Any Kiteboarders on here.

Ok, so with gas prices going the way they are going, I want to get into kiteboarding. This summer I will have a lot of free time. I live near a huge lake that usually has decent wind conditions (7-15 mph). I figure if I can actually learn to ride on the board, I will kite 70% of the time, and boat 30% of the time.

I know there are a few guys on here that kite. Do you have any suggestions for a good kite that is fairly cheap. What size kite do I need (Im 185lbs)? I would consider myself an advanced/expert wakeboarder. Can I use my current board/binding setup?

Leo, you will need different kites for different amounts of wind, a nine would probobly be most versatile. I would tell you to take lessons before you buy one, because you want to make sure you like it first, but mostly because there are a lot of stupid people kiteing that will crash onto the shore because they pulled when they should have eased, also if you don't have any sailing expirience you will need to figure out how to go off and back onto shore.

Edit: but once you know what youre doing check out best kites @ bestkiteboarding.com

Edit II: Sorry, specifically the Waroo: Waroo= Cheapest.

(Message edited by hawk7 on April 29, 2008)

(Message edited by hawk7 on April 29, 2008)

I don't have any answers for you but I am getting ready to do the same thing. There was a demo day down at the beach this past weekend, I went and scoped it out. Talked to some folks and am thinking a lesson or two are in order, you can mess yourself up good with that big ass kite. Can't wait to try it, looks like a ton of fun!!

I made the switch in around 2001-2002.

Like mentioned above, it depends on how much wind you have and your preferred style of riding.

See, any given sized kite will pull 185lbs properly in about a 10mph range. For example, if you are riding a 140cm board with bindings, a 14m kite is gonna be rideable from 16mph-22mph. Now, if thats all you plan to ride in, you only need that one kite. But what about those days where its blowing 26mph, and your 14m is just too big? Well you either sit on the shore and watch, or you get yourself a 10m. 10m kite will work good for you from 20mph-28mph. What if its only blowing 14mph? Well you either decide to go wakeboarding instead, or you buy a 17m kite.

Now, the amount of usable power a kite has also depends on the board you ride. If you ride a small kitefreestyle board with footstraps instead of bindings, the 14m will then cover from 13mph-18mph since it takes less power to push the flatter board.

So some like to own less kites and more boards, others like to ride their one board and own 3 kites.

When you go to buy kites, buy some used ones cheap. Find some 2006 Waroo's cheap on www.iwindsurf.com. You will trash em learning but once you got it dialed they are pretty resillient.

I recommend getting a lesson, but I feel hypocritical demanding it, since I never took any. You will learn much faster and safer, with someone showing you everything vs having to figure it out.

You "can" use your current setup, but wakeboards are designed to drag. This means you need alot of power to make it work. Nothing wrong with alot of power, and looks awesome when you know what you are doing. However, learning with tons of power makes for long frustrating days of being out of control. One minute your riding, you make one minor steering error and next your 30ft in the air beginning a freefall. Makes for hard learning.....but excellent youtube fodder.

I can answer any questions you have, so ask away.

The lake I will be riding on probably has wind speeds around 10-15 mph. What size kite should I start off with? I would like to get use to riding on my board/bindings before I start throwing the big bucks at it.

Trevor-I love wakeboarding and am pretty decent at it (OA 540s, all the inverts, etc.). But with gas prices, I don't see that I will continue to ride as much as I used to. I would like to transfer my talent to kiteboarding if possible. That way instead of riding 4-5 times behind the boat per week, then I can kite 3-4 time and boat the other 1-2.

I didn' mean to offend you, I'm just telling you what was told to me, I don't kiteboard but my friend does, I want to get into it to, above is what he said to me.

If you know knotts to mph bestkiteboarding.com has a chart for each kite.

5m= 25-35 knotts
7m= 20-35 knotts
9m= 15-32 knotts
11m= 13-28 knotts
13m= 11-27 knotts
15m= 9-24 knotts
17m= 8-22 knotts
20m= 7-21 knotts

*Also, the bigger the kite the more expensive it will be.

Jason, any suggestions on affordable harness and bar? I would like to stay under $700 on all of the stuff if possible. I will start going all out on the gear once I can actually ride and figure out that I don't need a boat anymore.

Trever, no offense taken. I tell the same thing to people who ask me about buying a new wakeboard setup after their 3rd time riding.

Just check out iwindsurf.com classifieds. You want a waist harness. Size will depend on you, obviously. Any major brand is fine, Dakine, LF, Mystic, etc. I prefer the Mystic. Around $80-$100. I also saw a new in the bag 06 Waroo 16m complete with lines, bar, and pump for $500. Make a $400 offer and you got everything you need for $500. If you decide you really like riding and want to ad a 10m, saw some for $300. Make a $200 offer and you are set to ride anywhere in most all winds for $700.

Hey Jason,

Are viper kites any good? Some guy is selling 3 kites (10, 12, and 14m kites), bar, and lines for $600.

They are a small brand, and not the style of kite you want to learn on. They are c-kites. As you read up on kites, you will find that they are separated into two basic styles, C-Kites and SLE kites(sometimes called BOW kites). When learning, you will make the most of it by learning on a SLE kite. Each style has pro's and con's.

SLE:
SLE stands for Supported Leading Edge. These kites have a bridle on the leading edge that supports the shape. Since it is supported, it can have a flatter profile. This not only creates more power, but also creates a greater depower ability. It creates a constant steady pull. Most riders fly this new style of kite since it is much easier to use. If you get out of control you can just slide the bar away, and the kite depowers by 95% or so. Its like driving a Bentley.

C-kites:
C-kites are the classic style kites that are shaped like the letter "C", thus the name. These are the kite choice of pro riders who ride in epic conditions all the time. C kites are faster and deliver alot of power all the time. They only depower about 25% when sheeted out. Experts who ride in perfect coastal wind prefer these kites because they ride super aggressive and want lots of power with every move of the kite, and when you pop, these kite deform giving less pull so handlepasses while up 30ft are easier. Beginners are generally scared off the water when they try to learn on C-kites. They deliver max power during moves, and also max power during mistakes. Sometimes depowering 25% isnt enough for the mistakes a beginner makes. In steady coastal wind, they are a blast, but on an gusty inland lake, they are miserable. Its like deciding to learn to ride motorcycles and buying a Hyabusa as your first bike.

I have a set of each, lol. I ride my SLE's much more than my C-kites.

Hey Jason,

That guy is willing to sell his 16m waroo with lines and bar shipped for $415. Should I go for it?

Thats a good deal! I would do it. That is a great kite to learn on!

I would make sure its in good shape. Ask if any repairs have be done to it.

Jason, I sent you an email at the address on your profile.

Here is the listing, let me know what you think:

06 16m waroo Kite Complete with 55cm Best Bar and bag.

Kite was primary kite for a few sessions then snagged and ripped leading edge. Sent it to air time for a bomber airtime repair. While at air time kite was replaced in quiver with another 16 waroo. It came home from airtime and sat in the bag for a year. I have flown it once in the water(to check air times awsome work) and once on snow(including lofty glides and powered kiteloops) to check it out before listing it. Kept kite as back up, but now it just sits in the bag wishing to be flown. Great snow and water kite in light to moderate winds! Ready to fly when it arives on your doorstep!
No wear on any bridle lines etc. Way less then 10 rides on it before the repair

Included are 55cm 06 Best Bar(minus chicken bone that was removed to aid unhooked moves), 25m Lines, bag.....

I will check out the ad when I get it.

Repairs done by a shop like airtime are probably pretty solid and you have nothing to worry about. However, repairs always have that risk of being problematic. I tend to avoid kites that have been repaired when buying, but Ive repaired my own kites and flown them just fine. So its rollin' the dice, I guess.

It seems like everywhere says to buy a used kite for your first one, because you are going to thrash it. At that price, it doesn't seem like a big deal to take the risk. At least it comes with the lines and bar. Also, it doesnt come with the chicken bone? Is this a problem?

Ive been watching the wind conditions on my lake. It has been a constant 14-16 mph over the past few days. Is a 16m going to be to big?

nope, thats perfect.

Chicken bone is nice for beginner riding, but not necessary. Basically all is it is a plastic "pin" that keeps the loop from unhooking from the harness. Its nice when you are learning because you rarely unhook, and sometimes when you fall you will come unhooked on accident without the bone. IMO its better to not use one so youll learn how to handle the kite when unhooked. Eventually when you do wakeboarding tricks you will unhook from the kite to do them. If you have the bone in place, its hard to unhook to do tricks and very hard to hook back in afterwards. I always remove mine if the bar comes with it.

I kite but i dont have anyone to ride with inthe bay, im 190lb and ride a 16m just bc i can ride durring a normal windy day,bc alot of the time i cant find thirds.

KITEBOARDING ISN'T WAKEBOARDING. ITS STILL SUPER COOL, BUT IT ISN'T WAKEBOARDING. JUST LIKE WINDSURFING ISN'T SURFING.

Whats your point Derek? The sports are very similar, so why not enjoy both and learn from each one. I don't think anyone on here said that wakeboarding was the same thing as kiteboarding.

Derek, try it first.

Jason, do I need a spreader bar for the harness?

Generally they come with one. The spreader bar is part of the harness setup. That is the metal piece in the front that has the hook on it.

Oh, I see it now. I just did a search on ebay and didn't see the metal, but then realized that the large part of the harness is the back.

can you guys not see the big font at top of page that says Wakeboarding Discussion!??

go to NON wakeboarding discussion with this treason talk!

bills.piehole.net/shut

Ya, it probably should've been in non-wakeboarding... but its a little late now and i don't think its a big enough deal to really worry about bill...

Anyways, i wish my lake was windy or i lived by the beach... cuz i really think kiteboarding would be awesome!!! Let us know how it goes leo

Wow...Bill jumped in first to try to cut this thread off...I thought it would have been Chevron, or some other oil company...

Jason dont be jealous of our Wakeboarding discussion fame ,go to your windy haven of isolated individualism and be happy..

however take it to NON wakeboarding discussion that is what this is and it is treasonous to discuss this here anyway!

don't do dangly tricks

Im selling everything and going kiteboarding and surfing full time. F Bush and gas prices. Boats for sale, trucks for sale - come and get it. Wind is free. Surf is free. Gas prices are only going up fellas, while your pay probably wont.

I am so SICK of "heres a $20 for gas" - wow, after filling up the truck and boat. Surfboard and kite fit in my CIVIC that gets 45mpg.

Ted, my surfboards definately don't fit in a civic! They do however, fit on a Civic.

What is the deal with $500 for a thule rack setup though?

Also, surfing gets expensive when you want to travel to get better waves.

check out the "wakestyle" thread in non-wake.

Jason, i just bought a used yarga 13m kite, it is a five line kite, i have been on ikitesurf.com and e-bay and they usually don't say how many lines there are when they sell the bar. are the bars universal? could i get a four line bar and add the fifth line to it? i know nothing about kiting, but think there is a pretty good spot to kite up by cedar point on lake erie.

A Yarga can be flown on either 4 lines or 5 lines. Fifth line is nice when learning and handy to have for power management, but not necessary at all. A fifth line doesnt have anything to do with how a kite flies, as a kite only flies using the standard four lines. The fifth line runs up to the center of the kite. It can be used to help depower the kite in some cases, but is mostly used in relaunching a downed kite. In order to relaunch a downed c-kite, like the Yarga, you have to get it to lay on its back. When flying on 4 line, in order to get it to fall on its back you have to pull a bunch of slack into the lines, then let it loose while rapidly swimming towards the kite so that there is enough slack in the lines for the wind to blow it over. With a 5th line, you just pull in on the line and it pulls the kite down on its back making for a quick and easy relaunch.

Best 5th line bar Ive ever used is the Slingshot bar. Ive added 5th lines to 4 line bars and it never comes out clean looking and easy to use. Slingshot bar has everything in a nice clean setup. Prob some for sale on there as well.