Choosing Kiteboarding Gear can be a tricky thing if you’ve never done it before or if no one has ever told you what to be looking for. There are a few things you should think about before your first/next kite gear purchase. Considering thinks like ability level, riding style, riding conditions, wind conditions, and body weight/size can be very beneficial when selecting your kiteboarding gear.
Ability level should certainly be considered first since there are certain kites designed for different levels of riding. For instance in our line of kites that we carry, we offer the EH Beast which is better for a beginner and the EH Rippehr that we only recommend for advanced riders who feel very comfortable on the water already. However there are kites that are simple enough for beginners to use but at the same time may have a characteristic that an advanced rider is looking for in a kite.
Riding style is something you should also be thinking about. Are you on the water to relax and free ride or on it to take out some built up aggression on a wave face? There all all types of riding stlyes and that is why there are different kite designs to choose from. Someone who is looking for big boosts with great hang time will probably choose a different kite than someone looking to attack the waves with a surfboard. The EH EZE and the EH Rippehr are both great kites for intermediate/advanced but offer different benefits for different riding styles. For example, the EZE may be better for a rider looking for long, “floaty” airs where as the Rippehr may be better for a rider looking for an aggressive, fast kite with huge airs.
Riding Conditions should also be considered when selecting gear. Are you riding in choppy water, flat water, waves or a mixture of all these conditions? This may affect your decision about board type or board size. If your constantly riding in choppy water than you don’t want to go too small when selecting your kiteboard size. If your in constant flat water everyday than give me your location so I can come ride! You can’t really make a wrong choice in the type of board that you select. You’ll probably base your decision on your riding ability or style. If you ride at a location where you are dealing with all of these conditions than I would suggest you look for a board that has a “hard” edge, slightly larger fins, a wider nose and tail and a small amount of rocker. From my personal experience of riding in all of these conditions I found that the EH boards perform extremely well in all of these conditions. I’ve had other boards in the past that only ride well in one condition which can get annoying when you have to bring several boards to the beach every time you kite.
Wind conditions are another thing to be aware of when trying to find the gear that works for you. Do you have light winds, strong winds, steady winds or gusty winds? If you get a lot of light winds you’ll want to look for a slightly larger kite or one that is specifically designed for light wind riding. For stronger, heavier winds it would be better to look for a kite that has a “higher aspect ratio”. This means that the width of the kite between the leading edge and the trailing edge of the kite is considerably less than a kite with a “low aspect ratio.” Higher aspect kites can handle strong gusts better than a kite with a “fat” canopy can. It is good to know that some kites fly differently in certain types of winds. Some people may like certain characteristics that others may not so don’t think that just because the wind is strong that you have to ride a high aspect kite. Some people may like riding a lower aspect kite but you won’t know unless you are an experience rider.
There is always something to think about before you find the gear that is right for you. Make sure you consider some of the things that I’ve discussed before purchasing gear if you want to spend more time on the water and less time on the beach. If you have any questions you can contact us and we’d be happy to help you out!
