Can anybody point me in the right direction on the best gear for me to start on. I'm considering switchblade 12m with waist harness, not sure which board. i weigh 83kg. I have flown a training kite for awhile and have had a lesson. i'm keen to get started but am more confused as i research more.

There seems to be a lot of hype around Slingshot, the amount of people that have switched to Slingies over the past season is unreal. I have flown quiet a few different brands and my Slingshot is by far the best kite I have used.
My suggestion to you is to buy a second hand one no older then 2004 a 13m would probably be the best. Seat harnesses also seem to be easier to learn with you might want to go waist when you start learning inverts etc.

One thing to remember DO NOT BUY A FLYING SLEEPING BAG!!

hi burners,

i started a few months ago on a crossbow12 and a large 158prodigy cabrinha board. it was just before the switchblade was available.
i was having my first proper runs on the water flying the big kite for only 3hours or so [had a little learner one too for kite flying practice] .
the large board was a big help as you need less power from the kite to get up and going. it allows for more flying mistakes.

the adjustability of the power in the crossbow was very natural for me with my windsurfing background and gave me lots of confidence as a beginner.
if you get into a tricky situation just let go and it all stops.

so far [3x knock on wood] i have not been lifted once, not teabagged a single time, i have not been dragged through the water more than a couple of metres if i didn't want to.
i launch and land the kite most times myself without needing any help.

there are more and more of these new bow and SLE kites coming out, so there should be plenty of choice now.

cheers and good luck
boogie

You could test drive now and as you get more experienced you can go out and test drive with better judgement about what you like, but today it is very unlikely that you will make a bad buy if you buy any new kite compared to a few years ago. 12m is a good size for a single kite quiver.

Making it easy for the average punter - kitesurf marketing!

Some classics- '200% depower', 'for the aspiring pro', 'experienced pilots only' 'custom made boards' (that are a fixed design) and the absolute outright winners '100% Safe' & 'Total safety' (Life back guarantee?)


NJOI