Kitesurfing Lessons

[chris]

Eric, I haven't weighed in on this but have been watching David's responses. I completely agree with him about getting rid of the M80 and getting a SLE/Bow. The great thing about kites is that they actually do hold their value well and I doubt you lose much, if any money. I've actually sold kites for more than I've bought them for after using them for a season! A 12M c-kite will have such a small wind range compared to an SLE that you'll no doubt be trying to learn in winds that are either to strong or to light. Either way you will really risk hurting yourself or other beachgoers. Learning with an SLE is dangerous enough. David was helping a guy this weekend at Durand who almost took out a guy walking down the shore when he lost control and crashed his kite.

[Brian]

WOW! Great forum! Don't mean to jump in on the middle of this post, but I'm just getting into the sport, did some body dragging at Durand yesterday with my 9m and figured out quickly that I'll probably end up using my 15m much more, but I was hesitant to break it out the first time out. Regardless, I had a GREAT time...LOVED IT, and am hooked and watching the wind every day...

Lynn and Dan (who gave me a ground lesson back in April) were out on their 15s and I met them. Seems like a great community. Also met a guy from Sodus (Pat, I think) flying a black and white Cabrina (I think?).

I went with my buddy who started last year, and I even got up on his board once before the wind died down.

I'm looking for a used board (trying to make my own out of plywood now which is going well, but it's going to be HEAVY).

Also, when we were leaving the beach, there was a shorty wetsuit that had been left on the beach. There was no one else around, and we were pretty sure it was Pat's...we grabbed it so it wouldn't get left, anyone know how to get in touch with him??

Thanks!!!

[flashpipe]

Ah, all registered now...posted previously as Brian Guest, but am looking forward to staying up to date!!

Thanks!!!!

[Windydoug]

flashpipe,

Welcome to the RWS forum! Great to hear you are so stoked for getting going on your kite. I am sure we are all curious (kiters and windsurfers alike) to get a look at your finished homemade board.
As far as Pat's wetsuit goes, I gave him a sticker referring him to the website, so hopefully he will check here. I know he is from Sodus, so he doesn't get out our way much, but I am sure he enjoyed kiting with a bunch of other enthusiasts. He'll be back I'm sure.
Check back often, and see you on the water!
Windydoug

[duluoz]

David,

Sorry for the delayed response, I was out of town this past week. I'm going to take your advice and invest in a new kite/bar. Any suggestions on a manufacturer/make/model/size to start with? I also want to buy an appropriate board so any suggestions on what to buy in that area would be appreciated as well.

Thanks,
Eric

[David]

Hamburg was saaaaweet today 16-22 with knee to chest high waves and smooth; great ramps on the way out and I was throwing legitimate 20+ foot airs. I saw Kinger there on a board bigger than 69 liters but not a ton of windsurfers. Did you make it Mike Z?

[David]

Eric, what is your height, weight, and board skill level (do you wakeboard, snowboard, are you comfortable on a board)?

[duluoz]

David,

Height: 5'10", weight: 180. I am a long time skateboarder and snowboarder and am fairly proficient on both. I tried wakeboarding a couple times a few years ago and picked it up pretty easily.

Thanks,
Eric

[David]

OK, well the easiest thing to do is to pick one kite that will work for you in most conditions, for your weight I would say a 13, 14 or 15m is going to be your foundation kite for around here. I would recommend a 14m GK sonic, excellent kite that has a wind range for your weight of 14-24mph with the sweet spot about 16-20. Kel Shipman rides that kite and when I am on a 9m he is still on that. My kites are as follows: 7m waroo, 9m yarga, 11m waroo pro, 13m yarga, 15m GK trix, 17m Slingshot Turbo 2. My order of use is 15, 13, 17, 11, 9, 7 ; my foundation is the 13 and the rest of my quiver is built around that. Things change though and that has been the order of use for the summer, as fall gets closer I am sure that I will be using my 13, 11, and 9 more because we will be getting stronger wind (I hope). I work off kind of an anal principal because I like to always have the right kite for the conditions, let me explain in my next post.

[duluoz]

Looks like a 2008 GK V-Sonic 14m costs about $1,600, which is more than I really wanted to spend. Should I justify the cost due to the fact that the kite has such a wide wind range that I'm actually needing to buy just 1 kite instead of 3?

I haven't looked for prices on the 2007 models but it seems as though the kite technology evolves so much every year that buying last year's model isn't necessarily the greatest idea.

I do want to purchase quality gear but I'm also trying to avoid the C (crap) factor mentioned in David's other thread. The wife will definitely give me the stink eye if she discovers I've spent $1,600 on a kite.

[chris]

You can do way better than that. Look here. Buying used kiting gear is cheap if you know what you are looking for. GK's are great kites but there are many other that will work well. Look at Waroos, or Eclipse, or Royal. Most (but not all) 2007 or newer is good for the most part. Some are better for beginners. If you find a kite only a brand new bar can be had for $250 or so. If you find something post it here and you're sure to get opinions. Avoid the C's though.

www.ikitesurf.com/classifieds.iws

[flashpipe]

I got a 15m Waroo, 9m Yarga, bar, lines, & harness all through eBay for under $1000 for all of it.

Made a monster lightwind ply board (160 x 43, 12 pounds...yeah, I know) and am currently putting together a lighter, smaller epoxy/glass board (150 x 40). Cost about $80 in materials for both boards. $35 of that was footstraps, pads, handle & fins I bought for one of the boards, made all my own stuff for the other board...

[David]

I wil never ever ever pay $1600 for a kite, even in a shop say the word and they will drop the price. GK kites are pricy but they are the best on the market that I have seen or used and I have used a lot. I agree with chris and personally feel the 2006 best waroo, 2006 Naish Boxer, 2007 GK sonic, 2007 Slingshot fuel, 2007 GK Trix, 2007 Best Yarga SLE (yargaroo), 2008 Nash Cult, and the 2008 Cabrinha SB3 are fantastic kites. I do not like a lot of the other 2007 or 2008 kites, I feel they did not design the power band of the kites with the average rider in mind. I am always selling used kites and can assure you that I can set anyone up for cheaper than $1600.

[duluoz]

Ok, listing all of those choices is extremely helpful as I can now go shopping online for some decent used gear.

The online community seems to have the same opinion on the GK kites regarding wind range and handling. I have been able to locate a number of used 2007 14m kites so I'll probably make that my first target.

Thanks again for all of the feedback.

Now I have to decide on a board. I'm just not familiar enough with the shape of the board to build my own so I'll probably just buy one. I'm only buying one for now so feel free to offer advice on the correct size to start with.

[David]

Yes, building a board is great if you want but not for me. Weight is key in a kiteboard and you can really feel the difference a light board and a heavy board make. I know of a couple for sale locally and I am selling some kites to buy 09's if you are interested in one.

[duluoz]

I would be interested in the boards being sold locally. Have them contact me at 739-5174 or at [e-mail].

Thanks,
Eric