Power Kite Forum - Looking for a depower kite, also advice since i am a noob

Looking for a depower kite, also advice since i am a noob

malashev11 - 11-10-2015 at 08:04 PM

Hi everyone, I just went out to fly a 6m hq neo and absolutely loved it. it was my first depower foil kite i tried. the depower range was amazing and i think i might be able to share this kite with the wife. I am 230 pounds and my wife is under 120. we are just getting into the sport, this kite was so easy it was just a pleasure. Does anyone have a comparable kite for sale? or an advise what to look for? I dont need it to be water re-launchable since i have my lei's but that huge depower is a must. I cant find any hq neo's for less than 1k.

thanks for any advice in advance.

IFlyKites - 11-10-2015 at 08:10 PM

I have a Psycho 3 10m up for sale. Seems you have ideal winds for depower.

I would say a 10m would fit perfect if you have the right winds for it. Are you talking about flying static or landboarding?

U2U sent!

volock - 11-10-2015 at 08:12 PM

I know this guy in real life and he's underselling himself a bit on terms of being a noob, he definitely has some decent kite flying skills. We're both stuck in gusty New Mexico, and kite together and are headed out for snow, and him on his mountain for dry land (MBS Atom). Kite someone generously let us play with today was an HQ Neo 6.5m (2012/2013), but his collection of LEIs and rough ground don't mix so well.

nate76 - 11-10-2015 at 10:09 PM

What size are you looking for? The Neo's can be hard to find used, but when they do come up, they are generally at blow-out prices. I think there are actually a couple new 8m/11m on ebay right now for low starting bids (below $500). My guess is if you put a bid in at the end of the auction, you will get it for near the starting price. Or better yet, contact the seller and try to work a deal.

Otherwise, the new Matrixx2's have kind of replaced the Neo's and are awesome kites (albeit more expensive).

KAZEDOKA - 11-10-2015 at 10:17 PM

if your interested, I have a HQ APEX III 7.5 Excellent condition

gemini6kl - 11-10-2015 at 11:41 PM

Glad to hear you enjoyed the neo. I have a new HQ Montana 7m which would perform very similar to the neo if you interested I can get it to u for a very affordable price of below 600.

malashev11 - 12-10-2015 at 07:50 AM

THanks for you reply guys.

Nate, i saw the 8m on ebay but i am not sure if it would be too much power for the wife. What do you think?

ssayre - 12-10-2015 at 08:04 AM

A kite is only as powerful as the winds you fly it in. What is your target wind range for the kite?

malashev11 - 12-10-2015 at 08:19 AM

we'll be mostly in high 10s to low 20s with it for the wife.

pongnut - 12-10-2015 at 08:59 AM

Just a suggestion: contact Flysurfer USA and ask them if they have any used/demo 6m Peaks (ver 1 or 2) for sale.

nate76 - 12-10-2015 at 09:21 AM

malashev11,

I would put your wife on the 6.5 and see how she likes that. If you already have a 6.5, it seems like an 8m is a little close size-wise. Like ssayre said, its all about the wind you're in, and what you actually plan on using it for.

malashev11 - 12-10-2015 at 10:17 AM

Nah, someone was kind enough to let me use their 6.5, thats what prompted me to start looking for one

she never tried it, think size scared her even tho she spent most of the day flying a 3 or a 4 fixed bridle (cant remember what it was).

I might have a kite, fingers crossed

malashev11 - 12-10-2015 at 05:01 PM

I just placed the order for flysurfer peak 6m, after reading a few reviews and about its ability to depower it sounds like a perfect kite to get wife more comfortable with these beasts and progress a bit myself. thank you everyone for your posts and recommendations.

ssayre - 12-10-2015 at 05:06 PM

Quote: Originally posted by malashev11

I just placed the order for flysurfer peak 6m, after reading a few reviews and about its ability to depower it sounds like a perfect kite to get wife more comfortable with these beasts and progress a bit myself. thank you everyone for your posts and recommendations.

Excellent choice. HUGE wind range. power from 10-20 and well beyond if experienced. There is a little learning curve with them, but they are phenomenal kites. very easy to learn how to fly but learning curve to optimize their full potential. I'm still unlocking all there is to be had.

Proletariat - 14-10-2015 at 07:24 PM

Quote: Originally posted by ssayre

Quote: Originally posted by malashev11

Seconded... Peak is by far the best beginner depower kite around (without being a wussy kite), IMO. Congrats man! I would've suggested the 8m, but the 6m is pretty amazing from what I hear.

Windstruck - 15-10-2015 at 05:30 AM

Quote: Originally posted by malashev11

I believe you will be very pleased with this decision. Did you end up with the Peak-1 6m or the Peak-2? Both great kites; more curious about the color scheme. The P1 comes in a cool Pink and Black if you can find it. The P2 is in super bright yellow. Both very nice IMHO.

The sheeting out capabilities of the P2s (I haven't flown the P1s so won't comment) are amazing. By bringing the kite all the way up in the wind window and letting the bar completely out scrubs virtually all the power out of the kite. It will look angry up there, sort of flapping a lot but will stay pretty stable in experienced hands. Saying this is not implying that this is hard, just maybe not the very first time. Very easy kite to fly. The 12m Peak-2 was the first DP kite I had ever flown and I felt pretty confident with it on the first day.

One thing to be thinking about is how you plan to land the kite in high winds. That can be a little nerve racking at times. One thing that works nicely I've recently found (thanks to a great tip by a fellow PKF member) is to pull the trim line all the way at the cleat (assuming this is a P2). This will remove a lot of power from the kite. Get the kite down onto the ground nose first (upside down). When on the ground let the control bar out all the way. This will pin the kite to the ground nicely.

Good luck! Please let us know how things go with photos, stories, videos, the works!!

To prime the pump I'll share one of mine with you featuring the 6m P2!

Proletariat - 17-10-2015 at 12:19 PM

Nice video, Windstruck. Just as an item of note, I'd prefer to see your original video in all its shakey glory vs. that fisheye crap that YouTube now does to your videos. That #@%$#! makes me dizzy

Here, check out the difference:

Normal Vid:

De-Shakified -- better music, crappier video IMO.

Windstruck - 17-10-2015 at 03:01 PM

Thanks for the video tips. I'm a complete newbie when it comes to using my GoPro and the video processing software that comes with it. There is a "remove fisheye" box I usually check and that seems to help. I some of my earlier videos had me accepting YouTube's offer to take the shake out. I stopped doing that quickly after I started because I didn't like the results either. I think the Red Beans and Rice one might have had that manipulation. I'm also experimenting with the view set at the camera. The "superview" seems to create the bowing at the edges of the frame. Annoying when the kite lines are at the edge of the frame they bow.

A works in progress!

Proletariat - 17-10-2015 at 08:06 PM

Well, you're doing great, man. I hate that GoPro editing software so much. I finally just started using iMovie and haven't ever looked back. If you have a mac, I'd highly suggest checking it out.

Windstruck - 18-10-2015 at 06:59 AM

Thanks for the tip on iMovie. I do these videos on a Mac so I'll check it out.