I've done lots of research online, yet it didn't prevent me from unknowingly buying a 10m C kite, which now I'm told is dangerous and all but useless to a newbie.

Now I have some direct expert advice, but it's from someone who's the local shop owner, and my kitesurfing teacher.

His first advice was to NOT buy a trainer kite, and take lessons instead, which contradicts what many others say online. I'm not sure if it's a philosophical position, or a marketing one.

On one hand, as my teacher he has a vested interest in my safety, on the other he's also wanting to sell me kitesurfing equipment.

So I'd appreciate some objective opinions.

I bought a Gaastra 2004/5 C kite that is new from the manufacturer from eBay not knowing what I do now:-?

So now I have a kite I'm not sure what to do with, and whether / when it'll be safe for me to use.

I am doing this kitesurfing thing on a budget, and it makes sense for me to buy my first kite used and inexpensive knowing upgrading should be inevitable.

So now I see so many kites on eBay and I follow MANY to educate myself about prices and kites, but I won't buy anything unless I have confirmation it's suitable for a newbie.

I'm considering buying a used one from my current teacher.

My questions are:

Which brands, sizes and kites are safe for a 70 to 75 kg beginner to use?

Winds are typically between 10 and 15 knots in the summer, and consistently 20 on average in the winter.

As a newbie, my teacher suggests a 5 m kite to start is that correct or a way to increase sales?

Second, I was told explicitly that on average most people learn to kitesurf after one or two lessons.

I'm about to take my second and get the sense it takes longer that two, four hour lessons to be able to practice outside lessons.

How many hours of lessons is typical before one can practice outside lessons?

Thanks in advance,
Tim

you should listen to the local guy if you think he is reputable. If he is in business and has been for awhile, chances are he is trustworthy.

I believe you can learn to fly on the real thing. Is it ideal? No.

A trainer like any 3 line bar kite will give you the ability to practice on a much cheaper kite that isn't water dependent. I would not static a C kite on shore.

LESSONS are a great idea and worth the money and time to pursue. There are lots of things to learn and an instructor will have insight about those things. Listen carefully.

Another advantage of lessons is there are probably others learning at the same time as you and all of you are in the same level of learning. This gives you kite buddies right off the bat. Something you likely won't get quickly on your own.

Your instructor/dealer may not have the equipment you want to buy (and you don't have to) but he is there for lessons and advice. Ask others about the equipment and if he services that equipment, you have a local resource for years to come. Many on this forum do not have that advantage.

Good luck, take lessons, meet people, and have fun

I think that your trainer is probably saying that if you can't afford BOTH a trainer kite and lessons to skip the trainer for the lessons? The ideal situation is taking the 3 lessons with a day or so in between to absorb + practice with your trainer.

Everybody learns at their own pace. Typical lesson set is 3 lessons so I'm not sure where you get the 1 or 2 from ? Some folks learn faster but they won't have taken the complete set of lessons so will have to work on turns etc. alone. By lesson 2 you have been taught self rescue and most of the important safety issues to handle yourself + gear. You want to get that knowledge out of the lessons at least !

You tend to get what you pay for in this sport. Shopping on a budget means doing lots of searching and learning on your own.

5m LEI seems extremely small for water unless you have very strong winds. You would need winds around the 20's to get riding on that size? Your best advice for local gear is usually your local shop + local riders. Our winds are very strong at Squamish and folks ride 7-9m LEI ?

Welcome and feel free to keep asking questions.

Well you're on the right forum for learning a bunch of stuff and having a ton of knowledge at your disposal so.....
As stated above.....your learning curve will be at your own pace...some get it quicker then others....for example....I already knew how to sail a boat, so the first time out with my kite and buggy/skis it was very easy for me to comprehend the tack and up wind thing...where others might struggle always going downwind...
The biggest thing is to just enjoy it...your flying a kite and smiling is all that should be happening for now.
A 5m kite is somewhat of a big kite for a beginner....A 3.5 is a great size to learn on....still use as an engine (not on water) for buggy or skis & static flying to build skills and it will stay in your quiver for a long time to use in certain wind conditions....Just keep asking questions and you'll be steered in the right direction....and a huge thing I almost forgot to mention.....SAFETY!!!! Wear a helmet....This sport can kick your butt sometimes....either being a newbie and learning or just some freak wind gust....better safe then sorry. You can't fly a kite and have fun if your friends are pulling you around in a red wagon with 2 broken legs....

Kite flying experience. Can you fly without crashing the kite? If not; ideally; get one of these: http://www.kiteboarding.com/proddetail.asp?prod=sensei_train...

If you can fly that thing around all day any day all over the place and you never crash it; you will be very well off.

Sell that Gaastra on ikitesurf.

Are you just going to use a 5m to body drag around with?

I'd take a couple lessons till you can do a board start. Lessons can only help so much up to a point. If you can get up and ride; then it's just up to you to put in the time to get good at it.

You need to know what sport you are going into. If its purely water, then lesson us what you need. A trainer kite is a waste of money since it is used only for 20 minutes. Water based trainer kites arent cheap if you are on a budget.