We just received a pile of 2013 factory second boards from Slingshot. They can be found in our Kiteboards -> Clearance section listed at 15 to 20% off retail price. We have the following boards with blems: Glide (for light winds), Crisis (good entry level board), and Asylum (all around intermediate to advanced freestyle board)
These are brand new 2013 kiteboards with minor cosmetic imperfections.
All of these boards are structurally solid and are under full warranty from Slingshot.
On most of them, we could not even locate any imperfections. Here’s the worst one we were able to find:
This is an amazing value for brand new 2013 boards (all made in the USA). They are sold complete with pads, straps, fins, and handle. We only have a few of each – they will go fast.
We’d like to introduce you to the new member of the Green Hat team – Brian Brenner.
Brian started helping us out at the end of last season and will continue to do so more and more this summer. As a USCG Captain, he is fully qualified to drive the Green Hat boat as well as assist with rescues during lessons. He currently works as an EMT and is certified in both CPR & First Aid. In the next couple of weeks, he will also get certified as an IKO Assistant Instructor and will start helping with our lessons.
Brian has grown up in Lacey township with Barnegat Bay in his backyard. He is an expert water-skier and got into kiteboarding a few years ago.
Brian’s easy going, friendly, and helpful personality makes him a perfect fit for Green Hat.
Lots of 2013 gear – boards, harnesses, wetsuits, drysuits, etc (see details below)
Good company and FREE personal pizza pie with a purchase of any drink.
RSVP and get an extra raffle ticket:
On our Facebook page or via email ( gh@greenhatkiteboarding.com with “Gear and Beer Party” in the subject line and your full name in the message).
The deadline for RSVP is April 28. If you miss this deadline, you are still welcome to just show up, but you will not get the extra raffle ticket.
GEAR:
If you’d like to see some gear that is not on this list, please let us know, and we’ll try to get it. As of right now, we will have the following 2013 gear at the event:
RAFFLES:
We have the following prizes from each sponsor (more is coming soon).
Best: Best Profanity kiteboard 134, Best Taboo kite 8m
Green Hat: 1 Supervised Riding session, 1 Island Ride Crazy Fly: Golf bag, Regular board bag Naish: Wake Skate Slingshot: Backpack HQ: Trainer kite
Cabrinha: Wake Skate
Spleene: Board bag
The Kiteboarder: 6-months subscription
Mystic: Poncho Towel
Airstyle: 2 Airstyle DVDs
Raffle Rules:
We will have several raffles – one for each prize. You will need at least one raffle ticket to enter. Here’s how to get these tickets:
• 1 ticket when you RSVP by 4/28.
• 1 ticket just for showing up
• Showing up early (by 6:15pm) will get you another ticket
• 1 ticket for submitting a product review (100 words minimum) on our site on any non-clearance product we sell by 4/28. It has to be an objective review, but it doesn’t have to be positive. You can submit reviews for as many products as you’d like.
• 1 ticket for submitting a review about our business on Yelp or Googleby 4/28.
Raffle tickets will be distributed at the entrance. It’s up to you how to use these tickets. You can put them all for one prize or distribute them in any way you’d like. The more tickets you have the higher your chances of winning.
GIVEAWAYS:
Rashguards, magazines, t-shirts, hats, calendars, coupons, stickers, and much more.
Get a FREE NPX Pixelate / Green Hat Kiteboarding Men’s or Women’s rashguard with your next order and a review of any new products.
Here are the details:
Find any new product on our site that you have had some experience with (you can either browse through the categories or use the search).
Click on the “Review” Tab and “Write a review” button on the product’s listing page.
Write an honest and coherent review. It does not have to be positive, but it has to make sense (list all the pros and cons as you see them). Single sentence or unreadable reviews will not be approved.
Place an order for any item on our site. In the comments section of the checkout page, make sure to mention your size (available sizes: Women – XS to L, Men – S to XXL. They run a little small, so size it up if you’re in the middle).
If you feel comfortable in the water and can swim, you can learn how to kiteboard.
Experience with wind, water, and board sports (windsurfing, surfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding, etc) will help your learning curve; however, this experience is certainly not a prerequisite. In fact you will still have to go through the same steps to learn, you are just likely to do it faster.
Being flexible and athletic helps, but it is also not a requirement. A frequent misconception about kiteboarding is that one must have a strong upper body to control the kite. In reality, you do not need much strength, as you are strapped into a harness.
Age and gender are non issues as well – we’ve successfully taught many men and women from teens to upper 60s to kiteboard.
We have the most teaching experience in the area. We’ve taught hundreds of kiters since 2005.
We have all the proper credentials and certifications: IKO (International Kiteboarding Organization) Level 2 Instructor, USCG Captain, First Aid, & CPR
We are fully insured.
We are local and know all the specifics of kiteboarding in New Jersey / New York City area (weather conditions, spots, rules, etc.).
We derive great pleasure from seeing our students kiteboard and we go out of our way to make sure that your kiteboarding experience is as safe and as smooth as possible.
Our Location:
We found Kite Island in 2005 and can’t imagine teaching anywhere else – it’s a perfect location for learning to kiteboard and well as to advance your skills.
Shallow, waist deep water for miles.
No crowds.
Consistent winds.
No dangerous objects in the water or on the beach.
Our Lessons:
All of our lessons include helmet radios for easy and stress-free instructor to student communication
Boat support
We have carefully designed our lesson program to maximize the efficiency, yet without any compromise on safety
At the end of the course, ask us for a FREE IKO certification card. IKO is the most recognized kiteboarding organization in the world and some locations require the IKO card to be able to kiteboard. Certain shops will also require it for equipment rentals.
Our Gear:
We only teach using the latest, safest, and most efficient gear for learning. None of our gear is old or outdated (we sell everything at the end of every season).
We have everything you need: kites with simple relaunch and for every possible wind condition; boards that make it super easy to get up and ride; high end harnesses of of every size to maximize comfort; helmets with ear protection and vests. All this is included in the Kite Skills and Board Skills lessons.
We have a wide range of gear to demo to make sure it is right for you before you commit to a purchase.
The time it takes to learn is very personal and depends on a number of factors. Most of our students who follow our 4 step lesson program, become more or less independent kiteboarders by the end of the 4th step. Some can skip Step 3 (Board Skills lesson), and some have to take Step 4 (Supervised Riding) several times to start feeling comfortable on their own.
Here are some of the factors that will determine how long it will take you to learn:
Your physical shape – you don’t have to be a professional athlete to kiteboard, but the more fit and flexible you are, the faster it will take you to learn.
Your past sports experiences – any wind, water, or board sports experiences will help you progress faster.
Frequency – if you take long breaks between lessons, you will loose the muscle memory and the whole process will take longer.
Determination – the only required factor.
Conditions – steady winds, no crowds, no obstacles, shallow and flat water. We have all this at our lesson location and we do our best to only schedule lessons on days with proper wind conditions.
The right gear for the weather conditions – leave this one to us. We have all the proper kiteboarding gear for all ridable weather conditions.
Our water lessons are offered on any windy and non-stormy day from early May until late October. Exact dates will differ every season and will depend on the weather. We only try to teach in optimal conditions. Sometimes, we can have lessons scheduled 4 days in a row; but, sometimes nothing scheduled for several weeks. Please be patient with us when trying to schedule a lesson.
All kiteboarding lessons start with a bit of theory and flying a small trainer kite. We found that this part of the lesson works a lot better when done as homework. There is no need for an instructor to fly a trainer kite – it’s very safe. And learning theory and terminology on a windy beach when you’re anxious to get into the water hasn’t proved to be very effective. For this reason, we’ve designed our Intro to Kiteboarding package. This package (Step 1 in our Lesson Program) or the equivalent experience is a prerequisite for our Kite Skills Lesson (Step 2).
There are many suitable locations to practice with a trainer kite in New York and New Jersey. Most beaches or parks near the water offer favorable kite flying conditions. Wind will be most steady when coming from the direction of water (onshore / side onshore) or a big open field. We highly do not recommend flying a trainer kite inland or in a crowded space. Here are some suggested locations (recommended wind directions are listed after a ‘*’):
New York
Governor Nelson Rockefeller park (by World Financial Center), Manhattan, NY * N, NW, W, SW, SSW (Warren st and River Terr)
Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY * W, SW, S, SE, E
Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, NY * W, SW, S, SE, E
New Jersey
Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ * SW, S, SE, E, NE
Sandy Hook, Highlands, NJ * Bay Side (Plumb island) W, NW, NNW
Sandy Hook, Highlands, NJ * Ocean side N, NE, E, SE, S
Long Branch, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Manasquan, Seaside Heights (or any other beach town north of LBI), NJ * NNE, NE, E, SE, S, SSW
James st, Harvey Cedars, LBI, NJ * NNE, N, NW, W, SSW
Any town on Long Beach Island, NJ ocean side * NE, E, SE, S, SW
Atlantic City, NJ * NE, E, SE, S, SW
Please make sure there is enough space downwind of you and no obstacles or people. It is advisable to have a friend help you re-launch the kite but not necessary.
As the first step in learning to kiteboard, we recommend an Intro to Kiteboarding package which includes a trainer kite and a Progression Beginner DVD
We monitor several weather forecasting services to help us make lesson schedule decisions. Here’s a quick summary:
ikitesurf.com – local human forecast and a few localized computer model forecasts, private sensors near most kite beaches in US, as well as lots of other very useful info (such as tides, wind history, etc). Membership is $120 per year, or $100 for the first time members, if you go through this link http://ikitesurf.com/kiteisland
weather.com – hour-by-hour and radar functions are very useful to watch the storms. Their wind forecast is a little off , but after a while it’s easy to spot the trends (for example, anything with south component is usually underestimated by at least 5 mph).
noaa marine – excellent general wind forecast – it’s not localized. This forecast is in text format, but click here to see a graphical representation of this text.
Forecasting services are never perfect, so there is always a chance that lessons may not be carried out even if we posted a schedule. We try our best to avoid these situations – most of the time we succeed.
After you reserve a lesson, please always check back to see the status – it will be posted on the schedule item in the “meeting time” section.
If you have no prior experience with power kites and have not taken any kiteboarding lessons before, you will have to start with Step 1 (Intro Package). Experiences with other similar sports will help you succeed faster; however, you will still have to go through the same learning steps.
If you’ve taken lessons elsewhere, have practiced on your own, or for some other reason do not think you need to start with Step 1, please read the “Prerequisites” sections for each step before reserving it. Only reserve it if you have all the prerequisites met.
During the season, we constantly watch the forecast to figure out when is the best time to teach. When we feel confident about the forecast for any given day, we post the schedule online under Lessons -> Schedule menu and send out alerts via Email, Twitter, and Facebook. Usually, schedule gets posted no more than 2 days before the scheduled day. Although, we try not to post very last minute, sometimes forecasts can change and we have to cancel or post the schedule in the morning of the same day. Meeting time is always set the night before (usually between 7pm and 10pm) and is posted on the schedule’s description as well as Twitter and Facebook.
Reservations are taken on first come, first serve basis and can ONLY be made online once the schedule has been posted.
Forecast can be very unreliable and we’ve had many days with great conditions that were not in the forecast. The only way to make days like this work is with last minute scheduling – sometimes only couple hours before.
Receiving Schedule Alerts via text message on your cell phone is the best way to make this type of scheduling possible, and it only takes few minutes to setup.
Here are 3 easy steps:
If you don’t already have a Twitter account, create one at http://twitter.com (only takes a minute)
Go to your Twitter Mobile Settings page, add and activate your cell phone. Make sure that “Tweets from people you’ve enabled for mobile notifications” setting is turned on (you can turn off the rest to avoid getting unnecessary text messages).
Go to Green Hat Kiteboarding twitter page ; click the “Follow” button in the top right corner ; click on the little person button on the right of the “Follow” button and select “turn on mobile notifications”
Voila! You will now receive a text message as soon as we post a schedule
Booties (surf/windsurf/kite style preferred over hard sole scuba style)
Lunch and plenty of water
Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Hat
June, July, August: If it’s hot, swim suit and rash guard; if it’s chilly, shortie wetsuit or a thermal rash guard. Keep in mind, it’s usually at least 10 degrees cooler in the middle of the bay than on mainland.
April, May, September, October: Wetsuit; hood and gloves are recommended in April and October.
July and August: Bug repellant, preferably waterproof.
We keep stock of booties, wetsuits, and thermal rash guards. But, just in case, please let us know at least a day in advance if you will be needing anything for the lesson.
We meet at Baker’s Basin (Stan’s) Marina on Baltic Ave in Waretown (Directions).
If you have your own boat transportation, you can meet us on the island if you so prefer. The kite island’s GPS coordinates are 39°47’19″N and 74°08’33″W. If your boat drafts over a foot, it is best to anchor on the north side of the island, closer to the boat channel. This section of the island is the deepest and will allow you to get closer. Please be considerate and try to anchor your boat as close to other boats as possible, this will keep all the ‘hazards’ in a single point.
All of our lessons take place at the Kite Island in Barnegat Bay, NJ. With shallow (knee to waist deep), flat, clear water for miles and consistent Southerly winds, Kite Island is perfect for learning how to kiteboard. We found this amazing location in the summer of 2005 and have been teaching there ever since. Even on busy weekend summer days, it never gets too crowded and there is plenty of room to learn.
We found this incredible kiteboarding location in the summer of 2005 on Google Satelite map. It is shallow for miles, there are no obstacles, the wind is as steady as it gets (S to SW being most steady), and the water is clean, flat and clear. It’s a beautiful and a very safe place to kite and learn on any level. On some late Spring days when it’s sunny and the tide is filling in, water becomes almost Caribbean turquoise color. If you’d like to learn to kiteboard, there is simply no better place. If you already kiteboard and live in the North East, you have to experience a S / SW wind session at the Kite Island at least once – you’ll be hooked.
Review it again right before and right after each lesson.
2. Trainer kite
Practice flying it in 10 to 20 knots on the beach (you will need consistent winds)
First learn to fly it as steady as you can (on the edge of the wind window).
Then learn to extract power out of the kite by moving it up and down into the wind window.
When you feel comfortable with the kite, practice flying it without looking at it. Then practice flying it with one hand. Then with one hand and without looking.
Your goal is to be able to fly the kite with one hand, not looking at it (blind), for at least 30 seconds without crashing. The longer you can do this, the easier it will be for you to fly a large kite when you come for a lesson.
If you come fully prepared and have all the prerequisites met (Intro Package or equivalent experience and knowledge), by the end of the lesson you can expect to comfortably rig, launch, land, and control a large, inflatable power kite. You will learn all the kite skills needed to start getting up on the board and ride.
If you learn fast and we still have time at the end of the day, as a bonus, we will attempt a few waterstarts with the board.
As with all our services, expect to spend the whole day on the lesson. We guarantee at least 3 hours of actual lesson time (not counting any breaks or transportation to the location). But , usually it ends up being a lot more.
If you come fully prepared and have all the prerequisites met (Kite Skills lesson or equivalent experience and knowledge), you can expect to learn Waterstarts in both directions and to start riding at least a few feet.
As with all our services, expect to spend the whole day on the lesson. We guarantee at least 1.5 hours of actual lesson time (not counting any breaks or transportation to the location) and another 2 hours of Supervision. But , usually it ends up being a lot more.
For all kiteboarders out there, if you’d like to receive a kiteboarding related gift this Holiday season, just Share this link on Facebook to help your family and friends choose the right gift for you. Sharing this link will get you a FREENPX Pixelate Mens or Ladies rash guard ($49 value) with any order placed from now until December 25th. Your name and size will just have to be mentioned in the “comments” section of the “checkout” page when placing the order. The rashguard will be shipped together with the order.
If you’re looking to surprise your kiteboarding spouse, friend or family member with a holiday gift, check out our Gift Ideas section. We’ve put together a large variety of gift suggestions sorted by Skills and Price, as well as a separate section of Stocking Stuffers and Gift Certificates (now at 10% off with “giftcert10” coupon code).
If you have any questions or would like more personal recommendations, please give us a call at 1-888-KITE-001.
After the Holidays, if something does not fit or isn’t liked for any reason, do not worry – just ship it back to us by January 31st. You will receive a full refund on all unused items.
Thank you for your business!
We wish you all the best for this Holiday Season and the New Year!
This year, our Black Friday sale (good until 11/30) consists of 3 parts :
1. Place any order on our website and receive a FREE Green Hat Kiteboarding quick dry, loose fit, long sleeve rash guard ($49 value). To qualify for this deal, you have tolike our Facebook page and share any of our “Black Friday Deal” Posts. Also, please don’t forget to mention your size in the “Comments” section at checkout.
2. Kiteboarding dealers all over the country are now advertising their Black Friday sales. We want to offer you better prices than anyone else. To make it simple, we will beat any advertised sale price of any new gear deals by 10%. Just send usa link, and we will send you a discount coupon for the difference + 10%. If the deals are not advertised, give us a call and we’ll do our best to beat them.
3. We will discount all of our already deeply discounted Clearance and Used/Demo gear by another 10%. Use Coupon Code: BLACKFRIDAY at checkout to get 10% OFF any product listed in these Categories: Clearance and Used/Demo . This coupon will also work on most Bars, Harnesses, and Waterwear.
We hope you enjoy the savings and have a great Holiday Season!
In February 2012, Green Hat Kiteboarding organized a trip to Puerto Rico. To compare with many other kiteboarding destinations we’ve been to, this trip was a lot of fun and very little hassle. Super easy 6 hour door to door commute (from NY/NJ), no customs, no passports, no money exchange, and an easy 10 minute ride from airport to the beach. Puerto Rico offers the best of 2 worlds - all the conveniences of domestic travel, with a feeling of being abroad.
Most importantly, we got to kiteboard 13 out of 14 days in clear, turquoise, 80 degree water and sunny skies. Everyone had a blast, so we are doing it again.
As last time, 2013 trip will consist of 2 parts (1 week each). Booking is possible for each week separately or together. Packages include 7 nights of accommodations right on the kite beach, most food (7 breakfasts and 5 dinners), all transportation, no wind activities, and basic supervision on the beach. We will also offer to work on your progression. If you choose to participate, everyday we will define your kiteboarding goals and go over your progress at night with tips and pointers to improve.
The first week (1/5/13 to 1/12/13), we’ll be staying near the beginner friendlyOcean Park Beach in San Juan. Although, we didn’t need it last time, the beach and the city offers plenty of no wind and nightlife activities. For pricing and more info on Ocean Park week click HERE.
For the second week (1/12/13 to 1/19/13), we’ll be at the Shacks Beach in Isabella. Shacks is considered by many to be the best wave kite spot in the Caribbean. For no wind days, Shacks also offers world class scuba and snorkeling as well as surfing and stand up paddleboarding. For pricing and more info on Shacks week click HERE.
Book by November 25th and receive a free Green Hat Kiteboarding / NPX Quick Dry Rashguard.
We are very excited about this trip and hope you can join us!
Thank you to our kiteboarding friends who have called or emailed us recently to check in after Sandy. By now, everyone has seen images and video footage of the immense damage from this destructive storm. The Jersey Shore is where we live and ride. And although our business is okay, our neighboring communities weren’t as fortunate. Towns along Jersey Shore have been hit hard and some have been wiped out all together.
We would like to do our part to help.
Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund was setup to help NJ families affected by the destruction of the storm. We’ve donated to this fund and would like to encourage you to do the same. For every donation made to this Fund, we will add twice the amount in Green Hat Dollars to your Green Hat Kiteboarding account.
Here’s how it works:
Donate to the NJ Sandy Relief Fund using the widget below or by going to sandynjrelieffund.org.
If you don’t already have a Green Hat Kiteboarding account, create one HERE.
We will add double the amount of your donation in Green Hat Dollars to your account. Green Hat Dollars do not expire and there is no limit on your donation; however, for larger donations, we may ask for a copy of your bill.
It’s starting to get chilly, and Green Hat Kiteboarding is fully stocked on all the neoprene you may need to keep on riding into the dead of winter.
Check out the NPX Zealot wetsuits for maximum comfort and warmth on those chilly fall days (4/3) as well as below freezing temps in mid February (5/4/3 and6/5/4). Or Neil Pryde 5k suit, with smooth skin wind shield for extra protection from cold winds.
If you'd like to stay dry, NPX Lucifer is unmatched in comfort, functionality, and style.
And if you find that you stay warm enough in the water, but suddenly get cold when hanging out on the beach, the NPX Neoprene Jacket is a perfect solution.
Best of all, all these suits and jackets are now from 20 to 22% off retail prices. We've looked around and can tell you with confidence that these are the best prices currently available on the market.
We are also fully stocked on winter booties, hoods, and gloves
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Don't let the cold hold you back, just get dressed up for the occasion.
we were able to find:
helping us out at the end of last season and will continue to do so more and more this summer. As a USCG Captain, he is fully qualified to drive the Green Hat boat as well as assist with rescues during lessons. He currently works as an EMT and is certified in both CPR & First Aid. In the next couple of weeks, he will also get certified as an IKO Assistant Instructor and will start helping with our lessons.
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Get a FREE NPX Pixelate / Green Hat Kiteboarding 
