Hey Guys, I’ve been involved in kiting since I was a little kid (my grandpa was in avid flyer) and have been flying stunt kites here and there for
some time now, but I have always been intrigued with quad-line flight and the world power kiting. Ideally I would like to get involved with some sort
of traction sport; however, I live in Wisconsin and don’t really have any great spots in my area for buggying, landboarding, etc.
I was wondering if anyone could suggest a nice power kite that I could learn to fly with and that could generate enough power to maybe drag me around
the field a bit. I’d be more then willing to buy second hand. I'm thinking maybe a Beamer II? Thoughts?
Thanks!
Tomleebrianh - 23-3-2007 at 11:59 AM
This might be something for you. Be careful though. It's lifty. - Brian
PS. I have nothing to do with that ebay seller.Tigger - 23-3-2007 at 12:01 PM
Hey Tom,
I've got a couple of kites:
The first is a Sky Tigger 18, it's old tech. but a great place to start with. Not to big for the newbie. It will drag you around a bit if your not
careful. The kite has only been used four or five times and only on a grass field. It is Orange & Gold in color and includes handles and Q-Power
Line sets worth approximately $60.00 The price is a firm $100.00 US Dollars plus shipping.
The second is considerably bigger, and for the newbie should only be flown on very light windy days. It is a Ozone Samurai 5.0, Yellow in color. It
has only been flown three times and again only on a grass field. The price is a firm $400.00 US Dollars plus shipping includes handles, Q-Power Line
sets worth approximately $60.00, and a Ozone 4 line bar control bar worth approximately $125.00B-Roc - 23-3-2007 at 02:23 PM
Normally I think a 4m blade II would be a poor recommendation for your first kite but if you've been flying sport kites for a while and understand the
wind window and control you may be alright (I'm biased against starting too small if you have kite experience because I flew dual line sport kites for
10 years before I bought my first foil which was my 8.5m Blade III and I was totally fine with that kite - but I wouldn't recommend a blade to someone
with no kite experience as the small ones can be snatchy and the big ones too powerful)
Some common entry kites are the Beamer, PKD Buster, Peter Lynn Pepper, Ozone Samuari. These are lower aspect (less lifty) kites.
You may also want to look at the Peter Lynn Reactor (newer but looks really nice)
The HQ crossfire is more lifty as is the Eolo Radsail Pro series.
and then there are blades, begos or depowerables.
I also really like my JOJO ETs - very good to learn with as they are super stable inland but they offer up solid traction and low altitude jumping.
The deal offered above on the skytiger is worth considering if static flying is your goal. They weren't designed to be real lifty kites, IIRC, but
there are some buggy guys out my way that still fly those and they seem to hold on to them for a reason.Pablo - 23-3-2007 at 05:27 PM
If you're looking for older kites at a steal of a price I've got a couple new Buster I 3m kites for sale, ready to fly, $100 US. Older style of kite,
but still more than acceptable.TomB - 24-3-2007 at 09:10 AM
Wow… You guys are great! Thanks for all the help. But, here’s my new issue…
The more I think about it, I’m having second thoughts about spending even $100 on a kite that I will most likely end up being frustrated with. I have
a couple fields very near my house that are probably big enough to fly in but they are surrounded by buildings, hills, and trees, so clean wind is
probably not going to be real abundant for me. Of course, there are some lakes in the area that—when frozen—could be good for some snow traction
action… MAN! I just don’t know…
But no, really, Thanks for the help,
TomPablo - 24-3-2007 at 09:26 AM
Well, some kites do fairly well in gusty conditions. So I wouldn't rule it out all together, I've gotten a ride out of a PL Venom I in winds 5 gusting
to 25 with lots of swirls, I just wouldn't recommend it for a noobie. The PL Arc kites are amazing in the gusty stuff, but won't be in the $100 range.
You can still find old stock or used kites for a reasonable price thought. You can also find some regular foils that do well in the gusty stuff,
Something like the Brooza was designed for poor wind conditions. You can still find some 2006 models being cleared out.B-Roc - 24-3-2007 at 11:29 AM
I fly inland all the time in crap conditions. Never flown a brooza but Pablo knows them and I have heard they do well in crap winds because of the
larger number of closed cells.
My JOJO ETs are great in crap conditions and if you are inland and dealing with the gusty, swiss cheese type air, I'd recommend lower aspect kites.
They won't be as lifty but they will be more stable.
IMO, foils fly better in crap wind than the dual line framed kites you may be used to. You may not be able to board or buggy well in those conditions
but because of their larger size and inflation, the foils seem to fly easier than small, framed kites.
I wouldn't give up on the idea if you really feel the urge to try it.TomB - 25-3-2007 at 11:28 AM
Thanks for the encouragement. I’m still a little on the fence about this whole thing, but, Pablo, could you post a picture of the buster I? I don’t
think I’ll be able to find a better deal then $100 for a 3m.
Thanks,
TomBladerunner - 25-3-2007 at 12:35 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by TomB
I don’t think I’ll be able to find a better deal then $100 for a 3m.
Thanks,
Tom
You can be sure of that !Pablo - 25-3-2007 at 10:41 PM
Here's the Buster I, the 3m comes in a dark blue top, white belly. The bridals aren't as nice as the new kites, to this date I've never had a problem
with a broken bridal, we've used a 3m buster I as a demo/trainer kite for close to 2 years now and it's still in one piece and flying well. We're just
blowing out the Buster I's because everyone wants the Buster II.
The other option if you're looking for something to drag you around - since you're already familiar with 2 line stunters, you could look at Flexifoil
Stackers. A 6' wont drag you unless its blowing like 20mph, but a 8' should give good pull, and a 10' is starting to get crazy. The cool thing with
stackers is if you want more power you add another on top. Starts to get just as expensive as getting a four line though.
If you're thinking of getting into buggying at some point though I'd skip the stackers and just get a 4 line and be done with it. 3m is a good size to
start with - not too big, not too small. Don't take it out in 20mph winds on your first time though!
Re. the gusty winds - the kites recommended here will all be great. Just stay clear of anything like a race kite (Razor, Yak, Century etc) - most of
these will be hard for a beginner to get the hang of in gusty winds.
I can back up the Skytiger recommendation - although old (and you'll probably only find them second hand), they are very stable and predictable. No
frills and no surprises. When the wind dies they just fall slowly back to ground until the wind kicks up again. I've buggied with my Skytiger 40 and
Hi60 for years (since 97) and had loads of fun with them. The other thing is even though I started with the 40 as my first fourliner and gave it a
severe thrashing at times, getting stuck in trees, bushes, dragged through rough brush etc, its still in excellent condition and flies great. After 10
years and all this abuse I'm interested in how well other brands/more recent kites will stand up.TomB - 27-3-2007 at 09:12 PM
Thanks khooke, I actually looked into the Stackers, but yes I do hope to get into buggying or boarding oneday, so like you said I’m planning to go
right to four lines.
Right know I’m pretty well set on the Buster that Pablo is offering. I just have to get some money stuff sorted out on my end and hope nothing crazy
happens.
