Newbie gear advice

I would say a 10-12 kite and 135 board this would give you and all round set up good for conditions from 15-25knots. I started with a Blade vertigo 12 and a slingshot SX 136
Kite was new around $1300 and board was purchased second hand for $400. hope this helps.

hey dude,
big suggestion buy second hand first as you will wreck gear. But only buy 2006 onwards as this is when kites really started improving tech and safety wise. Also look for hybrid design kites opposed to 5th line c kites a hybrid is newer tech and far easier to learn on. dont spend more than $700 on your first kite as i can assure you you will wreck it or need repairs within the first months of learning. I have skated, snowboarded and windsurfed since I was 10years old, Im now 32 and have been kiteing for about 4months and have had 1 blown battern bladder, one kite written off on rocks, and yesterday in 25knts blew a leading edge bladder on another kite....... all this because im still learning. I am a advaced windsurfer and boarder. But they have nothing in comparison to Kiteboarding. Be safe dude as this sport can kill... only kite with others.
Rock on

Hey jdawg,

We sell a lot of kites to beginners that come through our school. We mostly sell new kites. Most students with reasonable skills and care for their gear after having lessons, do not trash their gear.

2nd hand is definately good if you can find late model beginner friendly gear. Trick is finding it. Lots of 2nd hand gear available. If you have a mate who knows kiting equipment or ask your instructor, they will know what gear is good for you and what is not so good. The wrong kite can make learning kiting much more difficult than it needs to be.

I know a few students who bought bargains in desperation and on a budget. They both nearly gave the sport away until we put them back on some easy gear and they decided to keep at it and now wished they had bought the right gear in the first place. Remember buying second hand stuff is too easy, selling it is another matter.

Hope this helps,

Good winds,

Hey Dude,

I'm 178cm and 74kgs and I kite with a 132 board and a 8m ocean rodeo 08 rise for most of the season, I can stay up wind with in about 15kn + , wind less than that is not worth getting out of bed for!

Hey Jdawg,

You do have to work the 8m kite a lot more but the rise has heaps of grunt and they do turn nice and fast,

I'm thinking of getting a 6m for those 30kn days at Lancelin

Hi Jayden
These days there are not really many beginner kites when you talk in the bow/hybrid SLE range. Nearly all of these kites from 07 onwards are suitable for beginners, but most will still be giving you heaps of opportunity to advance, especially the 08 kites, they just keep getting better at both ends of the scale.

The problem with second hand gear can be its wear & tear. Most second hand decent gear suitable for beginners to learn quickly and safely on has seen a fair number of crashes it could need repairing fairly early in your learning curve. You can't always tell how much work and sun it has seen. So be aware of false economy when looking at second hand. Much of the second hand gear you see is older and will definately delay your progress. That is not to say you can't learn on it, but it has been pretty widely accepted that the learning curve is much slower on C kites or older gear.

In average wind 15-20 knots for a beginner I would recommend 11-13 mtrs kite (this does depend a little on the make and where you kite) & under 2years old bow sle hybrid style would be my recommendation. A bigger board is usually better for beginners and once again, that doesn't mean you will be restricted by it. There area heaps of good quality high performance boards which will get you up and going and see you through progression. 138 - 144 would be good, on the smaller if you have heaps of board experience, larger if not. Don't forget there is always light days when a larger board will be handy even in 5 years time. Boards don't get outdated as quickly as kites can.
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Dude - I have been through the very throws of doubt as you. New, second hand - big board board, small board etc etc . It sucks ass.

I started end Nov 2007 and my 2 cents worth is this. I took lessons and asked to use a few different shop kites at the end to get a feel for what I liked. I also used two different sized boards.

The shop wanted to sell me new gear (understandably - cause they do have a business to run), but even after 8hrs lessons, was still smacking kites around on occasion - esp when in new conditions - like light winds trying to self launch while begging the wind gods to apease me with plentiful wind.

In the end, I bought a second hand 8 month old 2007 Best Waroo (im 92kg) which has given me the wind range I wanted whilst still learning. I bought a second hand 138 x 41 board too, with new harness and new PFD. I still manage on occasion to give that kite a good flogging too. Im definately still learning.

End story is - you will trash first kite - Ive had mine repaired twice now with minor tears. I lost my first board and got another second hand one thats larger. I certainly learned much faster on second board due size, but now, Im getting to the point where its starting to get too big on strong wind days (20kt +). Same with the kite - much over 22kts and Im overpowered to buggery. But its awesome when the forecast is good, but winds crap and Im still out there.

So - end game is, its impossible to have everthing with one kite. you need a low wind kite, and a smaller one for when its nuking. Same with boards. Big one when light, and a smaller one. My advice - buy second hand first time with a kite that will be good for learning in up to 20kt, with a board that helps you get up going in up to 20kts.

If they havent been lost or trashed by the time youve outgrown them, then maybe look at expanding the quiver next season. New or second hand depends on how many fun tokens you got to spare. Remember - you will stack your gear when learning no matter how careful you are. Its part of learning.

Hi Jayden,
Make your kite and board purchase according to what you can afford and if you have been able to try out a few different brands, what personally suits you.
Buying a second hand kite as your first kite just because it will get trashed is bizzarre" suggestion. Of course when you learn, you will stack your kite heaps, but some people make out as if you need a second hand scarifical kite to learn with! Good instruction, and you wont be destroying any kites and mate all modern day kites should and will last much longer than a year. New/second hand kites whatever the choice -enjoy yourself.