This helps with edging the board into wind when riding normally, with your toes forward. Some boards are slightly asymmetrical with a straighter back edge (heelside) and more curved front edge (toeside). The curved edges help prevent the board from catching in small chop and allow you to ride through it better. But don’t be put off buying a board that has some curve in the edges, particularly if you’ll be riding in choppy waters. This helps with early planing and keeping the board going in a straight line. The best kiteboard for a beginner in terms of profile will have fairly straight edges. The shape of the ends of the board need not bother you too much at this stage, but may be straight or have indents or “V”s cut in to aid their flow through the water. This is the shape of the board when looked at from above when it’s flat on the ground.īoard profiles vary from virtually rectangular to almost oval in shape with curved edges. If you got up and running on this pretty easily after a few lessons, then you can probably buy one that’s 2-4cm shorter. The smaller end of the scale will make it slightly more difficult to get going in the very early stages but will mean the board is usable for a lot longer as you progress.Īnd if you were fairly confidently getting up and running during your lessons, the first board you buy could even be the one you continue using for years.īe guided by the size of the board you used when you were having lessons. So the 50kg person might opt for a board say 128-134 cms long and the 90kg person for one 134-140cms. It could then be kept as a light wind board once you progress to a smaller board for stronger winds. I would tend to steer you toward a board which is slightly large but small enough to be suited to your progression stages. They need less board surface area to get planing than a person weighing 90kg, who would find this board to be suited to most wind conditions. To give an example, a person weighing say 50kg could consider a board 135cms long to be a large board. However, a large board is more difficult to control in stronger winds and won’t turn as easily. (This is when the board starts moving at enough speed so that only a small part of the board is in contact with the water – imagine a power boat chugging along slowly, low in the water, compared with rising up on it’s rear end at speed). But it will also depend on whether you are willing to replace the board soon after you’ve mastered getting up on the board and riding in both directions.Ī very large board makes it easier to get up in light winds and will plane very easily. The size you choose will depend on your size and weight, the wind and water conditions you are likely to be out in most. The width usually goes automatically with whatever length of board you choose, although some board manufacturers offer a choice of widths with some boards.Īs a beginner you’ll want a board toward the larger end of the scale, but the largest boards will really only be suitable during your early learning stage and will not be of much use after that. Generally you would choose a board based on length. And widths vary from about 30cms to about 50 cms. Twin-tips come in lengths anything from about 120cms to 160cms. There are then a number of different design features, which change the riding characteristics of the board. I must admit, I’ve never quite understood why, apart from for appearance. Your feet stay in the foot straps whichever way you’re riding and it can be ridden to your left or right without having to move your feet.įixed boots can be used instead of foot straps, but this isn’t recommended for beginners as it makes getting to the water difficult and it’s a lot more difficult to get your feet out when you need to.Īll twin tips should have these features although some riders will remove the grab handle. There’ll be two small fins at each end, a pair of foot-straps and foot pads, and a grab handle in the middle. So this is a generally rectangular board, usually (although not necessarily) symmetrical. In another article I list and review a number of boards that are ideal for beginners.Īlmost without exception, the board you’ll learn on will be a twin-tip. Let’s take a look at some of the features of board design and what makes up the best kiteboard for beginners.
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