Newbie Board questions

[fatkiter]

Greetings to all

As the username suggest I am a fat guy trying t kite:)

To be exact I am almost 120 kg and 198 cm height and not very athletic in general but I am absolutely in love with kiteboarding so really eager to learn...

I am at the stage that I can ride down- wind and trying to go up-wind

Question is about board sizes.

I have a 17m Ozone zephyr kite and up to now I was using a board from the local kite school (fly door) with dimensions if I am not wrong 170 *50 (hudge board)

Recently a friend gave me an old Naish Haze board (144 X 45)

After only one session with the board I was able to do a bit better going up wind than with the hudge one from the school (in similar low wind conditions)

I am reading everywhere that the larger the board the better and I am getting a bit confused

In order not to waist time (summer is finishing) what would you recommend? Use the larger board until I can go up-wind constantly or try with the smaller board?

I quests my question is also related to what board a guy my size will be using after he becomes efficient enough??

Sorry for the long post:)

Thanks

[iriejohn]

Simple answer is to use whichever board you progress fastest with.

[coupdevill]

159ish for your 17-13/12m the 146ish for 11-8m

coup

[fatkiter]

can you use both? or have to decide for one?
if both, take both to the beach and give each 30 min...see your progression...until you found out when to use what.

[Windigo1]

Not all boards are created equal some go better upwind than others but the technique and kite also make a huge difference. If you are over powered with the large board it may be hard to edge it and you get dragged downwind. Normally the large door should do better for very light wind like 8 to 15 knots after that the smaller one should be better the smaller board will be more comfortable in the chop and easier to edge.

[FLandOBX]

Not all boards are created equal some go better upwind than others but the technique and kite also make a huge difference. If you are over powered with the large board it may be hard to edge it and you get dragged downwind. Normally the large door should do better for very light wind like 8 to 15 knots after that the smaller one should be better the smaller board will be more comfortable in the chop and easier to edge.

+1. Exactly this.

If you are powered up on your 17 m kite, then you'll have more fun and make more progress on the smaller board, which sounds like a good size for you. I am not a fan of "door boards", but you can fall back on one in light wind if needed to save your session. As you progress, you will appreciate the lighter, more nimble feel of a smaller board, which won't limit your movements like a door. Sounds like you're doing well, so keep having fun with it.

[Havre]

I´m 198 and 100kg+ myself.

Generally speaking I think 100kg+ beginners are often given too small boards. An instructor at 75kg often do not have much of a clue how it feels to ride at 100kg+. In other words, I´m all for big boards, but there is a limit.

I have never been on anything close to 170x50. How do you edge such a thing?

144 x 45 is big. My old board was 142 x 42 and I learned on that one. That was slightly too small so 144 x 45 sounds good to me. I would go with that one even if I don´t know that specific board at all.

Two things to remember. It is not only about the size. A friend of mine had a similar sized board as me, but his was newer and easier to go upwind with. The second thing is bigger kites are generally speaking more difficult to go upwind with. On a 9m in solid wind going upwind is easy. On a 17m it can be quite a lot trickier. If you got too much power edging against the kite is a lot tougher than when you are on a 9m. Limited amount of power and going upwind is always tricky.

[JakeFarley]

Technique is very important. If the kite is low aspect and you oversheet for more power, it is harder to go upwind. Try sheeting out to get the kite to fly at the edge ot the wind window. That may hrlp you point upwind better. Also, turn your body so you are looking more upwind. Where you look is where you will go. With more experience you will improve your technique.

[Herman]

At your weight I am a little surprised that you are going better on the smaller board. Just be aware that monster doors are likely to be set up for heel side riding in low wind. For a average weight person this will be with the straps mounted well to the heel side of the centre line. If this is the case when you jump on it you will be over edging and unbalanced.

See if you can mount the straps nearer to the centre line and give it another try. But if you stil lhaving more joy on the smaller board stick with it. The monster door should just need a little less kite power but the board itself will be a little harder to control.

My large TT (which does not just mean light wind) is 143x48 and I am around 200lb. It is set up with heel side bias and is therefore rubbish for toeside.

[iriejohn]

Bare in mind that the OP is using a 17m Ozone Zephyr (with the supplied 27m lines I'd guess).

I am 81kg and have a Zephyr V5 which I currently use with my Lieuwe Shotgun 136 x 40.5.

From 12 knots upwards I am powered up with the Zephyr flying far forward in the window so going upwind is not a problem, and in 17-18 knots I'm nuking. To be honest, I'd then rather be on my 12m Ozone Enduro V2 but I still have some trim left!

So I am not at all surprised that the OP prefers the 144 x 45 board.