Building the Ultimate Kiteboarding Quiver

Author: Matt and Keegan Myers
Published: Aug/Sept 2005 issue of Kiteboarding Magazine, www.kiteboardingmag.com

Kiteboarding has grown at such a rapid pace the amount of new gear being developed and introduced into the market is endless, almost seems like every week a new “breakthrough” is released.  If you’re new to the sport how are you supposed to decide what kites, boards, and bars are going to work best for you?  Here we will try to give you some insight on selecting the ultimate quiver, regardless of the brand.

There are three distinct dimensions to every quiver: kites, boards and bars.  Adjusting each of these aspects can greatly expand your wind range and riding time.  Lets take a look into each individually.

KITES:  This is the most obvious necessity in any quiver.  At this point in the sport the ultimate quiver will require you to have three kites; a small hi-wind kite (20+knots), a medium sized moderate wind kite (15-20knots), and large light wind kite (8-15knots).  For the average sized person (175lbs) the ultimate quiver of kites would be something similar to an 8M, 12M and 17M kites.  This would cover nearly all wind ranges you come across.

BOARDS:  An easy way to expand any quiver other than buying new kites is to get another board.  You can increase the range of your kites dramatically by having at least two boards.  We suggest having a performance board (100-140cm) and a light wind board (140-170cm).  With the smaller board you will be able to hold down more kite, allowing you to ride in high winds.  The larger board will work well for you in lighter conditions with the added surface area allowing you to plan out faster.  Some manufacturers have developed short, wide boards (130cm by 45cm) that keep you planning in light wind while maintaining the advantages of a smaller deck.

BARS:  The main element in your bar that will expand the range of your kites is your line length.  We suggest having two bars always set-up and ready to go.  One will be your light wind bar and the other your hi-wind bar.  Your light wind bar should be longer, 45-60cm with 27-30M lines.  The added bar length will allow your large kite to turn faster while the longer lines will expand your wind window allowing you a larger power stroke.  Your high wind bar should be 37-45cm with 20-25M lines.  The shorter bar will make your kite less reactive and the shorter lines will shrink your wind window giving you less of a power stoke and making the kite easier to edge through the power zone and to the edge of the wind window.

By mixing and matching each of these elements together you should have what you need to cover nearly all wind ranges and conditions.  Also examine individual manufacturers special features such as relaunch options, safety releases, and inflation systems to match your personal preference.  This will allow you to optimize your time on the water for every session!

Here are also some suggestions we have on building your quiver for specific riding styles:

Rider Style: Wake
Wake style riding requires power; you need kites that will give low-end grunt even in moderate winds. Typically you always want to be on your wake style board, sometimes this means using a huge kite.

Rider Style: Surf
No reason to take a monster into the waves, 8-14M kites should be fine for you in nearly all winds.  Your larger board will keep you planning in the lulls and the smaller fast kite will allow you to generate power.  A smaller directional 145-155 and a 5-6ft surfboard will keep you out in almost all winds.

Rider Style: Big Air
Going huge means you need to be lit up on high aspect, smaller 8-12M kites. Have a small light board and mutant style board with large fins to keep the board speed up and the edging ability hard!