Best bet is to beg, borrow or steal a de-pow setup and try it first, but I personally never had that luxury. Through much reading and advise from
everyone here I purchased a used PL Arc as a first depower. The setup and launching was a little tricky at first, but got easier with time. The size
of arcs intimidated me from the get go, but I think that is what kept me safe untill I learned more skills.
SS Turbine 17m
SS Rally 14m
SS Rally 12m
SS RPM 10m
SS Rally 8m
SS Rally 6m
FS Speed 3 15m dlx
FS Peak 2 6m
Ozone Frenzy 9m
Ozone Access XT 6m
PL Farc 1200
What I ride:
Home brew buggy
Volkl race tiger DH 210
Dynastar DH 218
Blizzard Cochise 185
Steepwater 179 twin tip
Aboards Reverse 161
Get cooler with "beach" wheels.
Fill with beer, non-alcoholic drinks, and ice.
Casually wander the beach at Wildwood.
When someone asks if you have a drink to spare.
Offer to hold the controls of their kite while they indulge. Caveat: Friends don't let friends pilot tipsy... unless the flash card is empty and the battery is full.
ATB,
Sam
"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12 - Jesus, does anyone?" - The Body by Stephen King
I took a lesson but that's not always easy or practical. If you can't hook up with someone then buy one you are interested in and start in winds that
are low to very low for the given kite size and work your way up.
Get real familiar with the safety system before you launch the kite for the first time. I saw a new flier get hammered on his brand new 12m Frenzy in
strong wind conditions his first time out with the kite. After getting dragged he reached for what he thought was the safety but what was actually
the chicken loop release. Sent his brand new kite zipping down the ice. As some of us ran to him others chased the kite. Much to the anger of the
local ice fishermen, it was eventually fouled in their traps with minor damage to the sail and much . You don't want that happening to you your first
time out.
Depower Quiver: 14m Gin Eskimo, 10m Gin Eskimo III, 6m Gin Yeti, 4.5m Gin Yeti (custom bridle and mixer)
Fixed Bridle Quiver: MAC Bego 400, JOJO ET Instinct 2.5 & 5.5, Lil Devil 1.5, Sting 1.2
Rides: Ground Industries
Well Cheddar, thats where I'm at. Intimidating! I saw a dude at the beach and he was just standing there, when he pulled the bar and it lifted him up.
(So Sweet) This was the North 14 meter I wrote in another post, where he couldn't re launch. I want to do it but don't want a kitemare.
Well............this leads me to the next question? I don't know of anyone who will loan me any equipment so If I were to get a kite, what would be
the best size to get. I need it to be universal for ATB and Buggy. I'm assuming I would need a harness, (Dont know if I would need a spreader bar) and
whatever kite. I guess you get the feel by static on the beach to get the feel?
B roc, exactly why I ask and ask and ask questions first. Very insightful. I have been drug and dropped on my head and that wasn't even that big. I
believe you could get in much more trouble with the de powers, even quicker. I definitely have a healthy respect for these machines.
Originally posted by Powerws
Forum, can you fly these de-powers statically very well?
Yes but you don't experience the benefit of depower if you aren't moving. they are fine and fun to fly static but if that's all you were to ever do
then you would not want a depower kite.
You do need a harness and spreader bar.
Depending upon your weight, you're goto kite would be a 10m (12m if you are big and 8m if you are small).
If you wanted to be real safe, start with a 4-5m low aspect kite like the Apex or Access and learn on that and use it as your high wind weapon once
you get comfortable and then determine if you want a 7m ,8m or 10m to step up to. If you are looking to move to arcs or LEIs, then you'd need to talk
to someone else about appropriate sizing as my recommendations are for open celled foils.
Depower Quiver: 14m Gin Eskimo, 10m Gin Eskimo III, 6m Gin Yeti, 4.5m Gin Yeti (custom bridle and mixer)
Fixed Bridle Quiver: MAC Bego 400, JOJO ET Instinct 2.5 & 5.5, Lil Devil 1.5, Sting 1.2
Rides: Ground Industries
One good way into the sport is investing in one of John's de-powerable HQ Hydra's. ( www.powerzonekitesports.com ) This is a great trainer for the beach since you can fly it out in the water away from the crowds. The 350 size has
enough grunt with 15 knots and up to allow you to practice body dragging. It also will become a good kite to put in your quiver when (inevitably)
family, friends or even passionate strangers will ask if you will teach them how to kite.
I, myself, jumped right in with my Pulse 10m on VERY light wind days initially on the ground. When I say light wind, just barely enough to get the
kite up in the air with a fair amount of front line pulling. Since I already had stunt kite experience, I didn't require time to learn about control
and the wind window.
I primarily did this in order to gain a fair amount of respect of the kite and most importantly to practice using the chicken loop release. Pulling
this release should become reflex and should be done until you can do it without thinking and without delay. A Flysurfer 10 is a very misleading kite;
one moment she's gracefully hovering around the apex and an unexpected gust will have you off of the ground without warning.
Since you've already got stunt kite experience and have demonstrated that you can skud until you wear your feet out, you will have a much shorter
learning period. Keep in mind, though, that kiteboarding is not just about flying; learning planning and balancing on the board is challenging even if
you already know how to fly.
Be sure to check out iKitesurf.com For Sale section. Any kite from 2008 and up will have the newer safety systems intact.
I bought a like-new 2008 Best Nemesis 10m for 300 dollars. I hate pumping up the darned thing, but for the money, it flies well and was in very good
condition with no holes or repairs and with the bladders all holding air.
Be leery of anything older than 2008 year kites. These generally don't have very good safety systems.
You can get into powerkiting with a used LEI (generally) pretty cheap. Get a used harness and board and you can practice and learn on these until you
have one of those gorgeous new Flysurfers.
power,
+1 for an arc - had tried a couple of older depowers and had all kinds of issues (probably because to old designs) but put an arc up in the air for
the first time in January of this year and have progressed fairly quickly- biggest advantage of the arc was once i got over the intimidation of size
discovered that they actually are pretty gentle and actually fly better in a real wind. in 10-12 mph it is almost boring but get really wonderful at
about 15 and up. The key imo is that their size is misleding compared to other leis or open foils. i am 230 lbs started on a 12m and now i hardly
ever fly it but go to my 16m and let my 12 yr old fly the 12m. Once the winter winds start hopefully soon maybe we could get together and i will let
you give them a go. i fly in salem va pretty regularly and that is only about 3hrs from charlotte also i have a place near blacksburg so if you know
of a spot somewhere on 77 we could meet that might work as well. otherwise you are welcome to try them in ww. i will be there friday through monday.
scott
Forum, can you fly these de-powers statically very well?
Yes.
But depending on the size and model they will generally turn a lot slower than an equivalent fixed bridle. My 6m Access XC was a little too slow
turning for my liking where as the new XT's are a lot faster - but still slow compared to FB's.
My 6m XC was my first depower and it did not take very long to get the hang of. Was a bit of a slug for static flying but being able to power/depower
to allow for gusts when in the buggy was excellent. There usually isn't a huge depower range.....maybe 40% ??? that's a wild guess!!! But well
worth it well conditions get gusty.
In a smooth onshore, a good fixed bridle is more exciting and fun to fly - imho.
I would imagine a depower will also be easier to landboard with as you can constantly adjust the power to allow for gusts......?? I know nearly all
the landboarders and buggy jumpers here have all switched to depower kites.
I pretty much did the same as joedy. Fly stunts, get a larger kite (mine was 12) and fly in winds the kite barely flies in till the skills build. I
did have a short lesson with a trainer and ended up breifly flying an 8m ozone, hardly an intensive lesson though In the end, it worked. But, my
own trainer or even a 8m first kite (or 10\12m arc) would have been easier for sure.
Ya, I find foils a bit touchy on the landboard in my winds too. My foil works best when I have lots of room to move around, like snowkiting.
Sounds like a 12-14 meter would be a great place to start. ozone or phantom. I love the way the phantom looks! Who sells a wide variety of harnesses?
Is there a wide variety? Kite, harness, spreader bar, anything else?
Originally posted by PowerwsWho sells a wide variety of harnesses?
Most retailers carry 3-5 manufacturers and not necessarily all their harnesses (although anything can be ordered fairly quickly). It just wouldn't be
feasible from an inventory overhead standpoint to carry more.
Quote:
Originally posted by PowerwsWho sells a wide
Is there a wide variety? Kite, harness, spreader bar, anything else?
Think we have already established that there are a wide variety of kites.
Harness Types: Waist
Seat
HybridSome harnesses come with the spreader bar as part of the package (a couple of companies have changed over to this policy in 2011).
In other cases, it must be purchased serpately. Spreader bar size is generally keyed to the (waist) size range of the harness.
Spreader bars come in several flavors: Standard hammerhead
Spinning hammerhead
Fixed pulley wheel
Pivoting pulley wheel
Pivoting, spinning pulley wheel Some examples of these can be seen in the current Peter Lynn roster of spreader bars.
Several manufacturers make spreader bars with quick releases, so the straps don't need to be loosened to remove the harness. A few people have had
some "OS" moments due to premature release. Kind of on the fence about them. If it really becomes a WIBNI, I will probably contact the Canadian
elves and retrofit something less prone to this behaviour.
Some but not all harnesses come with a hook knife. In the event of catastrophic (safety) equipment failures, this would allow you to cut away the
lines to free yourself from the kite. Kind of a spendy way to end the relationship, but if the alternative is to lose flesh or body parts... well...
divorces (even from kites) are known to be expensive .
Hope that helps.
ATB,
Sam
"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was 12 - Jesus, does anyone?" - The Body by Stephen King
"Sounds like a 12-14 meter would be a great place to start"
depends if you are talking about a foil or LEI size, or arc sizing....
12-14 foil/LEI size as a great start size? ...no. I did the 12m foil but wouldn't recommend it as a first kite on land. When the 12 is easy to get
in the air for a beginner, it still has too much power to easily handle.
12m arc to learn on? maybe. Arcs are quite friendly in the air once you master the launching technique.
Generally, a 'great start' is to get your higher wind kite first, build some skills, then get your larger kite(s). Depends on your weight and local
wind conditions,...we would have to know these to offer any reasonable recommendation for a simple quiver.
I think WW is going to surprise you with the amount of different types of kites there. depending on the winds I have a couple of kites you can try.
You will learn so much at WW alone being around so many kiters.
How to get started on depower? Plant your fixed bridal in a tree, it kind of forces the issue! WBB will give you plenty of opportunity to fly , I've
got 3 depowers in the 5m range , HQ will have their new 3m Apex, and if its not crazy high wind I'm sure someone will let you hook into a big kite.
Its a huge beach with lots of soft sand , great place to fly static.
2.6 , 3.9 , 5.3 , 6.8 PL Vipers
5 , 7.5 HQ Apex II
14m HQ Montana VII
5m naish element
7m ss turbo diesel
10m pansh blaze
5m beamer dearly departed into a tree
3 "snowspider" homebuilt kite sleds
3 homebuilt buggies
1 skate board with seat on wheels or blades (the c0ckroach)
Personally, I just went and bought my two Flysurfer Outlaws. Then I got a buddy to give me a few pointers. Launched them and never looked back...
Not for the faint of heart... Having someone there to give you assistance is crucial to success with a depower kite.. Wildwood will be a great place
for you to give them a shot...
See ya there.
Originally posted by PowerwsWho sells a wide variety of harnesses?
Most retailers carry 3-5 manufacturers and not necessarily all their harnesses (although anything can be ordered fairly quickly). It just wouldn't be
feasible from an inventory overhead standpoint to carry more.
Quote:
Originally posted by PowerwsWho sells a wide
Is there a wide variety? Kite, harness, spreader bar, anything else?
Think we have already established that there are a wide variety of kites.
Harness Types: Waist
Seat
HybridSome harnesses come with the spreader bar as part of the package (a couple of companies have changed over to this policy in 2011).
In other cases, it must be purchased serpately. Spreader bar size is generally keyed to the (waist) size range of the harness.
Spreader bars come in several flavors: Standard hammerhead
Spinning hammerhead
Fixed pulley wheel
Pivoting pulley wheel
Pivoting, spinning pulley wheel Some examples of these can be seen in the current Peter Lynn roster of spreader bars.
Several manufacturers make spreader bars with quick releases, so the straps don't need to be loosened to remove the harness. A few people have had
some "OS" moments due to premature release. Kind of on the fence about them. If it really becomes a WIBNI, I will probably contact the Canadian
elves and retrofit something less prone to this behaviour.
Some but not all harnesses come with a hook knife. In the event of catastrophic (safety) equipment failures, this would allow you to cut away the
lines to free yourself from the kite. Kind of a spendy way to end the relationship, but if the alternative is to lose flesh or body parts... well...
divorces (even from kites) are known to be expensive .
It's personal preference. What brand fits you best and is the most comfortable. Mystic probably has the best… certainly the most expensive. A lot of
people like Dakine harnesses. I myself have a Naish waist harness I got at a discount that I really like. A lot of people like the Liquid Force Luxury
2.0, and they are super easy to find. Mostly all harnesses nowadays are quality built and safety insured.
Just as a little side note, if you get a waist harness, it will ride up on you. It will it will it will. It's practically guaranteed. That's just
another reason not to static fly a depower… the lower in the window the kite is, the less the harness will ride up. I only start to have real
problems when it just sits at the zenith.
come on down to Sullivans Island on a mid day low tide weekend afternoon...............I have a few depowers and a couple blades you can try in the
buggy or on the landboard................................3.5 hours and your here!
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