Power Kite Forum

want to get into this

jacobm - 5-4-2011 at 10:11 PM

Me n my bud were checking out some people doing jumps on powerkites from youtube, and we want to buy one.
What size should we get that would be enough to pick us up? im 120pds hes 220pds.

indigo_wolf - 5-4-2011 at 10:27 PM

Your first kite shouldn't be one that is geared towards jumping.

Please read, "Choosing your First Traction Kite", here:
http://www.coastalwindsports.com/ChoosingAKite.html

Once you are done reading this post, please take some time to read the tutorial at the link above and the other ones on the Coastal Windsports site.

But this snippet from the text directly addresses your question:

"No Jumping Today
The next truth you need to face is about kite jumping. You may have seen pictures or videos on-line or you’ve seen someone at the park or beach soaring off the ground, swinging on their lines like a kitesurfer on water, and swooping down for a landing. Such sights may be why you are interested in the sport, and that’s why we are putting this up front. The fact is, kite jumping is one of those things in life that every power kiter knows is bad for you, everyone will agree in public that it is dangerous and you shouldn't do it, but then they all do it anyway. Keep watching kite jumping vids on YouTube and you will notice that they do not all end nicely.

The conundrum faced by novice kite fliers and would-be jumpers is that no kite that is safe for a beginner is going to be effective for jumping, and no kite that can loft you and possibly set you down softly should ever be in the hands of a novice. Traction kites are not parachutes, paragliders or hang gliders and should not be used for intentional human flight. That being said, any kite can lift you off the ground in a gust and some foils over about 5 sq. meters can, under certain circumstances, mimic the “floaty” effect of a parachute and allow a relatively soft landing if flown with skill. You have to learn a maneuver called a "re-direct" in order to maintain some float. We have however already established that such a large foil is unwise for a first timer for very practical reasons, so let’s just forget about jumping for the first kite. If you really want to try jumping, learn to fly with a smaller foil first, then trade up to something 5 square meters or more, depending on your size. "

ATB,
Sam

pokitetrash - 6-4-2011 at 05:44 AM

I agree with Sam 100%. I remember seeing those vids and thought --Cool! I want to do that! Fortunately, I asked the exact same question you did and I got the exact same response from guys like Sam and it slowed me down. You definately need to learn to fly pretty much with your eyes closed to be able to put the kite exactly where you want it, when you want it BEFORE getting a larger more powerful kite. Read those tutorials on the recommended site above and you will be in good shape to get started safely. Even the small kites can spank you and once you've been superman'ed by your kite once you'll get it that these things can be beasts if taken for granted.

Keep your bones on the inside by learning safely and asking all the questions you want to on this forum. Its a great bunch of guys and no one here thinks any question is dumb. We all started with our first flight. Welcome to the forum!

flyjump - 6-4-2011 at 06:14 AM

start small and work your way up. kite jump is lots of fun, but if you don't have the right control you can come crashing down. there's even people on here who have lots of skill and practice and they've fallen and broken bones. welcome to our forum! look for a 3 meter training kite to start with and then work your way to bigger kites

kiteetik - 6-4-2011 at 06:39 AM

usually, the people that take the time to learn and slowly progress into jumping seem to have consistent sucess--there are exceptions of course, and even the most careful can be hurt---kitejumping is fun, but its somewhat dangerous as well......

jacobm - 6-4-2011 at 08:11 AM

Wow, these things are starting to sound pretty dangerous.
Thanks for the heads up guys.
Would a 2.2 be good for starting?

flyjump - 6-4-2011 at 08:18 AM

a 2.2 is a great size of kite to start learning how to fly. it'll teach you how the wind window works and where the powerzone is. once you learn that you can move onto bigger kites and then you can learn jumping

pokitetrash - 6-4-2011 at 08:58 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by jacobm
Wow, these things are starting to sound pretty dangerous.
Thanks for the heads up guys.
Would a 2.2 be good for starting?


Dont get worried, just respect the kites, because in the wrong wind in the wrong hands even a 2 meter kite can pull you off your feet .

indigo_wolf - 6-4-2011 at 09:23 AM

One additional thought about your first kite. Although it is tempting to hop onto eBay and snag up a bargain, keep in mind that there are lot of cheaply made kites being moved through the eBay listings. Some don't exist anywhere except for sale on eBay.

Spend some time shopping for a trainer foil from a name brand with a good reputation. There is a large difference in some pieces of nylon sewn together to look like a foil and a product that has some research and design behind it. Mostly it will be apparent in how stable the kite is in flight and how smoothly and predictably the power ramps up.

If sub-par materials are used in the bridle or improperly balanced, the performance will either start out poor or degrade to that level as the bridal stretches out (quality Spectra/Dyneema bridles have very little stretch). The same is true of in the difference in materials used for the flying lines.

Even poorly made handles can determine how long you can comfortably fly your kite. Nicely padded handles that will retain their comfort level over time will mean more time spent flying your kite, and less time readjust your grip trying to avoid blisters.

If you are on a budget, a lightly used, well-maintained 2nd hand kite will serve you better than a "bargain" kite that has questionable flight characteristics newly out of the bag.

ATB,
Sam

flash - 6-4-2011 at 09:38 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by indigo_wolf
One additional thought about your first kite. Although it is tempting to hop onto eBay and snag up a bargain, keep in mind that there are lot of cheaply made kites being moved through the eBay listings. Some don't exist anywhere except for sale on eBay.


i.e. jonesband.

If you are worried about purchasing a kite online, I have to throw in the offer that you will have a great experience if you buy from the trader list on here. Most of these folks are genuine and have the 'real thing'. Those that don't are policed rather quickly and shot down.

shehatesmyhobbies - 6-4-2011 at 10:56 AM

All well said, seems like you get the message Jacob.

Buy yourself some knee and elbow pads, and maybe consider buying some type of helmet before you even attempt to get into the jumps down the road.

kitedelight - 6-4-2011 at 02:26 PM

You got the idea, respect the kite. For sure, get yourself a smaller unit then move up once you have good control.
Once you have built up some skill, maybe even move into depower kites and get a land board, they are a ton of fun.

jacobm - 6-4-2011 at 02:57 PM

Would this be a good, non-generic brand? http://www.amazon.com/HQ-Symphony-Professional-Kite-Rainbow/...
If not, whats a decent 2.2 to get that wont kill the bank.

Seanny - 6-4-2011 at 02:59 PM

What goes up, must come down :D and the kite doesn't care how hard! Get yourself a Peter Lynn Twister II 4.1m. It will kick your a$$. But it's small enough to learn with if you're careful. I have one and it's my favorite kite, ever. :thumbup: 4.1 meters is a little big to start out with, especially since this kite is quite lifty and aggressive... So you will have to learn to fly quickly. The good news is, that 4.1m is the perfect size for high wind play time once you get some good hours logged on it :) plus, you have us. Anything you ever need, just ask! I teach all of my friends on my Twister, and I weigh as much as you do. :P Just offering up my opinion.

kitedelight - 6-4-2011 at 03:53 PM

Oops, double post.

kiteetik - 6-4-2011 at 05:06 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by indigo_wolf
One additional thought about your first kite. Although it is tempting to hop onto eBay and snag up a bargain, keep in mind that there are lot of cheaply made kites being moved through the eBay listings. Some don't exist anywhere except for sale on eBay.

Spend some time shopping for a trainer foil from a name brand with a good reputation. There is a large difference in some pieces of nylon sewn together to look like a foil and a product that has some research and design behind it. Mostly it will be apparent in how stable the kite is in flight and how smoothly and predictably the power ramps up.

If sub-par materials are used in the bridle or improperly balanced, the performance will either start out poor or degrade to that level as the bridal stretches out (quality Spectra/Dyneema bridles have very little stretch). The same is true of in the difference in materials used for the flying lines.

Even poorly made handles can determine how long you can comfortably fly your kite. Nicely padded handles that will retain their comfort level over time will mean more time spent flying your kite, and less time readjust your grip trying to avoid blisters.

If you are on a budget, a lightly used, well-maintained 2nd hand kite will serve you better than a "bargain" kite that has questionable flight characteristics newly out of the bag.

ATB,
Sam
sam, your comment reminds me of an old you tube vid where some guy was trying to fly some POS kite he bought off ebay---it was absolutely hilarious,though sad...... i laughed so hard i almost p@#ssed myself........

Pulsar - 6-4-2011 at 11:42 PM

I agree with Seanny above. Get yourself a Peter Lynn Twister 4.1 and start in ridiculously low winds. Then slowly build it from there. That way you won't need a new kite for a while, just respect the learning curve. You'll get a whooping if you don't. The Symphony is fun and all, but only for like 5 times, then you'll want more.

Also keep in mind there's a huge weight difference between you guys. That means that if you use the same kite, and there's nice wind for you to jump in, your friend will get bored because he's not going up at all. If there's enough wind for him to jump in, you can't fly the kite without ending up in the next town. If you two want to go out and both jump in the same winds, you need a different kite each.

jacobm - 9-4-2011 at 02:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Pulsar
I agree with Seanny above. Get yourself a Peter Lynn Twister 4.1 and start in ridiculously low winds. Then slowly build it from there. That way you won't need a new kite for a while, just respect the learning curve. You'll get a whooping if you don't. The Symphony is fun and all, but only for like 5 times, then you'll want more.

Also keep in mind there's a huge weight difference between you guys. That means that if you use the same kite, and there's nice wind for you to jump in, your friend will get bored because he's not going up at all. If there's enough wind for him to jump in, you can't fly the kite without ending up in the next town. If you two want to go out and both jump in the same winds, you need a different kite each.

Im not really wanting to throw that much money into something I might not care for. Is Symphony good for the money, or is there something better in the 100-200 range?

indigo_wolf - 9-4-2011 at 05:17 PM


The Symphony is made by HQ which makes a lot of nice kites in a variety of types/disciplines and price ranges. The Symphony 2.2 is one of their larger recreational foils. It's a dual line foil that is generally aimed at the casual beach or park flier.

If your budget is $100-200, I would recommend Brad Rexx's Flexifoil Sting 2.4M in Rasta:


Normally they retail for about $215-220. Brad is selling a new one for $180 + shipping.

It's a solid quad-line kite and Brad is a good guy to deal with. Shipping is out of LA.

ATB,
Sam

bobalooie57 - 9-4-2011 at 05:22 PM

Good size, good flyer, great color! Great deal! I actually had my eye on this a while back, but I recovered!

slothart - 9-4-2011 at 07:54 PM

"Would this be a good, non-generic brand? http://www.amazon.com/HQ-Symphony-Professional-Kite-Rainbow/dp/B000KFU744"


Strictly personal preference, but Ozone makes a great series of 4 line trainer kites if you want to learn on handles (which is probably the best way to start)
http://www.flyozone.com/landkites/en/products/fix-bridle-lin...
A quick search of ebay while typing this turned up some reasonably priced imps for sale.

My first kites were Slingshot B series kites. They come as 2 line kites on a bar which will force you to use the wind window more to control the kite... no break lines to fall back on, though they did use to come with a wrist leash if you needed to ditch in an emergency (back in the day, the larger ones were convertible to 4 line setup... I had a B5 that I converted to a quad line and flew on handles... I can't tell from the pictures on the site if that is still possible with the current B series)
http://www.slingshotsports.com/foil
For the price, I think the ozone trainers are a much better deal, but the Slingshot kites had one major plus for beginners... they were built like tanks. I hung on to my Slingshot B2, B3, & B5 for quite awhile after I quit flying them, just for friends to cut their teeth on so they weren't pile driving my Ozone Kites into the ground. :)

pokitetrash - 10-4-2011 at 06:07 PM

My first kite was a Flexifoil Rage 2.5. Its an excellent quality kite with no nasty charachter flaws. Predictable build up of power and oh yea, I still have it, never have gotten board with it. I buggy with it in high winds and I'm 225lbs. So I learned on it in 10 - 15 mph winds but its an awesome buggy engine for 20+ winds. It's not a good jumper though but alot of guys start out wanting to jump cause they see it on You Tube but almost all of them eventually want to ride on something. Its a great buggy kite and huge fun to scud on the beaches that don't allow buggying. If you wind up with a good used one, learn your skills on it without getting body slammed, you should easily get your money back out of it if you decide to sell it.

rocfighter - 11-4-2011 at 04:57 AM

I agree with Sam, I have baught from BRex and he's good people.