Hours of Research reveals nothing for the newbie

[warriorsentfromGod]

Alright, so after sitting for hours online scanning pages upon pages of info, reading magazines, reviews, forums, blogs, and ebay I am lost. I cant stand trying to find out where peoples heads are at with all these brands and no distinction.

Basically I have never kitesurfed or kiteboarded before, I've been flying an HQ foil for a year now and I think I am getting better at kite handling. Have been wanting to step up to something large and get on a board. AS the only thing that kiteboarders can seem to agree on is that its a good idea to take lessons I have signed myself up for a weekend camp. Upon talking to my will-be instructor he reped some Cabrinha stuff, including the 08 Convert and the 07 Omega, which, through my research look like good kites, although I cannot afford a Convert there have been some Omega's hitting ebay for $700 flat brand new. In my quest for the correct kite I am writing this in the hopes that someone might be benevolent enough to respond.

Ill start with the basics, im 6'2", weigh 200lbs (90kgs) and am athletic.
I am not planning on boarding in one spot too much but I will be spending two months in my home country of South Africa soon and that will definitely influence my begginnings.
With this in mind I was told that a 12m is about the size I should look out for, especially living in Colorado. Im also guessing a board in the 158cm range?

So, as far as kites go, I was wondering why I would want to choose a bow over a C other than for relaunch? Everyone raves about C's and I found a sweet 07 North Vegas right in my price range. But as I search all the sites daily, I am coming to the conclusion that perhaps I should find a bow??
In that search I have narrowed it down to the following short (perhaps fallacious) list
Best Waroo
Ozone Instinct light or sport
Slingshot Turbo Diesel I, II, or III
Cabrinha Omega
North Rebel or Toro (although I couldnt afford an 08 rebel and I hear bad things about the Toro)
Naish Code (although I wonder what previous years models that are similar are called)

Why is it that there isnt just a good source where someone has said "look, cutting all the crap, this list of kites would be excellent for beginners"
Why is it that the development of the sport hasn't produced a source that people go to for reliable, unbiased, information?
Why does every magazine have to bend over backwards to say nice things about all kite manufacturers (dont tell me adverts)?

Can anyone help? My hope is to start an awesome thread that might be the first thing people look to as their interest is piqued.
A sincere thanks to anyone with good experience that answers some of these questions.
Ross

[Mlkman]

I would recommend a board that is 135-142 somewhere for your, at least 40cm wide.

You will learn on all kites in that list, personally I have favorites in the list - reason for that is that some kites behave the way I want them, and some dont. But fact is that you cant tell now anyway. learn, then start testing gear - its the only way to know.
Make these changes on the list:
I would take Turbo Diesel 1 and Toro away
Allthough Light is good, largest one from 07 is 12m. get an 08 14 as the large kite, or Sport 13m

There are allso some kites with proven high quality in the list, try to get one of those if your going second hand, its worth a litle extra.

[warriorsentfromGod]

Im assuming you mean Cab, North, Naish, and SS

[Kosh]

Naish Code is a school kite, guess you can remove it too(?)
I would recommend not buying a pure C-kite, but guess quite a few here disagree

"look, cutting all the crap, this list of kites would be excellent for beginners"
-Most kites actually ARE excellent for beginners, just that some kites are more excellent than others

I recommend reading http://www.inflatablekite.com/ for information about kites and how they work (Though, the site is biased towards bow-kites).

[tungsten222]

bis repetita non placent.

[STORMBIRD]

yup...tunsten is right. i'm an instructor myself, and i have seen quite a few students jump the gun and get the wrong gear. take a lesson first....then buy gear...period

[Kosh]

1. Take lessons. You'll be able to try gear that suits your local conditions. Your instructor is the person to ask what gear suits you. There is a bazillion of questions to answer before you take a choice - use the gear on land or water or both or snow, local spot is gusty or high wind or light breeze or...

My experience is that this is not true, atleast not in Norway. Usually everyone arranging lessons has some connections to a specific brand, and they will always recommend the brand they (the school) uses.

[tungsten222]

bis repetita non placent.

[BWD]

I would say, just take the basic lessons and then take one more day to try at least 2 kinds of kite before buying.
And buy an old last year's model especially if you aren't sure. If you don't tear kites up, they actually can last for more than a couple of years, in spite of all the hype to get new ones each year.

If you have surf or windsurf background, you might start out on a surfboard not a twin tip.
Twin tips are easy in some ways, but if you are familiar with a surfboard already you will ride it "automatically," and can concentrate on the kite flying for a while.
You will also be able to go upwind much earlier in your learning time with a surfboard, which means your sessions will be more kitesurfing and less beach walking

Twintips are great for easy jibing and tricks, but those are probably for next year anyway....
On the other hand if you are a big wakeboarder already, stick with the twintips if that is where you are comfortable.

Anyway, you have found out the most important thing already -you can only learn it by doing it and the internet is full of opinions only, mine included...

[ronnie]

Well they tried your idea and if you look at this thread, you can see it did not work.

http://www.kiteboarder.co.uk/kitesurfin ... f=14&t=217

You have obviously been thinking about this for some time and if you take the lessons, that gets you respect as someone who actually takes advice.

I have only used Cabrinha kites and am still a learner. I windsurf, but found the twintip better for learning than a directional.
The Omega, Crossbow2 or 3 and the Contra2 or 3 are all good kites and suitable for a beginner. There are many other suitable kites, but as everyone says, get the lessons first. It is not just about flying a kite. You are joining a community - like it or not - and what you do can have repercussions. You sound like you are sensible and have some patience, so leave the buying until you do some face-to-face talking. It is a very good idea to get in touch with the local kiters. They are usually friendly and if there are enough of them, a good source for buying second-hand gear. I made myself useful by helping them launch and land which is a good way to start mixing. It is also a lot more fun when you are sharing the experience and it is a sport where you will find depending on others matters.