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New member from Florida

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benbecker56
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New member from Florida

Postby benbecker56 » Sat Feb 17, 2018 7:54 pm

Hi everyone, my name is Benjamin and I am from Florida.

Back in 2008 I bought a trainer kite and I taught myself on the Britanny's beaches in France which is where I am from. Few weeks later I was also riding a mountainboard being pulled by the kite.

In 2011 I went to Dominican Republic and I took a class, a lot of practice but no theory, at the end of the day I was able to water start and go downwind but I felt like I missed the basics about safety.

I didn't think about getting back to it until last week end, when I took a class again here in Florida. I must say it was very detailed and I learned a lot. Excited about really getting into it now! Tomorrow I am going to the Florida Keys to take my second class.

I hope to meet some nice kiteboarders around Deerfield Beach Florida!

Ben

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Re: New member from Florida

Postby ELI » Sat Feb 17, 2018 8:11 pm

Put up a post on where you got your lesson for others to know,if its a school . Enjoy

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Re: New member from Florida

Postby Toby » Sun Feb 18, 2018 6:26 am

Welcome Ben!

Keys are just a paradise for Kiting!

Big shallow areas, perfect for learning!

How did it go?

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benbecker56
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Joined: Fri Feb 16, 2018 5:43 pm
Local Beach: Delray Beach
Favorite Beaches: Boca Beach, Curry Hammock, Jupiter, Coco Plum, Cocoa Beach
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Re: New member from Florida

Postby benbecker56 » Sun Feb 18, 2018 10:42 pm

Eli, I will put a post about the classes I took from the school once I finished the next class.

Toby, thank you! I didn't go today because the wind dropped overnight, we pushed the class back to Wednesday morning which is my next day off. Can't wait!

What kind of gear (used gear) would you recommend for a beginner? I am interested in acquiring my gear now and I have an idea of what to look for but I would like some feedback from more experienced kiteboarders.

Thank you!

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Re: New member from Florida

Postby Toby » Sun Feb 18, 2018 10:59 pm

Best is to ask in the main forum Kitesurfing wo h a new more specific topic

Let us know your weight and expected wind speeds

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Re: New member from Florida

Postby dylan* » Sun Feb 18, 2018 11:41 pm

benbecker56 wrote:
Sun Feb 18, 2018 10:42 pm
Eli, I will put a post about the classes I took from the school once I finished the next class.

Toby, thank you! I didn't go today because the wind dropped overnight, we pushed the class back to Wednesday morning which is my next day off. Can't wait!

What kind of gear (used gear) would you recommend for a beginner? I am interested in acquiring my gear now and I have an idea of what to look for but I would like some feedback from more experienced kiteboarders.

Thank you!
Hi Ben,

I live in Boca Raton, usually kite at Spanish River beach, we have a pretty group up here. I think riding in Deerfield is technically against a city ordinance, but people do it anyway north of the pier 100 meters or so. You might want to check with a local at that beach re: the rules in case you need to run when the cops show up or something... I've heard mixed reports about the actual rules there.

Regarding gear, you'll have to see what you can find as far as brands go, but I would recommend something around 12-14m as your go-to kite for most wind conditions. I am 150 lbs and ride a 12 or 13m about 85% of the time. If you are heavier weight or really like riding in light wind you can grab a kite around 17-18m also, especially if you want to try to ride at all over the summer. Otherwise you can only really plan on riding maybe 1-3 days a month or so from June through September. For the typical person I think a 14m/10m quiver works well to start with.

Good sites to look for used gear:
www.windance.com (I've bought many kites from them, they are a great shop in the gorge)
www.realwatersports.com
www.ikitesurf.com (classifieds section - listed by individual kiters)
The benefit to the top two links is that they are shops and they test all the gear before they sell it, so you know you will get something that works.

Real also does good deals on brand new gear if you find it at the right time, last year I got a brand new liquid force envy 12m for $700. Another shop that does great sales all the time is www.kitepaddlesurf.com, I've bought a ton of stuff from there and they are really nice people that run the shop as well.

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benbecker56
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Re: New member from Florida

Postby benbecker56 » Tue Feb 20, 2018 5:52 am

Hey Dylan

I will try to find out about the rules in Deerfield Beach, I wasn't really thinking about going there anyways because I have never seen any riders but it will be nice because it's very close from where I live.

I am something like 170lbs and I was told to get a 14m2 and eventually a 17m2 for light winds. By "If you want to try to ride at all over the summer" do you mean the wind is like very light during the summer?

I will definitely look into buying used gear it looks like it's 3 times cheaper on average. My concern was buying it from someone random, but if you say that they test the gear, that's great! Thank you so much for sharing the websites.

Do you know anything about the brand Slingshot? Looks like that's what they have for used kites on both websites.

Thanks!

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Re: New member from Florida

Postby FLandOBX » Tue Feb 20, 2018 8:56 pm

Ben, Slingshot is a solid reputable brand. For a good all around beginner-intermediate level kite, the Slingshot Rally is your best option in that brand. A lot of shops will want to sell you the RPM, but it's more of a hybrid kite that works better for intermediate-advanced riders who want to ride unhooked and/or kiteloop. You'll find good deals on the RPM, but it's not a great beginner kite. The Rally is your better option. There are lots of other brands that are solid, as well (Cabrinha, Core, Ozone, North, etc.).

Re. your question about light winds in Florida during the summer, the answer is "yes". Kiting is best in Florida Nov. thru March. Summer is the doldrums. You can sometimes catch summer wind before a storm or in the Keys, but there's not a lot of kiteboarding happening in Florida during the summer. But you can go to the cable parks.

Welcome to the forum. :thumb:

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Re: New member from Florida

Postby dylan* » Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:50 am

benbecker56 wrote:
Tue Feb 20, 2018 5:52 am
Hey Dylan

I will try to find out about the rules in Deerfield Beach, I wasn't really thinking about going there anyways because I have never seen any riders but it will be nice because it's very close from where I live.

I am something like 170lbs and I was told to get a 14m2 and eventually a 17m2 for light winds. By "If you want to try to ride at all over the summer" do you mean the wind is like very light during the summer?

I will definitely look into buying used gear it looks like it's 3 times cheaper on average. My concern was buying it from someone random, but if you say that they test the gear, that's great! Thank you so much for sharing the websites.

Do you know anything about the brand Slingshot? Looks like that's what they have for used kites on both websites.

Thanks!
Yeah, wind over the summer is actually more consistent than during fall/spring, but it doesn't really break 10-12 knots more than a couple times a month. If you don't have a lot of opportunities to ride (like, only on the weekends/holidays etc), having a big kite is pretty essential to getting sessions in. I think the advice you were given is perfect though, get a 13 or 14m now and use it until you can ride a little bit, then you can add on a big kite or a smaller one, depending on which you think you need more at the time.

Slingshot is an awesome brand. Pretty much all the big brands have good kites now, nothing to really avoid aside from the cheap Chinese brands or the gear from 2002 on Craigslist. Biggest brands are: Cabrinha, Slingshot, Naish, Liquid Force, North, Core, Ozone, Best, Ocean Rodeo, Wainman, Switch, Eleveight (new brand).

Speaking of Switch, you can check them out as well if you would rather not go for something used. You buy direct from the manufacturer (no local shops) so their kites are half the price of other brands. www.switchkites.com

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benbecker56
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Joined: Fri Feb 16, 2018 5:43 pm
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Favorite Beaches: Boca Beach, Curry Hammock, Jupiter, Coco Plum, Cocoa Beach
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Re: New member from Florida

Postby benbecker56 » Thu Feb 22, 2018 6:48 am

FLandOBX wrote:
Tue Feb 20, 2018 8:56 pm
Ben, Slingshot is a solid reputable brand. For a good all around beginner-intermediate level kite, the Slingshot Rally is your best option in that brand. A lot of shops will want to sell you the RPM, but it's more of a hybrid kite that works better for intermediate-advanced riders who want to ride unhooked and/or kiteloop. You'll find good deals on the RPM, but it's not a great beginner kite. The Rally is your better option. There are lots of other brands that are solid, as well (Cabrinha, Core, Ozone, North, etc.).

Re. your question about light winds in Florida during the summer, the answer is "yes". Kiting is best in Florida Nov. thru March. Summer is the doldrums. You can sometimes catch summer wind before a storm or in the Keys, but there's not a lot of kiteboarding happening in Florida during the summer. But you can go to the cable parks.

Welcome to the forum. :thumb:
Hey, Thank you! Alright, so the reason I was asking about Slingshot is indeed because I saw the RPM everywhere at a much lower price than the average of $1200-$1400 that 14m2 goes for. So good to know it's not good for a beginner! I will look into the other brands as well.
How do I find out, for a specific brand, which model is the best for a beginner: like what do I have to look for?
dylan* wrote:
Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:50 am
Yeah, wind over the summer is actually more consistent than during fall/spring, but it doesn't really break 10-12 knots more than a couple times a month. If you don't have a lot of opportunities to ride (like, only on the weekends/holidays etc), having a big kite is pretty essential to getting sessions in. I think the advice you were given is perfect though, get a 13 or 14m now and use it until you can ride a little bit, then you can add on a big kite or a smaller one, depending on which you think you need more at the time.

Slingshot is an awesome brand. Pretty much all the big brands have good kites now, nothing to really avoid aside from the cheap Chinese brands or the gear from 2002 on Craigslist. Biggest brands are: Cabrinha, Slingshot, Naish, Liquid Force, North, Core, Ozone, Best, Ocean Rodeo, Wainman, Switch, Eleveight (new brand).

Speaking of Switch, you can check them out as well if you would rather not go for something used. You buy direct from the manufacturer (no local shops) so their kites are half the price of other brands. www.switchkites.com
Regarding summer time, my teacher advised me to practice as much as I could until the end of the season here, and then get a 17m2 during the summer. But if my understanding is correct, the bigger is the kite, the harder it is to have a good control over it?

I will look into the brands you told me as well. Switch prices are very attractive, and actually at this price I would rather buy new I think. I will do some research about them. The only thing when you are a beginner you don't really know what to look for in a kite.

Oh by the way, I took a second class today and I now have full control over the kite with one hand (and actually one finger like the teacher showed me haha). I can walk on the beach, and pretty much take it anywhere I want. I also played with the power and I was able to feel the pull of the 10m2 kite in a 15kts wind. Next time, I will go on the water.

Thanks for everything!


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