Hi,

I've had a flexifoil Sting now for about 3/4 years and i'm finding that the only time I can get a real buzz from it is in very strong winds, otherwise it's pretty calm flying. I'm looking for the next step up and something with more power and more of a buzz, I have wondered whether or not it is ambitious of me to think about getting into traction kiting at this stage Any advice would on the next step and kite would be greatly appreciated.

everyone learns at different levels. but i think 3-4 yrs is quite a sufficient time under the belt to get into traction kiting. now what you have to decide is what type of kite you want and what size(s) is best suited for your winds. how much you weigh factors into that as well also. hope that helps

the stings are really (i mean actually) small traction kites.... the 1.2 and the 1.7 would need pretty stupidly strong winds to start pulling you about tho, i reckon you're on one of those.

what most folks say on here is to get a stable 3m foil to start with, for you that would be the simplest next step. Also one of the cheapest. and if you just plain have fun flying a 4-line kite, also a 3m would be natural extension of what you are doing now.

sounds like you are from the UK, if you were to out yourself on kitecrowd and shop around a bit, you could pick up a good 3m for cheap.

the problem is that the buzz of getting some real pull from a 4-line kite can get addictive, and then one starts to buy lots of kites in bigger and bigger sizes so one can get the buzz in a wider and wider range of winds.

after that is depower and buggy/ board/ etc. so i'm just sayin that if you choose to pursue the buzz, be careful... it can get real expensive real quick. but the kitegrin can get real big real quick too.

Peter Lynn Hornet / HQ Beamer / Ozone Flow / PKD Buster are all good kites to go to in the 3-4 m range which offer a bit more performance than a 3.3 sting, but will not be superfast specialized like an Ozone yakuza or deadly lifty like a 3.3 flexi blade. The Hornet is the most like the sting, the buster and flow will offer a bit more performance.

That would be one way forward. there are others. as DGkid mentions, tho, your winds and your weight, as well as your goals, could affect your decision and maybe send you in a different direction.

It's worth mentioning tho that flying 3m kites -- esp. the fast and lifty ones -- in nukin winds is probably one of the leading causes of injury among powerkite flyers. If the foil you are on now hasn't taught you respect for the wind, any of the 3m kites i mention above will, given enough wind, demand your respect, and injure you if you don't have it. Normally I wouldn't mention that, but given your 3-4 years of experience you just might try to take a 3m out in 30+ mph winds.... :frog:

welcome to the forum, best of luck with your kite quest.

If you are questioning moving up in size , the size of kite is never an issue. The winds you fly in are the issue.

Can you guess the average wind speed you will be wanting to get out in ?

Most of us have a variety of sizes of kites so we can choose the right one for the winds that day. Hopefully having the one that's " sweet spot " fits that days conditions .

Thinking ahead about if and what you want to ride helps in deciding as well .

Quote:

Originally posted by furbowski Normally I wouldn't mention that, but given your 3-4 years of experience you just might try to take a 3m out in 30+ mph winds.... :frog:

LOL I like that!! and that's the very reason I'm here on the forums. I'd have probablly killed my-self twice over already if I went with what my desire is telling me to go with, but rest asure with a slight mobility disability (nothing that is going to affect me expanding on my powerkiting hobby if I'm sensible) and weighing less than 10 st I tend to be extra cautious as to what I do.

Quote:

Originally posted by Bladerunner If you are questioning moving up in size , the size of kite is never an issue. The winds you fly in are the issue.

Whilst I feel experienced with the sting now, I still feel somewhat of a newbie in the world of power/traction kiting and could use some help regarding what sort of equipment is out there.

With the sting, I'm finding that I really do need to be out in some pretty heavy winds to get any pull or "buzz" and here in the UK (I may be mistaken) there doesn't seem to be many days in-land with the strength of winds that one needs to get a decent amount of power from the sting. I've only ever once been out with the sting where it has actually being powerful enough to pull me about, The wind that day as <b>furbowski</b> says pretty crazy. S

An idea of my goals,

Having read what has been said already it would seem that that my initial thoughts were right, that the sting is a kite that needs some fairly strong winds to get a decent experience of power-kiting, therefore I feel that a sensible option for me would be to get myself some valuable experience with a kite that is going to be more powerful in light/moderate winds and a kite that I'm going to be able to get some decent pull from and possible air before moving onto something like buggy kiting.

Hope I have given you a better idea of my goals,

You wanna ride boards or just get dragged around?

For the board, a 3-5m kite would be good ... just make sure you have a safety system like kite killers so you're not afraid to let go when stuff goes wrong ...
IMHO around 5m is what you want - good all round size but not too much. I got a 3.5m kite but on a hard-pack surface I need some big winds to ride powered-up ...

And of course - welcome!

Quote:

Originally posted by Kamikuza You wanna ride boards or just get dragged around?

Once again, thanks for all the input!

Whilst the idea of riding boards sounds awesome, I have to go with what my head tells me here as I'm unsure I'm going to be able to ride boards safely due to my mobility issues.

Any traction for me for it to be done safely would have to be via a buggy. So to answer you directly, something that is going to get me dragged around rather than the boards.

Yes that's a help. A guess as to the average winds where you are would help.

The 3m Beamer is sort of a no lose choice. A 3m sounds like a pretty good fit ? I think Ripsesion has a used one for sale on here? http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=14377 (oops Rip ships to U.K. )

YES you are very correct about thinking that your little kite isn't producing much power until it's very windy. You will be shocked at how moving up to just a 3m will make a huge difference. The 3m Beamer makes for a great trainer and a reliable high wind buggy engine . A good place to start looking!

Quote:

Originally posted by yorkieflyer here in the UK (I may be mistaken) there doesn't seem to be many days in-land with the strength of winds that one needs to get a decent amount of power from the sting. Having read what has been said already it would seem that that my initial thoughts were right, that the sting is a kite that needs some fairly strong winds to get a decent experience of power-kiting, therefore I feel that a sensible option for me would be to get myself some valuable experience with a kite that is going to be more powerful in light/moderate winds and a kite that I'm going to be able to get some decent pull from and possible air before moving onto something like buggy kiting.

inland winds... can be gusty, and the edge of the wind window can move around a lot. with a small kite, not much problem as you're having fun chucking it all about the wind window.

but with a bigger one, esp. when jumping, you're working the edges of the wind window, then dipping into the power zone for traction and/or lift. However, gusty and wiggly inland winds may not let you do this safely. A bigger kite can collapse at the edge, float into the power, then recover and power up again with quite a bit of sudden pull. Not so much trouble if you are flying on soft sand and can hold down a lot of power, but on wet grass it can be a very different story.

in other words, your flying style will change when you move from the "stunt foil" category to the "power kite" category, and as you've found out the smaller stings are really stunt foils. Also the more power you are dealing with the pickier you have to be about the quality of your wind... A small sting will handle just about anything.

the UK is a windy place and fall / winter winds will be here soon, I'd recommend keeping your first real power kite small and gust-friendly.

btw, kami is a big boy iirc, 15 or 16 stone at least... also he rides, and i fly static. his question is important... "You wanna ride or just get dragged around"

keep the info coming, we'll help you out....

...and rip also has a couple of 3m hornets for sale, they are slightly more gust-resistant than the beamer, but the beamers offer slightly more performance.

looky here:

http://www.powerkiteforum.com/viewthread.php?tid=14377

Buggy guys seem to go for smaller kites ... 3-4m then

Quote:

Originally posted by furbowski btw, kami is a big boy iirc, 15 or 16 stone at least... also he rides, and i fly static. his question is important... "You wanna ride or just get dragged around" keep the info coming, we'll help you out....

Using the Beaufort Wind Scale, I'd say I generally choose to fly within the 13 – 18 mph winds however I find that less than this then, the sting tends to be somewhat gentle with short occasional bursts of power in the power zone, but nothing significant to challenge my experience.

Having already got so much advice from you guys, already I'm getting a clearer idea as to where I want to take my next step. and I'm definitely leaning more and more towards something that is gonna give me some more experience of power flying static in the winds I tend to choose to fly in rather than jumping straight to riding buggys.

Quote:

Originally posted by yorkieflyer I'm definitely leaning more and more towards something that is gonna give me some more experience of power flying static in the winds I tend to choose to fly in rather than jumping straight to riding buggys.

actually, either way the answer is the same... 2-3 m kite for your 10 stone. you mention 13-18 mph, you'll be scudding fast on wet grass in 13 with a 3m, and at 18 you'll have trouble holding it down unless you're on better footing.

not sure what your mobility difficulty is like, but if it's easy for you to trash your knees or if quick balancing is a problem for you, a two meter kite might be better. you will have quite a bit of power in 18 with a 3m fixed bridle kite.

Once again, thanks for all the input. from what has been said I reckon a 2-3m is going to give me much more of a challenge than the sting and it feels like that is probably the best next option for me to take my kiting further.

What size Sting are you flying now? Sting or Sting II ???

ATB,
Sam

Hi Sam, I double checked today its the Sting, not a sting II, and, its a 1.7

Hi again, been looking at options -

Do you think a 3m beamer III, ozone flare or PK Buster are likely to get me out in lighter winds? If so, then I reckon its between on of those and save the Sting for the heavier 15-25 mph winds.

If you are flying static it will get you out in lighter winds than the 1.7.

Whether it will provide you with the "buzz" you are looking for will depend a lot on what the typical winds are in your area.

ATB,
Sam