Currently I've been learning on a 2012 Crossbow 13 m which is a bit of tank, but fine a lot of the time until the wind picks up to 17+ kts when it starts feeling a bit overpowered. I could probably happily take it out in up to 20 kts, but not sure if I have the skill level to handle that yet and I'm sick of seeing those green arrow days that are blowing too hard to take out the CB.
I'm looking at a 2014 Switchblade 9m as a second kite. I've read that 4 m is a pretty big jump, but wondering what other Cab riders can say about the bottom end of the 9m SB. I've heard it's quite grunty and probably feels more like a 10. So would the 13/9 combo work alright in this regard?
Weight wise I'm 75-80kg and I'm kiting around Sydney and Newcastle.
17 knots is when I start thinking about getting the 13 out :D
All depends. 9m SB is like an 8m XB so you'd actually be dropping 5m, but if the wind turns on and jumps suddenly into the next grunt zone or you have the boards to cover the gaps, it'd be ok... I'd have an 11m SB if I wanted to just one step down from my 13.
But take that with a grain of salt -- I've played with 10m SB and my 14, but thats it :D