Choosing Your First Kiteboard

Today we are talking about choosing your first kiteboard. I'm going to go through what I think the best flow is, then I'm going to delve a little bit into the philosophy, and finally we're going to figure out which is the right direction for you.

Start with a Basic Board and Upgrade as You Progress

Generally, I think the best way to get started is to pick a very big and basic board. You don't need a lot of bells and whistles while you're figuring out how to water start, ride, do your first upwind tack, and transitions. With that in mind, what you really need is surface area and a fairly flat, accommodating shape with maybe a little bit of rocker to help with chop and make the board a bit more forgiving. But we're looking at a very basic board.

However, a lot of brands don't make a board exactly like that; they add a couple features to make it appeal to a more general freeride crowd as well because they don't want to sell such a basic board. However, the Liquid Force PKG is a really great board that is specifically designed for the beginner at an entry level price. While this isn't a PSA for the PKG, know that you don't necessarily need to go out and spend a lot of money on that first board.

Sometimes your eyes are a little bit bigger than your stomach and your desires are bigger than your skills: you're looking at the Jaime, the Crazy Fly, the Slingshot Carbons... there are a lot of really great boards, and when you read the description, you feel like they're describing Future You, and that's the board that you want. That's probably not going to be the best board for learning with though, so I generally recommend starting with something a bit oversized, pared down, and simple so you can just focus on learning how to ride. Don't worry about the bottom contour and shape and how it's going to pop off the water. Those are skills that you're going to progress into, but a more basic board is a great way to keep the budget a little bit smaller and more accessible. You can even start by looking at the used market, or just see what's left over from the previous season and pick something big.

Another common mistake that can be made, in addition to overspending right off the bat, is getting something a bit too small. Bigger is generally better when you're learning kiting or winging. Get something that's going to make the sport as easy as possible so you can succeed in it. You will probably circle back around and buy something different later on, but either way, you've picked up a new hobby and you're excited about your progress.

That works exceedingly well, I think, with the consumerism that we generally participate in. This is where we're going to delve a little bit into the philosophy. We're a shop, we sell products, and it generally makes sense to sell them in product flows to make things very accessible and easy to learn with. You start with an entry-level product, then a bit more intermediate, and then we can move you towards a more discipline-specific advanced product.

Grow into Your Board

In the interest of not being wasteful, though, there is an argument to be made for getting a board that's a little bit outside of your skill level that you won't be trading in as quickly. Then it becomes a little bit more difficult to make that first board decision. You've really got to think about what you want from kiteboarding. Are you going to jump? Are you going to carve? Are you going to be doing tricks? Honestly, that can potentially change over time as you do start getting better and you home in on what you really like to do out on the water. I always thought I was going to be more of a wakestyle guy until I started some of those more punishing tricks. Then I became incredibly happy being a freestyle rider, and I found I like playing in the surf with twintips as well. So what I do now is quite a bit different than what I envisioned myself doing, and I did pick up some boards that were beyond my skill level that weren't really the right fit for me. I wouldn't necessarily say they held me back, but I never quite rode at my potential as I was always trying to fill pants that were a size too large for me.

While it does become a bit trickier, I do think there's a case to be made for not wanting to get something that you know you're going to outgrow because you don't want to waste that product. That's where the secondary market is really important. You can take something you've learned with and get it to somebody else who can learn with it, and you can extend that product's lifecycle. That conscientious consumerism is where you think about what your real needs and wants are and how can you minimize not only the money you're spending, but the general impact and waste as well.

Which Way Is Right for You?

There are generally two different ways to get boards, I think. If we embrace the model to go big and go simple with something that's going to go upwind and teach you how to ride and how to transition, then once you start getting into jumps and surf, you can figure out which direction you want to progress into next and look at that upgrade board. Sometimes you can cheat that a bit by upgrading from a foam to a wood core so you get a bit more performance, and it will last you a little bit longer. If you continue your love of kiteboarding, you will eventually outgrow those options, but that's where discipline-specific options are great.

If you are one of those few individuals who really wants to put more work into yourself up front, you can look at that more intermediate board right off the bat. Just make sure you're a bit more deliberate about it and think about what you want to do. Are you really going to like this sport? Should you be spending $700 on a board right off the bat? Or should you go with something for $300, dabble, and then pass it along to friends or family or resell it? There's not necessary a wrong way; they just take a little bit different thought process and consideration, but anything that gets you on the water is a win in our book. 

As always, thanks for checking us out. This has been Jake with MACkite.

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