adetheshades - 1-7-2009 at 03:07 PM
Say Hi to another newbie ! I've had a 2m 2-line kite for quite some time now and now want to progress to a 4-line "propper kite"... I'm looking at
the Radsail Cirrrus Pro range. My budget is seriously "limited" but I could stretch To a "Cirrus Pro 6.0m"...... My question..... As a relative
newcommer to the sport, is the 6.0m too big ? Would I be better off considering the 4/5m ? ... I'm aprox 225lbs and would like something capeable of
lifting me/ dragging me when I feel confident enough but I dont want something that's going to scare the f***ing pants off me to the point where I
sell it after a few weeks. I know I'm on the large side but I dont want to buy something that I'll need to replace after a verry short time...... Your
comments would be appreciated !
mougl - 2-7-2009 at 07:09 AM
Ahh yes, the eternal "what size" question. I usually tell people 3m to start with but seeing as how u have a little exp. With a 2m I wouldn't hesitate
to say 4m would be great for you. 5 snd 6 m kites are great fun, but are dangerous for the beginner. A 4m will drag you around all day long, and has a
much larger wind range if can fly safely in. I don't suggest lifting or jumping till the time comes that Żou can fly your kite blind.
B-Roc - 2-7-2009 at 09:29 AM
At 225#s and with some experience of the wind window and a 2m to fall back on, I'd say go for the 4 or 5m. I'm 145#s and did most of my learning on a
2.5 and 5.5. The 4m will have more range but the 5m will have more pull for someone your size. Either way, both the 4 line 4 or 5m are going to have
a lot more pull than your 2 line 2m.
The 6 I is a bit much and will have a limited useable range. For general flying and scudding the 4 should be good - especially if you are only
getting one kite.
bigben91682 - 2-7-2009 at 09:48 AM
Bear in mind that many 2-line kites are measured by span, not area. So a 2m 2 line kite is not necessarily equal to a 2m 4-line kite. most 2m kites
come in around 1.2-1.5 m depending on the aspect ratio. so going from a 2m span (~1.4 sq m) kite to a 4 sq m 4-liner is going to be a big jump in
power.
Doesn't mean you can't handle it, just make sure it's a fair comparison.
I'm bigger than you and I started with a 3m. I did a the 'superman' on my first outing in strong wind, but once I learned how to fly it I can
basically handle it in any wind (at least what we get around here). There's plenty of power in a 3m and it will be your go-to high wind kite.
Drewculous - 2-7-2009 at 09:50 AM
What kind of wind to you typically have?
You are about my size, so if the wind is pretty mellow, you'd be able to roll a 5m no prob...
But if you have higher, gusty winds you'd like the 4m much more and get more flying time out of it
whichever size look into some of the big kite makers out there... peter lynn, flexifoil, hq, and ozone... they all have great beginner 4 line kites
that'll get you happily addicted to the wind
adetheshades - 2-7-2009 at 02:29 PM
What can I say other than a big THANK YOU to everyone for all the usefull comments... I have in fact, been out today and splashed out some cash......
on an OZONE FLOW 4m..... the guy in our local kite shop http://www.powerkiteshop.com/ was great ! Really helpful and offered pretty much the exact same advice as you guys. All I need to do now is wait
for 2wks... ( it's a birthday present off my wife) and hope that we get some good weather when were off down to Cornwall ??? ... Thanks again, here's
to the wind.... "let's go fly a kite" ! :bigok:
kitejumper - 2-7-2009 at 06:13 PM
ozone flow--very nice choice-u cant go wrong with ozone