Power Kite Forum

Who is the Flysurfer guru in the US?

Kamikuza - 9-9-2010 at 09:31 PM

The guy who puts the 0.5 into the Speed 1 and 2's? Jim at Powerzone seems to pop into my mind but is that correct?

... I may have a line on a Speed 2 19m but I want a FDS and to get the mixer checked out ...

lunchbox - 9-9-2010 at 09:40 PM

John (aka Powerzone)...yep, he's the man when it comes to FS.

Kamikuza - 9-9-2010 at 09:44 PM

Yeah just found the webpage : embarrassed: should learn to google before posting!

stetson05 - 9-9-2010 at 10:28 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kamikuza
Yeah just found the webpage : embarrassed: should learn to google before posting!


If you follow the link to the hydra depower on his site the pic is of my son flying one. http://www.powerzonekitesports.com/pztrainer.html

He just replaced 2 bridle lines for my 1.5 for very reasonable. He has been very easy to work with. :thumbup:

Kamikuza - 9-9-2010 at 11:01 PM

Ah ha, I see the Tongue of Intense Mental Activity ... despite my wife mocking me, it seems I'm not the only one who employs that power-up stance!

... trying to decide if it's worth getting a S2 19 or waiting for the S3 19's to drop in price a little more ...

lunchbox - 9-9-2010 at 11:22 PM

Quote:

... trying to decide if it's worth getting a S2 19 or waiting for the S3 19's to drop in price a little more ...



Depends on what you're really looking for...absolute low end or bigger windrange....from what I've heard, a knot or two lower end on the S2 and a lot higher top end on the S3. BTW, if you're thinking of getting the S3 19...what about the S3 21m...sick low end for sure...

Kamikuza - 9-9-2010 at 11:46 PM

Been doing some reading too ... lots of moans about the stability of the S2 and praise for the S3 ...

Can't afford to pay new price for a Speed3 21 ...! Used 19's are starting to hit my price range though ...!

ripsessionkites - 10-9-2010 at 01:09 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kamikuza
Been doing some reading too ... lots of moans about the stability of the S2 and praise for the S3 ...

Can't afford to pay new price for a Speed3 21 ...! Used 19's are starting to hit my price range though ...!


email me your budget ... LOL.

i cant seem to find the difference between STD and DLX ... however I would say its only 1 to maybe 3 knots in difference.

tridude - 10-9-2010 at 02:49 AM

SA2 rock solid and better low end i.e. the S3 21m....................I could go up to 16/17 mph on my 139cm TT...............you could most likely go from 9/10 up to 20/21mph......................BeamerBob goes about 220ish and was upwind and rollin on the Door in 8/10 mph winds with ocean current no problems

Houston AirHead - 10-9-2010 at 08:51 AM

the reason to get this kite is for the low end. Im not going to spend 3 grand on a new one. Im getting a SA2 19m.

tridude - 10-9-2010 at 09:10 AM

Houston, if youre under 175lbs the 15m SA2 or 17m SA 1.5 would be plenty......................

Houston AirHead - 10-9-2010 at 10:19 AM

yeah i would also go with the sa 1.5 17m too.

Not the 15 though. im 175lbs but i want a kite for the 10mph light summer winds here in texas. So im going to start looking now and buy one during the winter so ill be ready to go for next summer.

dylanj423 - 10-9-2010 at 11:42 AM

in texas, fixmykite does a great job, too

fixed me up in a 3 day turnaround... much cheaper shipping too (for me)... replaced some bridle lines for $10 i think.... great job, too

http://www.fixmykite.com/

revpaul - 10-9-2010 at 12:49 PM

John has done a couple things for me(kites) and has spent a lot of time talking(explaining) all things kiting to me. He is a pleasure to do business, never in a hurry to get off the phone, with and he always surprised me with his prices (lower than expected rather than the opposite).
*i was at an event put on by FS Canada (Mike) this past winter and there were few used kites around (for sale w/ Mike's OK). I was talking with Mike about mods and stuff and Mike simply said to send stuff to John for mods/repairs work on used stuff (out of warranty). pretty decent vote of confidence in my book.

syuzhak - 10-9-2010 at 05:32 PM

Check this out: http://www.kiteforum.com/second_hand.php?task=showAd&id=...
The Speed3 IMO is much better but yes the lowend is a bit more technical....But the amazing stability makes up for it. I no longer have to worry about keeping the kite in the wind window to avoid a bowtie (Speed2), I can just let go of the bar and let the kite sit overhead with no input (almost like an arc)

joedy - 10-9-2010 at 07:57 PM

Another good word for John at PowerZone Kites.

He hooked me up with a new Flysurfer Infinity Bar and offered suggestions after the sale to ensure that I got my Pulse tuned right.

-joedy

Kamikuza - 12-9-2010 at 06:30 PM

John thinks the 2 has good enough stability when tuned right ... for the price, I think I'll try the 2 out first :D

... guess that means my 1.5 will be up for sale!

cdakiter - 12-9-2010 at 06:49 PM

I had a nice visit with John over here on some inland lakes last week. I have to say, I thought the winds both days weren't that clean, but the sp2 15 he flew was solid!
Our launches are side-shore, with trees, buildings, hillsides, etc. The kite performed fine in these sticky, confined situations.
We even did a launch where the wind shadow was quite pronounced, and the wind very flukey. At one point, the kite luffed a bit, but a bit of rear line pressure popped everything right back into shape, I threw him his board, and off he went into cleaner wind.
Sick kite, hence the for sale posting of my P1.5 5.5 he modded. It's a nice kite too, but I want a speed! Lol!
Enjoy your kite Kami!
Scott
BTW, john is not only the modman of the US, he's also a really really nice man. Always makes it easier to give someone like that your money!

Kamikuza - 13-9-2010 at 05:40 PM

I remembered his logo on here ... like to support our locals :)

AD72 - 13-9-2010 at 09:24 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by syuzhak
Check this out: http://www.kiteforum.com/second_hand.php?task=showAd&id=...
The Speed3 IMO is much better but yes the lowend is a bit more technical....But the amazing stability makes up for it. I no longer have to worry about keeping the kite in the wind window to avoid a bowtie (Speed2), I can just let go of the bar and let the kite sit overhead with no input (almost like an arc)


Thanks for the link. I picked it up and flies great in low wind. It was barely blowing and I was skitching on the beach. Not enough to get on the board but no bowtie...and I know bowtie with a Phantom 9M. I am going to replace the stock chicken loop without a doubt to a megatron or ironheart. It has the FLS so I will add the 5th line from Powerzone.

Flysurfers are definitely are not for those not used to managing bridal lines. I got used to setting up and packing up with procedure through trial and error. I have become accustomed to dealing with sorting tangles and try to avoid if all possible. It is easy to see why tubes are most common. But I am not going to start that debate here.

Props to John @ PZ for supporting a kite for the performance and technical minded.

Kamikuza - 13-9-2010 at 10:24 PM

I have to untangle my bridles on the Crossbow every time I unpack ... usually, I just have to check the Speed as I pull the lines out and it's sweet.

AD72 - 13-9-2010 at 10:40 PM

When unpacking, since the lines are attached, I make sure to start with the bridals untwisted and then as I unwind the lines from the bar I walk away from the kite with the center lines between my legs and the back lines on the outside of my legs. No having to untwist at the end - provided I packed up well previously. When packing up, I make sure all the bridal lines are inside the kite and bring one tip to the other and fold. I leave the bar out with a half hitch on the lines rather than roling the bar in the kite as in the instructions. I have seen other kites with rust stains from the ELCs and metal hardware so I keep it out. Always fresh water rinse after if exposed to salt water air.