noob looking for buying advice

[M28MRC]

Hi all wise people

I have almost finished my kitesurfing lessons, and its now an absolute minefield in regards to purchasing my equipment

do i buy online with my limited knowledge ( cheaper ) or do i venture down to my local kitesurf shop and take a financial kicking ?

i will be kitesurfing on the south coast of the UK

I am 6"5 young at 42yrs and 100kg ish so is it more important to get a bigger kite as apposed to a larger board ?

any help would be fantastic as the wonderful www always throws up different answers

many thanks in advance

M

[M28MRC]

also depends on the wind speeds you have.

But for sure you need bigger than others, because you have weight. Makes a big difference if a guy has only 70kgs.

Since you are a beginner, I think 10 & 14 would be a good setup to start.

Maybe later once you are more experienced a 9-12-16 combo would cover quiet some wind range.

Yes, Internet is normally cheaper, but specially in the beginning it's nice to have a shop to go to. Make friends, meet others, have better support etc.
And normally they can also give you a good discount when buying a package.

Let us know what you bought at the end!

[bkkite]

I'm 100kg, and I kite around NYC, which is a relatively light wind spot.

Here's what I did, and I'll follow that with what I wish I would have done

Quiver 1 (2016):
- Slingshot Rally 12m
- Slingshot Rally 17m
- Slingshot Misfit board
- These were all new, but previous years models so a good discount.
- 4 months later I bought a 9m Rally used.

Quiver 1 Learnings:
- Those slingshot kites didn't have a great wind range. I felt really over powered quickly on the 17m, and honestly think it delayed my ability to stay upwind in trickier conditions.
- A friend of mine handed me a Core XR4 one day, and it literally felt like a different sport. The bar pressure alone made it so that my arms and fingers weren't exhausted after 10 min in high wind conditions.
- I also learned that the slingshot straps didn't really fit my feet well, so I was always in pain. The board was good for riding upwind in lighter wind conditions, but not great when it picked up, which was a bad combination with the grunty kites.

Quiver 2 ( 2018)
- Bought the XRs used from a local reputable shop (got good trade in from my Slingshot kites).
- Core XR4 12m
- Core XR4 19m
- Core XR4 9m
- Nobile NHP twin tip split board and Click and go straps.
- North Nugget 5'2 surf board
- About 12 months later I traded in the 19m for a 15m.

Quiver 2 Learnings:
- I LOVE the XRs, and think this is a great type of kite for beginners (I'm sure other brands have a kite like this too). The huge depower, the handling in gusts, the stability (they don't turn super fast), they just made me feel really confident in all kinda of conditions, especially the higher winds and gusty winds. The power and the boosting and the float are also really fun and accessible.
- The 19m was night and day compared to the Slingshot Turbine 17m. The 19m turned faster, and had better de-power, I would raise that thing from 15-22mph and it was super fun to get out in light winds.
- The Nobile NHP board was a big step up from the misfit. The click and go straps in particular were WAY more comfortable, and I loved being able to adjust them on the fly in the water.
- The North nugget made a huge difference in light winds. I didn't really want a big barn door twin tip, so I got a surfboard. I realize I could switch from my twin tip to the surfboard when the wind dropped, and often I wouldn't have to pump up a bigger kite.
- I've been riding the XRs for 3 years now, and I've started to realize that I want a faster turning kite, and a better drifting kite for foiling and for waves.

Quiver 3 ( 2021)
- Xlite 12m
- Nexus 2 9m
- Core XR 7m
- Slingshot Celero 5'8 surffboard
- Slingshot Hover Glide Foil with Infinity 76 and Apollo 60 wings

Quiver 3 Learnings:
- When you start foiling and surfing, you start to realize how much difference there is in kite shapes and types. The xlite and Nexus 2 are just much better at drifting, and they turn a lot faster. These are much more fun when your kite flying skills are more advanced. I now finally understand how some people think the Core XR's are boring because they don't turn as fast. Yes you can jump higher with less effort in the XR, but the Nexus can do the same if you have good technique.
- I'm now slowly trading in my XRs and moving to Nexus 2

Summary and overall learnings:
- Try before you buy. I had not idea what I was doing when I got the slingshots, and I mostly bought new because I didn't know anything about kites and din't want problems with a used one that I didn't understand. I wish someone had shown me the types and had me demo different ones to feel the difference.
- Buying used is a great option. I have a few kite shops that I trust that rate their used gear, and I've gotten 3-4 years out of some of that gear no problem.

[tautologies]

This forum will also throw a ton of different answers at you. I would go to the local shop if they had naish pivots.
What type of riding are you looking to do? There are a few standout kites from different brands, and how the kites fit you will depend a bit on how you imagine riding and the wind condition at your local spot. I can definitely objectively say that the best ever multi-use-all-terrain kite ever made is the naish pivot*. It is a can do it all kite and will take you from mere beginnings to megaloops.


(*subjectively).

[grigorib]

Chances are your local shop has great gear and offer seasonal and unadvertised deals.

Start with your weight, prevalent wind and sea conditions and what do you plan to ride (twintip, surfboard, flat water, waves, kickers/wakepark, brand/price preference) and you’ll get a good pattern in answers. Also maybe share what brands you local shop carry so you’ll get suggestions which models of those brands to pick.

[Havre]

There are quite a few similar threads like this on this board. You will find a bunch of answers like tautologies´ where someone just recommend what they themselves know and probably like. Rather pointless information. Then you will find posts like the one from bkkite which is a lot more useful if you want to learn about kites, boards etc.

I think maybe the best way to get good "guidance" is to ask concretely about certain kites that you maybe have found online, gotten an offer on from a local kite shop etc. Being in the same weight class myself I have some thoughts as to which kites you might want to avoid, but not really any specific suggestions as to which to buy.

Sizing depends on the wind of course. I don't use my 17m much any longer, but learning it was the kite I used the most. If you are getting down to 15-16 knots you are not going to do well at 100kg on a small kite. Then again if you are living in a place with 25 knots wind you wouldn't want to be out with a 17m. You'll get better feedback there if you know and share a bit more about the conditions at your local spot.

As for board go big is my advice. Learning on a small board is to me a waste of time (not all agree - should be said). I can't remember exactly, but I think my first board was 142x42 and I regret not going bigger at the time. All boards are not equal based on size alone, but I would be careful going below 142x42 - I would recommend bigger.

[M28MRC]

Thankyou all so much for your replys !

Kiteshop it is then

Kindest Regards

M

[bkkite]

There are quite a few similar threads like this on this board. You will find a bunch of answers like tautologies´ where someone just recommend what they themselves know and probably like. Rather pointless information. Then you will find posts like the one from bkkite which is a lot more useful if you want to learn about kites, boards etc.

I think maybe the best way to get good "guidance" is to ask concretely about certain kites that you maybe have found online, gotten an offer on from a local kite shop etc. Being in the same weight class myself I have some thoughts as to which kites you might want to avoid, but not really any specific suggestions as to which to buy.

Sizing depends on the wind of course. I don't use my 17m much any longer, but learning it was the kite I used the most. If you are getting down to 15-16 knots you are not going to do well at 100kg on a small kite. Then again if you are living in a place with 25 knots wind you wouldn't want to be out with a 17m. You'll get better feedback there if you know and share a bit more about the conditions at your local spot.

As for board go big is my advice. Learning on a small board is to me a waste of time (not all agree - should be said). I can't remember exactly, but I think my first board was 142x42 and I regret not going bigger at the time. All boards are not equal based on size alone, but I would be careful going below 142x42 - I would recommend bigger.

Great point on the big board, forgot to include that. I had a 142 as well, and to be honest my new board is a 139... so I've kinda stuck to bigger boards partially because I'm in that 95to100kg range too

[Havre]

Thankyou all so much for your replys !

Kiteshop it is then

Kindest Regards

M

Never a bad idea.

Obviously I see the problem as to who to determine who to trust. Ask questions and never just rely on one source I would say are the golden rules.

I am not an expert. There are many on here who has got a lot more knowledge about kite design, trade offs in the designs etc. than me, but 2 out of the 4 last visits I have had to kite shops I would easily say I knew more about the kites we were talking about than the people working at the shops. So they couldn't help me at all with my questions. The two others were excellent (one of them working at the same place - just happen to find someone else who actually knew).

It's a journey and there really isn't any other way than just start taking the first steps. I would never recommend going in to a shop for the first time buying 3 kites, a board, harness etc. though. Any serious shop should at least allow you to think about it for a day or two which allows you to maybe check here what people think, search the Web for reviews etc (even if most reviews are in my opinion more like ads than real reviews).

[Herman]

It is quite likely that you will eventually want two TT, unless you will be learning in chop and like being well powered I would recommend that you buy the big board first as this will maximise your opportunities to be on the water. For south coast uk I would not go as big as a door, but for example I think you would enjoy something like a shin king 150x50 or similar. They are not just a light wind board like a door, but they are a low power requirement, eg yesterday I needed 12m but it was out of commmission; instead I took a 9m and a 150x50 and had a fun session working the kite hard, 16-24knts @ ~100kg.

However if you want to be on the biggest kite on the beach and really want to attack it and accept the higher risk of being yarded go for a smaller board.

If you are serious you wlll need a 3 kite quiver; usually sensible to start with the largest and work down as far as riding is concerned but it is useful to have a small kite as it allows you to practice ground handling and launching in a reasonable breeze with reduced power and risk. Talk to the local guys and once you have a bit of experience don’t stand around on the beach with the kite at the zenith, it is hard to get past a beginner pretending to be a 100ft tree. Lots of people will be helpful but it might be wise to be sceptical regarding opinions from light weights. Good luck and have fun.