Advice for a big guy

[naishdude]

Thanks guys. One of the great things about your replies is that nobody is telling me that I have zero chance of a water start at 125kg ... One of the issues with the instructors in my home town is that you are never sure whether they want to keep earning the instruction fees or sell you equipment whereas advice from kiteboarders on the other side of the world is that you can trust the advice as 100% genuine ... of course now that I am taking up kitsesurfing I am going to lose the cynicism

Any other advice gratefully received

just a quickie..
Friend of me is 130kg...flies Switchkites Nitro v3 16 and 12 m...board is Spleene
Very happy with the gear.
Make it easy on yourself, Switchkites give you a 30 days test no good money back...and lifelong warranty....
What can you loose?
www.switchkites.com
Cheers
Dude

[eree]

just a quickie..
Friend of me is 130kg...flies Switchkites Nitro v3 16 and 12 m...board is Spleene
Very happy with the gear.
Make it easy on yourself, Switchkites give you a 30 days test no good money back...and lifelong warranty....
What can you loose?
www.switchkites.com
Cheers
Dude

with switchkite you can loose even more time in addition you already spent on learning...
well, i'm 108kg, switchkite is pure crap what concerns the heavyweight riders, believe me, i had those nitros. they are too heavy and slow turning for the winds you have at dubai.

Naishdude, you are in Netherland. you have very good winds at north sea with a lot of flat water locations. please don't confuse people with less fortunate conditions.

amutawi: you already have ozone zephyr, a good low wind kite. now try it with the bigger "door" type board from spleen, nobile or slingshot. after you master waterstart get the directional freeride board like airush sector

[naishdude]

@ Eree...is there one thread where Switch is mentioned you are not trying to bash it...
shame on you boy, you must have one frustrated life...
just making a small search on Eree+Switchkites, it shows enough

Anyways, the Switch Nitro V3 is miles away from the Nitro V1.

Secondly...where is the danger, 30 days return policiy..which brand is offering that?

dude

[Guttorm]

With your weight and winds, you need one BIG kite with lots of camber, f.eks Ozone Edge 19, or Flysurfer 21, and a Big board with wery flat rockerline, if you go smaler you will not be able to kite in 10-12 knots.
I have been searching the web for a long time to find the best lightwind kite
and after reading this I was sure I found the right kite.
http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kite ... /Edge-19M/
The Edge 19 is now by far my favorite kite.
Guttorm 202cm 110kg

[Okinawa Kiter]

With your weight and winds, you need one BIG kite with lots of camber, f.eks Ozone Edge 19, or Flysurfer 21, and a Big board with wery flat rockerline, if you go smaler you will not be able to kite in 10-12 knots.
I have been searching the web for a long time to find the best lightwind kite
and after reading this I was sure I found the right kite. http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Kite ... 9M/?page=1
The Edge 19 is now by far my favorite kite.
Guttorm 202cm 110kg

Yup Edge 19m Awesome! Even the lightweight guys here use a 165cm Slingshot or Spleene board in the light stuff. 19m Edge gets you upwind well too. Then maybe a 15m Edge if kiting under 28 knots at your weight. These kites have already proven themselves in many races so can't go wrong and I own a 17 and 11m weigh 104KGs and love them. Other inflatables I can't comment on.

[badgb21]

+1
(I'm 115Kg also)

I am 115kg, 189cm, and I remember the frustration in the early days of not being able to get going. I wasted a lot of time with boards that were just too small and kites that weren't big enough. I think some instructors underestimate just how much more energy is required to get big guys moving. My advice is get a much bigger board - I strongly recommend the Flysurfer Flydoor XL for you. It's big but surprisingly light and agile and can cope with a few smaller waves and stronger winds. Good luck.

[Younger]

Hi I am similar weight to you and had the same issue. Now have a Zephyr as well and a door style board (Litewave Wing 154). Combination works well - I think the board has a bigger impact for heavies than the kite.. Agree with earlier post to point board just in front of the kite, bend knees tight and let the kite roll you up over the board - just like if a person was pulling you up off the floor.

Was also in Le Morne a few years back - lagoon is fantastic for learning/practising. Flat warm water and good wind most days.

Enjoy

[balugh]

I'm 105-110kg. First ride was on a 16m North Rhino and a Door. Big board....big, solid kite and steady wind and you'll get it. Some time wakeboarding would be very helpful. I now ride North Rebel 8m, 11m, and have a Flysurfer s3 15m for light wind days. Most of the time I ride a Supershinn 135 x 41. On light days I'm back on the Door. Getting on a directional like a Sector 60 would give you many more days on the water too. A lot of brands 'flap' too much for bigger riders but I've not had trouble with either North or Ozone.

[dracop]

I weigh in the 110-115kg range and had similar problems to you. Before you supersize past a 17m kite, look at the BOARD. 10-12 knots is very light wind but a 17m can harness what power there is there. With a large board, you get alot more flotation support from the board and need far less power for waterstarts as you are less reliant on forward momentum to stay up. For those wind conditions I would actually suggest considering a directional board (looks like a small surfboard) as you an find those in large dimensions that will float you. Once up and riding, a 17m would offer plenty of power for speed, air, etc.

In terms of kites, I use a 16m LF NRG but I don't think that would be enough for you in those winds. Consider an Ocean Rodeo 17.5m Flite or a Best Fat Lady 17m. A Flysurfer is a beautiful kite but very pricey. Before you go crazy trying to power up past a 17m kite, consider trying life on a big board first.

The gear you will want for your trip is very different than what you want for your main spot, so consider how much travel you are willing to do the next 2-3 years before you buy.

[shlow]

I was 105 kg when I started to learn kiting. With about 10 hrs of learning (over 3 years). Wind is about 12-15 knots in my area. After which I start off with a 16M Cabrinha SB and 158 Prodigy.

This is great for the location. However, in Mauritius, the wind kicks in during the afternoon and it can goes to 20+ knots. You will definitely be able to get upboard, and drag downwind.

You may want to consider a smaller kite and board for the trip (or purchase it there). I use a 132*43 and a 130*40 board, with a 12 and 9 meter kite. The reason is that once you get up on board, you will want to go upwind. Make sure you have sufficient cover in term of kite size to cover the wind range there. You can look up the typical wind range in windguru archives at La Morne. You can refer to the table below for a rough guide to the wind range, weight and kite size requirements.

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/Media/View/ ... nge-chart/

Most important is that you enjoy the ride!