Power Kite Forum

many thanks

harleymast - 19-6-2016 at 10:32 AM

Thank you all for writing back to me and giving me your opinion! Really awesome! What a great place this is for finding out information! I will take all your comments into consideration! Thanks again and happy father's day to you all.

Bladerunner - 19-6-2016 at 10:59 AM

I am still very curious about what you are looking to get out of a 4m kite for static flying that you aren't already getting using a 2.5m? Can you explain that?

Please don't be thinking the 4m will be good for jumping !

I would be wondering why your local shop says Peter Lynn has bad service? I have heard of people who were disappointed with follow up when their buggies cracked. Never any issues with them standing by their kites.

soliver - 19-6-2016 at 03:56 PM

Dittos to what BR said, Peter Lynn has really good service, in both my opinion and experience!

Btw... You should get a buggy too :smilegrin:

ssayre - 19-6-2016 at 04:50 PM

I completely disagree with the idea that all that is needed is a 2.5m for static. I purchased and flew a complete quiver ranging from 1.3 to 8.5 and flew them all static. Nothing is different about building a static quiver than a traction quiver except the wind ranges you fly in. All are needed to keep it fun and exciting for varried wind conditions. Just because your not into buggy does not mean you need any less kites. Just saying.

riffclown - 19-6-2016 at 05:18 PM

Quote: Originally posted by ssayre  
I completely disagree with the idea that all that is needed is a 2.5m for static. I purchased and flew a complete quiver ranging from 1.3 to 8.5 and flew them all static. Nothing is different about building a static quiver than a traction quiver except the wind ranges you fly in. All are needed to keep it fun and exciting for varried wind conditions. Just because your not into buggy does not mean you need any less kites. Just saying.


100% agree.. I love flying my 8M Toxic and 4M CrossfireII static.

soliver - 20-6-2016 at 05:49 AM

I totally agree with both ssayre and riffclown, but you should still get a buggy :smilegrin:

Yeah the big kites move slower flying static, but they are still great fun... why have to wait for your windspeed to get up over 10 mph to fly when you can put a 6, 7, or 8m and putz around!

I DO find though that there is usually not much room on the used market for a 4m kite though... most people are satisfied with the jump from 3m range to 5m range, so selling a 4m when you want to upgrade can be difficult. But I still LOVED my 4m when I flew it... Just something to think about.

Bladerunner - 20-6-2016 at 06:17 AM

I am not against building a quiver of kites. I just got a strong feeling that harleymast was expecting a 4m to fly earlier and expect similar speed. I am curious what he is after in a 4m?

I get the impression that stunt flying is more His draw than Power kiting? This is why I suggested a look at Rev' style kites.

ssayre - 20-6-2016 at 06:37 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Bladerunner  
I am not against building a quiver of kites. I just got a strong feeling that harleymast was expecting a 4m to fly earlier and expect similar speed. I am curious what he is after in a 4m?

I get the impression that stunt flying is more His draw than Power kiting? This is why I suggested a look at Rev' style kites.



Personally, the 4m size was my most used kite for static fly for over a year and I think it does get going enough earlier to warrant having. But again, I try to maintain a certain level of pull and excitement no matter if I'm static flying or traction kiting and therefore need most of the sizes. In fact, I'm rebuilding my fixed bridle quiver for static an exorcise.

A 2-3 meter kite feels dead in winds a 4m will start to come alive.

@soliver: I never understood why the 4m is a hard size to sell. It seems just as necessary as any fixed bridle size.

abkayak - 20-6-2016 at 06:52 AM

if your a big guy it serves as a 3m to us little guys...i had a 4 and never used it i went 3 to 5 right away
but the best reason to own a 4m is because you dont have one

ssayre - 20-6-2016 at 07:48 AM

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak  
if your a big guy it serves as a 3m to us little guys...i had a 4 and never used it i went 3 to 5 right away
but the best reason to own a 4m is because you dont have one


guilty. i am in the robust category.

Also, not to take away from bladerunner's point, I agree that you don't want to jump with the 4m and/or a rev is a good consideration of stunt is the goal.

riffclown - 20-6-2016 at 02:28 PM

Of my power foils, I almost never fly my 3M.. I fly the 4M far more often and the 8M whenever possible.
The 5M has only seen air twice since I purchased new. I like the 4 more and I'm more likely to go straight to the 8M if the 4M isn't enough..

But as stated elsewhere, I'm almost exclusively static..

harleymast - 20-6-2016 at 05:01 PM

More great thing to think about! I want a 4 meter because I want a little more pull when the winds are right. I want that sucker to pull me through the sand at the beach. If they get too high I would fly the 2.5 meter I have. I have no intention of jumping just to let you know. I'd kill myself for sure! Do you think a 5 m would be better? I certainly would not go bigger than that. I have been checking out peter lynn kites...leaning toward those I think....question..the twister...would that be TOO much lift for some cat like me on the beach? What's the difference between the twister and the twister 2r?

riffclown - 20-6-2016 at 05:15 PM

a 4M will do just fine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feJBAfaDekw


Chris Shultz from HQ with a little scudding action and the HQ CrossfireII 4.0 Meter

Twister might be a little lifty from its reputation..

ssayre - 20-6-2016 at 05:38 PM

Im glad I'm not the only one that loves a 4 meter. A twister is lifty but once you fly a few times it's easy enough to avoid. 2r or newer all seam to be popular. I doubt you would have any trouble as long as you use some sense. Mid to high ar fb make for some awesome thrills and scudding. Lower ar have a lot of grunt but higher ar provide that zip that is so addicting for static flying IMO.

riffclown - 20-6-2016 at 05:41 PM

for comparison. the green kite you see at about 3 or 4 seconds in is a 2.5 Bullet..

ssayre - 20-6-2016 at 05:45 PM

Riff, what about the toxic? Have you flown a 4m?

riffclown - 20-6-2016 at 06:38 PM

I really don't remember if I flew 3shot's 4M for a bit or not. I know he would have let me but we don't get to fly together as often as I'd like.

I do have a 5M toxic but I like my CrossfireII 4M better. The Angle of Attack adjustment of the Crossfire makes it a superior kite in my opinion.. It's a shame HQ discontinued it. Performance wise, I think the Toxic fits between the Crossfire and the Beamer. and the Crossfire is faster through the air than either of the other two. That fits into my static flying just fine and I still enjoy static flying the most..

If there's not enough wind for the 4M I'm sure the 8M Toxic will fly just fine.. I've flown the 5M Toxic exactly twice. Once at Jockey's Ridge to get a good look at it and again a few days later to shake some of Jockey's Ridge out of it.. I don't buy into the 3/5... mentality.. I typically go 2/4/8 and that suits me just fine..

I considered 3shot's 4M when he was thinning the herd but decided that between the 4M Crossfire, 4.5M Bullet and 5M toxic, there wasn't quiver space for it..Chris from HQ let me borrow a 2M toxic for a bit a few years back and I found it to be a nice kite and it turned me on to the Toxics but I never even considered replacing the Crossfires..

@harleymast
Not trying to hijack your thread.. just want you to know that the most important aspect of choosing a sail for yourself is what works for you. While we all invariably say start with a 3M, I personally didn't.. I started with a 2 and then a 4. I guess that's why I still start with 2M with a 4M being my next step.

lceliz - 20-6-2016 at 06:55 PM

Well good thing I came across this topic, So I been doing static flying my 5M kite from a 1.8M kite and yeah the diffrance is noticable.
One thing I have notice is I enjoy the work out on the 5M kite its slow but it makes it a work out vs my 1.8M that I can just do whatever with out much tension.

Anyways I probably wont be going to 4M kite since Im happy with the 5M and also have my 3M kite now.
Eventually ill want to go with bigger kites for landboarding and cruising on my board or a buggy if I get one eventually.