yeah eree, i actually agree,
except in 10-15 kts.?
A bigger/wider board will help learning.
With skills,a 65kg person could make a 10M and a 130X40 in 15 kts happen
with no skills,a LOT harder.

Hi Kiter7,
You are asking the right questions.

Nobile had a board selector (2008?) which was pretty accurate for my weight (80kg) - I thought.

I went through it for your weight ( I chose the 65-75kg range), hybrid kite, low to medium powered, 10 to 15 knots, entry level, etc. and it came up with the 2008 555 137x42

These are the boards it refers to.
http://2008.nobilekiteboarding.com/boards

Width is more important to get right than length, as it is more important for deciding when the board will start planing. Extra length tends to give more margin for error in avoiding catching the nose when learning and helps slightly with going upwind, but you want to stay under 140 at your size.

Nobile seem to have a new board selector, but it didn't work for me.

This is the one I used

http://kites.nobilekiteboarding.com/con ... 6707817018

once again, i (107kg) learned on 146x44.
i'm pretty sure kiter7 can manage with 135x40 just fine.
better teach her how to lean back to correct the stance! it's much more important.

At 80 kg I started on 135 by 40 and I wasn't restricted to 10 to 15 knots, but i reckon a bigger board would have made learning easier. I have a 143 by 48 and a 13m bow and reckon its bottom end is a genuine 10 knots.

I don't know why people are posting so much additional crap that is just going to confuse a new person...

There are pros and cons to every piece of gear.

If your spot is literally only 10-15 knots when it is windy, I wouldn't get anything smaller than a 12m for your first kite. In 10 knots you're not even going to be going upwind on a 12m unless you have a giant door-type board that isn't fun to ride. Even then it would be a struggle.

Since I seriously doubt your spot is 10-15 knots on average, I'd get a "normal" sized board for your weight which is somewhere between 130-135. I'm just under 65 kg and ride a 132x40.

If you're super rich like a lot of people in this thread seem to be, you can get a big (140+) board and then buy another board once you can go upwind but most people can't print their own money so it's probably a waste to do that.

However, if your spot really is going to be 10 knots all the time a big board is pretty much required.


Just don't buy something in the middle. Think about how your quiver is going to work, you can get a lightwind kite, normal kite, high wind kite, lightwind board, normal board, surfboard, etc.

Get something to start with that fulfills one of the quiver criteria and and you're good to go.

The 12m rally and 130-something board you said in the original post would be fine to get started on.

I'm 63 kg and I learned on a 151cm LF proof and a 12m c-kite in 10-15kts of wind.
Two yrs later I went to a 133 x 40 and it kept me going on almost the same light winds.
A yr later I got a 127 x 38 and still got it.

If I had it to do all over again I would go straight to the 133 x 40 and skip the 151... especially if I was kiting in a warm flat water lagoon... possibly even start with a 130 x 39.

There's a lot of factors that go in to your decision for sure.. water condtions (flat, chop, waves, cold , warm etc), ability, age possibly, personality ( type that grinds it out or like it easy etc)....

Good luck with your search

+1 for SupaEZ's advice. Try diff equip for yourself in your conditions.

Take a look at North 2012 Spike board
They have a small size board for LW that is 141cm x 44.5
With an average wind of 12.5 knots and a 10M you will not do any walk of shame
Fully adjustable stance with their track system
Customized footpads (3 densities) for heel comfort and preference of riding
Flat rocker and square tips for efficiency to get on a plane and go upwind with ease

Just a suggestion

10-15 knots is light wind and typical of where I ride.
You're learning so you likely won't be able to "DEMO" jack so I'll keep it simple
suggest:- Ocean rodeo mako king,

This will be an AWESOME light wind board and will make learning much easier
It is big YES.

Great upwind, soft in chop, still useful in small waves, turns and carves and can hold down power without getting blown off it's edge.

These are usually the limitations of typical flat and fat lightwind boards.

Know a number of people who LOVE this board. including females your size.

You will want something smaller and lighter when you start to jump or want to move to freestyle but likely won't ever get rid of this board and in 10-15 knots it will likely be your most used board even as you progress

I have no brand affiliation, and have ridden about 20 different boards.

Hope this is helpful.

My daughter is about that weight and she was learning on my big square North Phantom board, 140x44cm size. That size and shape makes learning and upwind very easy and later can be used for light winds.