unlike winging which is almost the same.

Yes, 10m to 12m will be right for you if you only have one kite in Perth. I use an 11m and am between 90 and 100kgs depending on how full the fridge is.

Be very wary of instructors that take you out and they weigh 30kgs less than you! It is a big difference and a lot of instructors don't understand this because they have only ever been whatever they are.

Of note I had a French guy that looked to be all of 50kgs giving me a lesson on the river and I weigh double that He couldn't understand why I couldn't just 'park and ride' and why I was just sining the kite all the time to keep going. Another intructor refused to let me use the 14m kite on a light day even though he was about 20kgs lighter and was just barely going.

Don't put up with it, as it will delay your progress a lot! This does make it difficult for lighter instructors as to them a 14m will be over powered in the same conditions where you think its okay. Unfortunately until you get your technique sorted out, you do need that power and less is going to make it much harder to get the waterstarts nailed. Try to find someone closer to your weight as an instructor as it really does change things.

While I agree with Christian that a lot of windsurfers have that reaction of pulling in the bar, I did too, its not that hard to overcome it.

I was also surprised when another learner was telling me 'there is no overlap between kiting and windsurfing'. IMO absolute BS. Once you understand the wind, there is a lot of overlap.

Don't do what I did either and just do lessons here and there. I did lessons to fill in time each season and didn't progress. When I finally comitted to going out by myself, I went from very poor waterstarts to easily going up wind within a week or two. The rest is finesse.

I also warn you of getting the right board. The nice big floaty ones they use at Safety Bay for lessons are awesome for a beginner as they plane easy and get going in lighter wind. My first shop bought board is a 145cm (a tronic) and it is crap as the overall surface area is not enough, yet a board I bought later (a CBL) is supposedly the same length (well 144), but has more surface area and goes a lot lot better. (Wanna buy a Tronic... it would be perfect for you ;-) )

I also have a home made board of about 155cm and wide. it gets me going in light wind without needing to change the kite, and its worth its weight in gold.

I should offer myself to the kite schools as a sea-anchor to hold down the big kites for people like me but joking aside, if you get a lesson from an instructor that cannot use the same size kite as you, it will hold back your progress.

cheers Nova . ill take that onboard

Gateman said..

FormulaNova said..
Yes, 10m to 12m will be right for you if you only have one kite in Perth. I use an 11m and am between 90 and 100kgs depending on how full the fridge is.

Be very wary of instructors that take you out and they weigh 30kgs less than you! It is a big difference and a lot of instructors don't understand this because they have only ever been whatever they are.

Of note I had a French guy that looked to be all of 50kgs giving me a lesson on the river and I weigh double that He couldn't understand why I couldn't just 'park and ride' and why I was just sining the kite all the time to keep going. Another intructor refused to let me use the 14m kite on a light day even though he was about 20kgs lighter and was just barely going.

Don't put up with it, as it will delay your progress a lot! This does make it difficult for lighter instructors as to them a 14m will be over powered in the same conditions where you think its okay. Unfortunately until you get your technique sorted out, you do need that power and less is going to make it much harder to get the waterstarts nailed. Try to find someone closer to your weight as an instructor as it really does change things.

While I agree with Christian that a lot of windsurfers have that reaction of pulling in the bar, I did too, its not that hard to overcome it.

I was also surprised when another learner was telling me 'there is no overlap between kiting and windsurfing'. IMO absolute BS. Once you understand the wind, there is a lot of overlap.

Don't do what I did either and just do lessons here and there. I did lessons to fill in time each season and didn't progress. When I finally comitted to going out by myself, I went from very poor waterstarts to easily going up wind within a week or two. The rest is finesse.

I also warn you of getting the right board. The nice big floaty ones they use at Safety Bay for lessons are awesome for a beginner as they plane easy and get going in lighter wind. My first shop bought board is a 145cm (a tronic) and it is crap as the overall surface area is not enough, yet a board I bought later (a CBL) is supposedly the same length (well 144), but has more surface area and goes a lot lot better. (Wanna buy a Tronic... it would be perfect for you ;-) )

I also have a home made board of about 155cm and wide. it gets me going in light wind without needing to change the kite, and its worth its weight in gold.

I should offer myself to the kite schools as a sea-anchor to hold down the big kites for people like me but joking aside, if you get a lesson from an instructor that cannot use the same size kite as you, it will hold back your progress.

Interesting your observations between the Tronic and the CBL, those are the two most heavily rockered boards in the Cabrinha lineup although the CBL is generally a bit wider for the same length so gives you a lot more surface area.
When choosing a twin tip, the width is more important than the length but the rocker plays the biggest role in my opinion. As a reference at 65kg in 18 - 20 knots I'd use my 10m with the Cab Ace 135x40 (medium rocker) or my 12m with the Crazyfly Addict 136x41 (heavy rocker)

Hoping to demo the Tronic in the next couple weeks, it's waiting for me but too busy at work to even pick it up at the moment. Bring on the Xmas break with lots of wind

Are they the most rockered? They are the only boards I know other than my DIY job which is a copy of someone else's board, including the rocker, but longer and wider.

The tronic has a lot of space cutaway on the plan/shape and the CBL is like a rectangle, but I like that board and have gone back to the Tronic a few times to compare and do not like it at all. I think it suits a lighter rider for that size.

The CBL is even better at the wake park, and as a laugh I tried the Tronic. The Tronic did feel flatter to me and outran the cable much more than I think the CBL does.

I agree with you on the effect of rocker. My bigger board just floats whereas the CBL sinks in comparison (ignoring the size difference as well). I think the deeper rocker helps absorb a bit of chop too.

I am 54yrs, 90kgs. I windsurfed like crazy when I was young, including lots of wavesailing. I live in Sydney. Over the christmas break I set myself the goal of kiting safely and proficiently. This is what I did:

1. I initially got a 2013 12m cabrinha drifter in very good condition. I got a 151x48 Duotone gonzales.
2. I then had the opportunity to get a 2020 11m duotone neo cheap. I figured having a good kite and board would make the learning easier.
3. I then had 3 x 2hr lessons. These are critical. I learnt so much, particularly around what not to do!
4. At the end of the lessons I could just waterstart and go for about 30m before sinking down.
5. I then had about 5 days of solo sessions, fortunately without mishap
6. By the end I was kiting fine, going upwind easily, and working on transitions.

Key things I learnt.

1. Modern second hand gear is worth it and helped me get going quicker.
2. Lessons are a must. I see beginners who never invested in lessons barely able to launch or walk the kite up the beach. They seem to then be stuck trying to waterstart over and over without luck.
3. Commit to at least a week of kiting everyday. Kiting once a month will not get you there.
4. Kiting upwind feels like windsurfing upwind, so that was easy. Other than that, whilst your knowledge of wind and climate is useful, the kite is a different beast. You have to develop an instinct to let the bar out at the first hint of trouble. This is hard for a windsurfer who is used to pulling back hard in a gust. Once you get the instinct to let the bar out the kite suddenly becomes a docile beast.

I am loving kiting, and I hope one day to get back into the waves. But baby steps first!