Sthrasher38
Posts: 1770
Registered: 4-26-2007
Location: California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stable 
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power kites
Man the other day I was out in 20-30 mph. winds. I really needed to do that. Being fairly new to the sport I have gained new respect for power kites!
they are serious! They are for fun but, they are not toys!!! 
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Pdxnebula
Posts: 191
Registered: 6-15-2007
Location: Portland, Or.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Freezin, searching for the Wind...
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Just thinking, sittin here reading this topic, NO ONES ANSWERED YET???!!! They are a blast, & they give one a new respect & thoughts
about wind... One cant ever look at a weather report the same EVER Again, waiting to see what the winds going to be the next day, & you notice so
much more about the sky & trees & such, (must be from trying to figure the Beaufort scale) at the moment & how many other sports can you
pack up in big pockets or bag or car trunk, & all you need is the wind to have fun even if its JUST the kite??? !!!
56\"Thunderfoil:
72\"Thunderfoil(quadline):
HQ RushII 250:
ProFoil 1.5m²,3.5m²:
PKD\"Buster\" 9.0m²
8\' Delta Coyne:
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Pablo
Posts: 1453
Registered: 10-22-2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stoked
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Just remember, the further you push the envelope, the higher the stakes get. Big kites in big winds usually ends in big problems. Could be big fun as
well, but well, ya gotta know what you're doing and work your way up.
Sysmic S1 Buggy.
0.7m / 1.4m / 2.0m PKD Buster I
4.4m PKD Buster
10m JoJo RM+
6m Flysurfer Outlaw
12m Ozone Access
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Sthrasher38
Posts: 1770
Registered: 4-26-2007
Location: California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stable
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Thanks for the bump nebula! Yes you are right. I watch the weater daily more than once and cannot go anywhere without looking at the TREES.
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SecondWind
Posts: 1354
Registered: 10-24-2005
Location: Guam
Member Is Offline
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My worst time out was with a 3m Blade III in big gusty winds. That little sucker got the best of me 
Foil Kites: Flysurfer 12m Sonic 4, 10m Soul V2, Peak 5s and 5.5m Hybrid
LEIs: 9m Naish Pivot, 12m Naish Phoenix
Land: 16" Dirtsurfer GP
H20: 134 Shinn Monk Chromatic, Slingshot 103cm Hope Craft w/ Axis Spitfire 840
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GulfSandEater
Posts: 164
Registered: 7-13-2007
Location: Houston, TX
Member Is Offline
Mood: Longing to fly more
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pdxnebula
One cant ever look at a weather report the same EVER Again...& you notice so much more about the sky & trees & such
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Totally! My girlfriend gives me a hard time because we'll be sitting at a restaurant and I'll be staring out the window. She'll ask what I'm
thinking about, and I've got to decide whether or not to tell her the truth that I'm actually lusting over the wind I see outside!!!
My kite bag:
Pansh Legend 3.0m, 4.5m (for sale $60)
Ted\'s ProFoil 1.0m / 1.5m / 2.5m
Prism Nexus dual line
Premier Parafoil-2 single line
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Pdxnebula
Posts: 191
Registered: 6-15-2007
Location: Portland, Or.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Freezin, searching for the Wind...
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Lol... True Gulf, very true... I get the same thing from mine... But then shes the 1'st one to start smiling & laughing, Besides ME, when
I start being pulled by a kite, & she loves watching me do butt scudds, almost as much as I like to sit there & have the kite pull me back to
standing...
56\"Thunderfoil:
72\"Thunderfoil(quadline):
HQ RushII 250:
ProFoil 1.5m²,3.5m²:
PKD\"Buster\" 9.0m²
8\' Delta Coyne:
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BeamerBob
Posts: 8308
Registered: 5-11-2007
Location: Down on the bayou
Member Is Offline
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This is the first hobby I've had that my wife doesn't discourage me from participating in. She seems to understand that I have to go if the trees are
waving around outside. She isn't quite so happy when she sees a new bag on my shelf in the garage. I think I'm good on kites for awhile but that
buggy keeps nagging at me, and my 12 year old son is looking into land boards now. I guess it never ends.
Coastal Wind Sports Team Rider
Landsegler Disc wheels
PTW Hero Buggy - XXtreme ApeXX Buggy US 88 - Libre Hardcore
IvanpahBuggyExpo.com
Youtube link
Bob Muse
HQ Montana X 8m, Montana IX 12m, HQ Ignition LEI 5m,
PL Phantom 12m, 15m, Big Blu 24m+, Synergy 10m, Venom 10m, 13m , Phantom II 12m Vapors 3.8, 5.4, Crosskite Sonic 7m, PKD Combat 10.3m
Uturn Butane 2.5m PKD Buster 3m Genetrix Hydra 7m Ozone Yakuza GT 14m
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BeamerBob
Posts: 8308
Registered: 5-11-2007
Location: Down on the bayou
Member Is Offline
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Just got a lake wind advisory notice. I bet they didn't think about their notice encouraging me to get out in it this afternoon!
Coastal Wind Sports Team Rider
Landsegler Disc wheels
PTW Hero Buggy - XXtreme ApeXX Buggy US 88 - Libre Hardcore
IvanpahBuggyExpo.com
Youtube link
Bob Muse
HQ Montana X 8m, Montana IX 12m, HQ Ignition LEI 5m,
PL Phantom 12m, 15m, Big Blu 24m+, Synergy 10m, Venom 10m, 13m , Phantom II 12m Vapors 3.8, 5.4, Crosskite Sonic 7m, PKD Combat 10.3m
Uturn Butane 2.5m PKD Buster 3m Genetrix Hydra 7m Ozone Yakuza GT 14m
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acampbell
Posts: 3879
Registered: 7-26-2006
Location: Las Cruces, NM. Sometimes
Member Is Offline
Mood: Digging Deserts and Mts.
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Heh heh heh, the spelll is cast.
Yeah, I've got weatherbug on the PC, look at NOAA several times a day and always have seven days worth of tide data printed out and on my desk. East
wind and low tide, and I'm gone for PTE (prduct testing and evaluation).
I would like to scrape up the $2k needed to put a weather station on the Convention Center overlooking Jekyll Ilsand Beach. It comes with a wireless
web server and it's own IP address. I'm pretty sure the Convention Center would let me plug in a passive wireless router into their network. Then
all the locals could have real time feed from the beach.
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Pablo
Posts: 1453
Registered: 10-22-2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stoked
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| Quote: | Originally posted by BeamerBob
This is the first hobby I've had that my wife doesn't discourage me from participating in. She seems to understand that I have to go if the trees are
waving around outside. She isn't quite so happy when she sees a new bag on my shelf in the garage. I think I'm good on kites for awhile but that
buggy keeps nagging at me, and my 12 year old son is looking into land boards now. I guess it never ends. |
Looking at your list of kites, all that's missing is a 7-9m, you'd be surprised how many more "low wind" days you can get in when you're flying
something larger. Having flown a 13m Century and a 14m RM+, 4-6mph is starting to get nicely powered, by 8-10mph it's getting a little scary.
Sysmic S1 Buggy.
0.7m / 1.4m / 2.0m PKD Buster I
4.4m PKD Buster
10m JoJo RM+
6m Flysurfer Outlaw
12m Ozone Access
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Sthrasher38
Posts: 1770
Registered: 4-26-2007
Location: California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stable
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Yes! 7-9 meter! 
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Bladerunner
Posts: 9679
Registered: 10-17-2006
Location: Vancouver
Member Is Offline
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Beamer Bob,
I found that when my biggest fixed bridle kite in the bag was the 7m bullet I was lacking on those low wind days . The 9m seems to be getting me
out when the 7 wouldn't. I'm 140lbs.
Kites: 2.5m Profoil , Quadrifoil XL kitesurfer, NPW 5 Danger.
Flexifoil: 1.7m Sting, 4.9m Blade 3, 9m Blade 2.
Flysurfer : 19m Speed 2 SA, 7m Pulse
Peter Lynn :18m Phantom, 15m Synergy, 10m Synergy, 1200 Farc, 460 Sarc, 130 Tarc, 5m Peel, 4.2m , 6.4, 8.5 C-Quads, 3.5 LS2 single skin.
Rides: Flexi / P.L. Frankin'Buggy , Shaped + straight skiis, sand skis, Coyote blades. Core 95 ATB. RKB R2 ATB .
Ken (K2)
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Sthrasher38
Posts: 1770
Registered: 4-26-2007
Location: California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stable
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9m Blade 2 What a beast that must be!
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BeamerBob
Posts: 8308
Registered: 5-11-2007
Location: Down on the bayou
Member Is Offline
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Right now living inland and flying on grass, I have a hard time enjoying the 5m kites. I have a jones for a buggy now that ACampbell "made" me try
his out last weekend and I know that the power will be welcome with something to use it up. Until I get a buggy and find myself wishing that CF had
more power to make me go faster ( I can't imagine that until I can manage a right turn), I would have little use for the next size up. In 12-15 mph
winds last weekend on hard packed sand, I was scudding 75-100 feet without stopping (then I ran out of beach) with the CF so at the stage I'm in right
now, that is about the max I can take advantage of. I can see how a 7-9m kite would be a natural progression though. The Montana 3 in 7 meter was
winking at me that someday I would be ready for her. Angus was right in another thread when he said the spell was in place! 
I appreciate you experienced guys taking me under your wings.
Coastal Wind Sports Team Rider
Landsegler Disc wheels
PTW Hero Buggy - XXtreme ApeXX Buggy US 88 - Libre Hardcore
IvanpahBuggyExpo.com
Youtube link
Bob Muse
HQ Montana X 8m, Montana IX 12m, HQ Ignition LEI 5m,
PL Phantom 12m, 15m, Big Blu 24m+, Synergy 10m, Venom 10m, 13m , Phantom II 12m Vapors 3.8, 5.4, Crosskite Sonic 7m, PKD Combat 10.3m
Uturn Butane 2.5m PKD Buster 3m Genetrix Hydra 7m Ozone Yakuza GT 14m
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Pablo
Posts: 1453
Registered: 10-22-2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stoked
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For large kites you have to consider one thing, are you getting it for huge power or low wind kiting.
If it's for low wind, then you want a fixed bridal kite on handles, if you're going for big lift and power, then for sure you want a depowerable kite.
I like going out with my 16m Scorpion in 20-30mph winds, I'll fly with it sheeted pretty much all the way out (depowered) and still have more than
enough power to get going, set up for a jump and pull the bar in. If I'm already moving good with 20% of the kite power, no force on earth will hold
me down when 100% of the power kicks in. Big kites=big float as well.
Sysmic S1 Buggy.
0.7m / 1.4m / 2.0m PKD Buster I
4.4m PKD Buster
10m JoJo RM+
6m Flysurfer Outlaw
12m Ozone Access
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KiteProject
Posts: 218
Registered: 9-11-2007
Member Is Offline
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It's very easy to underestimate the power and the speed of the wind. After some rough experiences (using big kites in big winds), I have invested in a
windmeter for safe flyings. I'll use it to caliberate my internal windmeter as it underestimates the windspeeds.
| Quote: | Originally posted by Sthrasher38
Man the other day I was out in 20-30 mph. winds. I really needed to do that. Being fairly new to the sport I have gained new respect for power kites!
they are serious! They are for fun but, they are not toys!!!
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Sthrasher38
Posts: 1770
Registered: 4-26-2007
Location: California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stable
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Thats a good idea. I need to get one for those gusty days Because thats when it gets me!
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Pablo
Posts: 1453
Registered: 10-22-2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stoked
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Usually you just have a feeling, not a good feeling, when this happens, start with the smaller kites in your bag and work up. I've been fooled by
windmeters before, they're a great place to start, but also look around for other clues, tree tops, flags etc. We had one day at SOBB where the wind
was heading straight down the beach at ground level and average speed, but a flag on a nearby hill was pointing 90 deg to the wind at ground level and
pinned straight out. As was expected, harsh wind sheer and some bumpy conditions. That was the day I got yanked out the back of a buggy doing an
upwind tack. Should have known better, got #@%$#!y and tried to finish strong. Almost a week later and I've almost lost the limp.
Sysmic S1 Buggy.
0.7m / 1.4m / 2.0m PKD Buster I
4.4m PKD Buster
10m JoJo RM+
6m Flysurfer Outlaw
12m Ozone Access
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Sthrasher38
Posts: 1770
Registered: 4-26-2007
Location: California
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stable
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Thanks for looking out Pablo.
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