Hello Guys,
Im new here so a big hello from me!
Just so you know i currently live in Hong Kong, i saw some people from around here are on this forum....hope we meet some day!
I am new to the sport of Power kiting...I am actually highly involved with Cabrinha kite company but have never even tried the sport..:ticking: tried
windsurfing and never dug it at all...im a surfer and snowboarder and i feel like being attached to a device for riding is a restriction on manoeuvres
and body movements....don't bash me please..lol...just rying to give you some background here!!
So anyway the other day i was chilling on kuta beach in Bali after a nice surf sesh and the wind was up a bit and i saw for the first time ever a guy
powerkiting....all i could think was wow too much wind to surf right now...i wish i was that guy...cuz this looks like mad fun, and a great workout!
So then i started doing a bit of research and found out about all the things that you can do with a PK...obviously i found out about jumping and that
looks like mad fun! After doing some extensive reading and lurking around here i have come to understand that this is something that i will get into
later and first i will need to get to learn how to kite properly and safely under various conditions....
So here is my question to all the experts out here: bearing in mind that i do not want to get into power kiting to be mobile (kite boarding,
surfing,buggy etc.) but rather to be on my feet...and that in the future i will be comfortable and skilled enough to try some small jumps which kite
is the one for me ?
I have read a bunch of reviews on here and i am considering buying either a PL hornet 4 or a PL Twister II 3 ....I say twister 3 because i have read
that it is alot more nervous than the Hornet and has some lift to it....
I think that the Hornet might be the better choice but i guess i need to peeps on here to help me confirm my choice!
So all your comments and suggestions are welcome.
Cheers!
TontusMaven454 - 20-10-2009 at 03:32 AM
You should start by telling us how much you weigh, which will give us a better measure of what kite size you need. It's also important to know what
kind of winds you normally get.
Generally (in my experience), if you're going to be flying static (on your feet) a 4m kite is a fair amount of kite, though there's definitely
variance based upon how much you weigh. The worry about a 3m Twister is that it might still be able to pick you up, but then it'd drop you straight
back down, particularly if you're only going to be using it when there's too much wind to surf. I'm sure that others will chime in with their
opinions (likely more informed than mine), so hang on for a lot of info.
Welcome to PKF and I hope you enjoy kiting!furbowski - 20-10-2009 at 03:49 AM
hi, i was taking a vacation from posting for a while, but your post was def enough to get me logged on again!
I fly lots on Lantau island, also sometimes at the big beaches near Sai Kung, Tai Long Wan and Ham Tim Wan.
I'm working pretty hard these days, but can usually get out saturday or sunday for a few hours.
Concerning the kites I'd say good choice going PL, but the hornet is the better kite for you right now. You want your first jumper to be in a size
bigger than the hornet, and to start working on that when you feel you have good control of the hornet right across its whole wind range. It is much
safer to get into jumping on the bigger kites (assuming you can choose your winds responsibly) than it is on the small kites. I was doing head-high
jumps on a 3.2 m today, but it was very nervous stuff indeed, things happen much more slowly and safely with the bigger kites in smaller wind speeds.
A small twister will require far more skill to fly safely than the hornet will.
Also, don't plan for your second kite just yet. Wait and see what the first kite teaches you. There's far more to traction kiting than static
jumping, and after the skills and windsense start to soak in you may find yourself going in a different direction.
In any case, I have a few kites to try, and some of them have spent a fair bit of time on loan.
My local HK digits are six503353six. Call me anytime, most folks call me either furbs or erik.
but be advised that the winds are going to be bad for awhile, the NE monsoon is kicking in hard and there are very few good place for flying wind with
any N in it in HK.
welcome to the forum, mate!Tontus - 20-10-2009 at 10:23 AM
Hi guys thanks for the replies and the welcome!
Maven, i weigh 75kgs, and i have a strong upper body....if that has any effect on what size of kite i could handle....as for the winds i will be using
my kite in well i am just not sure....but i imagine i will start at the lower end of the spectrum and work my way up as i build skill and confidence.
Furbowski...cool man, thanks i will hit you up for sure..so concerning your answer, which is what i thought i was gonna get; you suggest going for the
hornet, so based on my weight and keeping in mind the above; do you guys think that a 4m hornet is too much?
Cheers!:tumble:Tontus - 20-10-2009 at 10:25 AM
Furbowski,
Forgot to ask you, where would you suggest i purchase my kite from?
i did search and i do not believe that there are any shops in HK that carry this kite, do you know of a good internet site or source where shipping
would not cost me an eye?
Cheers?Maven454 - 20-10-2009 at 10:30 AM
Tontus, you weigh just a bit more than I do. You'd likely be ok with a 4m as long as you start slow. Personally I'd go with a 3m, but I tend to feel
overpowered earlier than a lot of other people.kitejumper - 20-10-2009 at 11:33 AM
i think the hornet would be good for starters.......after you've been flying static awhile, my guess is that you'll get interested in using the kite
to move you somehow--its a somewhat natural progression as you get experience.......mougl - 20-10-2009 at 12:01 PM
Welcome to the addiction! The first kite I ever flew was a twister II 4.1m. Had about 8-12 winds and I was ok in that. The twister is a lot like the
hornet in the fact that's its rather forgiving. It takes gusts well, and its a joy to fly. As long as you respect the kite, and respect the wind right
from the get go you should be ok with the 4.1m. The 3m is never a bad option either! I'm glad to see you did your homework ahead of time! So few
choose to do so. (Myself included in that, I bought a twister II 5.6 as a first kite lol) the hornet is said to be an amazing trainer. I can't speak
from personal exp on that though as I have only flown twisters and a viper. Regardless, good on ya for asking here about a sensible first kite choice!
I vote twister II 3.0 or 4.1 cheezycheese - 20-10-2009 at 12:01 PM
I weigh 210lbs. my first kite was a 4m beamerIV and i often wished i had gone smaller initially. i have pretty decent upper body strength as well
Tontus, but no upperbody strength can compete against a gust that lifts your entire body in the air unexpectedly. sure the 4m was eazier to get in the
air during the lazy summer winds and learn basic kite control, but as the winds picked up to where the kite really felt alive it often scared me. for
me it is too large of a kite to stand around and try and hold down. it's a great buggy or board engine, but on days where i just want fly static i now
reach for something smaller. but i also am relatively new and not trying to advise, but simply share my experience.
you are in the right place these bros will definitely get you sorted... :bigok:
i also had no aspiration of moving around with the kite, but boy did that QUICKLY change. good luckDAKITEZ - 20-10-2009 at 12:14 PM
Here is a good list for you ... and hopefully others will add to it
beamer IV 3m
Hornet 3m
Peter Lynn Viper 2.6m ... my favorite
Twister II 3m
My vote as always goes to the viper 2.6m. Not much lift, super fast and fun with good loads of power.
Start with a smaller kite then move on to a 5m for your next kite and you will have a well rounded quiver.
Just my 2 cents.Bladerunner - 20-10-2009 at 04:29 PM
It sounds like you will prefer to surf etc. in lower winds. All the more reason to start out with nice stable a 3m.
You WILL want to start jumping at some point. At that point you will want something like a 5.6 Twister.
The 4m is big for a beginer and small for a jumper IMHOmougl - 20-10-2009 at 04:45 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Bladerunner
The 4m is big for a beginer and small for a jumper IMHO
I didn't factor weight into it, my bad. I flew a 4.1 first, but then again I'm 200 pounds. 3m *nod* or as Dino said a 2.6 Viper is an awesome kite! I
love mine :wee:furbowski - 20-10-2009 at 07:58 PM
There's no place to purchase power kites in HK. pete of kite2high.com has a few trainers in the 3m size, don't get them.
All my kites came from online shops in the beginning, nowadays I mostly buy used off this forum. Dakitez who has posted on this thread would get my
nod for sure, you won't go wrong getting your ripstop from that guy.
4m is biggish, yes. The good onshore flying winds in HK tend to be from the south, and not so strong as the northerly winds, which are nearly
unflyable. 4m is way too much for the north winds, but a good size for the south winds. but winter is here and we are going to get a lot more
northerlies than southerlies for the next few months.
you won't go wrong with 2.6 or 3 m.Tontus - 21-10-2009 at 01:22 AM
Hi,
Thanks for all the replies....so after reading on, i have ordered a PL hornet 3 from Dakitez.com....woooot!:shocked2:
Here's to hoping it arrives quick!!!:ticking:
In the mean time im gonna try and link up with Furbowski this week end and see if he has a bit of time to give me an intro before my kite arrives!
Cheers!furbowski - 21-10-2009 at 02:22 AM
hi tontus, you're making all the right moves so far!
I look forwards to meeting you one of these days...
The winds are from the north all weekend, and so they are bad. If I find a place to fly with clean northerly winds in HK I'll give you a call/U2U.
Alternatively, esp. if you have a car (I don't) we could possibly meet up by tung chung and look for places, it's likely we could find something not
too close to the airport, the north side of lantau is the most likely place for good winds on the weekend.Tontus - 21-10-2009 at 11:40 PM
Yeah Furbs,
i unfortunately dont have a car...well maybe it is fortunate cuz driving in HK...meh!
But yeah for sure give me a call if ur going to go im always down for a walk search....in case u dont have my cell: 63 911 213...
Cheers! furbowski - 22-10-2009 at 02:53 AM
hiya... got your sms, will call.
but the winds are terrible this weekend. We'll have weak northerlies on Sat, and variable / light winds on Sunday. Sometimes the variable winds can
turn into light seabreezes, but can't count on it.
winds are great tuesday and wednesday, unfortunately i believe we're both working... Tontus - 16-11-2009 at 11:25 PM
So i met Furbs this week end for my first kite sesh...and fist let me say that he is a great guy and really helped out for my first time, gave me a
lot of pointers and tips...he started me out on a flexi 1.7m in #@%$#!ty and gusty winds...had a bit of fun on that and then unpacked the PL hornet
3m...was really impressed by how much fun this new sport is...i cannot wait to get out there again and fly in some nice winds!!!Kamikuza - 17-11-2009 at 12:00 AM
now imagine riding your snowboard - and never coming to the bottom of
the mountain :wee:
now imagine riding your snowboard - and never coming to the bottom of
the mountain :wee: