Hey hows it going, I'm 21 from Sarnia, Ontario and I'm looking to get into the sport asap. I know nothing about kiteboarding so I'm looking for a little advice on how to spend my money to get the best bang for my buck. So far this is what i got lined up for around 750$ the guy said.
There are two of these
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WcziwaEAV0
14m and 10m

the Board is an Ocean Rodeo Mako copy.

http://www.oceanrodeo.com/kiting/mako

The trainer kite is

http://www.kitemare.com/best-trainer-kite.htm

He also referred me for lessons in Mitchells Bay.

Do I want a trainer kite if I'm going to get lessons for a weekend? And are these kites and boards any good? Also, does anybody wanna go riding at Canatara beach once I get er goin? Thanks alot!

Welcome to the madness! I would lean away from the Thrusters as they have little depower and can be hard to relaunch once crashed on the water. Stick with newer kites after 2009/10 like Slingshot Rev, Liquid Force, North, Ozone Instinct or Edge...

When you say copy of the Mako, who made the copy and what size of the copy is it? The King, 150 or 140?

I'm actually a fan of the King for a beginner. Many will say that Makos are hard to ride as a beginner but I differ. I have a 60 year old buddy who became blind in one eye last year and wanted to take up kiteboarding. He has a windsurfing background though so he wasn't totally new to board and windsports...... He tried all kinds of Twin Tips from the Naish Sol to the Spleene Door and found he liked the size and grip of the Mako King. He got right up on it after thrashing on the others. Plus you can do lots of things with the King like future strapless and Mutant (directional) riding.

If you are totally new to board sports than maybe the Mako King is a little tricky since you have to ride the heel side rail to get it upwind, since fins are down the centerline, but big TT's like the Door and the Jimmy Lewis Flight Deck can butter slide out on you a lot. But either way a large Twin Tip (mid 140's by mid 40's) like any company's "Beginner" board will work.

As far as trainer kite goes yeh the Best 3m (2.4 actually) will work well. Check out Ozone/HQ/Slingshot, etc as well. Maybe just get a used one on "ikitesurf". Go to Buy/Sell then Kites then click on "size" and sort it by the smallest to the largest and look for used 2-3m kites... Do you need one or just wait for your first lesson? If you can afford one learning to fly a trainer kite gives a huge leg up on your first days with a big LEI water kite.

Ask lots of questions before you buy anything because we all have made the mistakes with gear and learning that you don't have to make...

+1 In addition, the Thrusters are underpowered and when you punch out (quick release) the kite fills with air and pulls you downwind. The quick release is poorly designed, it will release if you brush against it which can really ruin your session in deep water.

Ok thanks alot for the advice. Seems pretty clear to me why this guys selling. Where can I buy used gear from in Southern Ontario or a website?

You should really take a lesson first before buying any gear except for the trainer kite. Your weight and the usual wind conditions for your area will determine kite size - are you sure you need a 14m and 10m? 14m is mostly for either really light wind or bigger guys. Where I kite, a 12m and a 9m cover 95% of the conditions (I weigh 185lbs).

A couple more kites that are beginner friendly: Naish Cult and Cabrinha Convert. Try to get a kite that is 2008 or newer. Newer kites usually have better wind range and safety features. If money is an issue, I would rather get one really good kite for now rather than two crappy ones. Just make sure that you pay attention to other kiters and don't go out on a big kite in high wind.

And finally, get a seat harness and a Go Joe. When you are learning, a waist harness tends to ride up and crush your ribs. A Go Joe will make it way easier to retrieve your board and you will spend a lot less time chasing your board and more time learning. (Check out the Go Joe at Ocean Rodeo's website: http://oceanrodeo.com/kiting/go_joe).

Have fun!

This forum has a "second hand" section. That is a good place to start, but you'll probably be dealing with someone far away, so I suppose it is possible to get ripped off. You can also try craigslist or ebay, or look for a local kite forum.

Before buying a kite, figure out what size you need. Different local conditions require different sizes. 10 and 14 would be a good quiver for many places, but if you have very low wind or very high wind, it wouldn't work so well. Kite size is also dependent on weight, if you are unusually heavy or unusually light, you'll have to adjust for that.

Best brand kites have some good options for beginners (cheap, easy relaunch, good wind range). You can sometimes find new kites of last year's model for very little money. They also tend to show up used a lot. I'd look for kahoona or waroo. If you are on a tight budget, you are definitely better off getting one good kite than two not-so-good kites, and you can get a good kite used for $400-500 pretty easily.

There were a few Best waroos on the second hand section of this forum for really cheap, those could definitely work. There were also some newer best kahoonas that could be really good kites for you if they are in your budget.

I just went to toronto craigslist and typed in "kite" (I don't actually know if you are close to toronto or not...) but here is something that could be great for you (waroo and kahoona):
http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/yrk/sgd/3009937307.html
I don't know the person selling it, so I can't say whether the kites are in good condition or not, but that would be something t.o consider. If I had to design a kite quiver for a beginner on a tight budget, it would be pretty close to this

The US ebay has many more options for kites if you can find someone to ship out to you.

It sounds like you are taking lessons, I'd definitely talk to the instructor about used gear, the schools will often sell their used stuff pretty cheap, if not, they can probably point you in the right direction of where to look.

Also, regarding the trainer kite: yes, buy one. If at all possible, try to log at least a few hours on a trainer prior to the first lesson. Lessons are expensive and coming prepared (having some experience with a kite) will allow you to get much more out of it. When I lived in the mid-west I would use trainer kites with ice skates in the winter, which is a really good winter activity.

First of all, welcome!
In my opinion, you'd better not buy a trainer kite. Spend your money for lessons (more lessons after the basic course I mean). You will need the trainer kite only the very first days when you're learning the basics. The next step for you is the water and the day you actually finish your coaching time and you're ready to ride alone, you will for sure buy a standar kit (not a trainer).
About the board choice also, my advice is to wait until you can ride so that you can choose wisely what you really need and desire.

Welcome!

Spend the money on lessons, save what you can for gear - LATER.

Hey... welcome

These guys are in TO and have both demo gear and used gear...
http://www.silentsports.com/store/

Be aware that buying used gear from the US you still have to pay taxes and possibly duty and brokerage fees... unless you sneak it across. I learned that the hard way.

Here's a link to a very recent thread on your very topic... lots of stuff in there
http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2375954

And check the New Members forum here... might be some stuff there as well.
http://www.kiteforum.com/viewforum.php?f=161

Here's a kite school website I used a ways back...
http://kitesurfingschool.org/

Have fun

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated!