Hi All,
My son is super keen to kite. He done the trainer kite thing, and I have borrowed a 7m link which he has got going with on the flat water, but now I need to buy a kite for him.
He can sail both ways, loosing some ground but not going too bad.

Would like some advice on a good learner kite for him - he's a fly weight at approx 35kg, 9 y.o, and will ride a 120ish TT.

Want a kite that is safe and super stable.

Have had some good advice from a few shops, but want to pick the brains of you lot to get an unbiased opinion.
Will be going 2nd hand in a 6 or 7.

Thanks and advance.

I had a bandit 1 in 7m it was a awesome kite, stable with good relaunch. There is still a few people that have them and they have lasted well. Or i tried a Fone revolt in a smaller size, it was a little slower and the build quality was a little cheaper but a good kite was a lot cheaper than the bandit so second hand it would be a good choice.

A lot of the small kites are going to be very fast turning. One of the other good choice would be a best Yarga, we have had some little groms using them, very forgiving.

At the end of the day price will determine what you get, so try and get something that is fairly new as the safety, relaunch and bar pressure will be better.

I would also recommend short lines, he wont need a big power stroke to get going. So short lines will make it safer for him.

Take a look at the Ozone Light XC, 3 strut, no pulleys, really well made and really simple. I had the 8m for a while, it was awesome. The 6m sounds like it would suit you well.

These 3 kites are for sale on Seabreeze. Will be heading this way in the next few days. The Bandit got a mention from you guys, anyone got experience with the others:

09 Cab Switchblade 6
09 Fone Bandit DOS 7
08 Naish Code 6

Thanks again.

go the dos i had a 10 meter dos and it went pretty well it was stable and really easy relaunch also the depower is great if it blows right up then pull the depower right in and it will ease up for ya

Some of the 09 switchy's look fairly average now, the material didn't weather to well on some colours. They look like they still fly well, and would definitely be a good kite for him. Just check he can reach the depower ok. I would just be careful of the condition. Most small kites no matter what make are mainly used by guys that ride in big winds so the kites have been a little more stressed, so check the stitching etc. The other use people have for smaller kites is for surf which can be even worse for the kite than high winds especially when they get put through that big washing machine.

I never had any issues with my small bandit Dos 8m, so would assume the smaller ones would still be ok. The safety on the bandits takes some practice to use properly and the depower can be hard to reach for shorter riders.

I would be considering the 6mtr Guroo from Best. My son is also 9 and he flies one and we have 3 more young 9-11 yo boys on them and they are so good.

We have been teaching on the Guroo's for the last few seasons and they are supposed to be only for teaching, but we have also sold them to the young kiters. Safe, stable, relaunch themselves and great alround performance. And affordable..

PM me if you are interested in any more info.

Mel

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MelStar said...

I would be considering the 6mtr Guroo from Best. My son is also 9 and he flies one and we have 3 more young 9-11 yo boys on them and they are so good.

We have been teaching on the Guroo's for the last few seasons and they are supposed to be only for teaching, but we have also sold them to the young kiters. Safe, stable, relaunch themselves and great alround performance. And affordable..

PM me if you are interested in any more info.

Mel

Sounds like they would fit, what type of kite are they, SLE? are the lines shorter than regular?

They must be tough to be recommended as a school kite they really cop a flogging.

I couldn't find them on the best website, have you got andy pics or info?

Hi Hippo,

We are selling off our school kites from 2010. We have a 4m and 6m Airush DNA which would be ideal. I also have a few others.

If you are interested, PM me for details.

Cheers,

DM

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hipppo said...

Hi All,
My son is super keen to kite. He done the trainer kite thing, and I have borrowed a 7m link which he has got going with on the flat water, but now I need to buy a kite for him.
He can sail both ways, loosing some ground but not going too bad.

Would like some advice on a good learner kite for him - he's a fly weight at approx 35kg, 9 y.o, and will ride a 120ish TT.

Want a kite that is safe and super stable.

Have had some good advice from a few shops, but want to pick the brains of you lot to get an unbiased opinion.
Will be going 2nd hand in a 6 or 7.

Thanks and advance.

Hi i would have a look at a griffin 5m ,im shure chris at griffin would have one in stock i've sold a few of these kites to riders for their kids and they love them ,ultra safe and stable.

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hipppo said...

These 3 kites are for sale on Seabreeze. Will be heading this way in the next few days. The Bandit got a mention from you guys, anyone got experience with the others:

09 Cab Switchblade 6
09 Fone Bandit DOS 7
08 Naish Code 6

Thanks again.

Out of those 3 I would rate the 6M SB IDS as the safest and simplest kite for your son. We have taught on them, they are tough and durable and they have a super easy relaunch and simple let go of the bar 95% depower safety.

There are a couple of other small kites here too especially the 6M Ozones, prices negotiable.
http://www.kitepower.com.au/catalog/product_17586_New_Used__Ex_Demo_Kites__Sydney_cat_345.html