Hi Guys,
i'm looking to get into DePower and boarding,i have no clue about setting up or flying Depower,only have fixed bridle experience.I have looked and know the are more expensive,larger and have the bar/harness ect.Any suggestions for a beginner Depower? would like lots of lift/air for jumping on a board[eventually] but as the are sooo expensive,i am looking at second hand ones on Ebay......Any suggestions/info please???? Thanks

I will have my 2011 Gin Yeti 8m and 13m for sale soon witch is a beginner de-power kite with low aspect ratio and 5th line safety ....

Why eBay when you can get better deals and buy from trusted sellers right here?

Be patient. You should find some great kit here.

X2. I just found my first 2 depower kites on here recently and they both way exceeded my expectations. I have bought a bunch of used kit on here and have never been disappointed. The hardest part is waiting and holding out for what you really want or need. It will eventually find its way to FS section though. I've noticed that the guys on here are really good about answering posts in the wanted section, so if you want to test the waters faster that would be a good place to start.

I'll let some others chime in about what depower kites to look for as I'm new to the depower side myself.

I would agree with AnnieO on this one. I happened to find my kites on craigslist and could go look at them, but this forum is the next best thing to looking at a kite yourself. My suggestion is to go with a really stable kite first, something with less lift that handles gusts and poor rider input first to get the hang of it first. I have 2 kites and although I love the liftier one, my ozone access 2 is stable enough that I can fly it in some of the worst conditions, and still do a 1/4 of the time. That being said, if you're on the coast with some stable winds, Going with something liftier is certainly do-able. Good luck finding something awesome and have fun!

If you want some more specific recommendations, tell us more. Weight, skill level, average winds, types of activities (board, buggy, water, snow, etc.) Give us a budget as well.

I recommend starting out with a name brand open cell foil to gain understanding with how depower works while remaining simple to launch and land with some familiarity to your fixed bridle kites. I'm partial to the HQ Montanas but their Apex is nice too. Ozone, Peter Lynn and other companies have models that are well regarded as well.

Hi Fella's,
thank you all so much for your replies and info.
I'm 45,been fixed bridle [static] only flying about Three years now.I used to own a 4m Blade,a 4.5m Pansh Ace and a 2m Pansh Flux.I now own a 3m Ozone Flow and 5m Radsail Pro,i only have experience with handles.My main[only] interest is Freestyle Landboarding, i weigh 168 Pounds.
Ps...Seriously though Guys,i will NOT be offended but,am i to old for this really? I started out too late,bummer i know?????
Cos' the great thing is i just gave up smoking and this is making me feel 21!!!!:roll:
My budget is about £200,not sure what that is in USD $

I'm 42 and while I wish I started 20 years ago I've only been boarding since 2005. You're never too old. We don't heal as fast when we get older and we feel the knocks a lot more but there is no reason you can't start freestyle at your age. You won't be a PushKiter over night or maybe ever but just push yourself to your limits and enjoy the ride.

That is definitely NOT too old, unless of course you start thinking like you are 21.

Start slow. Fly a lot. Progress at a pace commensurate with your skill level. And never forget that Mother Nature always wins if you cross her.

There are several threads on what DP kites to get as your first. Search the forum. You know FB and that is great so you are not really a noob. Open cell depowers like Beamer Bob mentions would be a good choice. At that price point you will need to look at a 5+ year old kite. Based on your quiver of FB I assume you will need a 7m to 10m DP.

I see you are in the UK. Check out www.racekites.com for local pilots and sales. A couple other guys here are from the UK and can maybe point you in the right direction to meet up with people and find kit that you don't have to ship across the pond.

Maybe go for an arc? I started on one and I'm an arc lover now. Auto zenith really comes in handy when you are first starting out.

phew I started when I was 22 still young and can do crazy stupid things :roll:

Thanks Guys,
not exactly sure what an Arc is..lol.
But what Thanson says sounds spot on! about a 7 to 10 meter as a first DP sounds ideal,thanks.
Only thing that's bugging me slightly is,i have looked on the net and there are NO kite clubs in my County! I guess i'll have to travel as i think it will be essential to hook up with some experienced kiters to gain knowledge of DP,as i said before i have NO clue how they work or are setup? I'm guessing when most people get their first DP,they are shown how to set it up by an experienced DP user? or can you just follow instructions that comes with the kite? Sorry for sounding like a dummy!I have looked on the net but the info is very basic,the DP kite in comparison with a fixed bridle,well,to me the DP seems like alot more equipment and only 3 lines instead of my usual 4????.....lol...i have a long way to go but looking forward to it!

Depower is always 4 (well sometimes there are 5) lines. Not so much more equipment other than adding a harness. Changing handles for a control bar.

An arc is a Peter Lynn twinskin kite. Guerrilla, Phantom, Scorpion, Venom, Synergy, Charger are examples. Go for instructional videos on youtube to see examples of the kites and get an idea of how to launch fly and land them.

Hi Bob,
i have heard of those you mentioned yeah,a Guy here in England was selling A 12m Guerilla on Ebay,£160.Mind you,i thought that might be a bit of a handful as a first DP

I will have a good look on Youtube too.
Cheers Bob.

Steve,
I decided to go for a depower foil for my first depower kite because my winds don't really support arcs and also the learning curve will not be so steep since I can handle my FB kites that range up to 8.3M. I just got a really nice Flexifoil Sabre 2 off the FS section here, I'm planning to fly it for the first time today. I was told by others with experience that this is a great first depower because it is really stable and has a good safety system. I'm already a fan of Flexifoil because I have a Blurr and a few Rages so I jumped on it. The reason I bring up the Sabre 2 is because you should not have a problem finding a nice 7 or 9.5M in your price range in the U.K. I was just lucky to get one in the U.S. Something for you to at least consider. Just don't go for a first gen Sabre, much different kite from what I have read.

Hi AnniO,
Thank you for your info,i'm soaking it all up like a sponge! Great site n' good people!
The Sabre 2 sounds perfect,have a great time today,i'm sure you will.I have heard of the Sabre now i think about it,mmmm,and obviously Flexifoil are a Fantastic brand for sure,i'll look out for one,also,when i hear of a different/new kite i look at reviews,i'll find a Sabre 2 review.
Thanks again,be safe and best of luck.

Yeah, kinda stinks not having anyone to gleam the basics of depower from. I was in your boat and was able to figure it out - if I can do it, anyone can do it ;-)

Just my ramblings about depower after a year:
- Felt totally weird to me, switching from handles to a bar, even though it’s still pull right, and the kite turns right.
- Had to overcome the initial urge to pull in on the bar when I’m getting in trouble as that just made the kite pull more.
- Had to keep in mind that the kite doesn’t turn as fast with the bar out and depowered.
- Found out that you can fly in the same wind range as a couple of smaller fixed bridle kites.
- Practiced the safety system more, because there is a little more effort in deploying the safety on a depower kite than I was used to when I could just let go of the handles of my FB kites.
- Since all of the pull of the kite is through your harness now, you can fly all day without your arms getting tired.
- Once you get moving with depower, you get a better feeling of the depower effect.
- I’m still learning depower (and FB)...

some excellent observations there.

I just listed a 9.5 HQ Montana which is a depower kite in the FS section. If you are interested hit me up maybe we can work something out. I am also selling a seat harness and spreader bar.

Steve, I have just bought my first depower, an 11m Frenzy fx. New kite curse is in full effect at the moment, but when i get used to it im sure you'll be welcome to give it a go!

Tim

Nice pick up Tim! Can't go wrong with a Frenzy...

Just be careful sending the Frenzy up or you'll be up and away!! Great kites enjoy.

Cheers guys. Yeah, I will be careful E. Ive been advised to start off in 10-12mph, and go from there. And i know several people whos first depower was a frenzy.
Tim