vtliter - 17-2-2009 at 07:02 PM
This is kind of a poll question...what would be your 3 most recommended kite sizes for a landboarding quiver. New England, inland, but sometime access
to Cape Cod beaches.
burritobandit - 17-2-2009 at 07:36 PM
Are you asking about fixed bridle foils or depowerable kites? There will be a difference in quiver sizes as a smaller foil can produce as much power
as a same sized or slightly bigger depowerable kite (ex. 7m foil will produce more power than a 7m depower). Rider weight will also come into play..
So far I've mainly flown my fixed bridle foils while kitelandboarding. My most used kites are my 4.9m Blade IV and my 7m Bullet. On the
smaller/highwind end I'd use either my 2m Best Trainer but since it's damaged, I'd use my 3m Samurai2 or 4m Blade IV.
dgkid78 - 17-2-2009 at 08:24 PM
Access to Cape Cod Beaches???? where you at??
flexiblade - 17-2-2009 at 08:52 PM
Looks like you're pretty well covered already - don't know what the Lightwave Tsunami 137 is - the only thing you might add is a light wind kite
(something for winds 4 to 8mph) Even though it's hard sometimes to justify a purchase for mediocre winds. I don't think I really touched on what your
looking for with this post.
burritobandit nailed the parameters for an answer though
Fixed top three -
6m/7m(low end - anything bigger in low winds will be really ungainly in turns)
4m - for good winds (13 - 20mph)
2m - for crazy winds (20 + and must be an experienced rider)
Depower foil top three -
12m for low end days (7 - 15mph)
8m for good wind days (15 - 22mph)
4m for crazy winds (25 to 35mph)
Arc top three -
16m for low end 8 - 15mph(will move faster than an 18m)
13m for good days 13 - 27mph
10m for kick a$$ days 25 - 40mph (must tune the leader lines properly for these days - outside bar lines should be let out as far as they'll go -
trying to get the kite's AoA as parallel to the ground as possible)
B-Roc - 18-2-2009 at 06:55 AM
I weigh 145#s and kite landboard either at Nahant or inland fields in northern MA and fly fixed bridle kites (where on the cape are you? I go to
Eastham every summer). It seems the majority of the time I'm at Nahant beach I'm riding my 2.5 JOJO but when I'm riding inland, I'm usually on my
5.5. Inland I prefer the lower aspect kites as the winds can be flaky and you need to deal with gusts. At the beach the higher A/R kites are OK
because there is usually not as much variability in the wind (or at least it doesn't hit so quickly).
I'd say my 2.5 JOJO has been my most used kite in the past 4 years, then the 5.5 and a toss up between the 4m Bego and the 7m JOJO.
If I did my quiver all over I'd keep my 8.5 blade, go with a low aspect 4-6m depower (Access or Apex) and then a higher apsect 9-10m dewpowerable like
the Frenzy or Montana and I think that would cover me for pretty much everything, though I may even drop the blade for a high A/R 6-7m fixed bridle
kite for the exact reasons flexiblade mentions. I'd prefer a fixed bridle kite in low winds.
vtliter - 18-2-2009 at 09:41 AM
I'm in Vermont. The Lightwave Tsunami is a water board. I'm covered in all winds with my ARCS but I prefer to use them on the water and snow. I like
the easy setup of foils for the mountainboard. I'm picking up a Beamer TSR 3.6 next week to start and I have my eye on a Fenzy 5. Maybe those 2 would
cover me for the mountainboard?
kitedog - 18-2-2009 at 10:01 AM
If you're going fixed bridle, the 3.6 will be adequate to get you moving with some wind but you're going to need a bigger kite for lighter wind. The
Frenzy 5 mtr is going to need a lot of wind to be any fun. I'd just use the ARCs unless you're just itching to drop some $$$ on new kites. If
that's the case, go for a quiver of Blade IVs for fixed bridles or Frenzys or Outlaws for depower.
vtliter - 18-2-2009 at 10:56 AM
It's not really an issue of just dropping $...I LOVE my ARCS, but all arc users will tell you what a pain in the...it is to set them up on dry land.
I'm really just looking for the best couple of engines for dry land boarding in the foil realm. I used to fly Frenzy's so I know how easy they are to
set up and land compared to my Arcs. Trust me, I'm not looking to spend lots of dough as there are some good deals out there currently.
kitedog - 18-2-2009 at 11:57 AM
Yeah...open cell foils are definitely the easiest and quickest for launch/land purposes. I used to fly a Flexi Sabre 7 and a modded Blade III 10.5
but have switched to a FS Pulse 2 8 and 12. The Pulse goes up pretty quick for closed cell. Both quivers have pretty good range. There were times
that I felt over-powered with the 7 mtr and opted for a Rage 2.5 with the triple A and a bar but that was rare. Try to find a Blade 4.9 any
generation to compliment that Beamer.