Gear Suggestions

This forum is for new kiters/beginners to share info and experiences and to get answers to kiting questions. All questions are valid.
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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.
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Re: Gear Suggestions

Post by wjb » Tue May 14, 2013 9:43 am

The group here is an ally and very helpful. When you come on and tell everybody that you don't need lessons because you have "friends" it raises a red flag. We know how good our local instructors are and you will be taught everything you need to know to be self sufficient such as body dragging for your board or self rescue. These are skills you will need to know. Will your friends teach you this. Will you practice until you are competent? This is unknown to us with "friends" as your instructor. The concern is that incompetence by someone affects us all by putting other people in danger or getting launches shut down. You would be better served by being a little more humble.
It is obvious that we can no more explain a passion to a person who has never experienced it than we can explain light to the blind. T.S.Eliot

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Re: Gear Suggestions

Post by sanjose_kiter » Tue May 14, 2013 12:40 pm

If you 're gonna kite in Alameda, there 're a few rules worthy to remember:

1. keep your kite and lines away from the beach goers at ALL COST, ALL TIME.
2. The weekend at Alameda is gonna be filled with beach goers
3. get the bigger kite and TT. I am 150 lbs and mostly use my 11 & 14 on a 144x46 tt, though I used the 14 more often than the 11 meter.

4. it really worth it to take a couple hours of instruction from the local instructors. They definitely can give you local tips , instructions , and what todo not todo ..., much better than your kitesurfing friends for sure.

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MehYam
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Re: Gear Suggestions

Post by MehYam » Tue May 14, 2013 3:15 pm

kandrey89 wrote:Is there a recommendation on what seat harness I should be looking out for, or features?
Can't go wrong w/ a Dakine Fusion, I've had one that's outlasted every other single piece of gear I've ever owned. Some will tell you that they're a little like training wheels, and that it's worth moving to a waist or hybrid harness (i.e. Ocean Rodeo Session II) asap. The OR will convert to a pure waist harness, although it's not as good a seat harness as a dedicated one like the Dakine.

Another option to look into is the Dakine Nitrous - I tried on a pair and sang falsetto the rest of the day, your mileage may vary. Try on whatever you want to buy in a shop, where hopefully they have something you can hang from as a comfort test.

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Re: Gear Suggestions

Post by kandrey89 » Tue May 14, 2013 3:28 pm

I didn't say my friends didn't want to, we just don't have a chance time wise. I'm very busy for example during the week.

I am fully aware of the issues and perception between kitesurfers and joe public.

The problem with trying out kites is 2 fold:
you need to be an advanced kiter before places will let you demo their stuff (that's what I read at their site online for alameda/3rd store) and I don't want to spend $450 for instruction plus demo $$
Naish Draft isn't available on the online store at the local kite shop (forgot the name, both at alameda & 3rd)

My friend just told me that I should stay away from 14m because it's bulky and doesn't offer much in return. He said he hasn't seen 14m out on the water much, especially when 12m where out. With 1 money kite, he says definitely the 12m. I probably will go out in 12-18mph winds, no more.

I understand what you are saying re: depower feel, pull through the turns, etc, but I'll save more by getting what I think I want directly instead of spending a ton extra, probably as much as another kite to try and figure out what I'll like. I suspect that I won't know the difference being a novice anyway, so demoing isn't going to provide an appreciable benefit/knowledge.

MehYam: Thanks. I own a Dakine leash for my bodyboard, I've heard good things about the company.

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Gear Suggestions

Post by jsin138 » Tue May 14, 2013 4:16 pm

kandrey89 wrote:I don't want to spend $450 for instruction
I think we're done here.

1. Take some lessons with local instructor
2. Speak with instructor about proper gear for you
3. Come back & discuss your questions here

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Re: Gear Suggestions

Post by Red_Element_Andy » Tue May 14, 2013 4:32 pm

This might not be a bad time to mention that if you are savvy, you don't need to even pay that much for a proper lesson. There was a Living Social/Groupon deal just two weeks ago for a lesson at KGB for only $169.

Call them up and see if they will still honor this price, plan to do it on a day when there's wind, and you can get it done on a budget (safely).

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Re: Gear Suggestions

Post by le noun » Tue May 14, 2013 7:52 pm

Soooo, like other people said before, this is a really friendly forum.
The problem was your first post, it came out like this:
" hey, I'm new to kiting, I don't know anything, I have friends who have hours to spend to teach me on the beach and on the water BUT they don't have 30 min to spend with me on the phone to talk about gear.
So I just want to know what I can buy to put myself and others in danger. I want a kite that is both suitable for alameda to learn in light wind and then good for third avenue. And don't you dare give me advice about safety, I know what I'm doing".

So yeah... Most folks who have been riding for a few years and seen people being yarded across the beach, fingers cut, guy drowning 3 years ago at OB...
So I apologize if we are being dicks about it, but yes, when somebody new to the sport comes here and tells us to basically fuck off if we recommend lessons, we get defensive.

Now, it seems like you mellowed out a little after the first intro/deleting of the account.
Please, I beg you to reconsider taking lessons.
It IS REALLY IMPORTANT for your safety, the safety of others, and essential to keep our access to beaches by limiting the amount of accidents.
We are not trying to be mean by telling you to take lessons, we are actually concerned about your well being. WHERE ELSE do you find people who don't know you and already care enough to be concerned about your health?
This reminds me of a video that came out a couple month ago on YouTube:
The guy's kite went into a crazy loop, yanking him across rocks. In the description, he was asking how he could have prevented this to happen and at the same time proudly advertise he'd be learning on his own. The guy couldn't understand why people were getting pissed off in the comments.
It's unfortunately because people decide to train themself and don't know how to properly react when shit happens that big accident happens, resulting in beach access being closed to us.
So yes, we get defensive, but it's for your own good and for the good of the community.
It's a beautiful community looking out for each others.
Welcome.
Kites: 2020 F-One Bandit: 10m.
Board: 2018 F-One Slice 5'1 Surf/Foil convertible
Harness: Manera Union.
Wetsuit: Manera 5/4 X10D

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le noun
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Re: Gear Suggestions

Post by le noun » Tue May 14, 2013 7:55 pm

Oh, and Kirk, while you're at it for deleting accounts, there is this guy "rob".
He's been trolling on this forum for years. :mrgreen:
Kites: 2020 F-One Bandit: 10m.
Board: 2018 F-One Slice 5'1 Surf/Foil convertible
Harness: Manera Union.
Wetsuit: Manera 5/4 X10D

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Re: Gear Suggestions

Post by kandrey89 » Tue May 14, 2013 8:53 pm

le noun wrote:Soooo, like other people said before, this is a really friendly forum.
The problem was your first post, it came out like this:
" hey, I'm new to kiting, I don't know anything, I have friends who have hours to spend to teach me on the beach and on the water BUT they don't have 30 min to spend with me on the phone to talk about gear.
So I just want to know what I can buy to put myself and others in danger. I want a kite that is both suitable for alameda to learn in light wind and then good for third avenue. And don't you dare give me advice about safety, I know what I'm doing".

So yeah... Most folks who have been riding for a few years and seen people being yarded across the beach, fingers cut, guy drowning 3 years ago at OB...
So I apologize if we are being dicks about it, but yes, when somebody new to the sport comes here and tells us to basically fuck off if we recommend lessons, we get defensive.

Now, it seems like you mellowed out a little after the first intro/deleting of the account.
Please, I beg you to reconsider taking lessons.
It IS REALLY IMPORTANT for your safety, the safety of others, and essential to keep our access to beaches by limiting the amount of accidents.
We are not trying to be mean by telling you to take lessons, we are actually concerned about your well being. WHERE ELSE do you find people who don't know you and already care enough to be concerned about your health?
This reminds me of a video that came out a couple month ago on YouTube:
The guy's kite went into a crazy loop, yanking him across rocks. In the description, he was asking how he could have prevented this to happen and at the same time proudly advertise he'd be learning on his own. The guy couldn't understand why people were getting pissed off in the comments.
It's unfortunately because people decide to train themself and don't know how to properly react when shit happens that big accident happens, resulting in beach access being closed to us.
So yes, we get defensive, but it's for your own good and for the good of the community.
It's a beautiful community looking out for each others.
Welcome.
Ughmm, you heard what you wanted to hear.
I never said anything about 3rd avenue or going off half cocked ](*,) .
I said I have some friends in the sports who helped me out but I wanted to get a bigger perspective, or at least that's what I wanted to say.
I also wanted to say that I read the forums and I know what people are saying, I also read what happens and the community's reaction to it, so I wanted to skip that part and ask for you guys to just answer about the gear, as the topic suggests.

I wanted to get into the sport 3 years ago but instead opted for a cheaper version, body boarding ";
Aside from reading kitesurfing specific material 3 years ago, I also read power kiting on land stuff, which shares a bit of overlap in the community issues, perception, safety, etc.

I realize that watching a ton of youtube videos on safety, accidents, tutorials, guides, etc, doesn't make you an expert so I plan on going slow and have friends ween me in. If I had the money I'd pay for the damned instruction, alas time and again it's been recommended as an alternative that people help out on the beaches and you can learn quite a bit from them, yes there are issues with that approach too, but that's why I have a head on my shoulders.
Btw, I'm a scientist and an experimentalist (physics), so I'm not a yahoo and can think for myself and be aware of safety.

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Post by Rob » Tue May 14, 2013 8:56 pm

Trolling..........

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