New Kite recommendations?

[manplesvanuatu]

Gman and all,

yes even my opinion is not to be taken seriously...in life just use what ever makes sense..I am on my first year so far, far away from being the authority on knowledge:-)

Yeah I speak for myself but my approach of going to 3rd avenue (area where I though I would hang out most) and watch the locals on how to do things worked out great..

Asking them questions was even better! (of course absorb like a sponge but don't set anything in stone)

One thing for sure..those guys by the peanut gallery are very helpful and nice..just bring a few bottles of beers and some...peanuts/chips

I suppose buying used is an excellent idea but do only if you have done your research well...

If you do the above...may I just say one thing?...Stay away from the Caution Answer 2006/2007 and the Slingshot LINK..this has nothing to do with the brand..but those 2 models were flops...they will not help you progress quickly.

Yeah Sonny is a pretty cool guy and he will help you..

oh enough said..RUN and buy a kite before you miss the last few days of wind...too addictive man..worse than shooting crack hahaha

paul

[adamT]

2 more cents....

I would get the 11m Rev. (however your timing is a bit off... see last paragraph.. )
I started with the 11m T2 and it served me very very well. I was able to fly it a lot . the rev is supposed to have less bare pressure, which is great, and everyone says it is a great kite.

As a beginner you are probably not going to get to try a lot of kites, especially this time of year.. So I would just get something and get out there..

The issue with this time of year is that you are running out of standard thermal wind days.. we will hit winter storms soon and that is where I personally ended up getting a 7m and had a blast last winter in Alameda.. So maybe you can get a cheap 7m to thrash around on at Alameda this winter. 7m should be pretty darn cheap.. However, honestly I can not remember how many days I was actually able to go out... I just remember when I did it was A LOT OF FUN!!!

[adamrod]

yeah, but i personally don't advise any of my beginner friends to ride in the winter. too dangerous. risk of hypothermia is high, storm winds can come up or die down very quickly, not a lot of other people out to keep an eye on you...

better off just traveling to someplace warm like baja or spi and getting a solid weekend in.

[vant20]

yeah, but i personally don't advise any of my beginner friends to ride in the winter. too dangerous. risk of hypothermia is high, storm winds can come up or die down very quickly, not a lot of other people out to keep an eye on you...

I was thinking about that =D> When I first moved here I did not own a winter wetsuit and had an interesting session in my short sleeve wetsuit in November in the Delta. Surprising what a difference there is between Aug and November ](*,)

[adamT]

I agree, I guess I had in mind knee deep water at Alameda... Can't really go wrong with that.. just know how to release the bar and you should be fine...

Body dragging would even be fun because you could practice dragging and walking depending on the depth of water..

But don't mess around in too shallow of water..

[G-man]

Holy S*!$! This is an awesome thread. I never expected to get so many responses. You guys are the bomb. Thanks!

Just to answer someone's question. I realize that I'll eventually need to get a 2nd kite, but I was hoping that the first kite would handle as many days as possible--so I could delay the next $1000 fix for my habit as long as possible. Haha...I know it's futile, but let me pretend...the first step of an addiction is denial, after all. :)

So, it sounds like the general consensus is that 10m, 11m, or 12m would be the best bet depending on the kite.

Let me pose one more question, if I may. If I were to go with a kite on the low end of that range--10m--how light of wind could I ride it in? 15mph? Would I be able to use it consistently at Alameda? I guess I've resigned to the fact that I'll need to get a 7-9m heavy wind kite at some point, but I'm hoping to avoid having to get a third kite, if possible. (Oh no...now I'm hearing a sinister laugh in my brain now....help!)

Sonny, thank you for the offer. I will definitely come down and introduce myself to you guys at Third.

Thanks again for all the help everyone!

[recoprianto]

I would say the best quiver would be a 12m, 10m, 8m....or 11m, 9m, 7m. That pretty much covers you 99% of the spots 99% of the time. If you have to pick 1 kite, the 11m would be the choice. If you have to pick only 2 kites, go with the 12, 10, or 11, 9 combo. In the last 2 years kiting, the wind was so strong that I had to use my 7m only a handful of times.

[tomcai]

G-man,

Being a first year kiter, I have gone through kite purchasing myself two months ago. My personal opinion is to get a kite sooner before the last few days of the season end. Yeah, what kite? that was your original question. Well, Slingshot Rev 11m, Ocean Rodeo Rise 10m, F-One Bandit 11m, Cabrehna Switch Blade 10m will all do. I am sure there are other good kites out there which I have not tried, but getting practice time is more important than buying a perfect kite. Next Spring, you may consider a 7m or so for strong wind.

Happy kiting!
-Tom

[vant20]

G-man,

My plan is 12M + 9M. I have a Naish Cult 12M, as I posted earlier, so I will keep it Naish if I can. My understanding is that 15mph may be challenging for beginners unless it is pretty steady - never happens. So 12M 15mph-22mth then 9M to 30mph winds. I believe that level will be more than enough for the first near ('09). I am not sure if you ever went out in 35mph winds, it's a very different experience :-) I do not 'budget' for a 7M kite in the 09 year.

I will also very likely need 1 more board, I currently have a 142 board. Those don't come for free either.

Good luck!

[kitedavis]

Hi Folks,
Just at the end of this season, I picked up a 7m 2008 Rebel because I was tired of sitting out on the few days that it went over 30. Thought I would use it only a few times of year, maybe. I've used it about half a dozen times in the last few weeks, because it turns out it works down to maybe 17 or 18 mph. It is fun throughout its whole wind range. With this incredible range, and since its so fun to ride, I'm wondering if I will ever get my old 10m out of the bag again. I could conceivably use just the 7m and then revert to my old 14m for when it gets really light.

The point of all this is that I think if you buy newish kites, and you don't have unlimited funds, having kites in 2m increments (e.g., 11m and 9m or 12m and 10m) may be too much overlap. If you go in 3m increments, you will probably get a greater overall wind range and still have the "right" kite most of the time. Do others agree?