G'day,new to kiteboarding and looking on a bit of advice for my first set up.
here is what a was offered.

We have a few 2007 Havoc 10m left but only 2008 recoils available. I can do you a demo 2008 Recoil 133 with a 08 harness and a 07 Havoc 10m for $1750 plus $45 shipping. If you want a used 2006 Drop 130 I could do the above package with the drop instead for $1500+$45 postage. Bear in mind the Havoc is brand new.

does this sound alright for a beginner and is it worth paying extra for the recoil? and does the price sound resonable?

cheers

Havocs were an ok kite in 2007. The size you need would depend on your body weight and the strength of the winds you would use it.

Plenty of info available in this forum. Use the search function and read away.

i've been told that would be a good size for me.just not sure if it sounds like a good deal and is it worth paying the extra $250 for the newer board? also how does liquid force rate as a kitesurfing brand? cheers for the reply

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newto said...

i've been told that would be a good size for me.just not sure if it sounds like a good deal and is it worth paying the extra $250 for the newer board? also how does liquid force rate as a kitesurfing brand? cheers for the reply

what do you weigh? Most people in Melbourne get a 12m as their only kite

i only weigh about 45 give or take.cheers

If your in Vic then you might want to consider a slightly larger kite. From the gear you listed it looks like your wanting a twin-tip setup so not going to be wave riding.

If your really new to kiteboarding you probably want to be getting a lesson or two before you buy the gear. Once you've had a lesson you'll know what sort of kite you want to fly, and what size/style of board you prefer.
Based on the 'average' rider being ~80kg (plus a few kg when wet), for the majority of Victorian conditions your going to want a 11-13m bow/SLE kite, and a ~135-142x41 cm board to get you up and going as quickly and safely as possible. Once you've progressed a bit i've been told you can use a smaller board, but for starting out you want something that planes nice and early to get you out of the water quicker.

Which beach are you planning on doing most of your kiting at?
Best way to see what sort of gear you should be using is head down to the beach when the wind's blowing and see what everyone else is using; but as i said, most Vic riders use ~11-13m kites for our conditions.

edit: 45kg?! Woah. Ok, a 10m kite and a 133x40 board should do ya fine. At only 45kg you probably don't want to be going out in anything gusty when your starting out.

yeh, i have had a lesson but haven't been in the water yet.i might have been a bit off with my weight but I'm not a big bloke.i am planning to go to st kilda mostly.How many days are right for kite boarding ?it seems every time i go to book my lesson the wind isn't good enough! do you think that is a reasonable priced package?

Now we're getting into summer and we're getting some seabreezes i'd say maybe 2-3/7 days are properly kiteable somewhere around Melbourne. If you don't mind some weaker winds then i'd say 4-5/7.

That package sounds reasonable... but i'd really get another lesson or two in the water so your up and riding before you buy any gear of your own! Far better to trash an instructors kite than your own. I'd also go check your weight again as unless your a really really skinny short bugger then you might find you weigh a bit more than 45kg. If/when you go for another lesson just ask the instructor what size kite and board he recommend you buy. Whilst a few of them are serial kite-pimps and will want to sell their gear (everyone's gotta make a living!), most will be happy to talk it through with you. They'll also assess your weight/progression speed and recommend either a medium sized board you can grow into, or a larger board that'll help you learn quicker.

It's also worth considering that the kite-school your doing your lessons with might do one of the 'buy a kite at a slightly inflated price and we'll give you unlimited lessons' deal, which for a newbie might work out very reasonably priced!

PS. I'm not a kite pimp. I've got one naish kite, one ozone kite, one naish board and one airush board... and i fly a GK fairly often as well although its not mine.

PPS. In your 'new to windsurfing' thread you said you were 70kg... so i'm gonna assume that's closer accurate considering your profile says your a 19 y/o male. Most mates who are flying around your weight use an 11-13m bow kite and ~136x41 board.

PPPS. I hope your not thinking of going with the poleys. [}:)]

That was both extremely helpful and frighteningly accurate. my instructor is trying to sell me a package but it is just a little bit out of my price range, 70kg does sound a bit more accurate. I weighed myself on my mates scales and soon after the post realised they were buggered.

As for the windsurfing a few hours at the beach watching you guys changed my mind. cheers for the help.

hopefully i will be out there with you guys soon.

i can sell u a Liquid force Assault 2 2007 model which is a bow kite with more depower and aheaps bigger wind range... complete with bar and lines bag pump etc for $700 which will equall a 12m to 8 metre havoc...

After a whole kit, cheers anyway

Thanks for the help koma you were very helpfull