hi all,
just looking at getting into kite surfing from a surfing background im 6ft 2inch 95kilos wieght..i cant afford brand new outfit, with a new baby girl soo that's why im surfing on here but dont want to buy the wrong thing...any advice would be gratefull.live in parkdale area VIC. cheers.
gday mate, best thing to do is get yourself a trainer kite ( or borrow or rent ) and practice the kite side of things , if you can surf / wakeboard the board skills will come naturally.
Get at least one or two lessons - to learn the safety side of things , kiting is fun and quite easy, but dont under estimate the power in these kites THEY CAN VERY EASILY KILL once you fly a 1-1.5m trainer kite you will have a better idea just how much power is in a 12 or 10m kite.
Once you have that sorted get yourself a 12m Bow/hybrid kite and a board ( could use an old surfboard to start with if the $$ is a bit tight at the moment )
You should be able to pick up a 12m kite.... say an 08 Cabrinha Switchblade/ Slingshot REV (are the two I would recommend as both have proven track records ) for about 600- 800 possibly less. Harness $100 -150 second hand (- $250 new )
Dont buy any kite pre 2005/6 as the safety features have come a long way since then
Jono - do a search on 'beginner' or 'lessons' etc and you will notice "DO LESSONS" advice again and again and again.
No matter how little money you have find the dough to get lessons.. then later on worry about how much $$ you do/don't have to buy gear. At least that way you get to decide if you want to continue (in the relative safety of a school environment also) before you have forked out for gear you may not want.
After lessons, then seek what sort of gear you want.
BTW lessons aren't cheap (about the same dosh as a very well used kit to start with) but the $$ and pain they can save you, compared to heading out blindly on your own, is a bargain.
Good luck fella.
