Kitesurfing Kite

Going kitesurfing without the proper kite will be determined in advance to failure. Kitesurfing kite is key element for a good day at the sea and without the right type and size of kitesurfing kite you will either move very slowly or get tired too fast.

Kitesurfing kite has many features and here we will try to give you the most important ones that you must pay attention to when you going to buy one.

For beginners we will recommend a beginner kite which usually does not support a lot of lift. Beginners should focus on surfing on the water and accommodating to wind and sea conditions, practice on the technique of holding it all together and much less on jumping, riding waves or special tricks. That is why you need to get a kitesurfing kite that will not be too big and that the control of it is easy. Another aspect to check for beginners is the frontal tubing. You need to find one with thick frontal tubing which will cause slower turns. The reason for that is that usually beginners needs to practice turns slower then more veteran kitesurfers.

There are two main types of kitesurfing kite: the inflatable and the foil.

The inflatable are built from a set of plastic bladders that are across the front of the kite, connected to the main bladder in vertical way and by that create the shape of the kitesurfing kite. Usually inflatable kites are more responsive to the surfer directives and due to that are more popular. Around 2005 a new generation of inflatable kites were introduced, the LEI. The main benefit of them is their wider range of winds handling (due to its special additions) and safety feature of total depowering of the kite.

Foil kitesurfing kite are usually made of fabric and air cells. They also can manage a wide range of wind power as the LEI kites and one of the benefits compared to inflatable kites is the fact the surfer doesn’t need to spend time to inflate it as in the first type. There are two types of foil kitesurfing  kites: open cell that simply dependent upon ongoing airflow into the cells (via inlet valve) and closed cell that once the air is inside it won’t get out so even if you don’t have ongoing airflow, it will still be inflated.

You can find kitesurfing kite in various range of size from 0.6 square meters (7 square feet) to more than 25 square meters (270 square feet) and the wind range that you can surf with. Veteran kitesurfers will usually have three to 4 different kitesurfing kites to adapt to any wind condition and type of surfing.