Beginner Kites Sizes and Board for Sherman

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This forum is for new kiters/beginners to share info and experiences and to get answers to kiting questions. All questions are valid. Please provide proper answers (no sarcasm/joke replies, etc.) as we'd like to avoid any confusion or misinformation.
AD72
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Re: Beginner Kites Sizes and Board for Sherman

Post by AD72 » Sun Nov 30, 2014 12:11 am

My second season I had a 9 and 12 at Sherman and it was a good combo at 190lbs. I used them 50/50% of the time and was just riding TT. I had a Mako King which is a great board for making the transition from TT to directional because you can set it up as a mutant or TT. I think the smaller versions also do that. Makos ride fast and can jump but don't have any pop. Mine was a foam core 2010 model and I cracked it the start of last season. I would buy another one though because it was a fun board and easy on the knees.

The past three seasons I have had a 7-10-13 quiver. The 10 gets the most use by far by switching boards between directional and TT. There were only a couple days last year I used the 7. The 13 came out for the afternoon lull and there were a number of times as it picked up I came in and switched to the 10.

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Re: Beginner Kites Sizes and Board for Sherman

Post by Xor » Sun Nov 30, 2014 10:15 am

It all goes down to the preference, some like to go overpowered, some with the smallest kite they can. 9+12 will be good start for Sherman. In only first season I've gone from complete beginner learning to go upwind to strapless directional and TT jumps.
Better start with appropriate size board, especially with wake and windsurf experience, otherwise you'll quickly outgrow the huge board.
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Re: Beginner Kites Sizes and Board for Sherman

Post by peter19ue » Sun Nov 30, 2014 10:23 am

Thanks for all the great info. So it sounds like a 9 and 12m combo would work well at Sherman for learning. What size of board would you recommend for me to learn and progress on? Any specific brand? Thanks again for all the great advice!

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Re: Beginner Kites Sizes and Board for Sherman

Post by Xor » Sun Nov 30, 2014 5:15 pm

I would suggest any regular TT, remember width of the board is more important than length, I started with 136x36 and dropped to 130x36 without real drop in planning efficiency at my 160#. And avoid wakestyle boards. If you are after good demo board ask KiteNaked at this forum as Cris closed his business but might still have some good boards for sale.
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Re: Beginner Kites Sizes and Board for Sherman

Post by peter19ue » Sun Nov 30, 2014 5:23 pm

Thanks, so would the Best Armando work or what brand or model would your suggest. This is all new to me. I'll see what Chris has. Thanks

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Re: Beginner Kites Sizes and Board for Sherman

Post by Kyle » Sun Nov 30, 2014 6:57 pm

you should also consider the ocean rodeo mako. I learned on this board in Seattle at the recommendation of some Bay Area friends. It has amazing upwind ability (due in part to the concave shape) but I have continued to ride it even with my progression because it is soooo good in the chop. The rounded tips reduce water spray into your face, which is actually something you will learn to appreciate when the sun is high in the sky on those warm sherman/3rd Ave days:) It's also a great all-around travel board. I (5'10" 155#) ride the 140x40, and my fiance (5'3" 105#) rides the 135x37.5cm. They're honestly amazing boards. Just got back from 8 days in Baja on em! I also rode surfboards, and a foil board, but was just as happy on my mako:) Royce with KGB might have some used demo Makos.

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Re: Beginner Kites Sizes and Board for Sherman

Post by peter19ue » Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:27 pm

I was originally looking at the Mako because that's what John at Windance recommended but then another person had this to say:

"As far as the mako goes, it's NOT a good beginner board and here's why. It's round shape lacks a straight edge, this means it will bit less when you edge back on the board. It's a squirmy board and that too will take away your concentration from the kite. It only has two fins, that are centered on the board- again, placement of a fin set there will allow the board to turn (something you don't want when starting out on the board). Lastly, it's a very poor board for going upwind. That means you will be walking a lot more after your first few tac's on the water. The Armada doesn't have any of those designs, and it's greatest design in under the board with the stepped rails. This allows the board to drive up wind without that much heal pressure (slowing you down). It's lighter, stronger, and better for most anyone in the sport. Look at our feed backs on this board. Chosen 9 times out of 10 at this years 2015 demo."
so now I'm confused

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Re: Beginner Kites Sizes and Board for Sherman

Post by Kyle » Sun Nov 30, 2014 9:12 pm

welcome to kiteboarding. one of the beautiful things about this sport is that it is very young, and as a result the gear is in its infancy and we may all look back in 10 years and laugh at what we rode (or thought we were riding). Much like people do nowadays with C-kites:) another unfortunate side effect is that we and manufacturers are all trying to understand the technology of our equipment, and this can become very subjective.

I personally found the mako a very easy board to learn on, and my fiance would agree. And those who suggested it to us would also agree. We both tried many boards between the various instructors and lessons, and without a doubt found the mako easier to stay upwind on. The concave shape gives it a much sharper edge and stronger hold in the water. Think of a [upside-down] spoon vs. a knife. With respect to the single fin, I don't know the numbers, but I would estimate that far more that of my edging upwind comes from the rail of the board and not the fins. This is true for surfboard and twin tip. I therefore have never felt that I was missing out with only one fin at each end of my mako. My fiance used to ride a fairly generic square-tipped 130x37cm twin tip that was marketed as having very good upwind ability. But she kept stealing my mako. Finally I caved and bought her one, and she loves it.

Where I have started to experience the limitation of the mako is "load and pop" for bigger/freestyle boosts. Because of the rounded tip and tail, there is less edge at each end. When you boost, you want to hold your edge as long as possible, even as you start to get pulled off the water. With less edge, and 1 less fin, the tail of the mako looses grip more quickly than a more squared-off board. This is something I have personally experienced as I have demoed new boards. I still appreciate the benefits of the mako in chop over the slightly reduced tail grip for boosts. I make up for it by riding slightly over-powered:)

Obviously we all would recommend demoing, especially if you are confused. But honestly if you are just learning, it will be hard for you to understand the subtle differences between boards and kites. For this reason I highly recommend buying used/demo products, so that any mistake you make is far less costly. As you progress, and get a better understanding for what you want, you will be more comfortable spending more money on [new/expensive/specialty] gear.

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Re: Beginner Kites Sizes and Board for Sherman

Post by peter19ue » Sun Nov 30, 2014 9:26 pm

Thanks for the detailed explanation, I really appreciate. This is all very new to me. I'm up on all the latest windsurfing shapes and gear but know nothing about kitesurfing gear so i value all your advice and input Probably the best thing to do like you said is get some used gear and as I progress I'll figure out what works best and then purchase some newer gear that I can use for awhile. There is a used 2010 Mako for sale for $200 so maybe I'll go that route. Hopefully by the end of next season I will be able to move up to surf style board since that and a foil is what I really want to end up on.

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Re: Beginner Kites Sizes and Board for Sherman

Post by peter19ue » Sun Nov 30, 2014 9:31 pm

Thanks for the detailed explanation, I really appreciate. This is all very new to me. I'm up on all the latest windsurfing shapes and gear but know nothing about kitesurfing gear so i value all your advice and input Probably the best thing to do like you said is get some used gear and as I progress I'll figure out what works best and then purchase some newer gear that I can use for awhile. There is a used 2010 Mako for sale for $200 so maybe I'll go that route. Hopefully by the end of next season I will be able to move up to surf style board since that and a foil is what I really want to end up on.

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