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How to choose your first kiteboard

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pjhardie
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How to choose your first kiteboard

Postby pjhardie » Tue Mar 05, 2013 6:47 pm

Hi guys,

I know a lot of users on this forum are experienced kiters and already know this stuff - but the sport is growing and new people are always getting involved!

Here is a little article we wrote on how to choose your first kiteboard. We have tried to simplify it as much as possible to help people make good decisions from the get go!

http://www.realwatersports.com/news/you ... kiteboard/

What do you guys think - is there anything we missed that's important information?

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Re: How to choose your first kiteboard

Postby edt » Tue Mar 05, 2013 7:17 pm

looks good. I do know that a beginner looking at all these boards online just to see what is out there is gonna see all these terms that confuse the heck out of them like abs rail, wakestyle board, g10 fins, double concave, continuous rocker, freestyle board, free riding board and channels

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Re: How to choose your first kiteboard

Postby timothymcmackin » Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:21 am

I'm in the target audience for this article (new kiteboarder looking for my first twintip), and this is a nice little overview. A few suggestions:

- Are there any big no-no's in looking for a first TT? Kinds of TTs that are not for beginners, or characteristics of such boards? The vets warn us against that "great deal" of a 2003-vintage $100 C kite on ebay; is there a board equivalent that we should avoid?

- When you say that "your first kiteboard should be easy to ride," what does "easy to ride" mean? That's something that might be obvious to the pros but not to the noobs.

- What are the basic parameters for boards and how do they affect performance? This is info that can be found elsewhere, but you might adapt it here for a beginner level; just a sentence or two saying that rocker is good for agility but makes it a bit harder to go upwind, for example. In this vein, I'd like to know about some of the things that I see in marketing info for boards, like the "responsive/forgiving" scale I see in some places.

Also, I'm lucky enough to have some contacts who are willing to lend me a few boards for test-driving while I look at what I want to buy. What should I be looking for? People say "it'll just feel right," but I'm not sure what that means, and if it feels right, am I going to outgrow it quickly?

Thanks for the info!

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Re: How to choose your first kiteboard

Postby edt » Wed Mar 06, 2013 3:23 am

timothymcmackin wrote:- Are there any big no-no's in looking for a first TT? Kinds of TTs that are not for beginners, or characteristics of such boards? The vets warn us against that "great deal" of a 2003-vintage $100 C kite on ebay; is there a board equivalent that we should avoid?
nothing wrong with a vintage board. go for it. Old kites can be unsafe especially old control bars that came from those old kites, but a board is pretty simple you put your feet in the straps and ride. No real penalty for a beginner getting a vintage kiteboard, some of them are fun, the only problem is you'll eventually end up with a garage full of a dozen kiteboards.

Don't worry too much about getting the perfect board in your first few years. As you progress as a rider your tastes will change drastically as your riding improves, what you like two weeks ago will be completely different than what you like today.

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Re: How to choose your first kiteboard

Postby AlexandreBorges » Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:21 pm

Best board for a newbie?

The best pro board available! Dont buy a board for beginniners because you will progress fast and spend more money as soon as you test somebody's else board.

For example, if you're in a Cabrinha geared kiteschool then go for Xcaliber and forget Sonic, Tronic or whatever they say is meant to new kitesurfers.

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Re: How to choose your first kiteboard

Postby pjhardie » Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:50 pm

Great input everyone - thanks.

It sounds like the info that beginners are hungry for is a good explanation of all the tech terms used by the manufacturers AND a list of No-Nos!

"timothymcmackin" - here are a couple of no-nos for you:

- try to avoid getting a board that is too small (most beginners should shoot for a board that is 135cm or bigger.
- don't be tempted to use a wakeboard to start out - that won't help the progression either as they have too much rocker and won't go upwind!
- avoid older looking or flimsy straps that don't look like they will provide support. If your straps aren't comfortable and don't keep you locked in to your board - it will make learning everything that much more tricky.

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Re: How to choose your first kiteboard

Postby aeberl » Wed Mar 06, 2013 7:06 pm

How to pick your first board? ...easy:
Simply buy the most decent used board you can find in your region.
Beginners learning curves are so steep that they grow out of their board in a matter sessions and their riding style is not well defined, which makes it useless to unload a lot of money for somethig that most likely will not satisfy the rider just a couple of months down the road.
After their first backroll, wave or downwinder they will need no instructions to pick their board.

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Re: How to choose your first kiteboard

Postby redman333 » Thu Mar 07, 2013 6:06 pm

I just bought my first board the other week. Toby at real actually helped me pick it. I ended up getting a good deal on a 137 liquid force influence twin tip. A 2012 board. It was only $40 more than the bigginer board with straps so for me the higher model was the right choice for me. I havent ridden it yet though since its been too cold here yet. No wet suit either. I figured id get a slightly larger pro board and that size should be better to learn on and yet a pro board should ride pretty good once i learn. Thats just my theory though.

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Re: How to choose your first kiteboard

Postby knotwindy » Thu Mar 07, 2013 7:40 pm

i will bet somebody in your area has an old beginner board laying around that they can not sell, so just borrow that for the 4 sessions till you outgrow it. Then find a cheap used board from one of the people in your area. If there is nobody else in your area, you have much bigger problems than what beginner board to buy!

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Re: How to choose your first kiteboard

Postby polarstorm » Thu Mar 07, 2013 9:08 pm

pjhardie wrote:What do you guys think - is there anything we missed that's important information?
imho, the way you've broken down the offerings will not help a beginner discern what they need, the only real consideration for a true beginner is that the board be weight proportional (e.g. be able to carry the kiter for a correct rigging).. it should really be further simplified for 14-20kn conditions, outside of this window you're just talking danger and frustration.. in other words one basic choice.. other than that the advice from the last poster is true (what I would do, if I were doing it all over again).


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