Hi guys!

I am taking lessons of kite surfing and I am very happy with what I am learning so I think I will stick with this sport. For this reason I am looking for a starter kit and would like to receive your opinion. I would be happy to spend 2000 AUD on a new kit if that is possible. I would be kiting mostly in St Kilda. When I say kit I mean kite, lines, board, harness.

Thanks in advance for your advice and happy to meet some of you kiting in the future!

Cheers

if you are going to drop 2 grand on brand new gear as a beginner shops will be salivating

Check the buy and sell bud... plenty of people selling unwanted Xmas presents in there... buy something no older than 2014, check it first.. i learnt on a 12m, I'm only light but it gave me good wind range so I could get out on the light wind days to practice as much as possible.. if your buying new you won't get much more than a kite for that price....

If you decide to go second hand, I'd get a mate that knows kites to help you. Or buy 2nd hand from a shop with warranty.
I've been helping a mate & the two kites we have looked at both needed new leading edge bladders.

You can sometimes buy run out gear for cheaper, but any major brand you will be looking at close to 2k for just a kite and bar.

If your lessons are associated with a shop, they sometimes take the price of the lessons off of the new gear making it cheaper. that's how I got my first gear.

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toppleover said...
If you decide to go second hand, I'd get a mate that knows kites to help you. Or buy 2nd hand from a shop with warranty.
I've been helping a mate & the two kites we have looked at both needed new leading edge bladders.

Good advice

Thanks for your advice mate! And thanks for sharing your own experience :)

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toppleover said...
If you decide to go second hand, I'd get a mate that knows kites to help you. Or buy 2nd hand from a shop with warranty.
I've been helping a mate & the two kites we have looked at both needed new leading edge bladders.

Really! Thanks a lot for that offer and advice :) I will be in touch!

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Kyter said...
If your lessons are associated with a shop, they sometimes take the price of the lessons off of the new gear making it cheaper. that's how I got my first gear.

Yes, lessons are associated with a shop! Good advice and thanks for letting me know!

demo demo, demo kites and buy used gear on your 1st year. In Melbourne the wind change all the time.

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castill0jf said...
demo demo, demo kites and buy used gear on your 1st year. In Melbourne the wind change all the time.

What is a demo kite? The equivalent of a demo car? If so, are those in good condition after being used for testing? Thanks for your advice!

Cheers

The buy n sell is littered with great deals
Plenty of decent kites around $700
Boards at $400/500
Harness under $100
Then be cheeky and save yourself a couple of hundred
You don't need the latest greatest starting up

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cauncy said..
The buy n sell is littered with great deals
Plenty of decent kites around $700
Boards at $400/500
Harness under $100
Then be cheeky and save yourself a couple of hundred
You don't need the latest greatest starting up

Wise words from the Caunce.

I got a new kite as a beginner which ended up washed up on a rock groyne, I replaced it with exactly the same model second hand for one-third of the new price. Have never bought new since.

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cauncy said...
The buy n sell is littered with great deals
Plenty of decent kites around $700
Boards at $400/500
Harness under $100
Then be cheeky and save yourself a couple of hundred
You don't need the latest greatest starting up

Good advice, mate! Thanks

Yes, you can get pretty decent quality second-hand complete setup for 2K, however, you still need to know what to look for AND how to inspect the equipment...

In my experience as an Instructor, half the newbies I've seen buying second-hand stuff without any help/advice ended up buying either the wrong gear or equipment that was broken, overused/overpriced, wrong size, etc. You have to be very careful what you buy as a newbie...

If you're gonna buy second hand, find someone with lots of experience to help you shop for the right stuff and inspect the gear. Offer a carton of beer in exchange for the service.

Christian

visit a Kite shop and ask if they have kites availablee for demo. I demo kites as much as possible. When the time comes I know what I want and not having to rush the purchase of a new or used kite. Cheers

Also some sellers will allow you to demo their kites. You should choose what type of kite do you need. Full C kite, Delta, ...... For example I only kite on wave so I only buy or demo kites that are designed for drifting and turning.



cheers

Don't demo you won't know what you are looking for. All kite brands have decent all round kites which will work fine for a few years. then you will know what you want and can demo. Chauncy had good advice

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littlewing said..
Don't demo you won't know what you are looking for.

Agreed. Shops won't let complete newbies fresh out of lessons demo brand new equipment anyways...

I would budget a little more than $700 for a good second-hand kite and bar especially in the 10-12m sizes I would budget $1000 to $1200 this way you're more likely to avoid dodgy equipment.

I would just go and tell these guys I've got 2 grand. They'll hook you up.They're nice, patient guys to talk to. And they've got a shop so you know your safe.
www.shq.com.au/

I've never bought anything from them but I stopped in once and got really good service

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cbulota said..
Yes, you can get pretty decent quality second-hand complete setup for 2K, however, you still need to know what to look for AND how to inspect the equipment...

In my experience as an Instructor, half the newbies I've seen buying second-hand stuff without any help/advice ended up buying either the wrong gear or equipment that was broken, overused/overpriced, wrong size, etc. You have to be very careful what you buy as a newbie...

If you're gonna buy second hand, find someone with lots of experience to help you shop for the right stuff and inspect the gear. Offer a carton of beer in exchange for the service.

Christian

Hey Christian,you're right - it is quite difficult for me to know what I want and how to inspect equipment.Lamentably, I don't think I know anyone doing kitesurfing...I am taking lessons with the hope of joining the community here in Melbs in the coming months. My interest is to have the appropriate gear to start practising. Nothing more, nothing less.I think my best approach would be asking for advice at the same shop I am taking the lessons from. I don't know how it works here in Melbourne, but I think they could be my best chance of getting appropriate gear, for a right price (any experience?), to start practising during the first year. Thanks for the comments!

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Kyter said..
If your lessons are associated with a shop, they sometimes take the price of the lessons off of the new gear making it cheaper. that's how I got my first gear.

How much did you spend this way? did you get new or 2nd hand stuff?was it here in Melbs?Cheers!

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Hey Christian,you're right - it is quite difficult for me to know what I want and how to inspect equipment.Lamentably, I don't think I know anyone doing kitesurfing...I am taking lessons with the hope of joining the community here in Melbs in the coming months. My interest is to have the appropriate gear to start practising. Nothing more, nothing less.I think my best approach would be asking for advice at the same shop I am taking the lessons from. I don't know how it works here in Melbourne, but I think they could be my best chance of getting appropriate gear, for a right price (any experience?), to start practising during the first year. Thanks for the comments!

Part of the learning process is to rock up to kite beaches, watch other kiters, help people launch and land their kites, ask what gear they are using and why? socialize, etc.

Most kiters I know spend as much time socializing on the beach as they do kiting. Introduce yourself and explain you're looking for help finding second-hand gear.

Shops are indeed a good place to start, however, keep in mind that their main interest is to sell you what they have in stock and make a profit, so you might not always get what's ''best'' for you and you will always pay more than buying from private sellers. Although it's not so common, I've seen newbies come out of shops with equipment that was unsuitable for learning or well overpriced for the condition.

Hi guysFollowing on my exploration, I got a first gear offer and would like to know if it sounds appropriate:
-LF Envy 9m 2014 (with original bar)
-board 134 cm.I aim to practice in St Kilda;

-I am 1.75 mts, 75 kg. What do you think? how much would you pay if this gear is in good condition?cheers!

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JuanPablo said...
Hi guysFollowing on my exploration, I got a first gear offer and would like to know if sound appropriate:
-LF Envy 9m 2014 (with original bar)
-board 134 cm.I aim to practice in St Kilda;

-I am 1.75 mts, 75 kg. What do you think? how much would you pay if this gear is in good condition?cheers!

The Envy is a great kite but I would suggest an 11m for Melbourne's seabreezes at your weight, even a 12m with that size board. I'm 80kg and run a 12m/9m combo.

Good to know the kite is good!

Wouldn't it be a 12 m too much power for a beginner? I've seen many people of my size using a 9m kite in st kilda successfully...experienced kiters perhaps?

Thanks for your feedback guys!