Power Kite Forum

Hello and please help

Neil - 5-5-2009 at 04:10 PM

Hello all.

About a year ago now I bought myself a 3m beamer, Ive been working in Mauritania which is basically a desert, huge open areas, great for a power kite....

Wrong, there were really some sudden gusts out there and got totally owned a couple of times. But it was all fun:P

Now Im back in the UK and Im really looking at getting into the boarding side of the power kite scene.

I have looked around but I cant seem to find anything that answers what I need to know, so here goes:

Firstly, do I NEED a bar to use a kite board. Everyone seems to use one, does it just make things easier or is it a must? With my two handles I seem to get enough drag where I live (Kingston upon Thames, England by the way) without one. Or does it help with control.

Secondly, what is a good bar for my kite (3m beamer). And is there anything I should be looking out for. Ive read Scoops Noob guide (in fact Ive read it several times as I looked here before buying my kite in the first place) but Im looking for advice specific to my kite and what I want to do with it.

Thanks a lot guys.

dgkid78 - 5-5-2009 at 04:25 PM

some prefer bars and some prefer handles. if your just cruising around handles will work. although i have videos of people with blades doing 360s on a board. i tried both and prefer a depower kite. i had a small kite too when i got started and i found it just too zippy to control and get a hang of the board.

now for a bar. any basic 4 line bar for a fixed bridle will work. HQ carries it too

ragden - 5-5-2009 at 04:26 PM

I have never landboarded, but i would imagine that using handles on a landboard would make it a little bit top heavy on the power. When you wear a harness, it moves the pull down closer to your center of gravity, rather than at your arms and shoulders. I have seen plenty of people land board using handles, but most use depower kites and bars. Here is the big kick in the pants, most people use DEPOWER kites. Which is dramatically different from a fixed bridle kite like what you have. Moving that onto a bar isnt impossible, but personally, I wouldnt. You might want to look at picking up a depower kite specifically. Like the HQ Montana, Scout, or possibly a Neo. The scout might be the best first pick, but chances are good you would be better off with a Montana or Neo depending on what your end goal is.

Hope that helps, and I am sure some better informed folks will be along shortly :)

BeamerBob - 6-5-2009 at 03:29 AM

The Montana, NEO and Scout are all good choices. I have a Montana and a Scout. The Scout is NOT a depower kite. It is a fixed bridle kite on a crossover bar, but the bar doesn't move toward you and away from you. The Crossover system is just an intricate way of enhancing the turning of a 4 line kite.

Scout Link

Crossover bar link

Neil - 6-5-2009 at 03:50 AM

Thanks guys.... This is exactly why I wanted to post here. Lots of really useful information.

I will go and have a look at de-powered kites though off the top of my head I remember them as being more expensive. Thats not great as I just got made redundant (hence the lots of time for power kites now ;p)

acampbell - 6-5-2009 at 04:02 AM

Sure you can put your Beamer on a bar. It frees up a hand long enough for a board grab and makes riding toeside (kite behind you) easier. With a D-loop strap you can hook into a harness (which you can use later for de-power), and you are off to a good start. but it is of course still fixed bridle as mentioned.

With fixed bridle, the throttle is always "on", or the kite is powered up and and the only way to modulate the power is to change where you put it in the window or by changing your heading.

With de-power, you have a gearshift and a throttle, making it easier to balance and lean back against a larger kite and control the power on every tack. If you want to go for air, you have a way of controlling that too, with practice of course.

ragden - 6-5-2009 at 05:42 AM

Unfortunately, the true depower kites are more expensive.
It takes more material to produce the same power of a fixed bridle kite, not to mention the engineering that goes into the kites. Personally, I prefer the depower kites, but thats just me. Some of the older Peter Lynn ARCs are cheaper than the foils of the same sizes. They handle very differently, but a lot of people really like them.

If you cannot afford a true depower kite, you can always try putting your beamer on a bar.

kiteNH - 6-5-2009 at 06:42 AM

Your handles will work fine and will be better to start landboarding with if that is what you're used to. Later on maybe you can swap kites with someone riding on a bar to get a feel for it and see how you like it. I prefer depower but there are plenty of people who landboard with fixed bridle kites and I think they are easier to get started with, especially if its what you know.

Your real issue is that a 3m kite is going to need some fairly decent winds to landboard with especially if you're a bigger guy. You'll probably want to think about a larger kite soon.

Bladerunner - 6-5-2009 at 09:35 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by kiteNH
Your handles will work fine and will be better to start landboarding with if that is what you're used to. Later on maybe you can swap kites with someone riding on a bar to get a feel for it and see how you like it. I prefer depower but there are plenty of people who landboard with fixed bridle kites and I think they are easier to get started with, especially if its what you know.

Your real issue is that a 3m kite is going to need some fairly decent winds to landboard with especially if you're a bigger guy. You'll probably want to think about a larger kite soon.


Well said,

Depower kites are a bit more expensive but as others mentioned they are selling at some pretty affordable prices used now.

Instead of spending money on a bar I would sell the beamer and use the " bar " money to combine and buy an old depower or slightly larger fixed bridle?

Not a lot of people sell their beamer so it shouldn't be too tough to sell yours ?

Neil - 6-5-2009 at 11:59 AM

Well Im not a larger guy. Im a pretty regular sized 5'8" guy at a guess (I really should find out my exact height ;p). I weight about 10.5stone, so pretty light.

The wind around my area seems to vary between 10-20mph with some days as low as 5mph.

From what I have read (if I understood it correctly) a depower kite has to be bigger to get the same power as a smaller kite. If this is true can someone advise me on what size depower kite I should be looking for, just in case I win the lottery tonight

:bigok:

Bladerunner - 7-5-2009 at 08:33 AM

A 10m depower foil would serve you well in those winds. Of course that is a pretty general statement. It depends on the type of kite in the end.

ragden - 7-5-2009 at 08:38 AM

My 8m Outlaw can get me going pretty good up to 20mph. Under 15mph, I fly my 12m while in the buggy.
The other thing to take into consideration, is the ground you are flying on. The amount of resistance it is giving will change the size of the kite you need. For beach riding, you can use a smaller kite as the ground is smooth and you can get rolling easily. Grass riding, you will need larger again.

Unfortunately, I have no idea what 10.5 stones equates to in pounds. Regardless, a 10m is probably enough kite to get you going. Depending on make and model. What is your price range, and what are you looking at getting?

Neil - 7-5-2009 at 04:48 PM

Well if Im honest at the moment my price range is pretty much nothing. If I saw a bargain somewhere I couldnt pass up Id go for it but until I get a job Im quite accepting that what Ive got is going to have to do.

When I get a job I was hoping to keep it comfortably under £500 if possible but thats looking less likely every time I look at depowered kites. As for what Im looking at getting Im thinking that there is no harm in getting something thats useable on water (but thats a bonus at the moment), mostly its going to be for static jumping and then some kite boarding.

I forgot that stone isnt something that everyone uses, sorry. 10.5 stone is approximately 150pounds.