What Kite To Buy
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It is also helpful to understand a few things about the sizing of kiteboarding kites. Kites are rated by their sail area, in square meters. This is the sail area, not the wingspan. Another thing to note is the different types of kites that exist. There are three basic types of kiteboarding kites available bow kites, \"C\" kites, and hybrids they each fly a little different. The first kites that became popular were \"C\" kites, they were the original depowerable inflatable kites and many people still enjoy the direct feel that these kites provided. Typically modern \"C\" kites are made for more advanced riders that are after the feel that only a \"C\" kite can deliver. Next came bow kites. This changed the kiting world significantly because bow kites have more complex bridles that allow the kite to be depowered a whole lot more than the original \"C\" kites. The tradeoff however was the loss of the direct feel of the \"C\" kites. Now by far the most popular models of kites are hybrids between the two styles giving as much of the direct feel as possible while retaining the great depowerability of bow kites. Hybrid kites dominate the market and if you have done any looking around at all you have probably been looking at a lot of hybrids. If you are trying to pick out your first kite you should be looking at bow kites and hybrid that are listed as freeride kites.
You should always start with a kite that might not pull you too hard, and a very large board. This is the easiest and safest combination to start riding because being underpowered* is far better then being ripped and overpowered the first time you put a kite up! For more board sizes check out Selecting the right Board Size. The type of kite you want to focus on are freeride hybrids. Like stated above these are the best all around kites for newbies. They are easy to relaunch and will sit deeper in the wind making them more stable so you have less chance for error while learning. Like we said before kites vary in size based on your weight and your area's wind range. So make sure you know what the average windy day is for your riding area before you jump for a kite that might not work for you.
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You were at the beach and this kiteboarder came riding by, floating on the water like magic. Then--pow!--he was 20 feet in the air flying through the sky. The kiteboarding bug bit you. \"I have to go learn how to kiteboard!\" you say to yourself.
This article will focus on a new rider looking for the proper kiteboarding kite for their first couple of years of riding. After you are an established rider, you will understand what style you are looking for and be able to pick a kite designed for your riding style whether that is waves, wake, free ride or freestyle.
MACkiteboarding first started teaching kiteboarding in 2000. Our first kiteboarding instructor, James Otis, actually went to the Wipika school (you have to look that up in ancient history books). So we have seen the incredible progress of gear, giving almost anyone who wants to learn to kiteboard the proper equipment to do so. Our take on buying gear is to get you, the new rider, successfully riding in as short a period as possible.
The main thing to look for is a kite with good stability, moderate turning speed, excellent upwind drive and as large a wind range as possible. Don't get fooled by forum chats that talk about how great this kite or that kite is. You really don't want to start with a fast turning kite that will boost you to the moon. It is important to note that you can progress a long way with any kite you purchase; unless you are riding more than 100 days a year, you won't outgrow any kiteboarding kite on the market today within a couple of years. Some of the best kites currently matching this description are the Cabrinha Switchblade, Best Kahoona, North Rebel and Slingshot Rally. All of these kites are very user friendly, but will allow you to grow pretty much indefinitely.
This is a very critical question and will be based on 3 things -rider weight, average wind speed, and your board size. If you are only buying one kite, we recommend that you go for a kite that will cover 70% of the wind ranges at your local kiteboarding spot. On Lake Michigan in Grand Haven, our average wind speeds in the summer are 10-20 mph. As a 200lb rider I am looking for a larger kite with a bit larger board. My go-to size kite in the summer is a 14 meter with a board in the 138-140 range. This allows me the most days in the water with one kite and one board. My quiver is actually a 14 and a 10 meter Switchblade and a 145 Best Breeze Light and the new Cabrinha Xcaliber 136. This quiver of 2 boards and 2 kites allows me a wind range of 12-35 mph as an experienced rider. One of the best tricks to picking the right kite is to call a reputable kiteboarding dealer and tell them where you ride (wind speed is critical) and how much you weigh. Most kite surfing shops can help you walk through the proper gear range. It is great to read reviews on the Internet, but talking to someone who rides lots of different gear, has worked with many new students, and really can put the complete package together will save you a ton of time and money in the long run.
Wow, this is a tough one. Since 2008, 75% of kites being produced are solid and deliver what they say they will. There have been a few new kiteboarding brands and specific kites from established brands that are not so hot, but all in all, most kite surfing kites are pretty solid. One big thing that does stand out is that you get what you pay for. We stock many brands, with Cabrinha Kites being our number one kite surfing brand. I will tell you that I love many different kites for their special setups and designs. But I can also tell you that the more established brands like Cabrinha, North Kites, Slingshot Kites and Best Kiteboarding have better quality control, improved safety systems, more refined bars and just an overall better construction than some of the off brands. You will pay a bit more, but you don't really save money by buying a Yugo.
A great way to save money is to get a kiteboarding trainer kite and practice up before spending the big bucks. Go crash and smash a $200 trainer kite and learn all your basic flying skills before buying your first kiteboarding kite. Kiteboarding trainer kites are a fantastic value as a training tool.
A kitesurfing lesson will also help you save money in the long run. It seems like a lot of money to shell out $550 for a weekend kiteboarding lesson, but learning all the basics of gear usage, crashing your kiteboarding school's kite and being safe will easily save you the $550 by the time you get your kitesurfing gear all set up.
This is going to be another quick, information-packed blog. I wanted to cover a question we get almost daily: How do I pick the right size kite This video is aimed at new riders, but I will address intermediate riders at the end of this blog.
If you're new to kiteboarding and you are looking at your first kite, you'll want to pick a good all-around mid-range kite for your weight, the goal being to maximize your water time in the conditions that you'll be riding in.
Eventually, you'll probably want another couple kites, a light wind kite and a high wind kite. The reason most would benefit from starting on a mid-range kite is that these wind ranges take more time to learn. This is because there are different skill sets for different wind ranges.
Your mid-range kite is going to be used at roughly 16 to 21 miles per hour. This is the easiest range for learning kiteboarding. Any less wind, and you can still make great progress flying the kite safely while standing. Once you try getting up on a board, it's going to take a lot more work to learn to ride in light winds. This is because larger kites are less responsive.
If you learn on a light wind kite, there is a benefit from the standpoint of not over-steering the kite. Once you get riding on the water, for someone who is new, it can take more work learning to subtly sine the kite to generate more apparent wind. You have to think two steps ahead when steering your kite to be effective. Launching a kite also takes more skill and practice in lighter winds. If you start with your light wind kite, you'll be spending more time working on this.
In stronger winds, you'll eventually need a high wind kite. If you start on something smaller in stronger winds, things happen a lot faster. Wind tends to be gusty and less consistent. The faster kites are really fun and responsive. You'll often hear that people's favorite size is their 9 or 10 meter. Those of you using this size as your weight-appropriate mid-range kite are lucky because they are the most fun to use.
In kiteboarding, we have the 30 hour rule. That is the amount of time it takes to learn how to become an independent kiteboarder. For light winds or strong winds, I would add on another 15 hours of learning time for someone to become efficient. That said, for some, this still might be the best option.
I've included a kiteboarding size chart that you can reference. The left column is light wind kite recommendations. The center column is mid-range kites and the right is high wind kite recommendations. 59ce067264