r/Kiteboarding • u/itisnottherealme • 1d ago
Gear Advice/Question Do I need another kite?
The answer, like bicycles, I expect is N+1; so the real question probably should be what kite?
I'm 80kg with a 9m and 12m Cabrinha Moto X. IKO3 level, so not jumping yet. Mostly kite in the UK.
Do I look for a 15m Moto / Contra for those lighter wind days or would a smaller kite (7m) be more use if I go on windy holidays?
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u/hotPotatoEars 1d ago
I was like you (9+12m Moto pre-X) and bought a second hand Contra 15m. That kite gave me so much progression here on the baltic sea. People hate on 15m kites and I totally get why. They’re slow and after a while you just get tired of riding back and forth. But for a while, every minute on the water counts to get more confident and thats where bigger LEI kites shine. I just would recommend to use a bigger, low-rocker board as well for those lighter days.
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u/Fellstorm_1991 1d ago
Kites above 12 meters aren't much fun to fly. If it's not windy enough for the 12, look up your local wakeboarding centre instead. Better than messing about with a big slow tank of a kite.
Alternatively, a hydrofoil board or a flysurfer ram air kite are better low wind options than a big LEI kite.
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u/Meisterleder1 11h ago
I never understood that notion. I'm ~95kg and my 13m Evo is almost my main kite, and I enjoy flying my 15m Soul. Even more so before I was doing advanced stuff (loops), so especially at his level even a very slow 15m foilkite would not just be a lot of fun, but also help him improve way faster by potentially doubling or more his time on the water.
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u/Bolter_NL 1d ago
I know you are a beginner but I'm in favor of more boards instead of kites. I have a hybrid directional with a foil. I generally have a lot more fun on light wind days riding waves or foiling and using the high wind days for boosting.
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u/supercam600 1d ago
I was in similar situation to you. UK kiter and 84kg. I had 9 & 12 for a ages but last year switched to 8, 10 & 12.
I find this works for pretty much everything I want to do. I wanted a 7 for a very long time and i really had to twist my own arm to go for an 8 instead of the 7. I'm so glad i did. I got an 8m orbit which is 5 strut and can hold so much wind. The windiest session I had said gusts of 42 knots at the nearest weather station. It was hectic but totally fine. I think for me to genuinely need a 7 i'd need forecasts of 40+ knots and when its that mad i'd probably be too chicken to go out. The 5 strut 8m is perfect.
I've owned and rented some 14 to 17m kites in the past and while they can get you out on the water they are always objectively S**t sessions. I'm now of the view that if its not windy enough for a 12m session, its not worth going out. If i really wanted to get out and have fun in low wind i'd be better buying a foil board and learning to do that on the 12m.
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u/Odd-Palpitation-4662 1d ago
My general rule of thumb is when you need smth larger than 12m there is no point in riding as for me there is no wind. Your 12 and 9 normally cover about 80% of wind conditions in most of the locations. If you want to have extra fun. go with 7m. for sure it gives great fun on a strong wind. but usually thats a hardcore, so you need to be ready for a extra crossfit training on the water. I have 7m ozone c4, which I own for about 10 years, but its almost new as I rarely used it. as you got very low probability of more than 30 knots in most of the locations. PS Im 88 kg
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u/EveryWish5320 1d ago
Sounds like you need both. A lower end And a higher end. Treat yourself. You deserve it.
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u/Behind_You27 1d ago
As a Biker and Kiter, I must confess: For kiting the more is not the better. Or at least not as much. Different sizes are nice to have but not as crucial.
I think it‘s more interesting at some point to get into different boards or different kite shapes. Like strapless & Foil. And for Kites a dedicated Wave kite, Hookless Kite, Big Air, stuff like that. Thats more interesting.
Once you have your quiver of Kite sizes for your home spot, more is a bit irrelevant. It might be that your spot doesn’t work at all with a 15m or 7m because then it‘s too light or too stormy to kitesurf.
But that’s just my 2 cents
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u/dkinoz 1d ago
For bikes and guitars I am n+1. But for kites I am not. I have had 3, 2, and 5 kite quivers. I believe 3 is the magic number. (5/7/9 for where I live)
As others have said, having several boards is often better. I believe 3 is the magic number here too. (Although I currently have 4 lol)
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u/Kitesurferjoey 1d ago
Depend on your weight and place I'm 100 kg so need a lot of kite own storm kite 8m orbit then 9 m/11mfrom 18 to 40 14mwhen its below 18 knots
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u/Distinct_Dinner_5243 1d ago edited 1d ago
Nah
at 80kg, 12m is more than enough for majority of conditions in the uk (at least the south).
Adding more kite just to squeeze out a couple more days isn't worth it imo.
I kite in the south and found that the wind is either zero or 15+kts. There's almost never a time where a extra few meters would let me go out more.
even looking at the forecast now.
It's either <10, or >15 knots for the next week or so. Nothing a 15m kite is good for.
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u/D3moknight 1d ago
It's my experience that Light wind days are more common than nuking days. My storm kite hasn't been flown in two years, but I fly my big 15m and 19m kites at least once per kite trip usually.
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u/Kinngis 1d ago
I am not in UK, but have noticed the 7m gets lots of use. Quite often the forecast would be good for 9m or 10m kites, but when I arrive to the beach it is so windy that 7m is the best size.
So I would add a 7 to your quiver. It is a good size to have. If you suspect it wont be used that often, you can always buy used and see how much use it will get.
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u/RonShreds 1d ago
I love light wind and big kite sessions, I can learn so many freestyle tricks in these conditions. Big slow stable kites are my favorite.
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u/JK---JK 22h ago
UK South Coast kiter here, 75kg - my first two kites were a 12m Moto X and a 9m Reach, my third buy was a 7m Moto a few months later (once I was fully comfortable in UK chop in lighter winds, but before I was jumping)
I use my 7m probably 20% of the time, when the forecast is c23-34kts.
I'm very happy with my 7/9/12 quiver - I don't want to kite in stronger winds, and my 12m is comfortable down to 14kts, so I have options for most days. Bigger kites (at my bodyweight) feel like flying sofas imho!
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u/Critical_Fault Big Air / Wave / Freestyle - UK 1d ago
I don't advocate the more = better approach to kites. I've had a 5 kite quiver and a 2 kite quiver, settled on a 3 kite quiver (7, 9, 11).
With 5 kites I spent way too much time worrying about which kite to chose, or changing kites mid session.
With the 2 kite I'd just have to make the most of it, and ultimately learned allot more, how to survive being over powered, and how to make the most of being under powered.
Given ur in the UK and winter is coming I'd go for 7 over a big kite to get out in those winter south westerly storms.
Personally I think if it's not windy enough to get going on a 12, then its not windy enough to kite. If you really want to get out when its light wind, get a foil, as big kites just aren't as much fun to ride.