any suggestions as to which size bow to get. up here in new england summer winds are more in the teens. at 190lbs would the 14 give me enough low end or go with the 16 and a flatter board. input appreciated.

I'm at 200 lbs and have a 12m Naish shockwave. I've ridden this one in anything from 12-40 mph winds. Although I can ride this one in 12mph winds with a 169 Litewave board, it starts getting fun around 15mph. I'm holding off on a bigger bow kite (16m) for the low wind summer days we get here in FLA (10+mph) until Cabrinha and others release their 'low-wind' bow kite and see how that is. Otherwise, I'll just keep my 19m slingy till then. I've ridden the 16m bows in low wind days, was just too much of a work-out in the bar pressure, not much fun IMHO. I actually switched back to my 19m on that day and had more fun....my 2 cents....

With the right board, you could get by on a 14m bow kite, but if you want to be sure, get a 16m bow kite. There are some that are super powerful(crossbow, switchblade, turbo diesel) and will give you more power than you want. That is the good news...the bad news, is they are pretty slow. Not really a problem if you just want to ride and cruise along. If you want a faster turning 16m, then the Waroo, Answer or ION(15m). Much faster, but not as powerful... Either way, don't forget about the board...that is almost more important than the kite if you want to go in the super light stuff....

should I go with buying a 16 crossbow or 12 crossbow for the winds in st.augustine? i'm only 125 pounds. any suggestions?

raesion.. go for Switchblade 12

12m Waroo, Answer, ION or Switchblade. Either of those and you will have a blast....