What kind of board for begginer?

[sailor]

I started kiteboarding a few weeks ago and I am thinking of getting a board that will go along with my Assult 2. I was looking at the Cabrinha Prodigy because that is the board I used for my lesson. Do you think that is a good board to learn on or do you have any other suggestions? Byt the way, I weigh 140 lbs.

Thank you!

[windhorny]

When learning, you want something that will plane easily and is forgiving, generally equates to rocker and tapering tips. It also helps to have fins that are around 2" or bigger as it will make the board yaw less and track upwind better. I weigh 170-175 and with a 10 or 14 meter kite i am set on my 140. You will want something smaller as you start to land tricks and ride overpowered. Something else that is nice on the bones is a board with good flex. I use those liquid force pads on all my boards to help my bad knees. Boards with sharper rails will feel more "grabby" in the water. Rounded rails like those found on the liquid force will feel more soft when edging. What you'll learn slowly as you ride more boards and get better is that little differences DO make a difference but when learning you just need to concentrate on staying upwind and riding both directions.

[josha]

This has been discussed a few times already, but there are 2 schools of thought. 1 is to get a larger board, which makes learning easier, and to keep it as your light wind board. Another school of thought is to buy a smaller board that'll become your all around board, although it'll be slightly harder to start with. This time of year, you can find used gear pretty readily, too. Personally, I like Crazy Fly boards. They're a great value for the price, light weight, and have soft landings. Just see if you can try a board before you buy it!

[Ravenquest]

Personally i love my Spleene Door 159. I think it would be a great beginner board and then you can keep it for an AMAZING light wind board. It will progress with you better than most boards as well. I ride mine as lit up as 20mph wind, it deals with chop great and it handles jumping and backrolls with ease.

I know if i had started with a board in the middle i would have had to sell it and get 2 boards anyway.

[KiteRider]

I like Helm's package deal, which is a cabrinha prodigy board & a cabrinha omega kite. I think it is a great package for beginners to start with and support's our local kite store.

;-)

[adamrod]

at 140 lbs, you're officially a lightweight. get the cheapest used board you can find that's 133-140cm. ride it, learn how to go up wind, learn how to turn, then sell it. because at that point, you'll be good enough to tell the difference between a $150 board and a $700 board. you'll be able to sell the board for the same that you paid for it. it's a no-brainer to me. in the mean time, you can scope out the sickest, sweetest board you like, once you know what kind of flex, pop, foot straps, bottom contour you want.

[KiteRider]

adam excellent advice, that is pretty sound to me. no money wasted unlike most people who buy new boards and then have to sell them for much lower than they bought them for.

;-)

[elli]

Something that works great for beginners is light wind boards. They plan easily without much power, so you can use a smaller kite, feel safer, and if you are in learning in Alameda which has many light wind days you will need it anyway.

I was this spring in South Padre and schools there teach on Spleene light wind boards. The beach was full of them, this was hands down the most popular brand and almost all beginners bought it after the classes.

In your weigh the Spleene doors are too big, Spleene Session is the ticket. You can use that board later as a light wind board.

There are other brands that make light wind boards today, I am not familiar with all.

If you want a board to keep, get a light wind board in the 135-140 range. If you want a throwaway cheap board something like a Cabrinha Prodigy. its not light wind, but its cheap used. If you go that route you probably need something slightly longer.

Spleene session is an excellent board, very well thought, every detail from the rail shape to the tail cut. German engineering. The demand is so high they are not cheap even used.

If you are on a budget build one yourself. A piece of wood, drill, paint, you can be done in three hours. There are "open source" plans floating on the web, I think I posted something a while ago.

My preference will be to stay away from old big crap boards. You will buy them cheap and sell them cheap, but other than that nothing else to write home about. They are also no good for light wind, contrary to what most sellers will tell you.

Another type of waist of money is to get a board that is classified for beginners like the prodigy new.

[michael]

True light wind boards are expensive and might not be a great deal for beginners, especially with light weight.

No doubt that for light winds Spleene Door or Session are way better than Prodigy, but for a beginner when he is learning - they are not much different. We are blessed having good wind here, so why spend so much more just to have the best light wind board on the market, especially for for someone who is 140lb?

I completely agree with Adam - the cheapest used Prodigy to get started is the way to go. Easy to buy, easy to sell.

Of course, if your main spot is Alameda, or you are over 200lb - that's another story.

[elli]

Light wind board choice does not have much to do with weight, you have smaller light wind boards for light riders and longer for heavy. Its about the riding characteristic and handling that makes them good choice for a beginner. I rode both Prodigy and Session, there is really no comparison. Most boards that are "supposedly" for beginners are just low cost and old school designs. In that sense there are way better choices for beginners:

Lighwave freestyle 145 in all years, much better board than the prodigy for learning and after that as well. Cheap used and very durable.

Most riders in the bay area are not familiar with those boards because the wind is good, except for the Glide that you see here and there, and it is not the best of them. I personally seen a Spleene here once (George).

I talked to many beginners that after a few sessions bought a bigger kite to use in Alameda. Not the best choice to ride a big kite, but they do. Better that beginners get a few useful sessions in Alameda on long sand beach with light wind, then get wind deprived and go to third ave without enough water time.