So.... With 25+ knot winds in the card I'm feeling in gonna either need a new smaller kite or smaller board. At the moment I have mastered holding ground, sliding turns, riding toeside & making some huge jumps and I'm riding a vector 11m 2012 and a prodigy cabrinha 144x45 board. I think the vector is great for learning and progressing on..

I think I wanna go down the root of wake style tricks and I guess riding waves. I really enjoy how the vector can drift down wind so I think this should cover me for wave riding.

I would really appreciate some advice for what kind of kite to go for next for the 22-30 knot days. I weight about 80kg now. So would of go for a 7m or 9m?

Been looking at this flexifoil hadlow but I am not sure if I should stay on hybrid style kites until my skill level increases... Or go for a switch blade. Or make a switch to north or naish??

Then also would it be good to put off a smaller kite and get a smaller board and just limit myself to 25kmots plus gusts??

sounds like you need a smaller board and smaller kite.

if you like the cabs, why not go a chaos.. depending on the year you have/buy (changed bars and flag out for 2014), you'll be able to use the same bar on both kites.

22-30 is a pretty broad wind range.. for 80kg - probably say a 9m for 22kn, and 7 for high 20's to 30kn.. so maybe the 8 sits in the middle.

Hey Ash - 8M Switchblade 2012 or 2013 would be my advice - huge range and same style bar/safety systems that you are familiar with already. Also would look at a 135/41 or 42 board.....
Cheers
Andy

seam like may stick with cabrinha and both suggestions look good... whats the go with bar and lines, can i use same for both kites?

+1 for Cab Switch ... if you going to get only 1 more kite then for go 8m ....but otherwise go 2 additional kites ie 7 and 9... and a smaller board. ideally a 3 kite quiver is best .. xmas is coming !!

ended up grabbing a Naish momentum over the weekend, 132/41. great board, was really sore on the knees at first but used to it now, i was actually surprised because it's quite good in low winds even though its really small..

also had a go on a 2014 switch blade 11m. kite is great, much lower bar pressure then the vector but you can still sense where the kite is and it fairly responsive.

how does the 2012/2013 Switch blades compare to the 2014.. anyone?

Demo a few more boards with roughly the same dimensions to get a better idea of what is best for you, sore knees should not be a by-product of a day on the water. Something like the Shinn Monk 132/41 or similar would make for a good comparison. Try to use your own footstraps/pads where possible as this can have a major impact on comfort levels and allows you to get a better idea of how the board performs.

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Justhanging said..

Demo a few more boards with roughly the same dimensions to get a better idea of what is best for you, sore knees should not be a by-product of a day on the water. Something like the Shinn Monk 132/41 or similar would make for a good comparison. Try to use your own footstraps/pads where possible as this can have a major impact on comfort levels and allows you to get a better idea of how the board performs.

Cheers for the info mate. It's weird, i really felt the riding through my knees at first on sat when i was riding at safety bay (outside of the pond near the dredger), then when i did an afternoon session at Melville it disappeared, and then during a session on Sunday at Leighton i didn't even notice it. Could be more noticeable on flat water because of the bigger rocker.

Really happy with the board though.. but i might try the monk to see how it compares.. also got to try some smaller kites...

all i will say is monk farken rocks .

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dusta said..

all i will say is monk farken rocks .

all I wanna say is a 132/41 Naish Monarch is even better

thanks guys, ended up gettin a 8m park and really happy with it!,,.. time to trade in the vector i think !

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glasstraxx said...
thanks guys, ended up gettin a 8m park and really happy with it!,,.. time to trade in the vector i think !

Nice choice. I changed my whole quiver to parks.