Never kitesurfed. Ridden shortboards and snowboards for many years. 92-95kg. Will drop to 85kg pretty fast when I get my arse into gear. Will kite in the surf (NSW) and local lake.

My local retailer sells Slingshot gear and suggested either a slightly used 2012 Slingshot Rally 12m or a new 2013 Slingshot Z (11 or 13m, can't remember which). New 2011 or 2012 Glide board (can't recall year) available.

The helpful sales bloke said that the Z would be super easy (in particular relaunch) to fly and even though not quite as high performance as the Rally, would probably suit me slightly better. The used Rally is cheaper however and that is a factor.

Not sure about differences in control systems.

Whaddya reckon?

Mate your best bet is to get some lessons done, then fly as many different kites as possible to see what you like. Your instructor should be able to help you out. Also getting something a year or 2 old is a good idea as you're gonna punish it quite a bit and no one likes to trash a new kite. Welcome to kitesurfing - enjoy.

I will be getting lessons. Some retailers take the lesson price off the gear purchase, i.e. free lessons if you buy from them. So if I just get lessons with hired gear then buy my own gear I lose that few hundred dollars straight off the bat.

Then the logistics of me getting hold of various kites to try while learning would be hard and a lot of mucking around.

Thus I am leaning towards just buying a reasonable kit from a retailer who will include a couple of lessons for free. My local shop was recommended by a friend. Forming a relationship with my local shop is good in the long run if they sell quality gear. Even though my local shop only sells Slingshot, I think this brand is pretty well up there with the best from what I have read and so my future needs will be catered for.

Go for the rally, if you plan to improve.

Stay away from the Glide - it's a good technical light wind board but not suited to a beginner. A larger sized misfit or whatever slingy's current all round boards are will be way better.

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Rails said...
Go for the Fuel, if you plan to improve.

Fixed it for you.

Thanks for the tips. Even though it seems the rally was revamped a lot from 2012 > 2013 it seems the 2012 Rally could be a good kite for me even though I am a beginner. The Fuel might be too challenging in the early days.

Most of all I want to enjoy the sport right away and not labour through trying to master an expert's kite first up.

hey enuenu,
you will not be disappointed with the 2012 rally. Super easy kite to fly, huge depower and really easy water re-launch. I taught my husband on the 2012 and he is just loving his learning experience.
Good luck!

The rally is a great kite! Stable,jumps well and has great relaunch.Turns great in the waves also. Not a huge fan of the bar though. My 12 took a huge punishing when I was learning. Ive now sold it to a mate who is giving it an even bigger punishing and its still holding up…..somehow.

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djdojo said...
Stay away from the Glide - it's a good technical light wind board but not suited to a beginner. A larger sized misfit or whatever slingy's current all round boards are will be way better.

Yeh, don't get a glide, any normal board around 140-142 would be best. i.e. a misfit if your shopping with slingy. Fully recommend buy 1-2 years old, save some cash - the gears will great and an extra $1k for another kite/gopro/beach holiday etc

Buying second hand from a shop with 3 lessons & you'll prob come out even compared to shopping on seabreeze. Good option to get some warranty/backup and lots of free advice.

Do you think a 12m 2012 Rally is too much kite for me to start with? The bloke in the shop said it would be good for me. Just after a few opinions as I know nil. I am 95kg at the moment. I don't want to be bogging or flung across the beach like a rag doll.

What sort of wind speeds would suit a 12m Rally for me? Coming into winter it will be used in southerlies/south easterlies mostly I reckon (NSW mid coast).

for your weight a 12m is perfect. You will need 15knots to start to learn and I wouldnt take it out in any thing over 20knots untill you have some more experience. Do you have experience with a trainer kite or have you done any lessons? You wont get pulled along the beach if you have some basic kite skills. The rally has great depower on the bar throw and is a very forgiving kite. I went from my rally to a north evo and you can tell how forgiving the rally is after changing kites.

Get the Rally. They are great.

Thanks. Decided to get into shape on a SUP before I start kite surfing. Need to get my body strong to avoid tweaking old injuries. I'm horribly unfit. I will keep these helpful comments in mind when the time comes. It will in the next 12 > 18 months.

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samokta said...I went from my rally to a north evo and you can tell how forgiving the rally is after changing kites.

Do you prefer the Evo now you are more advanced?

Nothing beats going kitesurfing to get fit for kitesurfing.
I reckon if you do get into it in 12 to 18 months you will really regret that you did not start now.
I think it takes a year or so to really get the sport nailed. Not to be an expert, but competent in most conditions. Go for it now, I guarantee you won't regret it!

I'm 1 year into it, and put off getting into kiting for a couple of years, i now wish i had made the move from windsurfing earlier.

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enuenu said...
Thanks. Decided to get into shape on a SUP before I start kite surfing. Need to get my body strong to avoid tweaking old injuries. I'm horribly unfit. I will keep these helpful comments in mind when the time comes. It will in the next 12 > 18 months.

samokta said...I went from my rally to a north evo and you can tell how forgiving the rally is after changing kites.

Do you prefer the Evo now you are more advanced?

I don't like the evo any more than the rally. They are just different. You can feel the surf pedigree in the rally with the way it turns. The Evo has power through the turns and the rally kind of lets you turn with the power you allready have to cut waves. It kind of pivots on its wingtip rather than race across the sky. The rally seems to de-power better on the bar and defiantly has a better safety system.

I have a 8m evo and a 10m rally. So what i DO LOVE is when its windy enough to pull out the evo and boost. The evo pulls you up real quick but tends to bring you down faster than the rally.

Dont put off starting to learn. You will lose ****loads of weight just from walking back up the beach. I did