Hi Ben,benbecker56 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 18, 2018 10:42 pmEli, I will put a post about the classes I took from the school once I finished the next class.
Toby, thank you! I didn't go today because the wind dropped overnight, we pushed the class back to Wednesday morning which is my next day off. Can't wait!
What kind of gear (used gear) would you recommend for a beginner? I am interested in acquiring my gear now and I have an idea of what to look for but I would like some feedback from more experienced kiteboarders.
Thank you!
Yeah, wind over the summer is actually more consistent than during fall/spring, but it doesn't really break 10-12 knots more than a couple times a month. If you don't have a lot of opportunities to ride (like, only on the weekends/holidays etc), having a big kite is pretty essential to getting sessions in. I think the advice you were given is perfect though, get a 13 or 14m now and use it until you can ride a little bit, then you can add on a big kite or a smaller one, depending on which you think you need more at the time.benbecker56 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2018 5:52 amHey Dylan
I will try to find out about the rules in Deerfield Beach, I wasn't really thinking about going there anyways because I have never seen any riders but it will be nice because it's very close from where I live.
I am something like 170lbs and I was told to get a 14m2 and eventually a 17m2 for light winds. By "If you want to try to ride at all over the summer" do you mean the wind is like very light during the summer?
I will definitely look into buying used gear it looks like it's 3 times cheaper on average. My concern was buying it from someone random, but if you say that they test the gear, that's great! Thank you so much for sharing the websites.
Do you know anything about the brand Slingshot? Looks like that's what they have for used kites on both websites.
Thanks!
Hey, Thank you! Alright, so the reason I was asking about Slingshot is indeed because I saw the RPM everywhere at a much lower price than the average of $1200-$1400 that 14m2 goes for. So good to know it's not good for a beginner! I will look into the other brands as well.FLandOBX wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2018 8:56 pmBen, Slingshot is a solid reputable brand. For a good all around beginner-intermediate level kite, the Slingshot Rally is your best option in that brand. A lot of shops will want to sell you the RPM, but it's more of a hybrid kite that works better for intermediate-advanced riders who want to ride unhooked and/or kiteloop. You'll find good deals on the RPM, but it's not a great beginner kite. The Rally is your better option. There are lots of other brands that are solid, as well (Cabrinha, Core, Ozone, North, etc.).
Re. your question about light winds in Florida during the summer, the answer is "yes". Kiting is best in Florida Nov. thru March. Summer is the doldrums. You can sometimes catch summer wind before a storm or in the Keys, but there's not a lot of kiteboarding happening in Florida during the summer. But you can go to the cable parks.
Welcome to the forum.
Regarding summer time, my teacher advised me to practice as much as I could until the end of the season here, and then get a 17m2 during the summer. But if my understanding is correct, the bigger is the kite, the harder it is to have a good control over it?dylan* wrote: ↑Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:50 amYeah, wind over the summer is actually more consistent than during fall/spring, but it doesn't really break 10-12 knots more than a couple times a month. If you don't have a lot of opportunities to ride (like, only on the weekends/holidays etc), having a big kite is pretty essential to getting sessions in. I think the advice you were given is perfect though, get a 13 or 14m now and use it until you can ride a little bit, then you can add on a big kite or a smaller one, depending on which you think you need more at the time.
Slingshot is an awesome brand. Pretty much all the big brands have good kites now, nothing to really avoid aside from the cheap Chinese brands or the gear from 2002 on Craigslist. Biggest brands are: Cabrinha, Slingshot, Naish, Liquid Force, North, Core, Ozone, Best, Ocean Rodeo, Wainman, Switch, Eleveight (new brand).
Speaking of Switch, you can check them out as well if you would rather not go for something used. You buy direct from the manufacturer (no local shops) so their kites are half the price of other brands. www.switchkites.com