i've been kiting for a month now and have been borrowing my cousins board - 141 - 39 i'm pretty sure. it doesn't have much rocker in it and also doesn't seem to responsive.

I am super keen to buy a board but i don't want to go out and spend some money on something a bloke in a shops told me would be awsome and cause im so keen will buy it, only to find out its not to great.

what i would like from the board - to be able to go up wind extremely easily, be able to use it in chop and on small waves, to be able to ride for a few hours without getting sore knees.

i'm 100kg's, 192cm tall and ride a 07 cabrinha switch. can anybody please point me in the right direction as all i wanna do is get out and continue riding when i want to with out having to borrow my cousins board

im also incredibly impressed by everyone helping eachother out with posts and ideas and info. seems like a pretty cool community with a pretty cool sport.

You won't need heel straps as a beginner, or at all really, they don't encourage good technique and really only benefit someone that is just learning to pop or jump. But if you think it will help Liquid force make some nice pad sets that include them.

As for a good board you need to look for a intermediate board between 134-138cm and around 41 cm wide. Boards that come to mind are the Tyro or FR from cardboards which are cheaper than most boards and have a 3 year warranty. The next board is the T5 from nobile it is probably my favourite free ride board, the x ride from north would work well or many other brands have very similar boards. Good flex, forrgiving and easy planing is what you are after for upwind fins around 50-55cm will help, most intermediate boards come with this size. Get on different manufacturer websites and have a read up on there boards, do some searching and find some reviews, then try and demo what you think should work well.

xenon laluz 135 super comfy gets going early but is still at home in 35knts and youre knees will thank you for it even after many hours on the water i love my laluz

thats the other thing i was meaning to ask how much are decent second hand boards priced at? i found a board 138-41 for $600 at a shop in melbourne called SHQ. i know its a sandwich construction and has a fare bit of rocker in it the fins are about 40-50mm but apart from that unsure. is there anywhere that has a good range of baords or can anybody suggest boards on seabreeze... pretty please?

thanks heaps for all the insight and info it means a great deal to me cheers

bigkel89 said...


what i would like from the board - to be able to go up wind extremely easily, be able to use it in chop and on small waves, to be able to ride for a few hours without getting sore knees.

i'm 100kg's, 192cm tall and ride a 07 cabrinha switch. can anybody please point me in the right direction as all i wanna do is get out and continue riding when i want to with out having to borrow my cousins board

I'd recommend this
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Kitesurfing/Boards/~rppia/2010-Airush-XOver-135-cm.aspx?search=x2wbC7D1FhvK103Lbwkl7w%3d%3d

or this
www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Kitesurfing/Boards/~re4ec/2010-Cardboards-Tempo-135-cm.aspx?search=JIFAOSlMixHWdiopLvCzVQ%3d%3d

www.seabreeze.com.au/Classifieds/Kitesurfing/Boards/~rpyif/2010-Cardboards-Tempo-135-cm.aspx?search=JIFAOSlMixHWdiopLvCzVQ%3d%3d

If you were speding most of your time in surf and small waves I would recommend a 144 Hammer, but they don't translate well to flat water and are not the ultimate upwind machine, but then again upwind ability and surf/chop traits are opposing features and you will have to compromise somewhere.

As you are on the heavier side you need to look for a 135 to 140 board with at least average width.

Very true, i have boards that range from 129-140 none of them are light wind boards, some boards 135 ride great others the same size don't feel as good, my favourite board is 140cm and handles all conditions well. A older board at 140cm would be a pig, modern boards have come a long way. I will probably end up ridding a 138 board for most of the season at 90kgs there is a lot f options. you need to demo to see what best suits you.