Power Kite Forum

Best kiteboard size opinions

FloRider - 26-7-2009 at 07:36 PM

I am seriously considering a kiteboard and wanted some opinions on sizes. I am 6'2" and 180lbs. I am looking for the help because I have never kiteboarded before, and there are no stores in Arizona for me to consult with or try demo gear with. Since I am one of the only people that I know of in the Phoenix are that kites consistantly, I thought the PKF members might give me some ideas.:roll:

Thanks in advance.

PHREERIDER - 27-7-2009 at 05:03 AM

to start around 140cm-145cm, should get you going. concave bottom is nice for control as well. lots of threads here, hit the search and look around

snobdr - 27-7-2009 at 09:58 AM

Bigger is better. When your learning you want more float, big board small kite. Im about the same size as you and learned on a 161 with a 12m kite. Really now days its not just length you can ride a shorter board thats wider. say 134 by 43.
Like i said though start with something big, for a second board i would look in the 140-145 range as an all around board.

nwsurfwakeskate - 27-7-2009 at 10:49 AM

I would say there is more information needed before we can really give you a good answer.

1. what surface conditions are you planning on riding in? ie. rolling waves, surf, chop, flatwater

2. how much do you weigh

3. what wind range will you be riding in most frequently

4. what size kite are you planning on using most

5. what style of riding do you want to pursue. ie. cruising, big air, wake style, surf

arkay - 27-7-2009 at 11:04 AM

While "bigger" is better, that does not mean length. What's important is that you get a board that wide. What you're going for in" bigger" is more surface. Whatever board you get make sure is _at_least_ 40 wide. Honestly, length is less important; but beginner/light wind boards tend to be in the range of 138/45 to 150/40. I saw a 128/55 the other day, but i think it was really a skim board ;)

I agree with nwsurfskate that you really want to understand what kind of riding you want to do and what your local conditions are so that you can get a board that fits. Board are expensive, take time and get the right one. While a mako OR 150 is perfect for my conditions, and I love this board :), it might not work in your area. The best board and style, and for that matter the best kites, are generally what other people in your area are using successfully. Go with what's proven to work in your area, not marketing hype or equipment that been proven to work in other areas.

DenisLaMenace - 27-7-2009 at 11:06 AM

One thing to consider while your are beginning on the water is to go with a bigger board and smaller kite. you can focus on the board instead of trying to manage the power of the kite.

Spleene make awesome boards, that ride smooth and go upwind very well

I started with a RIP 138x44 and it was good enough for me at 185. Width is more important than length.

Now I ride a a RIP 134x40 most of the time for the last 2 years. In fact I have tried other boards, and I am back riding Spleene. Just love them.

Don't use a DOOR for starting even if they perform excellent in light winds, the flat rocker and square outline is not forgiving for learning.

The rocker, and outline of the RIP make it a good all-around board.

nwsurfwakeskate - 27-7-2009 at 01:32 PM

I see a lot of schools basically saying exactly what Denis said. big board small kite. this is fine for most people but personally I hate small kites.

my reasons why is that they are very touchy, fast and unforgiving. I have had too many times where I'm 20ft in the air and my kite is about to hit the water. leaving me to free fall back down and splat.

I like big kites because they are slow and give me lots of time to react. plus when I'm floating through the air the bar inputs I give the kite do not have to be as precise as they would be on a smaller kite.

I think kiteloops are cool but I'm going to shy away from them because I'm not in a hurry to blow up my knees. so big kites really fit me well.

if you have too small of a kite you won't have any fun though. not enough power to jump and you'll just be underpowered overall.

bigger is not always necessarily better either. wider boards are more difficult to hold an edge on in choppy water and also give you less leverage against the edge.

I ride a Lunacy 132x42 as my primary board because it has huge load and pop potential, edges well due to its concave and planes very early. people around here have nicknamed it the "mini glide" because of its lightwind ability. When the wind really picks up i can still hold down the lunacy but I often prefer to switch to a litewave 125 board so that I can ride slower and edge through chop easier. I am 6'1" and 190lbs

FYI most guys my size would not ride a 125cm board ever. instead they would switch to a smaller kite. personally I like riding it a lot!

a long narrow board with lots of flex is probably going to give you the most forgiving ride. the smoothest board I ever road was a 158x41 Custom Cabrinha board. the guys around here that ride in big windswell and chop swear by the Ocean Rodeo Mako boards. they don't jump as well but they seem to be by far the best carving and chop munching boards out there. But again it really depends on the conditions you're in.

FloRider - 27-7-2009 at 02:01 PM

Thanks for the advice guy's. I never really considered the width of the board as being that important. But I can see how it will help. I plan on riding on fairly flat surfaces for starters because we have some lakes around here with decent wind. After I get some experience I will take some trips to the ocean.

I have a 15 Synergy and a LEI 16m Cabrina black tip. I will start out just cruising, but will eventually move on to jumping because big jumps are my passion.

nwsurfwakeskate - 27-7-2009 at 02:06 PM

I would say look at the Slingshot Lunacy 132 or possibly the 135 if you are in light conditions.

I think the lunacy 132 could possibly be my favorite board of all time. it seems to do everything really well with speed, jumping, early plaining and upwind as its strongest points.

I bought mine used off of ikitesurf for about $350. they seem to go pretty cheap as used boards so shop around and you should find a good deal.

I would highly recommend changing the foot pads immediately though. the straps are great but the slingshot doyle pads are terrible. get some air-force pads. commonly relabeled as Ocean Rodeo Bliss pads. they seem to be the standard for a lot of new boards coming out. including the 09 spleene, flyboards, underground and ocean rodeo boards.

3676213524_787cb2e683_o-1.jpg - 70kB

FloRider - 27-7-2009 at 03:22 PM

So NW is that a picture of you?

nwsurfwakeskate - 27-7-2009 at 03:24 PM

yep :spin:

FloRider - 28-7-2009 at 07:48 AM

I'll have to keep looking for a used Lunacy cause there was nothing neer 300 when I checked. $300 I could do, but anything more than that is more than I willing to put up for a used board.

I see you got a 2009 board, were you ever able to try a 2008 Lunacy? Any thoughts...?

nwsurfwakeskate - 28-7-2009 at 09:51 AM

I think the 08 and 09 lunacy's are basically the same with different graphics. don't quote me on that though. there could have been some other small improvements.

I would definitely pay the extra for the 09 though since it is really really nice having a high visibility white board to spot when you have to body drag back to it. the 08 lunacy's were black which made them a little harder to find in the water.

nwsurfwakeskate - 28-7-2009 at 09:57 AM

these are the pads and straps I opted to get for my lunacy.

best investment I've ever made in pads and straps.

Powerzone is a prolimit dealer and I know he is doing an order soon so you might want to talk to him about getting some.

http://www.pro-limit.com/displayitemv10comp.php?item_id=6002

6002.jpg - 47kB

snobdr - 28-7-2009 at 02:57 PM

I just picked up a liquid force wlf 140 for 325 brand new.

FloRider - 29-7-2009 at 09:41 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by snobdr
I just picked up a liquid force wlf 140 for 325 brand new.


Where? seems like a slick deal.

snobdr - 29-7-2009 at 10:52 AM

found on ebay