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Help me...first board buying where to start??

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Tomhamish
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Help me...first board buying where to start??

Postby Tomhamish » Mon Aug 11, 2008 9:00 pm

im a beginner and i want to buy my first board, has anyone got any tips? also i think my first kite is going to be the north evo 08 is this a good idea? all comment are hugely appreciated!!!

Tom

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singlemalt
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Re: Help me...first board buying where to start??

Postby singlemalt » Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:33 am

Hi Tom, lets start with the basics.

How much do you weigh?
How tall are you?
What are the conditions like where you will be riding it?

These variables are all factored into choosing the right board.

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Re: Help me...first board buying where to start??

Postby mv » Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:53 am

In my experince, for a beginner, bigger is better. It also depends on your weight and the local conditions where you are going to be riding but a bigger wider board will give you a more stable platform to learn on and get you going in lighter winds with a smaller kite which is what you want as a biginner anyway as it is safer.

When I started I struggled for 3 months with a smaller board unable to get up on the board or go upwind. A friend let me try his Spleene Door. I was up on the board on the first try and going up wind. I purchased one that day and have never looked back. I still keep a Spleene Door in my board quiver for the light wind days.

Good luck.

mv
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Re: Help me...first board buying where to start??

Postby Rbgar » Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:58 am

buy a spleene door from singlemalt :thumb:

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Re: Help me...first board buying where to start??

Postby kiteguy » Tue Aug 12, 2008 1:34 am

i went through the same thing. i ended up making my own board out of half inch baltic birch plywood. i know this sounds like a pain in the ass,but it was so easy and i have never bought a board yet. 65 bucks got me the ply,paint,lightwave footstraps, and four fins . i was up on the board first try. i only made it 100 feet but after a couple of days i was rippin upwind with everyone else. i tried my first production board in caberete this year and the only difference i noticed was the weight. if your doing huge air, i can see the weight being a problem but lets be real,if your just starting, your not doing huge air. my board still works great a year later, no cracks or breaks and i'm starting to do 10 to 15 foot airs.trust me on this one. make your first board and learn how to kiteboard well enough to notice the difference between boards before you huck 8 or 9 hundered bucks at a production board. i'm 6' 2" , 208 lbs and my board is 133 cm x 46 cm. p.s. i've never made a board before in my life but this kite forum was great in helping me out and it only took me 2 hrs to make my board (not including the painting , 3 coats takes time to dry but worth it).if you need help i can walk you through it.i've made 2 other boards this year.one of them modeled after the spleen door.

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Re: Help me...first board buying where to start??

Postby Tomhamish » Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:00 am

im 5'10" 66kg, i will mostly be riding flat water wakestyle i think. i dont live near the sea so lakes are my nearest option. Though i am going to east coast Australia for 3 months in march not sure what the conditions are like there? but i doubt i'll ever get into wave riding!

i think i would be well up for making my own board. after buying a kite i doubt i will have enough money for a board. but in my (limited) experience ply wood is flat... and the boards i have ridden have a curve to them form tip to tail, how do you bend the wood or do you not bother? please forgive my ignorance!!!


thanks for your posts

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mathieu leheilleix
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Re: Help me...first board buying where to start??

Postby mathieu leheilleix » Tue Aug 12, 2008 1:54 pm

The board does not really matter at this stage.
When you start, you could really be kiting with a door.

My tip would be to concentrate the cash towards a suitable kite for where you live (ask your instructor).

20 m or bust
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Re: Help me...first board buying where to start??

Postby 20 m or bust » Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:42 pm

You have taken a lesson, No? Bend from end to end is called rocker and there is no great way to put that in a ply board. Rocker is not an absolute necessity many light wind production boards have little or no rocker. All the ply boards sold on line have little or none. Check the used market in you area for a 130 something to 150 something wide board. Something they call a light wind board so planing will be easy for you. Small kite and big board is a better combination when learning.

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Re: Help me...first board buying where to start??

Postby kiteguy » Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:01 pm

my ply boards are all flat,a couple of sessions on them and they form a little rocker. rocker is great for loading up pop for big air, no rocker gets you planing quicker.perfect for noobies and light wind. bigger board smaller kite for starters is a good combo. lots of guys are using flat ply boards and no fins.no fins gives you a skatier feel but once up on edge there's almost no difference between fin and no fin. i learned with no fin and had no problems at all.


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