How to choose your first kiteboard.
Types of kiteboards for kitesurfing.
In this article, I will tell you how to choose a kiteboard.
You have just completed a course at a kite school and are thinking about your own equipment.
What should you choose? First, let's look at what types of kiteboards there are and in what conditions different types of kiteboards are used.
Twintips are the boards you learned on at kite school, the most popular type of kitesurfing boards, designed for movement in both directions.
The difference between these boards in design directly depends on your weight, riding style and, of course, the conditions in which you most often ride (flat, chop, wave).
Large and wide boards are best suited for students, in this case, the area of the board and the wide stance will allow you to keep your balance more confidently.
It is also easier and faster for a beginner to perform a water start on a large board.
At the same time, due to the large area, such boards are clumsy and are not at all suitable for quick turns and jumps.
When choosing a twin tip, pay attention to the keels, as a rule, the keel height should be 5-6 cm.
However, if you ride on a choppy spot (like Cabarete), the board should be soft, this will remove excess stress from the knees and the legs will get tired less.
On a flat spot, use keels 2.5-3.5 cm high and a stiffer board, this will give more control over the movements.
I provide my recommendations for choosing the size of your first kiteboard in the table.
The sizes are approximate here, since each manufacturer has their own.
But this will be enough for you to guide you.
Everyone progresses at their own pace, but sooner or later you will feel that you have outgrown your first twin tip.
You will miss the maneuverability and speed of your big board.
Then it is time to buy a new kiteboard, but do not rush to throw away the good old big board, it will serve you more than once in light wind spots.
As soon as you feel confident on the water and start making your first turns, to achieve further progress you need to change the board to a smaller size and a more advanced design.
And here the first place when choosing a kiteboard comes to the conditions in which you mainly plan to ride.
Will it be a lake near your home, or ocean waves during your vacation.
Analyze where you can most often ride a kite.
If it is an ideal flat, then buy a hard and small board with 2-3 cm keels.
If it is a chop, then the board should be larger and softer, with keels up to 5 cm.
The size of the board is selected, as you already understood, proportionally to the weight.
The shape of the kiteboard plays an important role. The narrower the ends of the board, the more maneuverable it is.
The wider the ends of the board, the better the push when jumping.
If we are aiming for jumps, then the rocker of the board (longitudinal bend) should not be large, since less friction force of the kiteboard on the water will allow you to accelerate faster.
And if you often ride in chop, then a slightly increased rocker makes riding more comfortable.
Wave surfers choose directional (unidirectional boards) or surfboards (surfboards without bindings).
It all depends on your riding style.
As a rule, the board is chosen more carefully and more individually.
Test different models before you make your choice.
The principle of choosing the board size is the same as for a twin tip: beginners start with larger sizes and, as they progress, decrease the size.
The size of your first directional should not exceed your height, that is, approximately from the chin to the eyes.
As you already understood from this article, an advanced rider ideally needs to have several boards: for flat, for chop and for light wind, plus a surfboard for lovers of wave spots.
When going on a trip to a new spot, be sure to find information on the riding conditions in order to take the right board with you.
Friends, we are always happy to help you in choosing equipment.
Remember that properly selected equipment is your comfort.