Find the right kitesurfing rental equipment

Being pulled over the water by a kite is an incredible feeling. What beginners initially perceive as overwhelming quickly becomes a passion for many kitesurfers. In this guide you will learn which kiteboard and kite you should choose at your kitesurfing rental station. But first, we want to give you a short summary of the origin and history of this young sport.

The history of kitesurfing

The idea of using a kite as a drive for carriages arose in the early 18th century. The breakthrough finally came in the early 1970s thanks to newly developed high-tech materials. These were sufficiently stable and tear-resistant for sporty applications, such as the construction of the FlexiFoil kite. The latter caused a sensation for the first time, as it was possible to drive a catamaran at around 40 km/h.

This was not only phenomenal, but also the beginning of a phase of wild experimentation. In a very short time, "sailing systems" were tested as propulsion in a wide variety of areas: on land (roller skates, skis), water (canoes, water skis) and even in the air (paragliding).

At the beginning of the 80s, the first inflatable kite with air hoses for kiting with water skis was finally built. It was already very similar to today's Tubekite. At the end of the 90s, a surfboard-like board was used for the first time. The kitesurfboard specially developed shortly afterwards ensured the worldwide triumph of the sport.

Choosing the right rental Kiteboard

Kitesurfers distinguish between two higher-level board types: the Twintip and Directional. Read here about the most important differences between these board types and what you should pay attention to when making your kiteboard rental choice.

Twin Tip Kiteboard

Twin Tips are classic kiteboards and are used for freeriding, freestyling and wakestyle. They can be driven in both directions without changing the foot position and are easy to maneuver.

Wake style boards are twin tip boards with fixed bindings (boots) to completely fix the feet.

Directional Kiteboard

Directionals, also called waveboards, are primarily designed for the shaft and offer higher lift due to their larger volume and material properties. Thus, they are particularly suitable in weak winds. They are available with and without foot loops and their larger fins make it easier to drive upwind.

Foil / Hydrofoil Boards are special directional boards, on the underside of which a sword-like construction is attached, also known as a mast. Foilboards allow you to "float" over the water. They come completely out of the water when driving and thus you only ride on the mast.

Racing boards are directionals that are optimized for particularly fast driving and are used in particular in racing kiting.

Which kiteboard should you choose at the rental station?

When choosing the right kiteboard, 4 factors come into play: your kitesurfing level, your weight, the wind force and the waves.

Your kitesurfing level

Depending on your ability, a different board is required. At Quipleon, we advise you to choose a board that is rather a little too big than too small.

• Beginners make the right choice with a big twintip. As soon as you can safely drive altitude, you can switch to a smaller Twintip.
• For advanced kitesurfers we recommend a small, manoeuvrable twintip, wakestyle board or foilboard
• Professionals choose their board according to their preferences and the prevailing conditions.

Your weight

The heavier you are, the bigger your board should be. As a common reference, 85 kg surfer boards with the dimensions 162x46cm are recommended.

Wind force

If the wind is weaker, you should rent a larger kitesurfing board. In stronger winds, a correspondingly smaller kite-board is the right choice for you.

Swell

In strong waves, we especially recommend Directionals

Choose the right Kite

Although kiting is still a rather new sport, there is already a wide range of kites. In the following we explain the most important differences to the three basic kite types, the Bow Kite, C-Kite and Hybrid Kite.

Bow Kite

The bow kite is the optimal choice for beginners. It can be easily launched and is the safest kite due to its construction. Characteristic are its flat profile and the arch-shaped ends, after which the bow kite was also named. The linen system with several connecting points on the kite enables almost 100% depower by pushing the bar away. This is an enormous advantage, especially in the case of falls.

The Delta-Kite is a further development of the Bow-Kite, which aims in particular at optimized relaunch properties after falls. Due to its wine-making construction, the Delta-Kite drifts to the edge of the wind window in the water and can be easily launched out of the water by pulling on the respective control line. Thus, the delta kite is particularly suitable for beginners.

C-Kite

C-Kites belong to the family of tube kites and are only suitable for advanced kite-surfers, as the relaunch after a fall is very demanding. Surfers appreciate C-Kites because of their strong pulling power on the bar and the direct driving experience. The kite owes its name to its c'ish umbrella shape, which is strongly curved (c-shaped) and has a correspondingly small surface area. The front tube of the C-Kite runs angular towards both ends and the kite is attached to four, optionally five lines. Characteristic of the C-kite are the missing scale lines (bridles) at the inflow edge.

Hyprid Kite

Hybrid Kites combine the advantages of Bow Kites and C-Kites and are therefore suitable for slightly advanced kite-surfers. They offer a more direct driving experience than bow kites, but have less pull on the bar than C-Kites. In addition, they have a higher depower potential.

More advise at your kitesurfing rental station

If you are still a beginner, we strongly encourage you to discuss your kitesurfing rental choice at your kitesurfing school. This will help you to adjust your choice to the local wind conditions and is always a great opportunity to learn more about the kitesurfing spot.

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