borntofli - 1-6-2010 at 05:55 PM
It arrived yesterday, such a small box for such a big kite...
10 mph winds today so off to the beach I go... Unroll it and setup for a side launch... Shake the spaghetti known as bridals, walk the lines.....
Looks intimidating laying there on top of the kite, but it all straightens out rather easily....Make sure I close the zipper...
Hook into the bar, look at the porta potties and guard poles... Hope im not going there..................
Start tightening up the downwind line, tug on it a bit to get it to rise and hopefully catch some air...I didn't prefill at all, there's so many
intake vents figured it should fill if I could coax it up a bit....
It started to fill, kept walking backwards and it stood up higher and higher.. There it goes, kind of like a crippled bird but up it went... Damm
that's a big kite, so long and skinny..
The tips finally filled out and looked like a big albatross gliding away... Played around with it carefully wondering if I was going to visit the
porta potties....
A few faster swoops left and right, a steady ever increasing pull.. A quick move to the top and your weightless.......
I can see it will be a while before my board skills are good enough for this kite.... There will be no quick sineing to keep going... Seems like a
dive and park and off into the wild blue yonder.....
After a half hour of scudding and lifting off the beach time to land..Hmmmmmmmmmm
I dont really want to pull the safety and watch it tangle to the ground.... I bounce my way over to a couple who have been watching me and ask if they
would be willing to catch my kite...
The wife hops right up and says sure, what do I do?? \
I explain what I want her to do and she stands on the beach waiting for me to bring the kite to her.....
I flawlessly fly it right to her, she grabs the kite i quickly move forwards and its dead on the beach.... She is amazed how light it is....
Open the zip...zips ( I had left one zipper open) I didnt see the second one... Maybe a good thing, If closed it I may have visited the porta
potties...........
As I'm packing up a couple young girls come over and ask me where they can rent one, that it looks like fun..............
As soon as my board skills progress, i'm going to be cruising the flat waters of the gulf, all alone..........................
Smiling all the way !!! :tumble:
:tumble:
wannabekiter - 1-6-2010 at 07:00 PM
sounds awesome! Good thing you didn't take out a porta potty :tumble:
stetson05 - 1-6-2010 at 07:36 PM
:flaming: I didn't realize you got a SA 17m 1.5 I am quite jealous.
stetson05 - 1-6-2010 at 07:43 PM
My S1.5 17m (ordinarily version) is much like yours. Nice review! I just probably need a couple of mph more than you do. 10 mph will do nicely
though. I am not sure if it is enough on water but I should find out this summer. Mine turns slow too but in much less wind than my 11m Neo I can
cruise just fine. Most of the time I power up to get rolling through thick, soft grass and then depower to keep the speed down to a manageable rate.
They only think I regret is it isn't a SA. 
Kamikuza - 1-6-2010 at 08:16 PM
Awesome! 
Should get mine out soon too ... although the forecast for the NEXT TWO WEEKS is nothing about 8 knots FFS and that's when I have to work - and can't
skive at all :D
I seem to remember reading that the older Speeds were park and ride kites - they don't like to be worked hard ... but I could be wrong.
Hardrock - 1-6-2010 at 11:40 PM
Sweet!!!!!!!!!!
tridude - 2-6-2010 at 05:33 PM
they are lock and load machines...............................10 to 11 is plenty with a lightwind board