How to choose first kite

[davewolfs]

Hello everyone,

I am extremely new to the sport and have been using a training kite and am about to start lessons. Lately I have been researching how much gear costs and what types of kites are available.

It seems that in my area people are using a number of different brands - North, Slingshot, Best and Eclipse.

So with all the kites out there, how does one go about choosing a kite? Any advice is appreciated.

Dave

Get the best priced 2007 SLE kite on close out that you can get, if you are thinking about new gear.

It's not going to matter too much which kite brand it is, imo, especially as a first time kiter.
It really doesn't all that much anymore for most riders with less than 2 years experience.
I would even strongly consider asking a local about his used gear (if you see some for sale).
Don't let anyone pull some b.s. on you about shelling out a lot of dough and tell you that it let's you progress faster. That's a sales pitch aimed at the gullible newbie.
In terms of boards, I would error on a tad bit wide. Don't "pull a Jason" and get too narrow of a board , especially with summer coming up.

Oh lastly, prepare to not ride much for the next 4 months (possibly), at least locally.

[bayflite]

peter lynn makes a foil that is very easy to launch...just dont forget the organ grinder and monkey.
eclipse?
north?
best and cabrhina are by far the most popular in this town.
flexifoil is up there too.
ocean rodeo does nice work too.
peace

[Whitey]

I agree with Scott's advice buy the best stuff from last year and don't get hyped.

I do think it makes a difference in which brand you buy though. I won't pimp a brand (so that the tread doesn't explode) but keep in mind that you want a kite that you can get your local shop to service and stand behind, and most importantly you want a kite that relaunches from the water easy. There are several that would be good choices ( most of what you have listed and at least one you don't have listed). There are a couple that would be not such good choices (try to avoid sitting on tree limbs and scratching yourself in public) remember you want a kite that you can relaunch with minimal effort.

When you take your lessons ask to try different kites during your different lessons. Make your choice based upon first hand experience not what you hear or read. Don't buy something you have not tried first.

[davewolfs]

Thanks for all the tips so far.

What are some typical kite sizes that people use in Jupiter? And are most people using Bow or C style?

Also, are there any kites that a beginner should avoid, for example I read on some thread that the Slingshot Rev is perhaps too fast for a beginner yet my local shop has done their own review on it so I can only assume its a quality product.

http://www.jupiterkiteboarding.com/p...ng%20kite.html

I guess I will find out a lot more once I get myself into the water...

Thanks again.

[davewolfs]

Originally Posted by Whitey

I agree with Scott's advice buy the best stuff from last year and don't get hyped.

I do think it makes a difference in which brand you buy though. I won't pimp a brand (so that the tread doesn't explode) but keep in mind that you want a kite that you can get your local shop to service and stand behind, and most importantly you want a kite that relaunches from the water easy. There are several that would be good choices ( most of what you have listed and at least one you don't have listed). There are a couple that would be not such good choices (try to avoid sitting on tree limbs and scratching yourself in public) remember you want a kite that you can relaunch with minimal effort.

When you take your lessons ask to try different kites during your different lessons. Make your choice based upon first hand experience not what you hear or read. Don't buy something you have not tried first.

Are most shops usually pretty liberal about people trying out kites or do the different brands have events where people can try their gear?

Yeah, some. But, a lot of average joes (at least around here) are pretty laid back about it, as well.


------ About 3 months ago, I was strongly considering a new digital camera.
I wanted something that was very good, but less than 1,500 bux.
I swear I read about stuff for 20 hours over the course of 3 weeks.
Forums, reviews -- you name it. Bottom line, I ended up knowing NO more about what I wanted than before I read. So many opinions, but more importantly SO many disguised pimps all over the place every where I read. Finding real info (online) is a joke these days, imo.
I ended up just starting to go up to people I saw with nice cameras and talking to them. That's how I got info (pretty ironic... the 'net the info highway... yeah, right )

The nice thing about kites is you don't have to depend on just reading either. You can demo. Also, you can ask guys face to face at the beach that are just average joes and have no monetary bias toward your choice (ask a pimp, get a pimp answer, no brainer)
Ask the average joe, they are your best resource. It's literally what I did for info on cameras.

It's my view that relaunch isn't that big of an issue. Most newer kites do it pretty well. A few are ridiculously easy. I can't think of many that are all that hard (not 07 or 08 kites). Ask guys at the beach what they think, cuz I might be way off on that. I use to relaunch some pretty lame pigs.

I don't know about the east coast, but guys around here are easy to approach at the launch sites.
It hasn't gotten a b.s. elite club feel to it (yet), so don't be shy about just walking up to guys.

Olympus, Stylus 720 SW. Sams Club approx $428.00 Goes under water 10ft fresh and salt, can be droped from 5ft on concrete and still keeps going...great little camera IMO

[davewolfs]

Originally Posted by Skyway Scott

Yeah, some. But, a lot of average joes (at least around here) are pretty laid back about it, as well.


------ About 3 months ago, I was strongly considering a new digital camera.
I wanted something that was very good, but less than 1,500 bux.
I swear I read about stuff for 20 hours over the course of 3 weeks.
Forums, reviews -- you name it. Bottom line, I ended up knowing NO more about what I wanted than before I read. So many opinions, but more importantly SO many disguised pimps all over the place every where I read. Finding real info (online) is a joke these days, imo.
I ended up just starting to go up to people I saw with nice cameras and talking to them. That's how I got info (pretty ironic... the 'net the info highway... yeah, right )

The nice thing about kites is you don't have to depend on just reading either. You can demo. Also, you can ask guys face to face at the beach that are just average joes and have no monetary bias toward your choice (ask a pimp, get a pimp answer, no brainer)
Ask the average joe, they are your best resource. It's literally what I did for info on cameras.

It's my view that relaunch isn't that big of an issue. Most newer kites do it pretty well. A few are ridiculously easy. I can't think of many that are all that hard (not 07 or 08 kites). Ask guys at the beach what they think, cuz I might be way off on that. I use to relaunch some pretty lame pigs.

I don't know about the east coast, but guys around here are easy to approach at the launch sites.
It hasn't gotten a b.s. elite club feel to it (yet), so don't be shy about just walking up to guys.

Thanks for the tips.

If you need help choosing a camera let me know, photography is one of my hobbies. Personally I'm biased to Nikon I really enjoy using their gear.

Here is a picture from one of our local beaches.

[CodyKeats]

DaveWolfs:

You asked a couple of questions that haven't been answered, so here's my 2 cents on those. (I started kiting last summer in Hatteras, so I recently went through the same process as you.)

Bow or C? Definitely, go with a bow kite. Stick with recent models (07 or 08).

Size? Most people will start with kite in the 12 meter range. I started with an 11m and, within 3 months, picked up a lightly used 14m. I find that, on Florida's east coast, the 11m and 14m get about the same amount of use.

Slingshot Rev? I understand it's a great kite, and probably just fine for a beginnner, if you can stand to pay the price. I opted for Slingshot's '07 Turbo 2 kites, which have been just perfect for my purposes (easy relaunch with wide wind range).

Best advice from my perspective was offered in an earlier post. Don't buy until you've taken your lessons. You'll learn a lot about the kites that you use in your lessons. As a beginner, I found it was helpful to buy the brand of kite that I used in my lessons, because you'll know precisely how to use the safety features, de-power system, etc. Most brands will have similar features, but the bars, lines, etc. may be set up a bit differently. Once you've had some experience, the differences are not complicated, but as a beginner, it's much easier and more comfortable if you've actually used and been trained on the system that you buy and begin to use on your own.

Have fun. I windsurfed for 20 years before switching to kites, and (like a lot of others on this forum) I've never looked back.......this is a truly great sport.