What kite would you get as beginner for lakes?

Beginner Question

Yes, I took lessons - in fact 2 weeks at different places and can go upwing and small jumps. Back at home I look for some equipment to continue the sport in lakes in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

I already received a 8m and 10m Dice including bars. I would need a larger kite that I can optimally use for lower winds but I could as well ride on the sea (I often used 13 in Egypt).

Would you get a 13,14 or 15m? What model: Dice, Rebel or Evo? I found all of them used in the 2017-2020 year range and need some advice.

Thank you

Summary: Recommendations is to go for 13 or 14 3 struts kite. Best to stay with my brand if I want to reuse bars. Thanks I’ll start my search.

in Kiteboardingby bikesailfreak

67%

18d

isisurffaa

18d

Depends about your weight,skill,windspeed, board size & personal preference.

12 or 13 would be good fit in quiver If you stick with duotone, take the evo instead of dice.

mati2110

18d

I am not a fan of duotone gear, but i would go with an Evo 14 in your situation. As others have said, a Dice will make your journey harder, and the Rebel doesn't shine on light winds.

And above all, good luck.. I lived for a few years in the ostschweiz and tried a lot of spots around. Other than Silvaplana where the water is freezing even in summer, i couldn't find any decent spot. Rohrspitz, close to Breguenz is pretty decent but the thermal wind there (the bise) is quite difficult to predict. I've driven there a few times with a great forecast and nothing happened, and then in random days with no forecast, the conditions were great.

https://www.unhooked.ch/ has a lot of info about the spots in Switzerland and some of the spots in Italy, Austria and Germany.

bikesailfreak

18d

Thanks. Yes I am a bit scared I won’t do it all too often. I cycle else and whenever I have a week free I might fly to other spots.

You moved away to kite more?

mati2110

18d

It was not the main reason, but an important factor in the decision.

redyellowblue5031

18d

I wouldn’t go for a dice or rebel as a kite meant for lighter wind on a lake that presumably is somewhat gusty/holey. Harder to relaunch and get power out of in lower wind conditions.

Evo would be the choice of what you listed in my opinion, but again depending on your local conditions, skill level, weight, and riding preferences, something else may fit better.

Size wise, that is heavily influenced by your weight. There’s not a one size fits all answer due to the same factors above and also the type/size board you’ll have.

What I can say is a gap from 10m to 15m will probably be challenging to work with and likely will leave you wanting a fourth kite.

A good rule of thumb is talk to local kiters to see what they are using most frequently, how much they weigh, what size boards they use, and what their riding preferences are.

bikesailfreak

18d

As a beginner I totally forgot - weight 75kg and a board of 136. So ok I get it 15 is too large. Optimally I look for 12,13 or 14max. Trying to understand if I run better with 12 (many used available) - take 13 (rare) or go 14 then I can go light wind.

redyellowblue5031

17d

136 is ok when powered but probably a bit small if things are light or inconsistent. Weight wise to kite, for a regular 3 strut kite you’d probably do best with a 12-13. 14 would be fine for those light days around 10-13 knots but you’ll likely get overpowered not too much more than that.

I’d still advise not getting a Dice or Rebel as your light wind kite. Tougher to relaunch and those are made to perform best at the top of their range, not the lower end.

Looks like some other folks linked to some local resources for you. I’d definitely also expand that direction too, your local community will likely have the best advice for the unique spots you’ll have access to.

bikesailfreak

16d

Ok perfect thanks. I’ll have an eye for a 13 Evo and for local communities- now lets just wait for some sunshine and wind, as the water is still super cold.

trichcomehii

18d

I'm guessing it's an inland site, probably pretty gusty and lumpy, personally I have evos they handle ok with lumpy winds, but generally 5 strut kits even out the gusts, the dice and the evo react more to gusts, you need to be a little more aware, but you will quickly get used to whatever kite you fly, it's only when you fly side by side different designs that you notice the difference.

riktigtmaxat

No straps attached

18d

On a lake the kite being lighter is more important than the extra stability you get with 5 struts at the high end.

Its easier to put up with a little flutter than the kite ending up in the water in every lull.

StgCan

18d

If you have Duotone kites stick with that brand, they have different bar setups to most other manufacturers so it's best not to complicate your quiver. (I have 3 manufacturers kites and all the bars work with all the kites) The Evo would probably be a good model for you.

Confident_Wrangler84

18d

Reedin supermodel but you won’t notice anything different from one kite to the next unless you’re talking C kites or I’ve heard Aluula has the quickest learning curve. But Aluula is expensive

ditherbee

18d

Dice sit deeper in the window so you fill find it slightly harder to ride upwind, and your jumps may pull you forward more. They are designed to float and lose line tension for unhooked tricks, so you’ll have to keep them moving when you jump so the kite doesn’t stall.

There’s no downside if you use them for a while and then decide to sell since they’re already used, so go ahead and try them out and see if you get along well together.

Thefutureisoverdue

18d

Go with a 13 or 14- it matches your current set up (the gap between 10 and 15 is quite big and at some point I find too large sizes annoying to fly). I wouldn’t get a large size Rebel, if I recall correctly it’s a 5 strut kite and in light winds, you want a lighter kite with less struts. Juice and Mono seem to be the light wind kites, but if it’s between Dice, Rebel and Evo I’d probably go for a 13 Dice. But I don’t know Duotone that well.

isisurffaa

18d

So for inland lakes recommending to a total beginner a kite that is meant for freestyle & waves. There wont be waves to ride and no freestyle in a while.

Even Duotone website clearly informs next few things: Not very stable. Not best pick in light winds. Hard to relaunch.

But i'm not duotone expert either so someone with more experience with duotone gear lineup could enlighten me/us

Thefutureisoverdue

18d

He’s already got 2 Dice - it’s a bit late to steer him away from those now. But yeah, initially had the same thought as you did.

bikesailfreak

18d

I received them very cheaply in great condition- was not going to say no:)

Thefutureisoverdue

18d

I understand, but u/isisurffaa has a point - they’re not great kites for beginners or lakes. You can use them, but it might make your life unnecessarily difficult.

bikesailfreak

18d

Ok and is the rebel a good or bad choice? I found alot of affordable ones compared to the evo.

ditherbee

18d

I had Cabrinha switchblades (5 strut) and found that they work better when powered, and really struggle in light winds. They are too heavy and fall out of the sky unless you are very careful in light winds, which is to say, they will fall out of the sky when you are trying new things. I just got a 12m evo d/lab and it’s night and day. Much easier to handle in light wind. I am still going with rebel for my smaller kites because it assumes the wind is stronger.

I would recommend an evo SLS 13 over a rebel because that will likely be your light wind kite, not your “ride overpowered in medium winds” kite

Kitesurferjoey

18d

But remember if your heavy rider and go with 3 strut kite you can only use in light wind else you will deform the kite like a 13m north reach is unable from 12 kts for me (115)until low 20s but with a ozone edge 13m 5 strut I can go up until 30 kts gust but you lose some low end like then it is 14 /15 low end but you can get nore with 4 m extensions so it sits higher in the window

bikesailfreak

18d

Ahh yes I forgot to mention I am 75kg.