Okay so i've got my younger brother all wrapped up and intrested in traction kites. now we're searching for a reasonably priced beginner / intermediate landboard for him. Problem being he's 6'6" and 280lbs. i was surprised to find at 190 i was pretty close to the top end of the weight range on some mfg. boards ( i'm built like a bean poles). after a number of emails to various companies mbs suggested their leon ribbons pro 100..... at 550$ it.s hardly what i would call an reasonable price for a beginner. i've pondered building one from parts but it will likely cost nearly as much. the biggest issue being finding a deck for his weight. any suggestions on how to reduce the sticker price and get him into the sport?

I have no clue on a way to help but I have to ask, is your bro a football player being built like that :o Thats a big dude.

keep checking ebay and buy a second hand board. Either that or you're going to need a beefy deck. I ride a GI Pro Flight. That's a fairly stiff board becuase its short (but its also a bit wide). You may want to look at that too. Shorter boards will be more stiff though the stance may be a bit narrow for him.

mbs core 16
GI patrol 106

no jumping he will break them just cruising and sliding .

not until you master floaty landings would even attempt a jump

the real solution and this is my personal favorite....

he requires "custom fitted hardware".

not just for fit but safety too.

he's a big guy the accelerated mass he will generate will be at the limits of most materials with any consideration for weight conservation. lines, boards he will need the be careful.

A BUGGY one of those big ones like popeyethe welder makes he would hit serious high speeds he could down alot of power

buggy... a good solution

It's an older model but the MBS Blade is beefy enough ? There are a few around. ( like the one I lost )

thanks for the input. I was getting the feeling that we might be heading into the $pendy wonderland of custom hardware. I think the buggy is a good option. we were talking about building a custom one since he knows a guy who is a tubing welder for presurized lines(nat.gas & oil). especially after seeing the prices on a buggy that might hold his weight and still have room for his legs. ----- No oddly enough he has never played a sport. He's always been into more creative endevors. He's a hell of a blacksmith.

You should ask DaVinch if he has any more of those "Caffeine" decks that he built. I bought one with some trucks, then added some oversized wheels that I bought through Northern Tool and I've been using it on the beach here (I weigh 250, but I'm sure it will hold your friend). I think all together I spent a little over $100 for the whole thing. There's a picture of the board in this thread:
http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=6419

I always stear bigger dudes towards the Patrol Pro and the Conflict. No wobbles and barely any assembly! And they are easy to assemble without extra sets of hands holding your sping a lings...

mbs older models to be on the lookout for:

Razor
Blade

mbs new models

pro 100
comp 95

my wooden nickel input

My comp 16 is rated for up to 300lbs. .

Well at this point he's looking at a buggy. I've got a comp 95x that i'm hoping will show up tomorrow from ebay. I guess i'll have to keep my eyes open for a used comp 16 as well.

Thanks for the input

Maybe a Flexifoil Kava would work.