skutter - 28-9-2013 at 09:09 AM
Hi all! i'm new to the world of kite flying - I've got a 3m HW scout 2 and a landboard - I've realised very quickly that i need to get a bigger kite
or two unless i go out in really strong winds to do more than trundle about a bit quite slowly.
I'f im a good boy a go to work next month (i work a 3 week on rest of the month off rotation) i'm allowed to buy a new kite.
I have my thoughts on a few things - and my eye on a few on ebay. - I have considered getting a second HQ scout - probably the 5m as a feel a 4m would
overlap too much with the 3m. I have also considered the PL hornet or even the twister at 5m. But I am also interested in a HQ Apex 3 10m depower and
possibly a 7.5m depower.
I have been checking the wind ranges of the HQ 10m and its very similar to that of the 5m hornets and scouts, but the kite is much more expensive than
the 5m hornet and scout. Infact i think it can fly in higher winds than a 5m hornet. But would the 10m apex be the same as a 5m kite in the power it
produces? or could it provide more? Would any of these give me the lift required to do my first jumps? A number of folk have said go depower asap -
but other recommend ditching bars all together and getting handles on a 4 - 5 m kite like the beamer or twister. Any tips advice experience would be
great!
Bladerunner - 28-9-2013 at 10:50 AM
Same advice as before.
Go with handles and a strop line to hook in if you are going to go Fixed Bridle. Go with Depower if you want a bar. Handle will allow you to turn a
larger fixed bridle faster + control its speed by adding brake input on the fly.
You can trim a depower kite to give more or less power . Think multi speed bike. With a fixed bridle think direct drive ( single gear) bike. Both will
get you up and down hills but one does it with variable power.
The Apex is not the most lifty kite but the trade off is that it is stable and less likely to spank you for your mistakes. A good intro' to depower.
If you don't already have a harness , I suggest you get one and get used to hooking in with your Scout ! There is a bit of a learning curve since you
take the power in your core when hooked in. Learning to take the power that way will help with the jitters when you hook into a big depower.
It is a tough choice. I spent a lot of time and money trying to enjoy FB on a bar. The greatest majority of riders end up choosing depower in the end.
I did.
skutter - 28-9-2013 at 01:12 PM
Thanks again! I use an old tree climbing work positioning harness - has tonnes of back support and i can hang in it all day - it has a rope bridge
with a metal ring that a hand a dmm revolver krab into - the rope bridge gives me too much slack so will adjust it when i get the time / inclination.
Flying in the harness is loads nicer on my arms for long sessions.One of the reasons i decided on the scout was that you could clip into it with a
harness as this appeared to be the way to go for traction sports. Have yet to try the harness with the board - but then i've only had the board for
two days. Will probably give it a go tomorrow but wind isnt that great - 8 knotts if i get out of bed early - so enough to trundle around slowly and
long walks back (again), but figure if the wind is that low i might be better of not clipping in so i can mover the bar about a bit more, and at least
with the scout you can adjust the brake lines. If depower is likely to be where i end up any way i may as well get into it now. Ive been offered a
brand new 10m apex 3 for nearly £300 cheaper than an apex IV 11m. Even though i have heard the apex 4 is really good thats a lot of extra pennies to
be spending.
erratic winds - 28-9-2013 at 02:11 PM
Used/older gear is no problem to use, just inspect entire kit carefully, look for frays/tears. My most favorite kite I own is from 2009. 
skutter - 28-9-2013 at 02:31 PM
This apex 3 10m is apparently brand spanking, I've read that the 10m Apex will cover roughly the same as a 4,5,6m FB kite - though again from what i
have read its not the best for jumping - which is something i really want to try, but have no idea of how quickly i will progress. But i figure it
must be possible to get some jumps in using an apex 3 10m kite - just not massive ones? Im rather impatient to wait for stuff to pop up on ebay (and
i've been out bid everytime i bid on a kite) but for example - there is a Flexifoil blade 3 4.9m going, and by the time i sort out postage its half
the price of the Apex 3 10m, but the apex would be more versatile no?
I am leaning heavily towards getting the Apex - ive been told by some to not get a 10m first off - but these are the same who told me to get a 3m kite
- which i love to fly but already after a short time have begun to realise its limitations and im hankering after something thats going to get me up
to speed.
John Holgate - 28-9-2013 at 03:28 PM
I have the 5m & 7.5m Apex II. They are a little slow and ponderous compared to a fixed bridle, but they are very stable and easy to fly. Not
overly lifty though.....you could probably do some small jumps with the 7.5m from around 15 knots.... I think. The 5m is just not floaty enough to
try it. So the 10m should be ok Wind range on the 7.5m for me, in the buggy, is from 8 knots to 18 knots. As a landboarder, you'd be flying the
kite a lot higher in the window than I do, so you may get more top end out of it. At a guess for the 10m..... 6 knots to 16-18 or thereabouts. My
7.5m is more forgiving in gusty conditions than my 4m Beamer used to be. If the wind range sounds about right for you, then go for the 10m Apex.
Should be pretty easy to re-sell if you find you want a higher performance kite later on. The comparable range compared to a 4,5 & 6m FB sounds
about right.
Forget the Hornet 5m. Not lifty and pretty slow. Low aspect fixed bridles tend to underperform in the larger sizes when compared to mid aspect kites
like Reactors/Toxics etc.
skutter - 29-9-2013 at 02:17 AM
Cheers for that - i was rather taken with the hornet but i think i will give it miss based on that - though the twister has also caught my eye - at
5.5m - but then the Apex 3 10m isnt going to be that much more expensive and maybe usable in wider range of wind conditions - and i'll still have the
scout for super windy days. - One of my biggest concerns is kind of making the same mistake i did last time - i.e being sensible and cautious and
getting a smaller or a less testing kite to find that i quickly outgrow it - saying that the scout has still put me on my arse / face a couple of
times with really strong gusts.