It's hard to get past all the marketing guff, What do I need to buy that will let me kite in 7 knot winds?

I'm ~85kg and have a 2012 12m Fuse kite and Cabrinha Chopstick 144 twintip. It's usually not a lot of fun unless there is whitecaps and 15-20knot winds. I can sucessfully tack or jib but it's been ages since there was enough wind to attempt jumps (usually at Elliot heads Bargara).

Should I just persist till I get better and can make use of sub 15knot winds?

Sholuld I buy an extra kite, it seems that the larger the kite is the more wind it can catch and the less knots I'll need.

Should I buy a different board? would it be easier with a larger or a race style board? So that there is less drag on the water once I'm moving.

Or do I just have to lose weight?

7 knots is certainly kite-able if you are experienced. You just have to accept that if the kite hits the water you'll be swimming in.

Either a proper course raceboard with big fins and a 17/18/19m kite.

Or a Hydrofoil and an efficient 13/14m kite.

Hydrofoils take a bit more learning than the raceboard but for Joe Blogs I would highly recommend the hydrofoil as IMO much more fun and versatile

If not overly experienced best option for would probs be a bigger kite (16/17/18m) which might get you going in around 10 knots

Get a SUP!

cauncy said..
It's natural to want to get out in the lightest whiff of wind,especially when your new to the sport or starved of wind, also you need to be pretty skilled in kiting below 10knts, even more skilled in relaunching sub 10, I've been kiting a fair while and have accepted that for my needs I don't get excited until 13 knts even on a 17mtr lw kite,

cauncy right on the money here... im 85 kg and have a zephyr 17m and a 135x42 TT... cant even get going until 12knots..then i dont even enjoy it much as i am always fighting to get back upwind after a boost. i guess i could add a second light wind board but i dont think its worth chasing!

raskalnickoff said..
It's hard to get past all the marketing guff, What do I need to buy that will let me kite in 7 knot winds?

A Genie or a huge wind machine

2 words bro, "runout tide". It will give you more apparent wind. I was out today with an 11m c kite in 10-13 knots with a runout and had a ball

7 knots probably not, but kited this through 5-6PM no problem -16m Rhino 2006 (bought for $40) and homemade hydrofoil, about 100kg. Actually managed to get overpowered. 13 knots and I'd be in trouble

What about the new North juice 15m. Any one now how hard this will be to fly in under 12 knot

if the wind is always below 10 knots then get a big kite and a big SUP, twintip or surfboard. The light wind kites should not be heavy if not it will drop of the sky. I think below 4 kilos is best. Do NOT buy (unless you have lots of $) a new kite because you can find second hand kites in good shape for 1/2 of the price. I ride a 14 meter Naish Ride on a SUP below 7 knots. I can mow the lawn and ride small waves.