How to Select the Proper Kiteboarding Kite

How to Select the Proper Kiteboarding Equipment

There are a lot of kiteboarding kites and kiteboards on the market today. The choices can be overwhelming. I put this section together to try to take some of the mystery out of the selection process.

No one kite excels at all disciplines, this is why kiteboarding companies will produce mulitiple kites & kiteboards. You need to try to choose what your riding style is and/or will be and then select the kite and the kiteboard that best matches your style of kiteboarding. Don't limit yourself to just one style. Many kiteboarders will have mulitple kiteboards and kites for different sessions. ie: A wave kite and kiteboard and a freestyle kite and kiteboard.

Check out our other informative sections at the bottom of this page! Selecting Your Kiteboarding Riding Style

There are two basic types of kite surfing kites available on the market today, inflatable and foils.

Foils
Foils are generally used for land kite traction such as Snow Kiting, Kite Landboarding, and Kite Buggies. They are more durable for impacting the ground(they don't puncture) and generally respond faster to meet the demands of land kite traction.

Foils are the most efficient of kite designs and are based on paragliding technology and the sport of power kiting on land. Foils always have a double surface and are also referred to as ram air kites. The air is "rammed" into the openings along the leading edge of the kite which fills the kite and gives the kite its aerodynamic airfoil shape. The individual openings called cells are seperated with a rib that is forming the airfoil shape. Most all modern foils are crossported which allows the wind to cross between the ribs in the cells.

Foils can generate a rush of speed and power unlike any other flying wing. Because of this, caution should be taken when launching and flying foils. The more sophisticated designs have de-powering systems similar to the inflatables. These kites have a "sheeting" or "de-powering" system like the HQ Montana or Apex or the Ozone Frenzy or Access Kites. Foils can be very easy to land and relaunch when the kite is upside down.

Inflatables
Inflatables are generally used for water use and are more suited for the demands of kiteboarding on the water. Predictable power and water relaunching are the prominents benefits. Inflatables, also called framed kites, are classified as such because of the air filled tubes that frame the single skin of the kite. Inflatable kites utilize large tubes that are inflated by hand before launching. The tubes are along the leading edge of the kite as well as across the chord line of the kite. The chord line supports are referred to as down tubes or struts.



Because the kite is "framed" it is typically a very solid kite particularly on the edge of the wind window. It is also a very stable design and lends itself to de-powering systems to increase the overall wind ranges of the kites.

Inflatables come in different types, flatter or "Bow" kites and "Hybrid Kites". Much older traditional "C" shaped kites haven't been made in the past 4 years since they don't offer the massive de-power ability. I only mention this here so you can avoid older kites with the traditional "C kites". See our section below to learn more about the differences between these types of inflatable leading edge kites.