Light Wind Kiteboarding | Should You Choose a 15m or 17m Kite?

Welcome back! This is Jake from MACkiteboarding, and today we are going to talk about whether you should go with a 15 or a 17m for your light wind kite. Don't get too hung up on the numbers; essentially think of it as whether you should go with something smaller in the 14/15m range, or something 17/18m plus, but we're going to say 15 or 17m for the sake of this discussion.

Advantages of a 17m Kite

This is a tough one, and honestly, my thoughts on it have changed over time. Early on, I was always a 17 meter guy. The bigger the kite, the more power it had. I was always okay trading off the turning speed because when you were out there with a 17, you had a little bit more low end at the very start of that threshold. What I mean by that is that wind where it's just possible to start kiting with your equipment. You always have to really think about what you want when you're going out in threshold winds because you might end up with a swim. That's where something like a 17 is going to give you a little bit more power, but understand it's going to come at the cost of weight, so you don't gain as much as you might think, despite picking up that square meterage. That's where something like a foil kite will make a bigger difference, but that's a whole other discussion. What you will get, though, is more power as the wind speed increases. Obviously, that's only good to a point; eventually you'll get overpowered, but as you start to get into that fun, rideable range above threshold, you will have more pull from your kite, so you're going to feel a little bit more confident jumping and doing tricks.

Advantages of a 15m Kite

So why, then, do I prefer 15s now? I think the reason is it's just a better all-around kite. You do lose some of that light wind performance, and you will lose some of that power in the lower winds, but in turn you get a kite that feels like you can do a bit more with it.

Maybe part of me has moved away from threshold wind chasing and realizing those are the days to pick one of my other hobbies. But even when I do threshold wind chase, I can pair the 15m with a foil or a big board and feel like I'm still able to muster enough power to have a session, and as the wind comes up, it feels far more manageable. You can cheat and overshoot a 15 a bit more than a 17m. On both, eventually you'll find a point where you just get super overpowered, but a 15m is going to work a little bit longer.

I feel like on those days where you're thinking about rigging up and it's trending up, you're probably going to be better suited with a 15 than a 17m. It feels like a 17 is very ephemeral unless you're a heavier weight rider. You've got a big kite and you're all smiles, and then all of a sudden you're 50 feet up in the air, super overpowered, so you're coming in to size down, whereas you can hold down a 15m a little bit longer.

I also do appreciate the faster turning speed. In turn, that allows you to generate a bit more apparent wind. That's going to take a little bit more experience, obviously, depending on where you're at in your kiteboarding journey, but as you become more proficient at lighter wind riding, you'll get more efficient at generating that apparent wind and kind of cheating your way through those lulls and keeping that speed going.

Summary

I don't think there's a wrong way to go; both sizes make epic kites and you're going to have a really awesome session, but when it comes to building my quiver, I find myself gravitating towards that 15m and pairing it with something like a 12m for my all-around kite, and then I'll get a 9m and a 7m. I do feel like the move from a 17 to a 12m is also very doable. I don't think that five-meter spread is too much; when you're thinking about putting up your 12m, you might have a little bit more power on the 17 than you would like, but I still think it's very comfortable. But I do think the added turning speed, the liveliness of the kite, and the ability to take it up to the higher wind speeds makes a 15m a great match for your quiver.

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

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