New Kite Help

Thanks for joining the forum and for asking advice. You'll find that the members of this forum are very happy to help.

When I did a search for "2.5 prism kite", I see a two line foil. If that is correct, here is my advice.

If you have been flying a 2.5 meter two line kite for a year, I recommend you get at least a 3.5 meter or bigger four line kite. It all depends on the winds you will be flying it in. With a 3.5m, you will get dragged in the sand in about 10 mph winds. You can probably do some jumping with it in 15 mph, but I'm not sure. My first power kite was a 4.9 meter four line kite. I probably weighed 190 lbs at the time. If the 2.5m drags you in the sand, you can probably use it to get the buggy rolling. I recommend using a kite that just gets the buggy rolling until you get the hang of steering the kite and the buggy at the same time. You can then move up in size.

I have been flying power kites for about 8 years now, but I am very inexperience compared to some of the guys here. They will give you much better advice. If they do, please disregard mine.

-Jason

Let's open this can of Worms on definition of "Trainer Kite"

To me, a trainer kite is a kite that has characteristics and structure of a "real" kite. Using that word real for lack of a better one! The trainer kite should allow the user to migrate towards the real kite and give the student a "feel" for the way kites fly and handle.

A trainer kite should NOT be large/strong enough to:jump [God no!] skud for long distances or basically have enough ability to hurt the flyer.

Saying a 3m kite will be a "good size" is too broad of a statement. If you were to put up a 3m on my flying beach and have no training you would end up Supermanning or hurting someone else. Why? The winds.

A trainer kite should be based on the wind speeds, characteristics [constant/gusty] weight of flyer and overall ability in this sport. "Size does matter!!"

As John said "I don't regard any of my 3m kites as "trainer" kites.

Cmguy gave some needed info: flies on beach- 2 years with the Prism, weight and he states his confidence in his ability to handle the 2.5m. He also has that respect aspect from flying for a year. The only downfall is flight time on a 4 liner.

I think you are past the "Trainer kite" due to the above. You just need the 4 line skills to get your "flight card" With that said I say go for a Beamer 3m. Good stable kite- user friendly.

My rant above was more for beginner fliers who have little to no experience.

Like golfing w/one club..

I would definitely go for a 4 line kite, the dual line kites are fun for a bit, but they can be a real pain when you start getting into sizes over 2 meter. The problem is that bigger sizes start to have more problems getting them to flip around to relaunch after crashes and it is also much harder to get them back on the ground, you are almost required to have a helper. Setting up a 3 or 4 meter two line kite by yourself can be very difficult and starts to get rather dangerous depending on the wind conditions.

Another thing to remember is that the two line "trainers" are usually very low aspect ratio kites that are fatter. These characteristics allow the trainer to be rock solid in the air, inflate almost instantly, nearly never luff or deflate and have a very narrow wind window. They also don't provide much speed and in kites, more speed = more power.

The quad line kites are designed a little more intense and geared towards the more serious power kite flyer, because of the ability to control angle of attack during flight, 4 line power kites are usually designed with a lot more power output per size, fly faster through the window due to a more refined airfoil shape and are a bit higher aspect ratio. The real advantage comes with the 4 lines as you now have the ability to launch and land by yourself easily, plus the added control with spin turns (brake turns etc...). Reverse launches are also possible to do and the safety systems (kite killers) is much more efficient.

The best thing about 4 line kites is that even if you do end up with a smaller size - say 1.5m or 2m, they are still useable buggy or boarding engines for higher winds so you don't have to worry about spending money on a smaller kite and tossing it in a closet somewhere after you have it mastered (like what happens to most trainers).

The advice above on models is spot on, look for one that is from a major manufacturer so you have construction durability and support. Peter Lynn, Ozone, Flexifoil, HQ, Prism, PKD - all great kites at very affordable prices and will work excellent for you.

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Originally posted by John Holgate I'd be looking at a Flexifoil rage, Peter Lynn Hornet, HQ Beamer, Ozone Octane, Zebra Z1, PKD buster soulfly - any of them are good. Forget jumping with a 3m kite - eventually it will hurt

I couldn't agree more. Due to your size, though, I'd suggest a 4m. I'm sure you've had your hands full with the prism at times, so you're probably going to learn fast with a 4line and not be terrified when it starts to pull.

Agreed, don't jump. They just pick you up and drop you at that size -- no float (I'm experienced in the dropping... )

Agreed on the brands. Any of those are perfect. The Pansh equivalent is the Flux, if you're on a super tight budget. Otherwise, skip it. Those that John mentioned are WAY better quality.

Also, I'm not sure if you've used kite killers before but if not, you should get some. You can really push the envelope when you use kite killers and if you get nervous, just let go. They're awesome.

Last, one thing I did wrong when building my quiver is that I didn't plan ahead much. If you're going to go buggying, plan on using fixed bridle 4 line kites at first and try to cover a wide wind range as you acquire more kites. For instance, if you have a 2.5m and a 4.0m, the next one should be about 6.0m, then 8.0m, etc. Of course, all of this depends on the wind range of the kites, so just make sure all wind speeds are covered eventually. Personally, I think a 2.5 and 3.0 are too close together, and I actually board with my 1.7m 2-line kite when the wind is whipping.

Man, I need to stop writing novels. I'm excited for you and your new kite! It's loads of fun. Let us know how it goes, eh?

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A 4m LEI or depower foil won't power you until the wind is very, very strong ?

I would have thought that too, but at Kingston - running into a cross onshore wind at 13-14 knots or so, I was working the living daylights out of a 5m Frenzy and in front of me, Rob had an Airush DNA 4m LEI....just parked in the window and cruising off into the distance.... it was a far more impressive kite in it's performance than the 5m Frenzy was. I've never flown an LEI, but after witnessing that....I'm keen to try one

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Originally posted by John Holgate I would have thought that too, but at Kingston - running into a cross onshore wind at 13-14 knots or so, I was working the living daylights out of a 5m Frenzy and in front of me, Rob had an Airush DNA 4m LEI....just parked in the window and cruising off into the distance.... it was a far more impressive kite in it's performance than the 5m Frenzy was. I've never flown an LEI, but after witnessing that....I'm keen to try one

These two kites have quite different AR's, that might explain the performance differences