What size kite today?
Find your weight on the left and the wind across the top. The number is the kite in square metres for a twintip. A 75 kg rider in 20 knots: about 10 m². Same rider in 14 knots: about 13 m².
This is the same sizing model the planner uses for every hour of your week. It just does it for your own kites, your weight and the actual forecast.
| kg \ kn | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 kg | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| 65 kg | 15 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| 70 kg | 16 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| 75 kg | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| 80 kg | 17 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| 85 kg | 17+ | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| 90 kg | 17+ | 16 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| 95 kg | 17+ | 17 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| 100 kg | 17+ | 17+ | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
Grey numbers: 17+ is bigger than most kites made (a foil board or a lighter-wind day helps), and under 6 m² most riders call it a day.
Your kites, your spot, every hour
Plan your sesh picks the kite from your own quiver for every hour of the week, with the gusts and the tide in. Free, no account needed to try it.
How the model works
One formula: size = 9.8 × (weight ÷ 75)0.75 × (20 ÷ wind)0.75. So 9.8 m² is the size for 75 kg in 20 knots, and everything else scales from there. Weight and wind both count, but not one to one: double the wind does not halve the kite.
The board changes it. Next to a twintip, a directional (surfboard) takes about 85 % of the size and a foil board about 66 %. A wing is about 38 % of the kite size, a windsurf sail about 59 %.
A size is not one wind. It works within about 15 % of the ideal, so one kite covers a few knots either side. That is why two or three kites cover most days.
The gust share
A forecast says 18 knots, gusting 26. Which do you size for? Neither. The model takes the mean plus a share of the gust above it: 40 % on a twintip or a directional, 20 % on a foil, a wing or a windsurf (you sheet out in the gusts and need to keep going in the lulls), 15 % on a parawing.
So 18 gusting 26 on a twintip counts as 21.2 knots. Read the 21 column. In the planner you can set your own share on You, if you like to ride powered or a bit under.
Questions
- What size kite do I need?
- For a 75 kg rider on a twintip in 20 knots, about 10 m². Heavier riders and lighter wind need a bigger kite, lighter riders and stronger wind a smaller one. Find your weight and the wind in the table above.
- What size kite for 15 knots?
- At 15 knots: about 11 m² for 65 kg, 12 m² for 75 kg and 13 m² for 85 kg, on a twintip. On a foil board you need a lot less.
- Do gusts change the size?
- Yes. On a twintip the model counts 40 % of the gust above the mean wind. 18 knots gusting 26 rides like 21.2 knots, so you read the 21 knot column, not the 18.
- Should beginners go smaller?
- A bit. The planner picks about 0.4 m² under the ideal for a beginner, and 0.3 m² under it from 24 knots. Smaller is easier to handle, and your instructor will tell you the rest.
- How wide is the range of one kite?
- A size works within about 15 % of the ideal (a foil kite about 25 %). A 12 m² for a 75 kg rider covers roughly 13 to 19 knots.
How the plan works · IKO levels explained · The level ladders