eeyonw - 6-4-2009 at 01:46 PM
Hi guys and girls, im new here!
iv had a Beamer III 3m for about a year now and want to do more with kiting, i weigh about 150 and the winds i fly in are inland and typically gusty
and strong enough to drag me around a bit. Ive flown my beamer about 20 times. the only other places i have kited were beaches.
at some point i would like to get into snow and water kiting, the beamer has handles so i was hoping to maybe get something with a bar so i can learn
to use that type of control system?
the HQ Scout looks good but since it is not a depower kite i wonder how much use it will be in moving towards snow/water kiting?
my other set back is that iv never seen anyone around here flying kites much so i don't really have anyone to learn from or anything. just online
videos and reading forums.
if i stayed with handles what would be a good next kite? i saw a thread discussing the new ozone flow, other kites i saw for sale online were the
peter lynn hornet. is there anything else anyone recommends? Flexifoils seem to be rather expensive are they worth the money and would any of their
kites be a good next step. cost isnt terribly important as long as the kite is well built and worth the money. just looking to have some fun... maybe
two kites would be better? one with a bar for training in that direction and another just for more fun/challenge on land then the beamer is?
also, for any kite recommendations... about what size would you recommend for my wind conditions and weight?
sorry for all the questions!
awindofchange - 6-4-2009 at 06:02 PM
If your looking to eventually end up on water or snow then I highly suggest getting into depowerable kites such as the Peter Lynn twinskins,
flysurfers or even inflatables.
The Peter Lynn Twinskins would be my first recommendation because you said that your area is usually strong winds and gusty. Nothing handles the
gusts quite like a Peter Lynn and if you don't have a lot of people around to help the PL's are easy to self launch and land.
The Scout is an awesome kite and will work great for the snow but not recommended for the water. Right now you can find some excellent deals on Peter
Lynn Venom's as people are upgrading to the new Synergy's. The PL's tend to hold their value a bit better than inflatables and also seem to have a
much longer life span. The PL's are also less prone to damage on the snow than inflatables.
You will need to use a harness to fly all of these kites. Without a harness you will not be able to use the depower system.
For your weight - I would guess that you would be good on a Synergy 10 or 12 meter (again reading that you have stronger winds and gusts). Actual
size needed would depend on the winds you would be flying in.
Depowerable kites will cost quite a bit more than fixed bridle kites but usually will cover the wind range of two or even three fixed bridle kites.
When you add up the total cost, depowerable kites may actually be cheaper in the long run.
Hope that helps point you in the right direction and don't apologize for all the questions. It is better to ask than to assume and end up with
something that doesn't work for you.
eeyonw - 6-4-2009 at 07:09 PM
AWOC - thanks for your input.
i think if i move onto water i will buy a kitesurfing specific LEI. right now i am more aiming at something to use on land and get to learn to how to
use depower kites.
seanrmz - 7-4-2009 at 10:14 AM
hi eeyonw, i see you are getting the kitebug in ya.. good, you will love it. if you are going to get serious into kiting and want to learn the right
way and progress fast, i would look into getting lessons. that would be the best thing for now. make sure sure the teacher is a sertified IKO. he
would be the right person to lean you into right direction from there. there are so many good kites out there. the best thing if u can is to get out
and demo them. not sure if it is easy for you but it is well worth it if you are going to buy a new quiver. look up a kite shop in your area, they
will have all the detail and also asked them for the used department they have good deals.
good wind be safe, sean
ragden - 7-4-2009 at 10:47 AM
eeyonw - Where are you? That might give us a better idea of who to direct you to as for someone to assist you locally.
eeyonw - 7-4-2009 at 12:31 PM
ragden - i am located in central Washington state. which makes me within range of Washington and Oregon beaches for weekend trips. 
all of the kite shops i have found online that are close to me(within 120 miles) in Washington state have disconnected phone lines, don't carry any
kinds of power kites past a Beamer 2m or are kitesurfing specific, nothing past trainers. but maybe i am missing some. im sure there are some on the
Washington coast? obviously there are many options for simply ordering them online if i need to but as far as lessons im stumped in that.