Looking for beginner kite gear

[Yoda]

My statement was not directed to you. It was for Louise.

But I will definitely agree to disagree with ya!

I'll make sure to put the word out that the Vegas is an excellent beginner kite. I can't wait to see the responses or better yet the eyes rolling. lol

Ba Bye!

[ko138]

I have a 2014 Naish Park 8m for sale with leash and bar in very good condition (rarely used). Probably not the best beginner kite but relaunches easy. Willing to meet at a local kite spot to pump up and show condition to anyone interested. Asking $425.

[super_monkey]

You may need to get Yoda's and his eye rolling friends' approval before suggesting anything to a beginner because he may have tried it once and it wasn't his cup of tea. Just sayin'

[le noun]

Man, I like seeing internet fight between 2 guys who have been on this forum for obviously ever (Yoda, 2005 and super monkey, 2007).
As much is this is entertaining, I think we are not really helping the OP here.
So, to louise:
Yes, you can learn pretty much on anything that is 5 year old or newer nowadays. Safety and stability have gone so much better for any design of kite. Delta, C, wave kite, anything will work.
I would agree with Yoda in the sense that delta shaped kites are usually recommended to beginners in the sense that they ask a little less ability to fly and are usually a lot easier to water relaunch (now super monkey, you must at least concede that water relaunch on a C kite is not as easy than on a delta, especially in light wind. Heck even if you check the vegas on north's actual website they give it a 4 out of 10 on water relaunch, now I am not saying you can't learn on a vegas, but water relaunch is what a beginner is doing for the first few sessions at least).

But again: yes, you can learn on anything and I wouldn't be as drastic as yoda and say that your learning would be "challenging" on a C kite that is 5 years old of newer. Maybe not as easy but not impossible.

Anyway: to go back to your original post: you were asking for what to look for, get something in your budget. like I've mentioned, 5 years old or newer is a good idea. delta easier but yes indeed, C kites are not out of the question (especially if what attracts you to kitesurfing is freestyle and wakestyle stuff). Inspect what you get and pump it up: look for leak, tears and repairs! and get a bar that matches the kite at first: you can play with that later but at first just go with the same brand so you don't get a headache on front line and back line length...

board-wise: get something super cheap, super flat (low rocker) and super wide: basically a cheap door. And put your name and phone number on it because you're gonna lose it at some point anyway.

Great place to start is the classified on this forum (usually locals) and on ikitesurf.com (focus on what you can inspect before you buy)

Hope this all help. have fun and welcome to the team!

[super_monkey]

That is true, it's easier to relaunch literally any other type of kite but that will by no means slow down progress or make it dangerous in any way. It takes two sessions to learn how to relaunch the hardest kite in history of kites and not a single kite in recent history requires pulling on front lines and then swimming toward it to flip it on it's back so I would argue that the difference of 'ease' between the easiest and hardest to relaunch these days is rather small. I would also argue that the process of learning how to relaunch a more traditional kite will ultimately help you understand the aerodynamics and behavior of any kite quicker making you a safer kiter in the process as you have to flip it, bring it to the edge of the wind window and commence somewhat regular kite launch procedure. It's a lot like learning to drive a stick vs an automatic. Yeah, it's easier, just press the gas and off you go but in the process you learned nothing and went from 0 to hero without understanding why and how.

By the way, I am not trying to defend the Vegas because I happened to have two of them for sale. I wasn't even planning to sell them until this thread came up as I use them when I travel. I have also been flying them since 2006 and have first hand experience teaching others using them so I find it silly to read what Yoda wrote because it's complete misinformation that is so common in our community. Oh noes, the dangerous C-kite, you will kill yourself immediately if it doesn't kill you first. It's not a 2003 Blacktip Cabrinha, relax bro :).

[irvinside]

May be I can help a bit here Louise,
I have actually started on a Vegas while beginning (lessons/renting) , kind of weeks of riding in Dakhla, Morocco. I did it a few times on different sizes and year models (up to Vegas 2013).

PROs:
- I loved how smooth it was
- Not too much pull, constant and relatively light bar pressure (compared to the Rebel at that time)
- In a rail and so easy to turn
- SO much fun and safe [5th line is a good safety feature when beginning]

CONs:
- I had to take a kite size above what I needed on any other North kite (not the best in lower end of the wind range)
- More Difficult to relaunch indeed, which was a pain and made me loose sight of my boards multiple times (and I did not had to mind the tide direction at that time, in the bay that same scenario would be a major mistake)
- The 5th line is cumbersome, and does not make any easier to use the kite, getting the 5th lines de-twisted all the time is key to relaunch in low winds.
- When starting the first jumps, you do not get high easily but get a big horizontal pull and landing is at "fast speed" (beware)

So I had really good fun with it, was a real pleasure to develop skills on a Vegas, I literally loved it. But when it was time for buying I only considered the F-One Bandit / North EVO, and later the North REBEL:

- Just to make things easier and simpler for a start (I felt freestyle was not my thing to begin with)
- EVO/Bandit felt more easy to re-sell later down the road (to other beginners) than a specialized kite
- The VEGAS was pretty expensive at that time, and I was not sure I had the skills to really enjoy what it had to offer. I felt like a sunday car driver enjoying a high end porsche. SO so fun, but way beyond my skills.

Now, about what's in the used market today have a look at articles like these ones:
http://www.kiteworldmag.com/gear/2016-kite-overview/
https://kitesurfingmag.com/2016-freerid ... head-head/

"If you’re looking for a first kite as an active rider with strong ambitions to improve <...> our notable suggestions would be the Airush Lithium, Slingshot Rally, Naish Pivot, Cabrinha Radar, Ozone Catalyst and North Evo of the kites we tried this year with faultless control systems, very easy access power, depower and relaunch – but that won’t hold you back after your first six months." kiteworldmag.com

To which I would gladly add the F-ONE Bandit, and the Cabrinha Switchblade,

For the boards: the strategy from 'Le Noun' to go for a pure beginner board like a "Door" (very large boards) that will ease your first sessions and be your light wind board down the road is an excellent choice

If you feel more adventurous: F-One TRAX, North X-Ride (and similar) are excellent boards you will keep for years and still provide you all the support you need for a start. They will re-sale properly as well.

Hope this might help,

Cheers,
Greg