My son has long dreamed of kitesurfing & now he is 13 he can get lessons which I fully intend to get him but I was thinking if he had his own gear the lessons could help him with the rigging of his own gear .
He has done a few land based lessons through wind surf & snow when they were kind enough to have them ( Thanks Ann)
I windsurf & it would be great to have a sailing partner .
We live in sydeny & he is 160cm & 80kg
Im 175 & 70kg so I figured I should be able to use it also .
Unfortunately budget is coming into play so the least amount I can spend for the best value is my preferred option
So what would I be looking at as a 1st complete rig & roughly how much will this set me back .
Thanks in advance

Take the lessons first, that way he can crash the instructors kite and not damage his.
Then talk to the instructor about what size/ style suits the local area best - they should have the best info as they kite there too.

Hi, i found after researching what i needed gumtree was a pretty good place for the budget minded, especially been the end of season

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flyingcab said..
Take the lessons first, that way he can crash the instructors kite and not damage his.
Then talk to the instructor about what size/ style suits the local area best - they should have the best info as they kite there too.

Great advice, although I want to point out that if a kite has many hard crashes in any lesson you are most likely getting poor tuition!

Instructors/schools often sell gear so they understandably will try to sell you their gear. It's a great time of the year to find good deals on online ads but you really need to know what you're looking for and how to inspect a kite...otherwise there is a good chance you will buy the wrong kite or a kite that is in bad shape and won't last very long.

When shopping for friends we will typically inspect 2-3 kites before finding the one worth buying, so my advice is not to buy used kites without a competent kiter who knows how to inspect wear and tear on kite and bar/lines. If you windsurf regularly, chances are you know some local kiters already, just ask for their help.

The best deals are usually with kites that have had very little use, even if they are 2-4 years old. You may think a kite that is 1 year old is a better buy, but if it's been used every windy day and left for hours flapping in the sun every day in that year VS a kite that has been used say 10-20 times and is 3-4 years old, is often a much better buy and will last you longer.

Don't cheap out on the harness, it's a very important piece of equipment and it's worth buying new, they cost from $200 to $400+. Boards are probably where you can save the most money. It's not important when you're a total newbie to get a brand new board. You can find good deals on boards from about $200 to $400 for something a few years old and in great condition. You'd be looking for a board of roughly 138-145cm long.

at 80kg in Sydney I reckon you will need at least a 10m kite, and at 13 years old he we will probably only get heavier. As a general rule of thumb I wouldn't advise buying a second hand 10 to 12m kite with bar under $1000. That being said, you might get lucky and find really good deals...

So to answer your question, I would suggest you budget at least $1500 for a second hand kit in great condition.

The specific brand of kite isn't very important either, you just want to get a good ''all around'' kite that isn't very discipline specific (i.e. freestyle pure C-kite). There are so many good kites for learners it would take too long to list them all...

Christian

Here's an example of a dad on a budget who thought it'd be a good idea to save money and buy gear on gumtree for his son on top of 2 lessons.

This is Wipika 2-line kite that's about 16 years old, with no safety system and no depower...

Well that's a dad who hasn't asked on Seabreeze.
$1500 pushed it out of my limit atm .
I have seen completely new kite board lines &harness for a $1000 at wss a few yrs ago Would have thought we could get out of it a fair bit cheaper . Especially seeing how people complain about no resale value on kite gear as there is so much on the market. There's a glut .
but if thats the figure i should be aiming at so be it .But I like the board size and sail mtrs so thanks . Gives me a starting point.

Mate you can definitely get a decent 10m kite that will fit your need for a lot less than $1000. You can have my 10m 2011 slingshot rpm with bar for $450. It's in pretty good nick and hasn't seen a lot of use to be honest I'm in wa so hard for you to inspect it, but I reckon you'd find plenty similar over your way if you look. Cheers

It is a given that if you to buy second hand you definitely have to do your research first as you want something that will serve well before outlaying the big bucks. The guys have given good advice here to help and sorry i was a bit short with my answer but put safety first when buying second hand m8 and Goodluck

Most kite shops a good selection second hand gear to choose from and at this time of year I'm sure will do deals.

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KIT33R said..
Most kite shops a good selection second hand gear to choose from and at this time of year I'm sure will do deals.

And with lessons thrown in too!

Always talk to your local dealer before buying anything kite surfing related.

My instructor told me to come to him with any deals I found and he'd tell me his thoughts.
Got a 12m 2014 LF envy with bar, pump, board and harness for $800 in the middle of the season. Everything was just like new so you can find good deals under $1000.
Don't go older than 2012 and something that has no repairs. Ask your instructor before you buy and after a thourhough inspection of the kite yourself you'll be fine.