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Question from a Noobie

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resqman911
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Question from a Noobie

Postby resqman911 » Sun Jul 08, 2018 3:32 pm

Hey guys I’m sure this question has been beat to death but I’m going to throw it out anyway.

I just started kiting in the last couple weeks and love it, but I’m currently using rental gear and would like to get my own gear but dont really want to drop a ton of cash on gear as this will only be able to kite a few times a month and I have quite a few hobbies that share my wallet.

So I’m looking at used gear and I’m not real sure what to look for, how old is too old? I know newer gear has better handling an safety features. Any help you guys can give would be appreciated.

My local beach is Belmont Shores Ca.

GTC
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Re: Question from a Noobie

Postby GTC » Sun Jul 08, 2018 4:00 pm

Make sure you choose an all-terrain model (aka all-rounder, freeride, hibrid...). These kites are the top-sellers of any kite company and perform very well in any discipline.

Since the last 5 years (or more) there have not been significant advances in kites design, performance or construction. So if you find a 5 year old kite in good condition go for it, but I would recommend you to look something 2 or 3 years old.

Take a look at the condition of the canopy, bridles (and pulleys), lines, etc. And keep it inflated for at least 30 minutes to make sure it doesn't have any air leaks.

Regards!

jyka
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Re: Question from a Noobie

Postby jyka » Sun Jul 08, 2018 5:34 pm

Anyone who is selling new kites, will tell you that you have to buy new 2019 gear, because the new gear is SO much better, they will jump higher, more stable, better upwind, faster, safer etc :D
IMHO the kites itself haven't developed much in 10 years.
During last 10 years, most of the kite brands are now using single line flag safety and the same kind of QR (except Core..), and kite valves are now bigger (and we have seen so many bad bigger valves too.. leaking and breaking down.)

It's better if you can find someone experienced kiter to check used gear before buying. 5+ year old kite can be good, but if it's been used a lot, it can tear apart in any moment. Kite lines will also wear out.

Boards and harnesses will last for long, I'm still using my 10+ years old mystic warrior harness.
Last edited by jyka on Sun Jul 08, 2018 6:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

grigorib
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Re: Question from a Noobie

Postby grigorib » Sun Jul 08, 2018 6:03 pm

resqman911 wrote:
Sun Jul 08, 2018 3:32 pm
Hey guys I’m sure this question has been beat to death but I’m going to throw it out anyway.

I just started kiting in the last couple weeks and love it, but I’m currently using rental gear and would like to get my own gear but dont really want to drop a ton of cash on gear as this will only be able to kite a few times a month and I have quite a few hobbies that share my wallet.

So I’m looking at used gear and I’m not real sure what to look for, how old is too old? I know newer gear has better handling an safety features. Any help you guys can give would be appreciated.

My local beach is Belmont Shores Ca.
Never been to that spot, can’t talk about wind speeds, waves or if a beach is nice to rig. You tell me :)
In general though:
- buy an all around kite for prevailing wind speeds. Rally/Switchblade for regular winds or Turbine/Contra if it’s lightwind conditions all the time
- don’t buy anything older than 2012. Designs were still worked upon. Newer kites are almost all the same throughout the years for each model which survived since then. eg 2014-2019 Rallys are almost the same except large inflate valve introduced in 2016
- if winds are light or gusty, buy a wide twintip, like a mini-door eg Flysurfer Radical5 144x46. Board width will contribute a lot and add to time on water
- don’t do boots and wakestyle kites unless you’re seasoned wakeboarder
- get a good impact/floatation vest, half-finger gloves, stretchy wetsuit and single-click harness
- unless you’re a smaller/shorter person try to buy a bar with above-the-bar depower. Use a short leash
- UV is a plastic killer. Paragliders have 300 hours safe limit. Kite fabric is thicker but still, if a kite been in the sun for last 5 years (and you’d be able to tell by faded colors) it will get damaged easier upon abuse
- buy a set of extension lines. 7-10m extra length will add 1-3 sq.m of kite size on a light wind day

resqman911
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Re: Question from a Noobie

Postby resqman911 » Sun Jul 08, 2018 7:44 pm

You guys are awesome , this is exactly the info I was looking for. Thank you so much.

dylan*
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Re: Question from a Noobie

Postby dylan* » Mon Jul 09, 2018 5:00 am

The main thing I would be concerned about isn't so much the kite design, it's definitely improved but even gear from like 2010 is still fine today, especially for a beginner.

I'd be more worried about the glue holding the valves together. You can nuke a kite in less than a year if you leave it in a hot car for too long, and need to replace all the valves. More than a couple years, I'd start to wonder how well stuff is still holding together, because it can be fine up until the moment you get a small leak or a blowout and your kite starts deflating in the sky. There isn't really a good way to tell, so I wouldn't buy too old of a kite unless it's a really low price that you wouldn't feel bad about having to replace parts since you got such a good deal.

Other stuff like safety on the bars has made some progress but for the most part as long as you're using the right bar for the kite it's not the end of the world unless you go really far back to like 2007 or older.

Boards have also come a long way in the last few years imo, but as long as you're riding in "regular" strength winds you can get away with a lot so it's not a big deal to get something a little older. Any issues with a board are pretty obvious just looking at it. Check around for deals, I just got a brand new board on closeout for under $150 from a previous year's model. That's less than used boards most of the time :D

If you're looking to save money and don't want to worry about used gear, you can check out one of the brands that sells direct, they're about half the price of brands sold in shops and the gear is just as good (or better in some cases).
www.switchkites.com
http://takoon-family.com/en/

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Re: Question from a Noobie

Postby tomato » Mon Jul 09, 2018 9:39 am

IMHO- look for deals and try to buy new gear from last seasons- 2015-2018. Yes, kite designs have not change much since around 2013, but how many kites can hold sun, water, sand, heat and be still fine after 5 years? Depending on winds- main size kites will be used most and worn out. I see many small kites (5-7m) on sales in great condition, but they are rarely used. But not so much bigger (10-12m). Also as beginner you do not know if bridles are ok or stretched, fabrics condition.
Get cheap board, maybe a bit oversized it will help.
Buy new bar. Not necessary expensive brands, but new. Sand and salt destroy them in few seasons, you want to be safe.

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Re: Question from a Noobie

Postby matth » Mon Jul 09, 2018 2:07 pm

I have a Switch Helium 2 , 15.5m for sale(MINT CONDITION). Great light wind kite at half the cost as others. Comes complete with brand new Cabrinha trim-lite bar, works perfect with this kite. Perfect kite to have for those light winds out there.


I can do a little cheaper if we eliminate ebay(fees)


https://www.ebay.com/itm/Switch-Helium- ... SwNOJbMwbD

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Re: Question from a Noobie

Postby Slappysan » Tue Jul 10, 2018 1:52 am

For Belmont you'll be dealing with light winds so I would stay away from 5 strut kites. Best would be one of the modern single strut kites like LF Solo, Airush Ultra, Naish Boxer, North Mono. They are all very user friendly kites. Single struts can also transition well to LW foiling in the future which is pretty big at Belmont.

Safety wise things haven't changed too much since 2010. There are a few kites that held on to the double front line flag out past then and I would stay away from those (Cabrinha pre 2015, certain Ocean Rodeo pre 2017, etc). Single front line flagging is pretty much every kite now.

If you are willing to wait for the previous year model sales you can easily get 40-50% off, but you probably want to kite right now so you should look to buy used.


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