BayAreaKiteboarding.com

Hi, I'm not new to kiting but new to kiting in SF. Couldn't find anywhere else to put this and figured it would be a good discussion for beginners anyway.

I weigh about 160-170 pounds and consider my self a relatively experienced rider. I don’t know what the wind conditions are around here so am a bit stumped for sizes. I live in San Fran with no car so from my limited research am thinking Crissy Bay? (any other suggestions welcome). I would love to have a quiver but can only really afford one kite at this stage. Any suggestions on size??

Also if you’re looking to sell a latish model kite send me a pm. (prefer C-kites like Naish Torch, but something like a Park would also be good)

Hey there, welcome to the Bay Area!

I'm sure others will chime in, but around the SF area, you're likely to kite at 3rd Avenue (San Mateo) and Crissy Field. Crissy has all kinds of things to watch out for (currents, large ship traffic, wind shadows, etc.), so make sure you do some research, talk to the locals and consider carrying a marine radio or cell phone. Here's a place to start:

Crissy: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=844

3rd Avenue: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=832

There are lots of other places to kite (Sherman Island, the coast, East Bay), but those two spots will be the closest for you in SF.

In terms of kite size and your weight, I'd say an 11m or 12m kite might be a good call for your first kite, depending on what board(s) you're riding. I'm sure you know you'll eventually want other kites in your quiver to make your equipment match the Bay Area's wind range, but most Bay kiters usually get away with a 8-10-12 or 7-9-13-ish quiver. If you ride the coast, you'll probably want something smaller as well.

That's my 2 cents...

Kirk out

Hey, thanks for the info on 3rd ave (was a mission to find, those location posts need google maps links). Fair ways out of town, out of BART's reach but worth it I guess?? what about here also?

https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=37.5748 ... &t=h&hl=en

Also is this worth going to?

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/spo/3757893121.html

Sorry about all the questions and thanks for the help

You'll defintely want a quiver at some point but if I had to chose one kite only, I would probably go for my 12...you can ride overpowered when needed and still have enough juice to get a sesh' on lighter wind days. Especially if you are looking for a C-kite since they dont have a good low end in comparison to bow kites.

Erik wrote:Hey, thanks for the info on 3rd ave (was a mission to find, those location posts need google maps links).

I think you may have missed the "Sites" link at the top of every page here on BAK:

sites.php

Get a "zipcar".
Acces to third via public transportation is a pain in the neck.
Carpooling works great too a a lot of people here in SF are sharing rides to spots like 3rd/sherman/ waddell.
2 spots inside SF: Crissy and Ocean beach.
I would say 10m would be your bread and butter here in the bay for your weight.
Add a twin tip and a surfboard and you should be fine.
But a 2 kites quiver (11m and 8m) would work a lot better with 2 boards of course...