Power Kite Forum

good start for boarding?

muzza182 - 12-7-2010 at 06:32 AM

So I've had a 3m kite for a while, and can fly it (well enough!)
And have been looking to get on a board.
I was wondering what kite you guys would recommend?

My budget is kind of £150 max really, being a poor student and all. As it's only to see if I;d be good on a board before investing more money.

I've seen a HQ beamer, 4m for £151 here
http://www.powerkiteshop.com/kites/hqbeamerii.htm

Peter lynn hornet 4m for £158
http://extremekiteshop.com/kites/peter-lynn-hornet-p-986.htm...

Ozone imp quattro 3.5m for £135
http://www.powerkiteshop.com/ozone-imp-quattro-kite.htm

Cirrus 4m here it is for more, but I found a site selling it for £120
http://closer-to-nature.com/productPage.asp?productID=1438


Which of these kites would people suggest?
Or any other thoughts?
Cheers

dylanj423 - 12-7-2010 at 06:35 AM

i recommend looking for a peter lynn twinskin... they are rock solid stable kites, easy to fly, and inspire confidence... keep an eye out for a used one, you can often get them cheaply...

plus, if you are going to want to do any jumping, these kites are great for that... theyre all i use anymore for boarding

muzza182 - 12-7-2010 at 06:41 AM

Thanks for the quick reply!
I've read that Peter Lynn seem to the favs of many kiters. Cheers

muzza182 - 12-7-2010 at 07:53 AM

Also, What do people think of the Exit Pro series of kite? I've seen a few of them pulling people in videos.

dtoast - 12-7-2010 at 02:12 PM

I know your budget is tight, but seems like you already have a 3m which can fill as a high wind kite once you get more experience, so not sure why you would look at buying another kite around a meter bigger.

To provide you with some insights from of my limited buying experiences: My 3m was my first kite a summer ago, I got hooked and immediately needed more power… at 200lbs my 3m was not pulling me on the grass very well. Soon after I hastily bought a 6.5 meter which was on handles, part of my decision was that I had said at the time that I could not afford a depower kite and also did not want to wait any longer either. Not shortly after that I got the chance to try someone’s depower kite and wow what a difference…saved up some money and purchased my Outlaw. I love my 6.5 meter, but for where my focus is right now…land boarding, I wish I had saved some more money at the time and bought a depower kite over the 6.5. A lot of advice you will come across is try before you buy and I have to say it's not always easy to, but it is sound advice.

muzza182 - 12-7-2010 at 02:15 PM

I'm sorry I forgot to say. My 3m cost £40 with free postage from China to Britain! I shan't tell you how awesome it is.

Also, what makes up a depower kite, is it one with a bar? Apologies for my naivety

Maven454 - 12-7-2010 at 02:28 PM

awindofchange explaining fixed bridle vs depower

dtoast - 12-7-2010 at 02:30 PM

So you're saying its on the edge of shredding to pieces.

Yes, its with a bar. No worries, I think we all had to ask that question at some point. More importantly the bar allows you to change the angle of attack (a.k.a. pitch of the kite) in order to control the power being generated by the kite. That’s the most abbreviated I could make it...gets much more complicated explaining how the whole system works. There are some good threads on the forum explaining it and some YouTube videos. I have to head home, but if no one else post a follow up I will look for the thread later tonight to send.

dtoast - 12-7-2010 at 02:31 PM

Maven has you covered

Maven454 - 12-7-2010 at 02:54 PM

There are two things that should be specifically singled out I think. One is that a depower kite requires a harness to realize the benefits and the other is that not all kites with a bar are depower.

muzza182 - 12-7-2010 at 03:01 PM

Oh right, thank you very much guys.
Well I think I'll stick with getting something that is better than the one I have now, (it's not that its shredded, just awful, a friend who kites a fair bit hates it. Its just cheap quality) but will then save up for something better as I get a bit older.
So what would people suggest?

Maven454 - 12-7-2010 at 03:04 PM

If you're looking to replace the cheap 3m with something, I'd recommend the Ozone Flow, the Peter Lynn Hornet, the Peter Lynn Twister II, the Flexifoil Rage, or the HQ Beamer IV in either 3m or maybe 4m if you think you're ready for it. Ozone's are my favorite, but the others are fairly good kites too. The Ozone Imp III Quattro is a fairly good beginner kite, but the Ozone Flow is a bit better and not much more expensive.