OK I am getting pissed off with this wind never being any good for my kite, so am thinking about getting another one. But I don't know what size to get. I have a Wipika 8.5 and the wind around here is normaly about 12knots or 20knots+ and nothing in between. So should I go for a bigger kite for the lower wind days or a smaller kite for windy days? I am still learning and it is going to take for ever with this dam wind .

Hey there.
You know your not alone in the frustration stakes. I'm learning too and my progress has been a short session about every 4 weeks, not much to ensure progress, however I learn something everytime I'm out. And now that the wind is up enough for my 12 meter CO2 Cabrinha to actually rip across the water my learning curve is exponetial (I've had two sessions this week).
I am 65 kilos, built like a corn flake and the kite is good from about 12 knots +. I have had it up to 25knots with no problems. And this is my only kite at this stage. In hindsight perhaps a 16 metre would have been good for the previous summer. As for a smaller kite everyones telling me to get a small kite for the hurricane like wind over winter and then I'd probably get a bomb proof 8 meter, but I don't know? I'll have to see what my financial manager says :roll:
Hang in there the wind will come...

Hang in there the wind will come???? The wind is allready here!!... But you'd better get in fast because I've nearly shaken the flu and we all know what happens then :twisted: :twisted:

Hey Scott have you been getting out much lately? Did you get out today? Nice and windy, pity I'm sick because Shakes would have cranked today (was there anyone up there to back up my assumptions?).

Hey Wayne what model is your Wipi??

I'm assuming that you're underpowered in the 12 knot stuff and overpowered in the 20+ stuff. If you have most days where it's 12 knots and the odd day where it's over 20 then get a bigger kite.... otherwise get the smaller one, reason being is that if you are in the learning stage at least you can practice kiteflying stuff when it's light, or get a bigger board to extend the low end of your kite... Then when it picks up you're still covered. Whereas if you opt for a bigger kite you won't be able to do anything if it blows hard.

Or you could take the foolproof option and get a smaller kite and a bigger kite if you don't wanna get any more boards. In Auckland the Winter winds tend to be all or nothing (mostly the former) so if it's like that where you live I can see why your frustrated. Winter isn't the best time to learn to kitesurf, the beaches aren't crowded and there is plenty of wind but it's pretty stormy and ugly at times and not that majic 15 knots which we all love when starting out.

Just get out when you can even when it's crap and you'll eventually get the skill to be able to handle the yucky conditions better. Remember in ugly stuff it's better and safer to have a bigger board than a bigger kite, this lessens the chance of you being lofted. After learning in the ugly stuff you'll be in for a pleasent surprise when you get a mint day.

:shake:

Oh by the way when I mean crap conditions I'm meaning when you're underpowered, I do not recommend going out when you are overpowered when learning.. then again we are all learning in some way shape or form but if you are just starting out then you don't wanna be overpowered but ideally you should be going out in every one of those 12 knot days... oh yes can i come along as well?? :twisted: :twisted: I've got a 20m AERO which just happens to like 12 knot winds.. :twisted: :twisted: It tends to gather dust over the winter....

Hey Scotty, its Tim, bugger you haven't been able to get out, but I've been reading Marks log, and it doesn't sound like you've been missing much!! I wouldn't worry about missing the days which are too windy for your 12 !! If you have to, buy a cheap small four line, don't buy anything too expensive, you won't use it often enough to make it worthwhile! But it sometimes is handy to have a smaller kite. A 9.5m sq (9.0) would be the next step down, and thats as small as I would go..
Here in Scotland, its been blowing 30-35 yesterday, and its the same today, but hopefully it'll settle to 20 kts for the weekend. We had no wind for the last 2 weeks, and now its blowing hard! We are close to the beaches which get the onshore prevailing wind, which is normally the most consistent. I bought a 14 x2 as my only kite, picked one up cheap new, and got a Cabrinha powerlock bar to go with it. I just like the X2s!!
We had 10 knots on Sunday, and I went out with my mates 16m flysurfer mastair, and was hideously overpowered with my wavetray, that thing just hauls and doesn't stop! I was often pulled off downwind, doing death runs! It turns dead slow too, everything happens in slow motion!

Oh yes we meet again aklbob... shit you don't update your site very often do ya? I'll have to make it quick as it's 1am here in AK and i need to get up by 7am.... i need to get a session in before the Easterly goes nuts.

Hey Scotty I hope you ware able to get some sessions in at Conifer Grove over the weekend. It was windy over here at Pine Harbour... I was using my 8m AERO II and it isn't too small. I'm glad I didn't get a 9 or a 10 as with a bigger board I'm hooning along nicely in 25-30 knots. I haven't got the time to keep heading over to the Manukau Harbour to get the smooth wind everytime it blows hard from the WSW. Those strong WSW winds are a bit too much for pine harbour to handle and hance it get's too strong on occasions, sometimes I'd be happy with something even smaller! 30 knots wind aren't the best. I prefer 20-25 knots. Then again it's only because of Pine Harbour. Pine Harbour may be peaking at over 30 while at the same time Shakespear Bay is a mint as 25. If it's too windy at your local spot try heading out west. I was shocked at how much LESS wind there is there. Pine Harbour was strong, Pt Chev was strong, Bramley was insane but good ol North Piha was 10-15 knots!! The wind fills in earlier out west, is far less gusty and is way more manageable than the cluttered inner city beaches.

Hey Scott hows your injury? I'm headin out in about 6 hours time to Eastern Beach to get me some of this rising Easterly... shite we've had so much East wind this winter... handy it keeps my fuel billlow... hehe.

Ah well good to have you aboard Tim. Hey don't you live in Aberdeen anymore? Where is Dundee? No more 12 and 18... did you sell them to Hamish... Hey hows your injury... better watch that Mastair... what happens when Grant get's his mitts on a 21m TITAN??

Hey Guys.
Yeah you haven;'t seen me of late due to the rib injury, separated cartilage from between the ribs (slipped rib syndrome), so I haven't been out in four weeks. I have however been down for a weeks sking in queenstown. Yahoo. :twisted: Managed to get 5 days - without any pain. There wasn't too much snow, however did manage to find a black or too open on each field. Lucky I had hire skis as it was rock city!! Saw heaps of big injuries down there, even heard/saw a guy break a leg, owch!!
A few repaires to the kite at the mo, the leading edge spar was coming away from the fabric at the tip, WSP fixed that and I have upgraded to a powerlock bar. My weakling arms were getting too tired!!
Looking to get out again soon, cheers Scotty

Ah Scotty, I had one of those I think, I had a bit of rib sticking out in my chest from a kiting accident, was told that the cartilage holds it there, and my rib didn't go back in, I couldn't really move my arm much, but it didn't stop me from going out kiting that week, I could hold a bar ok, I just couldn't swim ! It took over a month to heal, and about 6 months after the rib popped back into place during an arm wrenching kite jump...
:wink: 8)

Oh yes you mean the accident where you got on the wrong end of a squall and tried to pick a fight with a cliff... hehe.

Hey Scotty have you been out at all as of late? Keen on a sesh tomorrow morning (Sep 2nd)? Meant to be northerlies and rain... :twisted:

Wahoo Spring has arrived in all it's glory.... windsurfing anyone?? hehe

Hey there.
Am pretty much healed up now so am good to go. Had a look at Conifer Grove yesterday and piked out, 25-30knots with my 12 didn't sound like heaps of fun! Especially when my name isn't "ben franklin"
High tide is around 3pm today so will be looking to be down there from noon to check it out. Less wind today however there are still a few squalls around.

Hey Scott I went out to Pine Harbour and got a few of those annoying pesky little invisable squalls (you know they are there because they do horrible things to the wind). Anyway it switched from SW to NW when I had packed away for work.. it was now nearly no wind until the WNW came ... pumpin 15-20 knots, darn mint but I couldn't play in it but just reinforces that fact that Pine Harbours much much better later on in the day.... is CG like that or being further west does it fill in quicker? Hey you texted me just as i was leaving PH. If I wasn't working then I'd have come over to Conifer Grove. Joel texted me too but I never saw him so he may have gone to Ihumateo Rd... he loves it there.

Well, CG waaaas looking good when I got there and there were white caps so it was a message for me to get out there. Once I was out, it dropped out and I got stuck round off the point, ended up doing a jump for the first time (I even landed it :wink: ) and then not long after crashed my kite. It turned into a soggy mess in deep water and I spent 15 minutes treading water till I managed to get it up again then made it to shore further round the corner. Bummer, I even had to walk the streets back. Then the wind completely dropped out. I went home and hung my kite up to dry. So ended a dissatisfying afternoon at CG!
Yes I should have gone to PH.

Is that you Scott?

Hey today out east there isn't those showers like yesterday but it's too windy for any of my kites at Pine Harbour. Hope you guys were able to get out. Anyone go to Muriwai or West coast today?