9m or 12m at 3rd Ave???

[dpca10]

I'd go for the 10m. For a beginner this is the difference in making it back to the launch and walking after a sketchy self land at last resort beach by the bridge. Do yourself a favor, get the right size kite for the job, 2 boards and spend less time focusing on the kite and more on your board skills.

[michael]

Two boards and a crappy kite won't give you much. Do yourself a favor - get rid of your C-kite and get yourself a bow.

[michael]

Regarding the size - it's all about your skill level.

On one hand, bow kites have a lot of depower, so you easily will see people with 13-14m and even 16m almost any day at 3rd Ave.

On the other hand, the same bow kites have amazing low end, and you will as well see a 200lb guy on a 10m or even a 9m kite on the same day.

But don't get confused - this 200lb guy has much more skills than you. At the same time, there are days when a 16m bow is too much even with all its depower.

I believe 13-14m (ONLY IF IT'S A BOW) is better for a 200lb beginner, as long as you use common sense and know your wind range.

9m or 10m is certainly safer, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you think your skills are already at that level. And why not? Give it a try.

I was recently in Oahu, and my 12m got damaged. The only other kite I had was 2006 Waroo 7m. I was literally in disbelief to find out how much you can squeeze out from this baby. It seemed pretty strange riding a 7m while others were on 15m and 16m.

[womrat]

Thanks again to everybody for their input!

So I ride a 12m LF Assault 2. It's got really good depower range, but requires a lot of throw in the bar(Plus, I HATE the pully setup on the bar!). This results in me sticking my butt out and not being able to edge as much as I would like. I feel (and probably look) like a kook. On the days I rode, I may NOT have been overpowered, but it sure felt that way with sensory overload and what not.

I would PREFER to stay on my 12m (of course with the right wind conditions), but if using a 9m Bow would make my learning days at 3rd more enjoyable then I am ready to do that.

If the consensus is to keep the 12m and have two boards, then what are good board sizes? I already have a LF WLF 140. I definately feel like the rails are a bit "soft" on this board.

For the second board, should I go bigger or smaller?

[Greg]

I'm 190 and an 11m Rev has been my bread and butter..

add a course board to your quiver and you'll be able to ride anything-
L.M.G.

[michael]

I believe Assault 2 was the kite with the widest wind range among all Liquid Force kites in 2007, so you really shouldn't have a problem.

The bar with pulleys means the kite is designed in such a way that there are too much bar pressure. Some Assault 2 reviews mentioned that even with the pulleys on the bar there was still too much pressure. So it might be you are either setting the steering lines on wrong knots (too close to the kite, and you have to move the bar too far from you when you are riding), or you are not used to the bar pressure this kite needs.

Maybe the guys who rode (or still ride) this kite can comment more.

But in any case - I doubt adding a second board would help you.

[adamrod]

at 200 lbs you should be fine on the 12m assault 2. it's a full on bow kite so it has tons of depower (but yeah, the pulleys suck and there's probably a lot of throw and bar pressure too). beginners are not as efficient riders, so riding underpowered is difficult.

if you have to choose between one or the two, stick with the 12. obviously, it's better to have both.

at your skill level, keep the WLF 140. it's a good board and at your weight, you should be able to get a lot of use out of it.

hold off on buying anything until you get a couple sessions under your belt this spring. your current setup is fine for an average day. once you've ridden a bit more this year, the choice of new kite vs. new board vs smaller kite vs additional board will be come clear.

i think you have a pretty perfect setup personally. nice wide board and a good depowerable bow kite with tons of range. stick with what you have and then spend your money later to get something better.