Buying your First Kiteboard
Hopefully you will have already read our blog post on what to think about when looking to buy your first kite. In this post we will take a look at buying your first kiteboard for kitesurfing.
Here at The Watersports Centre we have a sister business, Hampshire Kitesurfing Centre running lessons 363 days a year with lessons from Day 1 Introduction Courses to 3 Day Courses right on to Boardwork Lessons and Advanced Riding Techniques. So, the point being, we are often asked for advice on what kites and boards are suitable for clients once their lessons are complete and they are itching to get on the water solo.
Things to think about When Buying A Kiteboard
If f you just hit google and type in kiteboards then you will be hit with a massive selection of products which you’d know nothing about!
Whilst the instructors at Hampshire Kitesurfing Centre will have spoken about the board that has been used on lessons once you reach waterstarts and are getting in your first rides, a lot of clients have so much information coming their way that most won’t remember what the board was. During the learning curve to becoming a kitesurfer, how long the kiteboard was or how much rocker or shape it had on lessons as it really didn’t matter at the time.
What you will have done on lessons is be put on the right style and size of board for the level that you were at for that lesson AND, here’s the surprise, that will have changed as you progressed!
Beginner Kiteboards
Beginner boards? Is there really such a thing? We really don’t think so. Boards can be made with cheaper materials but this doesn’t really make them a “beginner board”. It makes them well priced for the first time kiteboarder. Think of your first board as being an entry level board.
The type of board you will have been using on your lessons will have been what we refer to as “oversize” to give it a larger surface area and will have a flatter rocker line (the shape of the board from tip to tip) designed to get the board up and planing early. It is all about the boards displacement. This is really important in the early stages of your progression as you need all the assistance you can get to give you time to get up and stay up on the board as you are then getting to the stage where you are having to work on balance, board direction and later on in your progression edge control whilst still having to put the kite in the right place to generate the power you need to get up and stay up!
Also with these well priced boards they tend to come made from a wood core and wood offers a great flex and rebound pattern. This means the board will soak up the choppy conditions like a cars suspension and give you a smooth ride. Upwind performance is also really important when you start to get onto extended riding. So soft flex, and a flatter rocker line will help with this.
Some of the feedback we often hear from clients about entry levels boards is that riders like to keep them and find it hard to move on to a stiffer board as they do not like the feel.
You have to ask yourself, What Level am I at?
Do not try to buy now for later on in your kiteboarding progression! We say this because if you buy for where you think you will be you will make your progression harder and you will not progress as fast as you could on the correct board for you.
Weight to board size?
Size does matter!
It is really important to not go too small with your first board. Why? Because you will need more kite power to get you up and riding and riding. You will bog down and sink, you will nose dive and crash a lot more and your ability to get upwind will suffer. Whilst riding upwind is one of the Holy Grails in kitesurfing, the key thing to riding upwind is to maintain speed across the water and not try to get upwind. Sounds like smoke and mirrors but it’s true! It makes sense to seek advice and not to buy a board because of a deal you may find.
Having already said above that the level that you are at is your starting point when considering what board you buy for your first board, the second really important factor is your weight. The heavier you are the bigger board you will ride. BUT your progression will have phases. When you start out going out solo and for around 3-6 months depending upon how often of course that you can get out, you need a bigger board.
Here we need to say that for someone coming to us who has already been getting out on the water solo for over 6 months or say around 10-15 sessions who is then looking to get a board we would generally suggest the following:
For a rider weighing around 70kgs we would suggest between a 134 cm to 138/140 cm board.
For a rider of around 90kgs we would suggest between a 138 cm to a 144 cm board.
There is often some confusion over the length and width, and we have to make it clear that the Width is also an important part of getting a board planing.
BUT in that first 6 month period, for a rider weighing around 70kgs we would suggest a board of around 138/140 cm and for a rider of around 90kgs a board of around 144/148 cm.
Don’t be scared to go larger on the board
What this will do is mean that you do not need as much power from the kite to start with. Firstly it’s safer as the board will plane earlier and secondly it will re-inforce a good kite technique. When you are ready to progress to the next level of board then board you have can be kept as your light wind board.
Let us explain that. A 90kg rider riding a 9m kite on a say, 140 cm board will have the power in the kite of a 9m kite. The same 90kg rider riding a 9m kite on a say, 145/148 cm board will have the power in the kite of a 10m kite. That is why on lessons, you may have been on a kite that is slightly underpowered for the conditions BUT with a bigger/oversize board which effectively gives you a combination that is like riding a kite that is one size bigger.
For new boards, expect to pay anything from £500 to £750 for a board complete with fins, grab handle and pads/straps and you may be able to pick up a used board for around £300 to £450 depending upon its age and condition.
Examples of the right style of board include the Ozone Base V1 with the V2 just about to be released, the Shinn Pinbot, the Airush Switch V11 and the Cabrinha Spectrum.
Buying Your First Kiteboard Conclusion
So that covers our advice on the thought processes in selecting your first board and then later on, when you are riding upwind with ease and maybe have nailed those transitions, you then start to think about what comes next? For that please look out for our next blog post as that is where kiteboards get really interesting and the next board you think about takes you into 80% of the kiteboard market place. All of the brands are producing a wide range of boards in this next category. Mostly the same shape but with changes in the construction methods to increase stiffness or weight. Expect to pay anything from £500 – £1,000 for a board complete with fins, grab handle and pads/straps in this category.
