Kite size

[jfm]

I just started taking lessons and was wondering what the correct kite size would be for the Minnesota winds. (first kite) I'm looking to do both summer and winter riding. The lessons I've taken have been out of state so they couldn't answer that correctly. I'm 6' 175 lbs. Any suggestions on kite brands as well? From the photos and discussion on here it seems the majority of people have slingshots? What about Best, Cabrinha or any of the others?

Thanks

[kiteboymn]

All the kite brands you suggested are very good, try to demo before you buy.
As far as size goes, the best way to go is get 2 kites (for light and medium wind speeds) At your weight, I would suggest a
15m and 11m. If you only want to pick one kite for now, I would say get a 13m, and start with a larger board (around 145/44)
Todd (kiteboy)

[GrahamMansell]

look for a great deal on a 2008 Best Bularoo or even a slingshot t3. these kites perform very well, and the best kite size for MN is about 13-15 meters. i am 6' and 165 pounds and i happily ride a 13 meter with a 135 Slingshot lunacy in light(er) winds. any wind over about 20 mph i soon ride a 129. you couldnt get a better board than the Lunacy. some may argue against it, but i have found a passion in the board. it planes quick and keeps you up. just make sure to get at least a 13 meter kite for summer.

[RobH]

I agree with Todd on sizes, depending on the kite brand that could mean a 2 kite quiver of 10m and a 14m or a 1 kite quiver of 12m. Also depends on the type of kite as many new kites fly underpowered compared to the same size ratings. If your looking for used kite, ebay and Iwindsurf have some deals. Im currently shoping for a friend of mine who is just getting into kiting so if your interested in a Cabrinha let me know and I can email you what I would recomend on used kites out there. For Cabrinha kites I would look at 2007 kites on up so you get the one pump system, personally I favor the Switchblades for lighter bar preasure, however the Crossbow is also a great choice. Good luck in your purchase!
Rob

[GrahamMansell]

i just said that....

[MK]

Hope your search is going well. Consider looking into the Advisors section to experience local brands. Note: if you aren't proficient with your kiting skills you won't get a chance to fly their gear, hope that makes sense.

Also, the Classifieds section has some deals and I agree with Rob in looking for kites not older than 2-3 yrs. Safety and R&D have advanced too much in the recent past.

Local riders have been out for several weeks but keep in mind they are skilled riders and dressed for the cold water. We haven't started our water side of lessons yet and building a bank of students for when the warmer temps come in the upcoming weeks.

Glad to see your interest in the sport. You will find the community very cool and interested in preserving our access. If you get a chance look at the latest edition of http://kiteboardingmag.com/in-this-issu ... -may-2010/ They have a nice review and Instructional Guide in this edition.

Say hi on the beach and/or respond with how your search is going.

Cheers

[Eric Bro]

You're gonna love this sport!

I'm at 185lbs and an '08 Cabrinha Switchblade at 12m with a Crazyfly All Around board at 145cm is my most used combo. Sometimes I substitute a 12m 2007 Crossbow which has a better range and is also an excellent kite. This combo is good for me with wind at 16-27kt. For lighter wind I use a Spleen Door 154cm and a 14m Cabrinha Contra or Switchblade and I can kite in down to about 10kt of wind. I've been very happy with the Cabrinhas, but other manufacturers make great stuff also.

I agree that a 13-14m bow or hybrid type kite is great in lighter winds from 12-18, and you'll use it a bunch while you're learning. And for most of the summer in Minnesota you'll use it with a large board, as the wind is rarely above this range during mid summer.

Board size and type is very important. For learning I was advised to get a board of at least 145cm with a lot of "float" to help to get up and to stay upwind. It was good advice. The larger Spleen at 154 got me upwind even though my skills were weak, and thus allowed me to spend time on the board instead of walking my kite up the beach after blowing downwind as a newbie. The Spleen is sort of the ultimate twin tip for light wind, though other boards such as the Slingshot Glide can be picked up for a lot less money and give you nearly the performance.

As you progress you'll find that boards of 2 or more sizes will let you stretch out the range of a kite and may avoid you the hassle of pumping up a second one as the wind speed changes during the day. A smaller board helps enormously to help you to "dig in" to control the power of the kite if the wind speed picks up a bunch. Directional boards really change the equation, and can allow you to use a smaller and quicker kite in the same wind.

[Haruba]

I love my 2009 Cabrinha Switchblade. It is 14 meters. I am 5'8" and 160#.

Mark

[johnz]

I have a 14 m2 t3 for sale. 612 two 75 5646

I'd recommend a booger kite if you are doing a one kite quiver. You should be learning in lighter winds (< 20-ish mph winds) anyway. Then, when you are comfortable with the basics, you can add a smaller kite...

[rookie]

Welcome JFM, Just to answer your questions, This sight is or was affiliated with slingshot, so that’s why you see all the pics with slingshot kites. And its there business like any other business. And they didnt’t like when another brand is pushed here. This sight is an awesome resource for our community. (thanks Tighe and MK!)

Sllingshot and all the other manufactures have great products. Id recommend going out to the beaches where the kiters are at, and start asking your questions to the riders. There all friendly and willing to answer any questions you have. Also watching the kiters set up, launch, ride, land there kites, and learning the local kiting etiquette is very helpful before you begin to fly yourself.

My 2 cents would be to find a kite that’s beginner friendly, easy to re-launch. And your first board should be a big board like the spleen door or similar. And once your ready for your first flight with your new kite, make sure you know how your safety system works inside and out before flying it.

And if you know your going to love the sport, you’ll want a 3 kite quiver. Its nice to have a kite for all the wind ranges. Don’t let these guys fool you, Most of these guys have more kites than a kite store! When you take out your passenger seat in your car to handle more equipment that’s a good sign that your hooked!

Good luck, fly on!
G ~

[John Rangel]

Keep it simple, 10 and a 20

[GrahamMansell]

haha John lets give good advice to a newbie. now hes prlly looking for every 20 meter out on ikitesurf!!! haha


13 meter and a 9 meter should be good.

[BBAddict]

There are lots of good kite reviews on the internet. I am always cautious of reviews from people affiliated with a particular brand because they are obviously invested in that brand, so it's good to verify and get other opinions before making the plunge. I personally fly Naish, Cabrinha, Peter Lynn, Flexifoil and Ozone kites. Every kite has its pros and cons looking at speed, grunt, safety, ease of use, stability, range, pop, etc. You're not going to find one kite that is best at everything, so it's a matter of determining priorities and then reading independent reviews that justify a purchase. Talk to local riders but also check out forums and you should be able to make a good choice.
For me, I've found Ozone kites to be my kite of choice in terms of great performance and safety.

[Tighe]

First of all I need to clarify something. The reason there are mainly SS kites in the photos you see isn't because I or anyone else has ever screened photos or only shot photos of SS kites. The affiliation with SS is with me and not the site. They have been listed on the right side because they offer school pricing to the school for school kites.
The reason there are mainly Slingshot kites in the photos is because there are more Slingshot kites than any other brand in Minnesota. If anyone was to go to any lake and take photos there is a greater chance of there being a spiky ball in the image than any other. nough said.
Now that we got that cleared up a few other points, some have already been stated:
Utilize the Advisors section on this site for INFO on the kites. (take recommendations with a grain of salt)
Utilize average riders for recommendations and advice about kites
Stop by the lake on a windy day and talk to riders
Be careful reading reviews in magazines, or on forums. Our conditions here are extremely unique. We don't have sandy beaches (durability), we don't have steady winds (gust handling and range), drift launching is quite common (bar and lines arrangement), winter riding is incredible (cold weather durability). Most reviews never take these into consideration but these are some of the key factors you should consider when buying a kite. Like the advisors, use the reviews as a starting point.
There are a lot of good brands out there. Going with a kite that a few others fly in the area (Todd listed the majority represented here) will ensure you have lakeside knowledge regarding tweaking, launching, technique that may be specific to that kite type/brand.
Depending on the kite type, 2 kites will get you 95% of the days. If the kites you choose have a bit less range you may want to go to 3 kites. Sizing depends upon the kite. Bows 9ish/14ish quiver, hybrids/Cs 11or 12/15or 16 (and maybe a 8 or 9 later) since their range is a bit less.
I highly recommend staying with the same brand and type of kite for your quiver. There is a chance that if you put together two kites from different brands/lines that the 9 could be powerful for it's size and the 14 flys small and then you end up with two kites but not that much overall range because they overlap so much. Manufacturers keep spacing between kites of particular line overlapping a little while maximizing the overall range.
I recommend buying the smaller of the two (2 kite quiver) when starting out. Believe me that small kite will have plenty of power when you start off. Yes you will use the big one more once experienced but starting on the big one is more dangerous.
I highly recommend continuing your lessons. You'll be enjoying the sport sooner, you'll get to know more about the gear before you buy, you'll get yourself in a position to demo different kites (need to be experienced to demo), AND you'll greatly reduce the chance of DEATH BY KITE.
I agree with most, buy a big board to start on, it'll get you up and riding sooner, and you'll have a great light wind board when you move down in size as you get experienced.
Utilize this forum and all the great people in this community. Over the years people have discovered what works and what doesn't work in Minnesota.
Again, most of this was said by others.
I won't go on and on about all the virtues of Slingshot kites because I am sponsored which as noted makes me biased.
Kiteboarding in Minnesota is an amazing year round sport. We've got waves, we have flat water, we have snow drifts and we have slick ice speed runs. And there is a great riding community.
look forward to meeting you at the lake sometime...

[Eric Bro]

Nice post, Tighe; 'bout wraps it up..

One thing nobody mentioned yet: Plan a trip to someplace like South Padre Island, TX, take a couple of lessons there and get a chance to dial in your skills in easy learning conditions. There you'll have steady wind and miles of shallow, walk around and flat water. You'll learn more in a few days there then you'll learn in a whole season here. When you can stay upwind, you'll be safe in our lakes without tying your kite up on a dock!

[Prof Marc]

Tighe,

A suggestion: can post your comments and those of others on kite sizes in the "Knowledge" section of the website? That section seems dormant; it would be great to see it revived. People in this community take the time to write excellent, detailed replies to questions such as this.

--Marc

[Tighe]

I'll move it there though Mike is now the webmaster. I agree though we should probably be better at migrating good threads over there. Definitely point it out if you see other ones worthy.

[johnz]

Well, Slingshot shoulds support this site because their s**t is the best.

[JRN]

THANX FOR THE CONFUSION, Z-MAN! I think Shannon Best would have another opinion on what is "BEST." All kidding aside, I think it would be hard to find a BAD kite product on the market today. I enjoy getting ribbed by all the SS riders here, even though other brands prevail in other places. I think it is a testament to Tighe, the local dealers, and the popularity of their product, that SS is the brand of choice at our local launches.
"Now, drink the kool-aid kiddies. You won't feel a thing!"

[johnz]

Sorry, just trying to stir the pot