beginner here, got a couple questions!

kiteboardok · Since 23 Jul 2007 5 Posts Edmond, Oklahoma Kook

hey all. first off a little background to build the scenario... name is dylan. born and raised in oklahoma (good ole windy plains state). dad windsurfed with 20 years, getting older now... does it alot less now than he used to. i've been water skiing since i was 4, wakeboarding since i was 14 (i am now 24)... done the snowboarding thing a time or two and messed around on a skateboard in my youth.

i am completely fascinated with kiteboarding. i've never done it, but we have a big group of guys (none of which i know) that do it here at hefner lake in oklahoma city, ok. i am extremely ready to get launched into this awesome sport, and am trying to get educated on it as much as possible prior to actually doing it.

i recently purchased a 2004 cabrinha access 12.0 kite (have read and heard on many occasions that this is a great beginner kite). it's brand new, and i'm getting the control bar and lines with it. i understand that now i am going to need a harness and a board. this is where the questions start coming...

what size of a board would you recommend for a beginner (in the sense of kiteboarding, NOT board sports) and a guy of my size (5'9" / 175ish lbs)?

i would like to get a good, used board to make it easier on my wallet of course... if anybody out there has one for sale that you honestly think would be good for my size, please reply to this post with some contact information.

also, as far as harnesses go, i'm thinking about getting the 2007 liquid force harness that comes in white and black, i'm sure you all know what i'm talking about. would that be a good move?

and lastly, i really am not going to be able to afford lessons. and i know and understand that this is a really technical sport when it comes to the kite flying. what would you guys suggest i do? i'm not sure exactly how to run and hook up the lines, attatch control bar to lines and harness, etc. as i said, i've been educating myself as much as possible via watching instructional videos on youtube and reading like crazy.

all comments are welcome!

Guest · Mon Jul 23, 07 7:00 am

first of all try to find someone to give you lessons it make going out alot more fun..... when i started i got a kite bar board harness everything you needed to go have fun ok now i really didnt know anything about a kite so i got a 16.5 m airush lift kite boy this kite beat me up bad..... wife wanted me to quit so i talked her into getting me lessons now i always on the water... i would highly say talk to the people out there and see who is doing lessons...
its alot cheaper then replacing your quiver and any doctor visits.
Alex

magicmaker · Since 29 Oct 2006 895 Posts da Hood Opinionated

you need to take at least one lesson. If you dont take the first lesson you'll be missing valuable knowledge that will prevent you from getting hurt and help prevent you from hurting others. period. If you can't figure out how to connect the lines up to the kite by yourself, then how you think you can teach yourself how to fly the kite?

You're wasting money buying gear before lessons, because you wont be able to use that gear without getting a lesson first. There is no instructional DVD that will supplement for a real lesson, just do yourself and everyone else a favor and hold off buying that board until you get a lesson.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

moved from For Sale section to main forum

tinyE · Since 21 Jan 2006 2004 Posts not really an XTreme Poster

it sucks to have to spend money on a lesson, but I agree... one is a pretty good thing.

I did the same thing, DVD's, books, internet forums, web sites, etc...
but the things I learned in the lesson, more than likely, saved me from a few trips to the emergency room....

seems expensive at first until you get that first bill from the hospital....

jbruxer · Since 24 Jul 2005 398 Posts Beaverton, OR Obsessed

As everyone has said, save up and take a lesson! You will thank yourself over and over while your figure out wind theory, kite control, and emergency safety maneuvers! Hopefully this will also help you avoid the pain of learning what a hot launch is!

But seriously, take 1 lesson just to get the basics! It will definitely help your progression move quicker!

As for your harness question, I have a liquid force harness/impact vest and love it!

Good luck man!

Hein · Since 08 Mar 2005 1313 Posts Possessed

Go to Hefner Lake on a windy day.
Lot's of experienced kiters there.
Probably be some used boards
for sale as well. Go fly a small
2 line trainer kite as much as you
can until then.

CarrotHead · Since 05 Jul 2007 35 Posts Once Seattle, now Portland

The one thing i learned in my lesson that was most important was when my instructor told me "kiting is about feeling it." I think this is why DVDs and such can't compare to a lesson. Once you learn that it is about feeling as much or more than about knowing, you realize why you need the lesson. When you have the bar in your hands and the instructor says "do you feel that?" and you do, after that is when you should start to think about what board to get.

pdxmonkeyboy · Tue Jul 24, 07 8:30 am

kiting is also about not feeling it...like feeling your face smashing into the side of a grain silo. Laughing

Seriously though, drop $100 on a trainer kite and get proficient with while your saving money for a leeson.

Of all else fails you can skip the lesson, buy a bunch of crappy gear on craiglist, and then fly out here and show up at Sauvie Island.
Laughing