Power Kite Forum

Newbie needing equipment advice

MNboarder - 10-1-2012 at 07:25 PM

First off let me say thanks for taking the time to help me out, assuming someone does. :) I know it's kind of a pain but I really don't know anyone into any traction sports and I'm interested in giving it a go. A local shop is going out of business and they have a fair amount of stuff going for cheap and I was thinking that now might be the time to get equipment.

I'm 6'3" and 180-190lbs, my ideal goal would be to eventually be able to kitesurf as well as snowkiting on my snowboard on the lakes. Obviously I'll probably want to get a trainer kite and then move up from there so I was just wondering out of this list of stuff available what would be good to pick up since it's probably about as cheap as new equipment gets. Any advice you can give will be very much appreciated, thanks.

Ozone - 9 Meter Frenzy Red. Size 9. Control bar and line included.

Best Kiteboarding – Taboo 5.5 with control bar

High Quality Design – Hydra 350 – 3 Line Power Kite with controls, line and leash. Nylon Sail,Green and White 140” X 49”

High Quality Design – ScoutII 5.0 147 in. span Ripstop nylon sail. Beginner power kite with 16 cells. Safety Control bar included.

High Quality Design – Rush Pro 350 – 3 line power kite with controls, line and leash. Ripstop nylon.

High Quality Design – Beamer 5 – Line and control bar included.

High Quality Design – Beamer IV – 128 in. X 44 in. Ripstop construction. Line and Quad handles included.

Skydog Kites - SDT 2.8 – 113.5 in. X 32 in. Dual line. Line and controls included

High Quality Design – Rush Pro 300 – 9.8 ft. Span Ripstop nylon construction. Line and controls included.

High Quality Design – Rush 4 350 Pro – 3 line power kite. Control bar and line included.

They also have a lot of harnesses available for cheap, is there anything you would suggest paying attention to? Thanks again for any help you can offer.

Kamikuza - 10-1-2012 at 07:49 PM

Welcome to the forum and the sport! :thumbup:

IMHO if you're aiming to get into kitesurfing, you need to get your kite skills up with a cheap trainer that you'll probably give away after a few months ... there's guys here with shops you can sort you out a great deal :thumbup: I'll let them chime in ...

Again, IMO your first kite should be utterly simple and bullet proof. And small - 3m or less; like a Peter Lynn Vibe 2.6 or something.

You don't really need anything else until you can fly that kite in your sleep :yes:

MNboarder - 10-1-2012 at 08:06 PM

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it. I realize most of this equipment is beyond my abilities right now and I was hoping to get my hands on a good trainer, I'll be sure to check out the one you suggested. I was just kind of thinking that if any of the equipment in that list was something I may want once I do get my skills up, I might want to grab it since it's super cheap right now and just store it until I'm capable. It's funny at first I was thinking I'd just grab a big kite and figure it out by trying it, but after reading some articles and watching some videos I think it'd be much smarter to take baby steps, I don't really care to put myself or anyone else in the hospital. Thanks again for the info! :)

Bigbear97e - 10-1-2012 at 08:49 PM

I started like Kami stated ... with a 2-line Vibe... don't think it is absolutely necessary though .... good 3 to 3.5m (maybe 4) 4-line kite is the way to go. 4-line allowed me to fine tune position in the "wind window" to learn, and understand the impact of brake input in turning, relaunching, etc. Besides, a good small 4-line is usually never a waste as it will become a high windspeed kite once you have skills. Beamer V or IV in this size window would be a sweet kite.

If you intend to kitesurf/kiteski, you will eventually want a bar control kite and harness. I have done some snowboarding this winter on handles and it really wears me out fast. A harness distributes the pull over your body allowing for longer sessions for sure.

After you have skills with the 4-line handles, you could convert the Beamer to a bar control and carry on to a harness ...... The Rush Pro and Hydra are pretty good trainers too ... if you want to surf and ski, the hydra is a land/water kite that would allow both uses... in the right wind, a 3.5 hydra would allow you to body drag in the water so you could practice wet relaunch and stuff before surfing.

I don't know much about water harnesses, but Peter Lynn Divine (what I have) and radicals are popular... there are a "seat" harness that would allow you to cross over from snow into landboard and buggy

In exchange for the advice, you should tell us where the close out sale is ... some members may want to get in on it :tumble::evil:

O.K ... I've used up enough band width ... there is plenty of experience waiting to chime in

pyro22487 - 11-1-2012 at 12:16 AM

Out of the ones listed the Beamer IV is like a 4.5m kite right, in light winds that would be a good trainer. Ideal trainer is a 3m but if winds are light and if you are heavier that should do ok. Put it up in like 5 mph winds though. The lighter the better. A good option is a Peter Lynn hornet. www.bigmikeskites.com has them fairly reasonable. My friend bought a 3m Hornet and was bugging with it in 2 days. 15mph winds and he was moving.

I am 160-180 depending on the time of year. so I'm close to your weight. A 4.5m kite will pull very well in 10-15mph winds. If used properly it could be used to buggy but it would require a lot of work with the kite.

A 2 line is good for learning the basics but in all honesty you will "outgrow" it in like 2 or 3 sessions. Also try to find some people in your area that flies kites. Having someone around is always a good idea and they can help you progress much more quickly.

A helmet is always a must at the very least a bicycle helmet. Elbow and need pads are also good but not near as important as the helmet.

Also what are you conditions like and whereabouts you located.

Happy winds and welcome to the addiction.

Mostly Harmless - 11-1-2012 at 06:11 AM

The first kite I learned on was the Rush Pro 350 (3 line) and it helped me tremendously when I went for water lessions. Plus with the 3rd line if you get in trouble just let go and it makes it very easy to relaunch. Being that you want to learn to kiteboard I would suggest the Hydra 350 since you can take it in the water.

Bladerunner - 11-1-2012 at 07:34 AM

Take advantage of the opportunity to go in and try on as many harnesses as you can !

Harnesses become very much a personal choice. They must fit very tight so comfort is key . You need extra room for winter use.

Harnesses come up second hand but knowing if it is a " fit " is a crap shoot.

If moving to water is your goal I think the extra money for the Hydra is worth it. You can play in the water with it. Practice body drag etc..

elnica - 11-1-2012 at 07:55 AM

I've got the hydra 350, it is a good first kite. Maybe a 4 line would be better in the long run though. I still have fun with it in winds above 15mph but wish it was depowerable since conditions landlocked here in the center of the continent are pretty gusty and the 2-3 line kites cant depower. I'm thinking about having it converted to a depower (4 line kite) so it can be a high wind kite. It's nice to have the option to do that with the Hydra. Im not sure other trainers can be converted.

Weight is important too, I weigh 185 and the hydra 350 was good for me but I could have probably gone a tad bigger. Id say if you weigh more than 190lbs you could probably get a bigger kite like a scout II 4m instead.

awindofchange - 11-1-2012 at 12:23 PM

I too would highly recommend the Hydra 350. This is a great trainer and is totally water relaunchable, comes complete with everything you need to fly right out of the box. If your primary goal is kitesurfing, you can't go wrong with the Hydra.

MNboarder - 11-1-2012 at 03:49 PM

Thanks so much for all the info, you guys are great! I think I'm gonna try and get the Hydra 350, a helmet and a harness and go from there, now that you've pointed me in the right direction. A friend had emailed me letting me know about the shop closing and I was under the impression they were selling everything cheap, but it turns out that they're actually auctioning everything off on this local liquidation site called K-bid, I believe they ship so if any of that stuff looks like something you guys want give it a look, all I ask is that you don't drive up the bid on the Hydra 350, I don't have a lot of money and I'm hoping to keep it cheap, that's about the only way I can give this a try right now. The website is k-bid.com, thanks again everyone! :)

kitekid21 - 11-1-2012 at 04:09 PM

For what its worth, I'm just getting started, but I have learned on a Prism Snapshot. Then moved to a 4m Fixed Bridle Ozone Samurai. From there, I've just purchased some Bularoo Best 7, 10, 13m. As long as you don't challenge the wind speeds and learn/know your limits. I've (fingers crossed) never gotten seriously hurt. The most I've encountered is some bruises. All you need to realize is that a big kite is better in smaller winds and a small kite is better in faster winds. I think that a Hydra won't be useful after a few sessions and honestly, the LEI depower kites that I flew before I bought them are basically the same things!

Just my input. Remember to be safe though!

g00fba11 - 11-1-2012 at 04:43 PM

Looks like that auction is here......

Kiefers Kite, Wakeboard and Outdoor Sport Auction

Closing Process Begins Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - at 4:00pm Central
Items are located at:
417 Stanton Ave.
Fergus Falls, MN 56537

Anyone want to road trip?????

Gotta see if my cousin still lives up there..... may have free logging......

g00fba11 - 11-1-2012 at 04:44 PM

No road trip needed......

http://www.k-bid.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.cgi?klosteria223/categor...

Bladerunner - 11-1-2012 at 06:47 PM

I wonder if you can still get there and try on the harneses. It is so much better to try them on.

MNboarder - 11-1-2012 at 07:21 PM

Yeah I've been doing a bit of reading about choosing harnesses and it seems like those are something you really want to try on before buying. Unfortunately that place is about 3 hours one way from where I live so I don't see me being able to do that so I'm thinking that if they go for cheap enough maybe I'll grab one or two and see if they work, if they don't, I'll just ebay or craigslist them to get my money back, I guess we'll just see what happens, thanks again for the info guys!

indigo_wolf - 11-1-2012 at 07:26 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by g00fba11
No road trip needed......

http://www.k-bid.com/cgi-bin/mnlist.cgi?klosteria223/categor...


Just so there are no surprises....

Terms:ONLINE BIDDING ONLY
ATB,
Sam

g00fba11 - 11-1-2012 at 08:18 PM

Here is a good description of a buyers premium auction.......

http://townsend-real-estate.com/Buyers_Premium.htm

So as Sam has pointed out expect to add $10 to $13 bucks per hundred dollars spent for your winning bid......

Note also that small items can be shipped UPS for an extra charge.

Bigbear97e - 11-1-2012 at 09:24 PM

What rate is the MN sales tax? .... will have to factor into BP

MNboarder - 11-1-2012 at 10:42 PM

It's 6.875%

AZKevin - 15-1-2012 at 03:34 PM

MNboarder,

I also just started and went with the Ozone IMP III 3.5 - 3 line. Here in Phoenix, AZ we really haven't had windy days so this kite was perfect for our 5-10mph to start off. Now that I've been at it for a couple weeks Im wanting something bigger or more wind! I had a couple days of 12-15 mph and this kite was dragging me across the field!

I like the idea of from other to get a depowered 4 line to use for later tho :yes:

Have fun!

OmniSmurfZ - 15-1-2012 at 03:38 PM

I weigh like 140 soaking wet and I picked up a Scout II 4m as my first kite. I think it was really great to learn on and it can toss me around in like 10mph winds once you start whipping it around or loopdey looping it. It has a bar and then when I moved on to some depower peter lynn arcs it was a nice transition, was able to pick those up quickly. I also bought my PL radical seat harness completely blind, never having tried on any harness before, but I absolutely love this one! All my power is in my legs so I wanted a seat harness so I can utilize that to help hold myself down to build power, and this one is awesome. Doesn't make you go in a poo stance or crush your balls (make sure you tighten the leg straps a lot!) or anything.

MNboarder - 17-1-2012 at 01:35 PM

Thanks for helping me out guys, I think I'm gonna get the hydra and start saving for the inevitable day I need something bigger, with any luck you won't see me on a youtube video getting dragged across a beach or frozen lake anytime soon...cheers! :)

g00fba11 - 25-1-2012 at 09:28 AM

So did anyone buy anything from this k-bid auction????

Just thought I would follow up and see if anyone got some deals......

I would have loved to have scored a banshee bungee..... someone scooped them all up and I am sure will be turning them on the ebay or something........

combatcamp - 25-1-2012 at 09:43 AM

I bid on a few things, but that didn't last long with them Snipers out there lol

pongnut - 25-1-2012 at 07:56 PM

I scored the yellow Beamer IV 3.0 for 150 and a couple of the Mystic handle pass leashes for 11. Thanks to Mnboarder for sharing this one with us! :smilegrin: